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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 23, 2016)
Street Roots • Sept. 23-29, 2016 E d it o r ia l Page 3 Engagement first step to bridging the voting gap n a nation of states where lawmakers are working every angle to suppress voting by the masses, Oregon stands above the fray with a solid record. We have the universally popular vote-by- mail system, which unfetters voters from the ballot booths. (That’s particularly refreshing this year, knowing some states face the hubris of self-appointed monitors against fantasy fraud at P W I f W the polls.) And unlike ^ * * * p * B ft many states, people with felony convictions on their record are able to vote after their time is served. Still, Oregon suffers the same problem as most states in the nation: Low-income people are underrepresented at the polls. Sen. Bernie Sanders put it front and center: “Poor people don’t vote,” Obviously, the flip side is that the higher income levels are the ones electing our representation and'deciding policy - with little inclination to encourage anything b u t According to studies compiled by Politico, the past “40 years of state-level data finds no instance in which there was not a class, bias in the electorate favoring the rich - in other words, no instance in which poorer people in general turned out in higher rates than the rich.” The report goes on to note that this bias has increased since-1988, “just as wide gaps have opened up between th e opinions of non-voters and those of voters.” /If the widening economic gap is any indicator, fewer people with lower incomes will be voting with each passing year. Tuesday, Sept. 27 iS/National Voter Registration day, and Street Roots will be taking part in helping people get registered for the upcoming election. The Oregon Bus Project will be in the house, registering vendors and whoever needs to sign up. Street Roots also serves as a mailing address for recieving and distributing ballots. We’re one of several services in town doing so - helping get people who have so-much at stake in future I policies, particularly around affordable housing, engaged in the issues. But it doesn’t end with a completed form and a stamp. Voting needs to be talked about, exercised with careful thought and practiced only after many viewpoints have . hit their mark or hit the fan, só to speak. Unfortunately, with poverty also comes social detachment and political isolation. Yet for many of our vendors, the shop floor for political debate and pointed arguments are a street corner, with customers, familiar or new. Every Friday morning, with the rundown of-the new paper, a roomful of Street Roots vendors give their opinions on controversial topics and important issues, from incarceration policies to hoùsing regulations. It’s a time where people find solidarity where it’s not expected, around shared experiences and concerns. Opinions span conservative, liberal, old-school and progressive, but there is plenty of common ground for everyone to stand. There’s much at stake in any election, but this year housing has become paramount. In November, voters will also consider the groundbreaking Measure 2&-179 that would raise $258.4 million over 20 years to acquire and build permanently affordable housing in Portland. ' And while it is importaht all .econpmic ... classes can engage in democracy, it’s also important for all to be heard and understood. It’s a two-way street So the next time you’re picking up your Street Roots, talk with your vendor about thè seriousissues this upcoming election. It could be a very thought-provoking conversation. something that you’ve written published in our pages, or would f e to get involved as a member of our reporting stall, contact Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl at 503-228-5657, jQanne@stteetroots.org. We ask that all submissions include the author’s name and contact information, if available. Street Roots 211 NW Davis St. Portland, OR 97209 503-228-5657 Fax:503-227-3117 . www.sireetroots.org www.news.streetroots.org Hours: 7 3 0 a.m.-3 p,m. Mon.-Fii„ 7:30 ' a.m.-2 p.m. Sat. and 7:30-11 a.m. Sun. Advertising interested in advertising in Street Roots? Contact Israel Bayer at israel@streettoots.org Staff Executive D irecto r Israel Bayer M anaging E dito r Joanne Zuhl ¡oanne@stteettoots.Qrg • V endor P ro g ra m D ire cto r Cole Merkel cole@streetroots.org Operations Director Sarah Beecroft Development Director Sarah Cloud P rogram A ssista n t M eghann Van Pelt, Jesuit Volunteer : Patricia Romero t Emily Green, Suzanne Zalokar, Sarah Hansell, Leonora Ko, Jared Paben, Am anda Waldroupe, Stephen Quirke* P hotographers Diego Diaz, Joe Glode, Editorial A ssista n t Monica Kwasnik 1 Desmond Hardison Board of Directors C hairm an Brad Taylor Vice-Chairm an Rachel Langford T re a su re r Heather Stadidc . S e cre ta ry Marcus. Swift D ire cto rs Rich Rodgers, Michael Anderson, Led Rhodes, Sandra Hahn, John Brown, Dan - Jones Volunteers Jan Bayer, John Barker, Stacey Heath, Anjali Rathore, Zoe Klingmann, Haven Herrin, Dan Jones, Dennis Hogan, Tom Wright, Judy Taylor, Karen Allen, Monica McKune, Susan Wolfe, Lucas Hawthorne, Thomas Buell Jr., Jeanie Lunsford, Yasmin Amirsoleymant, Jason Cohen, Tom Ray, Doug Spangle, Susannah Kamala, Jon Raymond, Hilary Smith, Diana Richardson, Cherie Manning, Paul and Madel ine Gefroh, Mary Anne Joyce and Faye Powell, if you're interested in volunteering with Street Roots, please submit a volunteer application at stfeetroots.org/volunteer. Or you can call our volunteer-coordinator for more information at 503-228-5657.
