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.