Have you voted? + Diversity at the elected level in SLO County: This week in Outspoken
It is Wednesday, Oct. 28, and this is the Outspoken newsletter.
Hey, young SLO County!
Have you turned your ballot in yet? There are only six days left.
Even though SLO County residents between the ages of 18 and 34 make up just under a quarter of registered voters in the county, only 14% of the ballots counted so far come from that age group. So make sure to get yours in!
This week, The Tribune wrote about how SLO County city councils are almost 90% white. Young voters want change, and here’s how — a look into diversity issues at the elected level in SLO County, why it matters and what could help.
With an election coming on the heels of local Black Lives Matter protests, addressing systemic racism has been a particular priority for many young voters in San Luis Obispo County.
We know you’ve got a lot going on, but keep your eye out for more solution-focused stories this week that’ll address child care in SLO County, kids returning to school and housing affordability!
And if you like working up to the deadline like us, don’t worry. We’ll have a last-minute election guide out for you this week.
We’ve got a lot to get done, so wish us luck! Have a spooky Halloween and don’t forget to get your ballot in the box!
Best,
Cassandra and Kaytlyn
How diverse are SLO County elected officials? Why does that matter? What could help?
If you’ve ever wondered how diverse the elected officials (namely city council members, mayors and county board of supervisors) are, the answer is: Not very. And the pool of candidates is not much more diverse.
Although there have been more-recent efforts to confront inequity and lack of diversity in the county, local officials and candidates are typically white and older than 40, the review found.
We talked to young voters about why this matters, and as one resident put it “diversity issues don’t exist in a bubble.”
Race, housing, jobs and public meeting accessibility are often all interconnected.
So we looked at ways the county could increase diversity among elected bodies. Some solutions are as simple as listening to current leaders of color. Others involve changing the voting systems in place.
You can read more about diversity at the elected level here. This isn’t a small issue, so it isn’t a quick read. But, we know you’re busy and time is precious, so we have a TL;DR version of the story here that lists out three solutions.
If you want to know what candidates said on the topic of racism in SLO County, go here.
Have follow up questions? Let us know!
Did you vote early? Most local young voters haven’t yet
Only about 28% of young SLO County voters under the age of 35 have gotten their ballots in as of this week, according to new numbers from Political Data Inc.
Does that sound crazy in a year experts are calling “The Year of the Young Voter”? — We thought so, too.
So what’s going on there? Turns out young voter turnout always tends to trail locally, according to Clerk-Recorder Tommy Gong, and other factors like coronavirus or fewer locally registered students at Cal Poly could also be contributing to this year’s numbers.
But most likely? It’s good ol’ procrastination. So make sure to get your ballots in people; you’ve still got six days left and plenty of resources to figure out how to cast your vote. (Some of those resources are even listed below!)
ICYMI
Here are some of the other Outspoken stories we’ve published, just in case you missed them:
Young SLO County voters want candidates to talk about racism. Here’s what they said
SLO County is expensive. Here’s how candidates say they can keep young people from fleeing
What do young SLO County voters care about the most? Here’s their Citizens’ Agenda
Here’s everything you need to know about voting in SLO County this election
The clock is ticking! Get out and vote!
This story was originally published October 28, 2020 at 6:14 PM.
%20Cropped.jpg)