6 20-0648 Subject: Support For Proposition 17
From: Councilmember McElhaney
Recommendation: Adopt A Resolution In Support Of Proposition 17 A Ballot Initiative To Enfranchise Formerly Incarcerated Citizens On Parole
I support Prop. 17 because 50,000 Californians on parole deserve to have a say in the policies that affect their daily lives. Please support our fellow brothers and sisters in getting their voices heard by standing behind this life-changing proposition.
As an Oakland resident, I strongly support Proposition 17, which will restore the right to vote to people on parole. Our democracy is stronger when everyone's voice is heard. There is no justification to silence people's voices.
Voter suppression is real, and that is more obvious now than ever before. We must take steps to undo the legacy of voter suppression via felon disenfranchisement, and Prop 17 is one step on this path. Please, I urge the Council to adopt a resolution to support Prop 17 today.
As an Oakland resident, I strongly support Proposition 17, which will restore the right to vote to people on parole. I believe our democracy is stronger when everyone's voice is heard. Right now, 50,000 returning Californians do not have a say in the laws that impact their lives. That is anti-democratic and unconscionable.
Both in the US and California, we have a long legacy of racially biased voter suppression and felon disenfranchisement. We must take steps to undo this legacy and Prop 17 is one step on this path.
Studies show that civic engagement reduces recidivism and supports people returning home. Why would we work against this?
Please, adopt a resolution to support Prop 17 today.
I urge the Oakland City Council to adopt a resolution supporting a Prop 17. This will send a message that Oakland sees individuals on parole as neighbors, parents, children, students, workers, leaders...and voters. These are people who are a part of our state but in many cases have been failed by it, and they deserve a voice in its future.
As a concerned citizen and a friend of men whose lives will be directly impacted by this proposition,
I support Prop. 17 because our democracy is stronger when every voice is heard
I support Prop. 17 because it strengthens the political power of Black and Brown communities
I support Prop. 17 because my neighbors and colleagues deserve a voice in our communities
I support Prop. 17 because it undoes a long legacy of racially biased voter suppression and felon disenfranchisement
I support Prop. 17 because 50,000 Californians on parole deserve to have a say in the policies that affect their daily lives
I support Prop. 17 because California should live up to its ideals and not fall behind 20 states that do not prevent people on community supervision from voting
I support Prop. 17 because civic engagement supports people returning home and reduces recidivism
Please stand behind this important proposition to help amend our broken criminal justice system,
I support Prop. 17 because civic engagement supports people returning home and reduces recidivism. It isn’t right to continue punishing people after they have served their sentence! Thank you! -Susan Hagstrom, Oakland, CA
I strongly support Proposition 17. California currently ranks shamefully #5 in criminal disenfranchisement in the U.S: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felony_disenfranchisement_in_the_United_States
While a great deal of this is due to the shameful number of individuals we have incarcerated, it's also due the huge number of formerly incarcerated individuals who have served their time, and are now on parole. One out of every 350 voting-age Californians is denied their ability to vote due to being on parole -- and that fraction is one out of every eighty for African-Americans. Systematically oppressed populations bear the brunt of this injustice.
Please support Proposition 17. In the words of Taina Vargas-Edmond, Founder & Executive Director of Initiate Justice: "The removal of the right to vote is not based in an interest in public safety. Rather, it is rooted in a punitive justice belief system that intentionally attempts to rob marginalized people of their political power."
Please support Proposition 17. Our community members on parole deserve to have their voices heard on issues that impact their lives. The prohibition on voting for people on parole disproportionately disenfranchises people of color. California should live up to its ideals and end this unjust policy.
I support Prop. 17 because it strengthens the political power of Black and Brown communities and because 50,000 Californians on parole deserve to have a say in the policies that affect their daily lives
I fully support Proposition 17 to enfranchise those on parole. By doing so, individuals are provided the opportunity to fully participate in the community. Additionally, how can recidivism be reduced if California continues to put roadblocks in the way. Let’s be a city of leadership, and fully lift your voices, vote, and then campaign to ensure passage of this critical proposition.
Thank you, Terri McWilliams (District 6)
Faith in Action East Bay, Imani Community Church
I support Prop. 17 because our democracy is stronger when every voice is heard! Prison sentences should end, and we should treat the formerly incarcerated as citizens because that is what they are. We cannot expect them to reintegrate into society while simultaneously telling them they cannot enjoy all of the benefits of citizenship. Civic engagement supports people returning home and reduces recidivism,
I support Prop. 17 because California should live up to its ideals and not fall behind 20 states that do not prevent people on community supervision from voting
I support Prop. 17 because it undoes a long legacy of racially biased voter suppression and felon disenfranchisement!
I support Prop. 17 because California should live up to its ideals and not fall behind 20 states that do not prevent people on community supervision from voting. I have incarcerated loved ones who are impacted by this legislation, and who's voices need to be heard. It is critical that those most impacted by the criminal legal system and mass incarceration be able to access our democratic process, be able to vote, and have a say in the issues that directly impact their lives.
As resident of Oakland, I urge the City Council to take a stand in favor of supporting Prop 17. I support Prop. 17 because 50,000 Californians on parole deserve to have a say in the policies that affect their daily lives. At a time when many states are working to suppress the vote, California must show that it stands for voters' rights and will work to undo this country's history of disenfranchising people of color.
I strongly support prop 17. We need to value every member of our community for it to be strong and healthy. Once someone is no longer incarcerated, they should at a minimum have the same rights as the rest of us. Prop 17 is a step towards undoing a long legacy of racially biased voter suppression and felon disenfranchisement. It does not address the further ills of mass incarceration but it is a beginning.
Please pass Prop 17 --- 50,000 Californians on parole deserve to have a say in the policies that affect their daily lives. For a democracy to be a healthy one, civic engagement MUST be supported. It's time for CA to step up and support our neighbors and colleagues in having a political voice in our communities. Thank you.
I support Prop. 17 because 50,000 Californians on parole deserve to have a say in the policies that affect their daily lives. Please support our fellow brothers and sisters in getting their voices heard by standing behind this life-changing proposition.
As an Oakland resident, I strongly support Proposition 17, which will restore the right to vote to people on parole. Our democracy is stronger when everyone's voice is heard. There is no justification to silence people's voices.
Voter suppression is real, and that is more obvious now than ever before. We must take steps to undo the legacy of voter suppression via felon disenfranchisement, and Prop 17 is one step on this path. Please, I urge the Council to adopt a resolution to support Prop 17 today.
As an Oakland resident, I strongly support Proposition 17, which will restore the right to vote to people on parole. I believe our democracy is stronger when everyone's voice is heard. Right now, 50,000 returning Californians do not have a say in the laws that impact their lives. That is anti-democratic and unconscionable.
Both in the US and California, we have a long legacy of racially biased voter suppression and felon disenfranchisement. We must take steps to undo this legacy and Prop 17 is one step on this path.
Studies show that civic engagement reduces recidivism and supports people returning home. Why would we work against this?
Please, adopt a resolution to support Prop 17 today.
I support proposition 17 because everyone's voice needs to be heard.
I urge the Oakland City Council to adopt a resolution supporting a Prop 17. This will send a message that Oakland sees individuals on parole as neighbors, parents, children, students, workers, leaders...and voters. These are people who are a part of our state but in many cases have been failed by it, and they deserve a voice in its future.
Dear councilmembers,
As a concerned citizen and a friend of men whose lives will be directly impacted by this proposition,
I support Prop. 17 because our democracy is stronger when every voice is heard
I support Prop. 17 because it strengthens the political power of Black and Brown communities
I support Prop. 17 because my neighbors and colleagues deserve a voice in our communities
I support Prop. 17 because it undoes a long legacy of racially biased voter suppression and felon disenfranchisement
I support Prop. 17 because 50,000 Californians on parole deserve to have a say in the policies that affect their daily lives
I support Prop. 17 because California should live up to its ideals and not fall behind 20 states that do not prevent people on community supervision from voting
I support Prop. 17 because civic engagement supports people returning home and reduces recidivism
Please stand behind this important proposition to help amend our broken criminal justice system,
I support Prop. 17 because civic engagement supports people returning home and reduces recidivism. It isn’t right to continue punishing people after they have served their sentence! Thank you! -Susan Hagstrom, Oakland, CA
I strongly support Proposition 17. California currently ranks shamefully #5 in criminal disenfranchisement in the U.S: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felony_disenfranchisement_in_the_United_States
While a great deal of this is due to the shameful number of individuals we have incarcerated, it's also due the huge number of formerly incarcerated individuals who have served their time, and are now on parole. One out of every 350 voting-age Californians is denied their ability to vote due to being on parole -- and that fraction is one out of every eighty for African-Americans. Systematically oppressed populations bear the brunt of this injustice.
Please support Proposition 17. In the words of Taina Vargas-Edmond, Founder & Executive Director of Initiate Justice: "The removal of the right to vote is not based in an interest in public safety. Rather, it is rooted in a punitive justice belief system that intentionally attempts to rob marginalized people of their political power."
Please support Proposition 17. Our community members on parole deserve to have their voices heard on issues that impact their lives. The prohibition on voting for people on parole disproportionately disenfranchises people of color. California should live up to its ideals and end this unjust policy.
I support Prop. 17 because it undoes a long legacy of racially biased voter suppression and felon disenfranchisement.
I support Prop. 17 because it strengthens the political power of Black and Brown communities and because 50,000 Californians on parole deserve to have a say in the policies that affect their daily lives
I fully support Proposition 17 to enfranchise those on parole. By doing so, individuals are provided the opportunity to fully participate in the community. Additionally, how can recidivism be reduced if California continues to put roadblocks in the way. Let’s be a city of leadership, and fully lift your voices, vote, and then campaign to ensure passage of this critical proposition.
Thank you, Terri McWilliams (District 6)
Faith in Action East Bay, Imani Community Church
I support Prop. 17 because civic engagement supports people returning home and reduces recidivism -- please enfranchise citizens who are on parole
I support Prop. 17 because our democracy is stronger when every voice is heard! Prison sentences should end, and we should treat the formerly incarcerated as citizens because that is what they are. We cannot expect them to reintegrate into society while simultaneously telling them they cannot enjoy all of the benefits of citizenship. Civic engagement supports people returning home and reduces recidivism,
I support Prop. 17 because California should live up to its ideals and not fall behind 20 states that do not prevent people on community supervision from voting
I support Prop. 17 because it undoes a long legacy of racially biased voter suppression and felon disenfranchisement!
I support Prop. 17 because California should live up to its ideals and not fall behind 20 states that do not prevent people on community supervision from voting. I have incarcerated loved ones who are impacted by this legislation, and who's voices need to be heard. It is critical that those most impacted by the criminal legal system and mass incarceration be able to access our democratic process, be able to vote, and have a say in the issues that directly impact their lives.
Thank you,
Liz Atkins-Pattenson (D3)
As resident of Oakland, I urge the City Council to take a stand in favor of supporting Prop 17. I support Prop. 17 because 50,000 Californians on parole deserve to have a say in the policies that affect their daily lives. At a time when many states are working to suppress the vote, California must show that it stands for voters' rights and will work to undo this country's history of disenfranchising people of color.
I support Prop. 17 because my neighbors and friend deserve a voice in our community.
I strongly support prop 17. We need to value every member of our community for it to be strong and healthy. Once someone is no longer incarcerated, they should at a minimum have the same rights as the rest of us. Prop 17 is a step towards undoing a long legacy of racially biased voter suppression and felon disenfranchisement. It does not address the further ills of mass incarceration but it is a beginning.
Please pass Prop 17 and support civic engagement. All of our neighbors and colleagues must have a political voice in our communities!
Please pass Prop 17 --- 50,000 Californians on parole deserve to have a say in the policies that affect their daily lives. For a democracy to be a healthy one, civic engagement MUST be supported. It's time for CA to step up and support our neighbors and colleagues in having a political voice in our communities. Thank you.