How We Strengthen Democracy From the Ground up

By Eduardo (Lalo) Gonzalez Program Officer, Power The San Francisco Foundation & Kimi Lee Executive Director Bay Rising Action

With this month’s presidential immunity ruling, the Supreme Court put the president above the law. It should now be clearer than ever that democracy is under attack at every level of government. From the Supreme Court to our local ballot boxes, we’re seeing coordinated attacks in cities across the country – including right here in the Bay Area. Conservative and corporate interests are doing everything they can to weaken the voices and votes of people of color and low-income youth, workers, and families. But we already have the antidotes to these attacks, and they lie in local organizing efforts already underway. As funders and concerned community members, we have the ability – and the responsibility – to direct more resources to local organizations that are fortifying our democracy from the ground up. 

Local Attacks on Democracy

Across the Bay Area, corporate and out-of-town dollars are shaping politics. Recalls of elected officials are being financed with high dollar donations, largely from millionaires and billionaires with ties to real estate development, private equity, and tech. Last year, one hedge fund partner’s donations accounted for a third of the money funding the recall of Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. This same donor funded the recall of former San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin. The threats to our democracy compound when you consider that these donors have to meet a very low threshold of signatures to qualify a recall, and the resulting special elections lead to voter fatigue and reduce turnout in all elections. Furthermore, many of the forces behind the recalls are the same forces seeking to repeal ranked-choice voting. 

The ranked-choice voting (RCV) system increases turnout, saves taxpayer dollars,  and empowers us to vote our values, rather than choose between two establishment candidates. But in Oakland, local legislators are agitating to eliminate RCV from local elections, which would return us to a pre-2010 system of primary and general elections. Primary and runoff elections see far lower turnout than general elections, and those who do vote in these smaller elections are whiter and wealthier. By consolidating elections through RCV, we see voter turnout increase by more than 30%, especially among lower-income people of color and immigrants. In San Francisco’s 2018 mayoral election, more voters participated in the RCV contest for mayor than in the non-RCV races at the top of the ballot for governor and U.S. senator. And when New York City used RCV in its 2021 primaries, that election had its highest turnout in over 30 years, with a nearly 40% increase over the previous open-seat mayoral race.

RCV has also enabled voters to elect bold, progressive leaders who reflect the diversity of our communities. Four Bay Area cities now use RCV and have seen a major uptick in the diversity of electeds. People of color hold 61% of elected offices in RCV cities, compared to 38% prior to this voting system. By protecting RCV, we strengthen multiracial democracy.

Meanwhile, Oakland’s groundbreaking Democracy Dollars program is delayed due to underfunding, in part because big businesses are not paying all the taxes that they owe. Ensuring this innovative campaign financing system is implemented is not only essential to upholding the will of the voters, it’s also essential in engaging voters who have been left out of this system. When a similar program was launched in Seattle, people who had never voted before were 11 times more likely to come out to vote. The people of Oakland voted in huge margins to pass Democracy Dollars (74% in favor). We need to fund this program fully to level the democratic playing field and give flatlands communities and candidates the power to compete. Failing to do so undermines the will of the voters and impedes attempts at implementing innovative campaign finance reform at the local level. 

Building a Strong Foundation

These are not isolated attacks on democracy. They are being orchestrated across the country, from city halls and state legislatures to Congress and throughout our legal system, undermining democratic processes at every level. We must invest in our community-based power-building partners to stay resolved against these attacks.

Here are three steps you can take right now to build a strong foundation for multiracial democracy ahead of the November election:

1. Consider democracy a multi-issue, intersectional undertaking. Whether you’re funding housing justice or worker power or environmental justice, a stronger local democracy will be key to those fights. Californians are making huge strides in their cities and towns right now – winning rent control ordinances and protections from unfair evictions, forming tenants unions, pushing for environmental protections and community benefits agreements, and organizing for paid time off and protection from harassment on the job. Funding multiracial organizing for democracy at the local level will bring more voices to the table and build more power to solve these critical issues.
    
2. Support local organizations by giving general operating and c4 funds. We encourage our philanthropic partners to support a range of organizations working to protect democracy at the local level. Organizations like Oakland Rising, CA Common Cause, League of Women Voters – Oakland, and FairVote are doing vital public education and media outreach work on ranked-choice voting right now. Many of these same organizations are partnering with the ACLU of Northern California and Asian Law Caucus to advocate for Democracy Dollars in Oakland by organizing people for public comment at budget meetings, sending letters, sharing legal analysis with the City, and communicating with the Public Ethics Commission. In San José, the Silicon Valley Rising coalition is working on an emerging campaign for Democracy Dollars. ACLU NorCal, Bay Rising Action, and Oakland Rising Action are also working together and fundraising c4 and PAC dollars to call out these recall efforts for what they are – just another way that corporate forces are buying elections.
    
3. Make connections and learn about emerging work. If you’re fired up to support democracy at the local level, act now – before the general election heats up. Reach out to any of the above organizations working to protect RCV, implement Democracy Dollars, and increase voter education and participation among BIPOC communities. And don’t hesitate to reach out to us with questions: kimi@bayrising.org and egonzalez@sff.org.