Tom’s Tidbits- How To Seize Political Power

Greetings,

The Republican and Democratic conventions are in the rearview mirror and for the next 10 weeks the political spotlight will rightly shine on Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. No doubt the Presidential election is important. It’s yet another fork in the road for our country, and yet again one of the most pivotal elections we’re likely to see. But the loudest voice in the room isn’t always the most important, and if we want real power over issues in our daily lives then the national race may not be the one to watch.

All votes matter, but how much any individual votes matters depends on the size of the voting pool. In the last three national election cycles about two thirds of those eligible voted, some of the highest election turnouts in decades. If you voted (and thank you if you did) then roughly 160 million other people participated in self-government with you. Your vote was one-hundred-sixty-millionth of the total. That’s valuable, but not spectacularly empowering.

But look at smaller elections… Oregon sees around 2 million voters in a general election year, so in a State election your vote counts 80 times as much as it does at the national level. In Multnomah county about 368,000 turned out for the 2022 election, giving you 432 times your voting impact in the nationals.

At the City level you can almost feel the rush of power. With only about 280,000 people voting, your vote matters 571 times as much as your vote for President.

This November, Portland is changing from a 5-person City Council to a 12-person one (3 people from each of 4 districts). City Commissioners will no longer double as Bureau leaders (police, fire, etc.), and a new City Administrator will take over. Not only that, but this election will be Portland’s first experience with Ranked Choice Voting. Yes, the Presidency is important, but the biggest political earthquake this year may be in our own back yard.

Think about the things Portland is dealing with… homelessness, drug use, vandalism, violent crime, traffic, emergency services, and so many more. These are all mainly, if not exclusively, City issues. These are the ones in OUR community, that touch EACH of us, EVERY day, and if you’re like me you aren’t ‘up’ on the City government we have to deal with them. Here, where our power is strongest.

We have a Feature article this month on the changes you’ll be voting on for Portland’s City Government, and I hope you’ll check it out. Whatever we do with the information, whatever or whoever our vote is eventually for, we’ll be better informed citizens of our community. The best Portlanders, creating the best Portland, for ourselves and our posterity.

Yes, “Freedom is participation in Power”, so be strategic… participate where it matters most.

Make a great day,