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Lots of Voting Information!

The League of Women Voters of Portland has produced nonpartisan voting information for the November 2020 General Election. Our goal is to encourage and empower voters. With this information, you can register to vote or check or update your voter registration. You’ll also be prepared to choose among the candidates and understand the pros and cons of each ballot measure.  Find lots of voting information on this website now. Click below to learn about:

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“Future of Healthcare” Video

Our Panel Discussion, recorded on September 15, features an outstanding panel of physicians. These health care experts share their views of how health care is changing because of the COVID-19 pandemic and how it needs to change. Click below to watch this very timely and important discussion.

You can read more about the speakers in our previous post: https://lwvpdx.org/the-future-of-healthcare/

This program will also be shown on Comcast and Frontier cable channels. See the schedule below.

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Heartbreaking & Horrifying

Our hearts go out to the many Oregonians who have suffered terrible losses because of the current wildfires. We had already been living with great challenges. Now an unprecedented number of communities in Oregon and neighboring states face fear and devastation beyond anything we ever imagined. We are grateful to the firefighters battling the blazes and all those supporting the victims and evacuees. To help, please visit the Red Cross website https://www.redcross.org/. And please stay safe.

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A LOT is happening!

So many important things are happening at once! Here are links to the posts and pages about them:

Justice Ginsburg

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Photo, Gerry, via TMZ.com

The League of Women Voters of the United States has issued a statement on the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  It begins:

“It is with deep and profound sadness the League of Women Voters mourns the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. A fierce advocate for women’s rights and civil rights, Justice Ginsburg’s vision for America transcended race, age, gender, and economic lines. She was a beloved champion of justice for all.”

You can read all of the LWVUS statement here.

Of Russian Jewish descent, Justice Ginsburg died at the beginning of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. Throughout her life, Ruth Bader Ginsburg followed  the Hebrew dictum “tikkun olam,” meaning “repair the world.”

Moving Toward Real Change

Headline in The Oregonian, Sept. 6, 2020, photo by Beth Nakamura

Protests have always played an important role in drawing attention to the need to change our laws and attitudes. Battles for civil rights and voting rights went on for  years, with many marches and demonstrations. Disrupting normal life with a demonstration can attract media attention that helps the movement.

Police officers pass a fire lit by protesters on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) in The Skanner

On the other hand, violence between protesters and the police or the destruction of property may turn attention away from the protesters’ real message.

Real change comes with legislative action and citizen engagement. Oregonians have powerful tools to enact change through voting and contacting our elected leaders.

How the LWV can help

The League of Women Voters is dedicated to promoting public involvement in politics. To that end, we are working hard to provide solid nonpartisan information to voters for the coming General Election. You soon will be able to find plenty of unbiased election information about local candidates and measures on our November 3, 2020 General Election webpage. We also encourage people to let their representatives know what they want; we provide contact information for all the Multnomah County Elected Officials here.

Where We Stand on the Ballot Measures

In addition to providing balanced information, the League of Women Voters often speaks out on issues. Our Board of Directors has voted to endorse some of the local ballot measures. Although the League never supports nor opposes any candidate or political party, we do take positions on issues we have studied. Using our advocacy positions and what we have learned and are learning through balanced studies of violence prevention, justice and police accountability, we are endorsing the proposed City Charter Amendment to authorize a new police oversight board. We have paid to publish a statement in favor of this measure in the Multnomah County Voters’ Pamphlet. Read our statement about the charter amendment here. You can also see all our LWV of Portland measure endorsements here.