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League of Women Voters of Portland Endorses 2022 Charter Amendment

Portland City Hall by M.O. Stevens – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10470949
It is time to make Portland’s government more responsive, representative and effective.

At its June 29 meeting, the LWVPDX board voted to endorse the Portland Charter Commission’s proposed amendments to the City Charter. After in-depth studies of Portland’s government and of alternative voting methods,  LWVPDX concluded that the proposed amendments will substantially improve our city government. The amendments will be included in a ballot measure for the November 8, 2022, General Election.

The main charter reform proposals are to:
    • Elect candidates using ranked choice voting.
    • Increase the size of the  City Council to 12 members, electing three members each from four new geographic districts.
    • Establish City Council as a legislative body, without its current administrative responsibilities.  
    • Elect the Mayor citywide to run day-to-day operations along with a professional City Administrator.
Why approve these changes?
    • Proportional ranked choice voting can allow voters to elect a more representative council.  A significant majority of voters will be represented by at least one of the candidates they voted for.
    • District elections with proportional ranked choice voting give Portlanders the power to elect a City Council that reflects the population they serve.
    • A larger City Council will be more responsive to our growing city population. Our population is more than 3 times larger than it was when the current 4-member council (plus the mayor) was established.
    • A legislative city council without administrative responsibilities can devote more time to setting policies and responding to constituent concerns.
    • Delegating the administrative duties to the Mayor and a professional City Administrator provides more effective management of bureaus. It also allows more accountability.

Learn more about the Charter Commission and LWVPDX’s advocacy with the Commission here. In the next few months, look for more information about how these changes would benefit Portland.

LWV and Advocacy

As a non-profit organization, LWVPDX balances advocacy and voter information.  LWVPDX’s advocacy arm can endorse a campaign or advocate on an issue.  LWVPDX’s voter services provide balanced, objective informational resources about all sides of a campaign. Across all its work, LWV is nonpartisan and will never support or oppose a candidate or party.

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LWV Response to SCOTUS on Roe v. Wade

The Supreme Court ruling  overturning  Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey is a watershed moment for America, deeply affecting not just the fate of women and every person who gets pregnant in this country, but every single person. We know this weighs heavily on the minds of our members and the people in our community.

We are in a fight to make sure everyone has the power to control their own bodies, lives, and futures. Our national organization has and will continue to advocate consistently, persistently, and effectively on this issue. Beyond that, your LWVPDX Board of Directors wants to boldly proclaim that democracy needs women. Because human rights, reproductive rights, and democratic representation are not separate issues. Because in order for a democracy to fulfill its purpose, it must be for the people and therefore by the people — all of the people.

You can read the statement by LWVUS on the this ruling here. Know that you are not alone. Through the League, you are working for positive change.

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LWV in the 2022 Grand Floral Parade

On June 11, the League of Women Voters participated as a Special Entry in the Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade . League members from Portland and Clackamas County and friends were celebrating the 102nd anniversary of the 19th Amendment granting American women the right to vote. They dressed in white – the color worn by women suffragists more than a century ago – and wore “Votes for Women” sashes. Since its founding, the League of Women Voters has worked to promote democracy and  improve governmental policies. Information on this website demonstrates the many ways the League continues to support voters and advocate for better policies. 2022 is also the 102nd anniversary of the founding of the League of Women Voters.

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Gun Safety for all Oregonians

As we all know, gun violence has reached a crisis point in our state and in the nation. You can help make Oregon a safer place for children, racial minorities – and all of us. You can sign and help gather signatures for Initiative Petition 17, a statewide gun safety initiative sponsored by Lift Every Voice Oregon (LEVO) and endorsed by the League of Women Voters of Oregon.

The initiative is now in the signature-gathering phase with the goal of placing it on the November ballot. The campaign is relying heavily on volunteer support, and we are asking our members and friends for their help before the July 6 deadline.

ACTION REQUESTED: Please go to www.lifteveryvoiceoregon.com.
  • If you’d like to download and sign a one-signature petition sheet, please click “Sign Initiative Petition from Home.” After signing, you must also complete the circulator information at the bottom before mailing to the address provided.
  • If you’re willing to gather multiple signatures, click “Train to Gather Signatures” and follow the instructions provided.
  • Please get the word out to friends and family members about IP 17 and how they can be part of the solution to prevent gun violence.

THANK YOU!

Here’s a brief summary of the initiative:
  • Requires a permit-to-purchase for all firearm purchases, which includes classroom and live-fire safety training. This is the gold standard for gun safety regulations and has a proven track record of reducing gun violence where enacted.
  • Requires a background check before purchasing a firearm, and no sale is complete before the check is completed.
  • Includes an improved database system to assist the tracking of guns that are lost, stolen, or used to commit crimes.
  • Prohibits the manufacture, sale, transfer, and possession of magazines over 10 rounds, with exceptions for law enforcement and military. Nine states and D.C. have already enacted such bans.
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Primary Election May 17, 2022

Thank you for voting and your interest in the election.

Click here to view the Multnomah Co. and statewide results. The results will be certified on June 13.

LWV printed  voters’ guides

The League of Women Voters prepared reliable nonpartisan voting resources for the 2022 Primary Election.  Look on the May 17 Primary Election page for information about the candidates. Gresham voters can find the information about the ballot measure they passed.

Haga clic aqui para leer en línea LA GUÍA DEL VOTANTE 2022.

FOR THE MAY 17 PRIMARY ELECTION, we provided:

The last day to register to vote or to change your party affiliation was Tuesday, April 26. Only voters registered as Republicans or Democrats could vote on the candidates running in their party’s primaries. All registered voters could vote on nonpartisan races in their election districts.

NOTE THAT CANDIDATES RUNNING AS MINOR PARTY OR NONALIGNED CANDIDATES FOR US SENATE, CONGRESS, OREGON GOVERNOR AND OREGON LEGISLATURE WERE NOT ON PRIMARY ELECTION BALLOTS. VOTERS WILL VOTE ON THEM IN THE GENERAL ELECTION.

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Climate on an International Scale: Notes from COP26

LWV of Portland Zoom Panel Discussion with LWV members who were at the 2021 UN Climate Conference

WATCH THE VIDEO by clicking below!

Here is the link to the podcast of this program.

MORE ABOUT THIS PROGRAM: The UN’s Climate Conference—the “Conference of the Parties” or COP—is  the official meeting of member states who signed the UN’s climate treaty.  Every year, the parties to the treaty, including the U.S., meet and negotiate various aspects of the treaty.

Seven League of Women Voters members from around the U.S. attended the November 2021 Climate Conference in Glasgow. We heard from five of them on Wednesday, March 9.  The panelists discussed:

    • an Overview of COP26
    • Transparency
    • Indigenous Peoples
    • the Sustainability Innovation Forum, and
    • Finance
    • Gender and Climate

The panel included:

    • Robin Tokmakian, UN Observer for Climate Change for LWVUS; LWV of Portland member
    • Carol Parker, North San Diego LWV
    • Toni Monette, co-president of the Nebraska LWV
    • Ashley Raveche, LWV California
    • Cynthia Bell, Hudson Valley, NY LWV

MetroEast Community Media records Portland League programs for rebroadcast and online streaming from lwvpdx.org. Funding is provided by the Carol & Velma Saling Foundation.

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LWVPDX Podcasts!

Listen to LWVPDX panels, forums, and interviews while you exercise, commute, or relax with crafts or hobbies.

The Portland League is working with MetroEast Community Media to produce nonpartisan podcasts from our civic and voter education programs.

LWVPDX PODCASTS are now available on the most popular platforms, including Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, and TuneIn. See all the platforms here. Our first three episodes are Teaching Civics with the Case Method, Immigration and Refugee Resettlement,  and Portland Charter Review – Presentation & Q&A. In March, our podcast will feature a review of the International Climate Conference in Glascow (COP26) by LWV members who were there.

Election Info will be on podcasts too!

For the 2022 Primary and General Elections, we will have podcasts of our candidate interviews and election forums. These are part of our effort to provide easy access to our nonpartisan voting information. Please listen and let us know how to improve these podcasts for you.

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Charter Review Commission Panel – Video & Podcast

Members of the Portland League have been following the work of the Charter Review Commission

Zoom webinar on Commission’s work

We invited the public to join us for the live Zoom presentation of this panel discussion on Wednesday evening February 9. If you missed the live program, you can watch the recording by clicking the arrow below.

Here is the link to the podcast of this program. You should soon be able to find it on your favorite app.

The panel for this presentation included:

      • Julia Meier, the Charter Commission Project Manager
      • Charter Commissioner Candace Avalos
      • Charter Commissioner Amira Streeter
      • Charter Commissioner Melanie Billings-Yun

During the first phase of the Commission’s work, the group has focused on two topics: form of government and city council elections. The League of Women Voters of Portland has been actively following the Commission’s work (Read more about our League’s advocacy to the Commission here.) During this webinar the panel answered questions from LWV members and the public.

MetroEast Community Media records Portland League programs for rebroadcast and online streaming from lwvpdx.org. Funding is provided by the Carol & Velma Saling Foundation. The schedule for replays of this program on community access channels is shown below.