Instead of being oblivious to the election bustle around our community and county, we have a great opportunity in 2016 to learn by connecting outside the classroom. As the primaries skate around the corner on June 7, you may have glimpsed the Voter Information Pamphlet for Alameda County online, at the local library, or in your mailbox. The Alameda county voter information pamphlet is a great place to start building an understanding of the local election, and social media labyrinths of blogs, Facebook, and Twitter can be utilized to keep abreast of the latest developments.
While you may not be ready to declare a preference for Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Green, or the No Party, you can read up, get informed, and start asking questions. There is an ongoing debate to lower the voting age to 16 in the local elections. By taking inspiration from Germany, Norway, and Austria, who among many countries have already made the choice to lower the voting age, San Francisco has put on its ballot measure to lower the voting age to 16. Read more on this at VOTE16SF. Another important issue, gender equality, has been at the forefront of this election year debate. While currently there are only twenty women in the senate, this year more women are expected to be elected into the offices than ever before.
Even if you are ineligible to vote, there is nothing that stops you from initiating a debate at the dining table about local issues that will affect our community. You may be able to throw some light on the burning issues and help eligible voters make a more informed decision. In addition, teachers (mainly English and Social Studies) could digress from the daily grind of tests to create a lively classroom, creating an opportunity for intellectual debates on important local and even national matters.
Whether analyzing Measure K in Pleasanton, Measure AA that affects everyone in the San Francisco Bay Area, or the Bond Measure A for our community college, reach for the County of Alameda pamphlet. You will be glad that you took the thirty minutes to read, understand, and become aware of who and what will shape our community and county for years to come from this election.