If you’re like me, you’ve had a 2020 Election Day countdown clock going since the day Donald Trump lost the popular vote, but won the electoral college in 2016.
So today I’m not going to remind you that we’re 100 days from Election Day. But I AM going to remind you that we have a lot of work to do to reverse the past three-and-a-half years of dog whistling, racism, immigrant bashing, misogyny, and voter suppression that threaten communities across our country.
To do my part in fighting back, I’ve launched the Committee for Democracy and Justice. Will you join me and become a founding donor? Click here to be the first to make a contribution of $10, $20, $50 or $100.
Your support will help us campaign for the passage of three important ballot measures that Californians will vote on in November:
Proposition 16 will end the affirmative action ban in California. If passed, we will restore our ability to take proactive measures to create a more inclusive economy by allowing employers and governments to take into consideration race, sex, national origin and ethnicity when hiring and promoting, as well as when they are awarding contracts. It will also empower education institutions to make access to higher education more equitable.
Proposition 17 (Free The Vote) will restore voting rights to 50,000 Californians who have served their time in state prison and have returned to live and work in their communities while on parole. Civic engagement, including participating in our elections, has a very positive impact on reducing recidivism.
Proposition 18 will allow 17-year-olds to vote in primary elections and special elections if they will turn 18 by the next general election.
These three ballot measures are about expanding voting rights at a time when the Trump administration is trying to suppress the vote. They’re about creating a more inclusive democracy at a time when Trump has worked so hard to divide us. They’re about taking substantive steps after the marches and protests to create lasting and meaningful change.
The next 100 days are our last chance to decide what kind of nation we want to be: one where we’re governed by fear, greed, and hate or a land of true opportunity, diversity, and equality — of, by, and for the people.
I know which side I’m on. Please join me. Click here to be one of the first to support the Committee for Democracy and Justice.
Thank you in advance,
Alex Padilla
California Secretary of State