The Oklahoma Eagle Newswire
In the 2016 election, almost half of eligible voters did not cast a ballot, and in local elections, the statistics are even more alarming — fewer than 15% of eligible voters turned out to elect the mayors and councilmembers who make decisions every day that directly impact their communities.
Across the country, it’s the mayors in our cities who are stepping up to keep us safe through this unprecedented and uncertain time. And we know they’re best equipped to work with local leaders across the political spectrum to ensure their constituents know their options to register to vote and cast their ballots in a safe and fair way. Today, we’re announcing the 31 bipartisan mayors who are founding members of When We All Vote’s new Civic Cities initiative. Civic Cities encourages and supports mayors in taking a leading role in closing the voting race and age gap and fundamentally shifting the culture around voting in every election, from school board races to federal elections. By joining, mayors commit to increase voter registration and participation in their cities by:
In many ways, Civic Cities’ founding mayors are already working to ensure their constituents do not have to choose between their health and safety and exercising their right to vote. In Milwaukee, Mayor Tom Barrett supports the Safe Vote Program to mail absentee ballot applications to its roughly 300,000 registered voters. In Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser and the DC Board of Elections announced the Vote Safe DC campaign to make sure every vote is counted and everyone, from voters to election workers, feels safe. And in Fort Worth, Mayor Betsy Price created the city’s first online public forum for residents to share and vote on new ideas to improve their community. Those are just some examples of the powerful work our mayors are doing right now. Now meet the rest of our 31 bipartisan founding members of Civic Cities: Augusta, GA: Mayor Hardie Davis Austin, TX: Mayor Steve Adler Boston, MA: Mayor Marty Walsh Carmel, IN: Mayor James Brainard Chattanooga, TN: Mayor Andy Berke Chicago, IL: Mayor Lori Lightfoot Dayton, OH: Mayor Nan Whaley Denver, CO: Mayor Michael Hancock Detroit, MI: Mayor Mike Duggan Durham, NC: Mayor Steve Schewel Ft. Worth, TX: Mayor Betsy Price Grand Rapids, MI: Mayor Rosalyn Bliss Houston, TX: Mayor Sylvester Turner Lansing, MI: Mayor Andy Schor Los Angeles, CA: Mayor Eric Garcetti Louisville, KY: Mayor Greg Fischer Madison, WI: Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway Mesa, AZ: Mayor John Giles Milwaukee, WI: Mayor Tom Barrett Minneapolis, MN: Mayor Jacob Frey Orlando, FL: Mayor Buddy Dyer Parkland, FL: Mayor Christine Hunchofsky Philadelphia, PA: Mayor James Kenney Phoenix, AZ: Mayor Kate Gallego Reno, NV: Mayor Hillary Schieve San Leandro, CA: Mayor Pauline Russo Cutter Scranton, PA: Mayor Paige Cognetti Tacoma, WA: Mayor Victoria Woodards Washington, DC: Mayor Muriel Bowser West Sacramento, CA: Mayor Chris Cabaldon
Together, we can work to ensure safe and fair elections for every eligible voter, while also protecting the integrity, accessibility, and security of the election process in this November’s critical elections and for elections to come. |