The 2020 election is less than three months away, and we’re reaching out to candidates running for City Council and school board in Oakland to talk about the issues. That’s where you come in. We want to hear from you about what’s working and what’s not in your neighborhood or school district. More affordable housing? Better parks and streets? Safety issues? Tell us what’s on your mind—we’ll read everything you have to say, and we will bring up as many issues as we can with candidates we talk to over the coming weeks. A few important things to know before you share your thoughts below:
Everyone gets to vote for citywide offices and three ballot measures. If you live in City Council and OUSD school board districts 1, 3, 5, and 7, you also get to for who represents you there. The City Council’s At-Large seat and Oakland’s city attorney are also up for grabs. So far, 29 candidates have qualified to run for all of these offices. And Oakland has three city ballot measures for voters to consider.
Don’t know which district you live in? Just enter your address here. And if you’re looking for more information about who and what will appear on your ballot, please visit the Oakland City Clerk’s website. (We’ll have more reporting on all of this in the coming weeks as well.) If you’re curious about who’s funding candidates for City Council and the school board, you can search candidates’ campaign statements online at this disclosure website. Also remember that Oakland uses ranked-choice voting, which means you’ll get to pick more than one candidate on your ballot.
Are you registered to vote? Not sure? You can check to see if you’re already registered to vote. If you’re not, go to the Alameda County Registrar of Voters’ website or the California Secretary of State’s website, which has voter registration information in multiple languages. The deadline to register is 15 days before an election, or October 19. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
