Oakland Measure S: Allowing non-citizens to vote in school board elections - KALW

This is a 2-minute summary of Oakland's Measure S on the November 8, 2022 ballot.

If passed, Measure S would allow Oakland's non-citizen parents and legal guardians the right to vote in school board elections.

Measure S authors are council members Dan Kalb and Treva Reed. They want to ensure that noncitizen parents' voices are heard and that their children's educational needs are better met through advocacy and given resources.

Oakland is demographically diverse. In fact, about 60,000 people in Oakland are non-citizens. Over 13,000 of these parents send their kids to school in Oakland.

Let's get into who really likes Oakland's Measure S.

It includes Oakland-based organizations like Homies Empowerment, The Unity Council, and Priority Africa Network. Priority Africa Network's Executive Director Nunu Kidane says it's critically important for her community to feel heard and seen as black migrants and to have the option of selecting those who uphold their values and principles in regards to education.

On the other hand, there's a lawsuit in Alameda County Superior Court against this measure. It was filed by Oakland native James V. Lacey. His organizations the United States Justice Foundation and the California Public Policy Foundation have charged that Measure S is unconstitutional because, he argues, non-citizens shouldn't vote in U.S. elections. He filed a similar challenge to San Francisco's Measure N, which allowed non-citizens to vote in school board elections in 2016. Lacey won the suit, blocking that right. The lawsuit was appealed in August, restoring the Measure N until further notice.

Now the choice is yours, Oakland.

If you vote "yes" on Measure S, you want non-citizen parents and legal guardians to vote in school district elections.

A "no" vote on Measure S says they should not.