Real change in California will take structural reforms and younger voters

OPINION – While solidly Democratic, California still hasn’t lived up to its progressive reputation in terms of real policy change. Why not, when we have such a large pool of left-leaning voters? Because securing long-overdue social and economic justice reforms across our state will require a much greater focus on coalescing voters to first approve structural changes in state governance.

The need for such reform stems from lingering impediments to the state’s ability to take action on issues where most Californians agree change is overdue—such as investing in affordable housing, climate justice, and anti-poverty programs that improve peoples’ health, education, and employment opportunities. Tax policy approvals that require supermajorities, voting barriers that discourage equitable participation in our elections, and governing arrangements that prevent effective and inclusive policy making—these and other structural factors are getting in the way of progress.

On the surface, California would seem well-positioned to address these structural barriers to reform. All of our state’s constitutional officers are Democrats, and the state legislature has Democratic supermajorities in both houses. However, in politics, as in life, things are often more complicated than they appear.

At the local level, agency hearing processes often discourage meaningful participation through endless and repetitive “public comment” periods and other requirements that effectively discourage civic engagement. At the state level, structural problems include supermajority requirements to pass tax increases and, more generally, on local governments’ ability to raise revenues, as well as a state spending limit that is a holdover from the 1970s. Such barriers have been supported by right-wing interests for decades in order to resist progressive policy change, and many are so entrenched in our system that changing them will require significant political power.

Concerned Californians need to address these lingering structural barriers by engaging on various fronts, from civic education and activism to hard hitting policy organizing and advocacy. But, above all, we need to direct that energy to get-out-the-vote (GOTV) campaigns with a specific focus on young voters, particularly young voters of color.

While solidly Democratic, California still hasn’t lived up to its progressive reputation in terms of real policy change.

Why young multicultural voters? First, it’s their future; they have the most to gain and the most to lose on the basis of our future policy decisions. Second, polling shows that young people—particularly young people of color—are voting progressive when they turn out; so, they are more likely to support dismantling structural barriers than older and whiter voters.

The catch is that, in order to translate California youth’s passions on the issues into action leading to real changes in our policy priorities and laws, we need to go beyond mere voter education and registration strategies. Public interest groups that focus on youth voting typically prioritize providing information to and registering young people. While that is necessary, it is not sufficient.

This past midterm, slightly over 50 percent of registered California voters voted. That means just five persons in ten who were already registered actually made the effort to get out and vote. Imagine the impact on our state policy if we could get voter turnout to 60 percent, based on the active engagement of a whole new generation of voters.

So how do we engage more young people to vote? This is where public interest and social change leaders, working in coalition to maximize their resources and effort, can help out. Groups that already engage with youth should embed voting into their programmatic work, both during and in between election cycles. Some organizations already do this to varying degrees, but voting should be considered as important for young people as opening a checking account, getting a driver’s license, or finishing high school or a GED. We have to impress on young Californians that voting is one of the core activities they need to engage in as a full member of our democratic community. It is how we can collectively make the world a better place.

While the Golden State remains among the nation’s most progressive bastions of multicultural politics, we still have a way to go. Gratefully, political and organizing activities are increasingly recognized as essential components of making social change. But more funding is needed to promote GOTV work among young Californians.

Engaging youth, who are suffering the worst of our collective policy failures, can help us overcome the archaic structural barriers of our state’s political past. Going forward, if we want to see meaningful change in our state, it is in our collective interest to activate their voting and civic engagement in a more aggressive and strategic way.

Henry A.J. Ramos is a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Race, Power and Political Economy at The New School and the author of Democracy and The Next American Economy

Robb Smith is a political consultant, voting rights lawyer, and the author of the Margin of Error Blog, a newsletter for progressives on polling, campaigns, and election law