[Libs-Or] Civics for Adults - workshop and updates

Sun Nov 27 12:27:51 PST 2022

Civics for Adults Update, Nov 27, 2022 

Upcoming 

Misinformation, Fake News and Political Propaganda.

Sunday, December 4, 4-5:30 PST. Stoughton [MA] Public Library. Virtual. 

Register:   <http://bit.ly/civicsadults1> bit.ly/civicsadults1

*  Mainstream press and "fake news"

*  Social Media posts

*  Email clickbait

*  Propaganda

*  Language / terminology

*  Deepfakes

*  Survey / poll questions

*  Economic data

*  Graphs and charts

*  Finding good information

Citizen Activism 101-Making Change Happen

Thursday, January 12 [may switch to 19th], 3:00 PST. Stoughton Public
Library [MASS]. Virtual.

Register: TBA

*  Historical perspective

*  Examples of successful advocacy

*  Types of advocacy

*  Who makes the rules?

*  Tools / strategies for change

*  Engaging with government / lobbying for influence

*  Tracking civic / political legislation

 Selected Civics for Adults Facebook posts:

If you live in Portland, OR, you know we are about to embark on a momentous
change to all major aspects of our city government. This will include more
City Councilors, with three elected by proportional representation
w/ranked-choice voting to each of four geographic districts. A change from a
commissioner form of government to a Mayor/Council form, with a City
Manager. 

The overall transition website is  <https://www.portland.gov/transition>
https://www.portland.gov/transition

Here's a great little video that explains proportional representation:
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOdZvZkrrSI&fbclid=IwAR3HmjVMdCnCIDdzlizzx0
hWWFdjfIfHghX7d14m2uBCp774cfJ5es96aR4>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOdZvZkrrSI&fbclid=IwAR3HmjVMdCnCIDdzlizzx0h
WWFdjfIfHghX7d14m2uBCp774cfJ5es96aR4  

Three committees will be set up for the transition. The first, to create the
four geographic districts, is accepting applications by Dec 1.
<https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/portlandor/jobs/3764509/volunteer-no
n-paid-position-independent-district-commission?fbclid=IwAR3J6wbRX0bNoOKf-cj
93_Y3DfX8D-pZCxUZn3qpH6SzOKrS5LjQuCONH60>
https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/portlandor/jobs/3764509/volunteer-non
-paid-position-independent-district-commission?fbclid=IwAR3J6wbRX0bNoOKf-cj9
3_Y3DfX8D-pZCxUZn3qpH6SzOKrS5LjQuCONH60 

Deadline, Dec 1st! Now that the voters of Portland have passed a dramatic
structural change to their government, it's time to get to work. The city
will be recruiting people for three committees during the transitional
change. Recruiting for the first committee is happening now:
. The Independent District Commission will work to determine the new
Portland districts.
. The Charter Transition Advisory Committee will oversee charter reform
implementation.
. The Salary Commission will work to determine the salaries of the 12
council positions.

**

"Curing" is the process by which election offices let you know if there is
something wrong with your ballot that is easily correctable. However, some
states DON'T let you know if there was a correctable error on your ballot!

<https://www.npr.org/2022/09/27/1125179062/voting-explainer-in-many-states-t
heres-a-process-to-fix-an-error-with-your-ballot?fbclid=IwAR1QTW-6Gunxf_lHVk
wNbweJzcXx4OQkIVmWxl9dXucUjHbhzoy3f9i1yLs>
https://www.npr.org/2022/09/27/1125179062/voting-explainer-in-many-states-th
eres-a-process-to-fix-an-error-with-your-ballot?fbclid=IwAR1QTW-

**

If you heard anyone complaining about how long it takes to count votes in
some states, here's your answer. Why Does It Take So Long to Count Mail
Ballots in Key States? Blame Legislatures. Brennan Center. 11/7/22.

"The slow count of mail ballots has been used to cast doubt on election
results, but these delays are a deliberate choice by lawmakers in
battleground states."

<https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/why-does-it-take-so
-long-count-mail-ballots-key-states-blame-legislatures?fbclid=IwAR1zkImOIrkr
LaezPDHx2ee-wgx1GEOb-RN7AXS_Zjg-QY3vob5motZjnwE>
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/why-does-it-take-so-
long-count-mail-ballots-key-states-blame-legislatures?fbclid=IwAR1zkImOIrkrL
aezPDHx2ee-wgx1GEOb-RN7AXS_Zjg-QY3vob5motZjnwE 

**

Yay, Alaska. "In Alaska, 2022 was the year of the Independent. Freed by the
state's return to open primaries, nearly half of Alaska candidates running
for governor, lieutenant governor, US House, and US Senate chose not to
identify with either major party. As a result, the pool of candidates in
those statewide races actually came close to mirroring Alaska's
majority-Independent electorate...

We hypothesize the new system opened the door to candidates who wouldn't
have chosen to run otherwise, leading to a more diverse candidate cohort and
more competitive races"

Moral of the story - if you want a broader representation of candidates
running for office, change the system!

ALASKA PRIMARY VOTERS HAD MORE CHOICE IN 2022. Lee and Lee. Sightline
Institute. 11/4/22.

<https://www.sightline.org/2022/11/04/alaska-primary-voters-had-more-choice-
in-2022/?fbclid=IwAR0myfckr3W5OsGj67HlxIZyc_tmZBwwz_4OvYEwEy_6eUwFf20tRyT9Aw
c>
https://www.sightline.org/2022/11/04/alaska-primary-voters-had-more-choice-i
n-2022/?fbclid=IwAR0myfckr3W5OsGj67HlxIZyc_tmZBwwz_4OvYEwEy_6eUwFf20tRyT9Awc

More at  <https://www.facebook.com/Civics-for-Adults-1490728887922036>
https://www.facebook.com/Civics-for-Adults-1490728887922036 

Ask your local library or community group to sponsor a workshop! Thanks. 

Flyer describing workshops:
<https://static.s123-cdn.com/uploads/2516289/normal_5fe8c854352d5.pdf>
https://static.s123-cdn.com/uploads/2516289/normal_5fe8c854352d5.pdf 

Donna L Cohen, MLIS, MEd

Portland, Oregon

503-737-1425

dcoheninfo at comcast.net <mailto:dcoheninfo at comcast.net>  

Civics for Adults - and Others - Workshops: To Enhance Civic Knowledge and
Inspire Political Engagement

Webpage www.civicthinker.info <http://www.civicthinker.info/>  

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Civics-for-Adults-1490728887922036/

"My philosophy is very simple. When you see something that is not fair, not
right, not just - stand up, say something, speak up!" Rep. John Lewis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6lzPpqc2WY 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/libs-or/attachments/20221127/4eff0e01/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 11067 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/libs-or/attachments/20221127/4eff0e01/attachment.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image002.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 16674 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/libs-or/attachments/20221127/4eff0e01/attachment-0001.jpg>