Oakland minors gain major enfranchisement, now may vote in school board elections
OAKLAND -- Diamond Griggs is one of hundreds of Oakland 16- and 17-year-olds who, for the first time ever, will be able to cast a vote in their local school board election.
"It means a lot. I've never gotten to vote before because I've always seen, like, people talking about presidential reasons and stuff but voting for school board is more important to me," Griggs said.
Measure QQ, which passed in Oakland in 2020, lowered the voting age for local school board elections to 16.
To try and mobilize that youth vote, the organization Families in Action hosted a candidate forum where youth could get to know the candidates and ask them questions face-to-face.
"We think this is critically important because students actually are the ones who are most impacted by the quality of our schools. So we need to be hearing from their priorities and now they're going to be able to make themselves heard through their vote," said Kimi Kean, co-founder and CEO of Families in Action.
One of the candidates on the ballot this year is 20-year-old Oakland Tech alumnus Benjamin Salop.
As a high schooler he actually worked to help pass Measure QQ and says he saw firsthand what it meant to students to have a say.
"I understand how it shouldn't work and how it should work and I'm trying to bring back that accountability for our students, our parents and our teachers," Salop said.
Candidate Patrice Berry was also on hand for the student forum. She says she's happy most high schoolers will now get a real say in their district's board.
"I think it's really important and very powerful and a signal to them that we care about their leadership," Berry said.
For students like Diamond, issues surrounding college preparedness and safety are top of mind going into this election. She said she's excited to hear what the candidates have to offer but is even more excited to know she'll truly have the power to hold them accountable.
"It's very important ... so this is like me taking action and saying my insights and what I feel is important and I think it'll make a very big change," Griggs said.
