OPINION: Election Guide Through the Eyes of a Piedmont 8th Grader
2020 has been a year of complete chaos.
I was looking forward to summer but then, COVID-19 struck. So, instead of going to summer camps, I stayed home and found a great book, Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. This got me interested in the early days of American history, the Revolutionary War and the creation of the U.S. Constitution.
As I began reading more about our history, I also became interested in the current elections. I became curious as to why so many people were talking about how this would be the most important election in American history. So, I did some research on the key races and the propositions just to educate myself and other kids like me. I even emailed a few candidates in the local elections to ask for interviews, so I could understand their positions and views.
To my surprise, many of them responded and shared their thoughts with me. Thank you so much to those candidates, Elena Condes and Mark Fickes for Alameda County Superior Court, and Jen Cavenaugh and Connie Herrick for Piedmont City Council. I hope you find this informative and I hope it gets other kids like me interested in our elections.
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Information and insights on national, statewide, and local races and propositions for the city of Piedmont by Piedmonter Keshav Rangan
Wow, Keshav! It’s so great to see your completed Voter Guide in-print. It was great to talk to you. You clearly had done your homework as your questions were thoughtful and demonstrated your understanding of the City Council role. I didn’t realize that your guide was going to be so comprehensive, covering races at many levels that are relevant to Piedmonters. You’ve presented the choices clearly so it will be very useful to Piedmonters who are still completing their vote-by-mail ballots. This must have been a considerable investment of your time for a cause that is important to us all. Thank you for your effort on this project. You give me hope for the future of our democracy. Congratulations on achieving your goal.
Well done – just the facts. I take issue with the characterization that UU will prevent the permanent closure of the pool. I know the measure implies that but the future of the pool is not conditional on the passage of UU. That is a decision for a future council or ballot measure to decide should UU not pass. Another measure for a scaled down pool could easily be put on the March 2021 ballot. Ballot measures can be crafted to mislead voters. Happens all the time in California.