2020 Voter Guide

Vote for California schools and community services.

Prop 15 will reclaim $12 billion every year for California’s K-12 schools, community colleges, and critical local services by closing corporate property tax loopholes — all while exempting homeowners and renters, small businesses, and owners of agricultural, commercial, and industrial properties with a combined value of $3 million or less. Vote YES on Prop 15 to advance racial justice and reverse decades of disinvestment so we can all have healthy and thriving communities. Our schools and communities come first!

Vote to reinstate affirmative action in California.

Prop 16 would restore affirmative action in public education, public employment, and public contracting after a nearly 25-year ban. Today in California, many people are currently discriminated against in getting state contracts, employment, pay, and education based on who they are or where they come from. Vote YES on Prop 16 to directly address systemic racism and gender discrimination and ensure everyone in California has equal access to good jobs, good wages, and quality schools.

Vote to restore voting rights for people reentering.

Prop 17 will restore voting rights to 50,000 people in California who are returning home after finishing their prison term. It allows them to reintegrate into society and have a say in our democracy. Vote YES on Prop 17 to help reverse a racist form of voter suppression that has plagued California since the era of Jim Crow segregation. It’s time to free the vote!

Vote to give 17-year-olds a say on important issues affecting their lives.

Prop 18 will expand voting rights to 17-year-olds by allowing them to vote in a primary or special election if they will be 18 by the time of the next general election and are otherwise eligible to vote. This creates a more inclusive electoral process by providing these voters the opportunity to participate in a full election cycle rather than just the general election. Vote YES on Prop 18 to give 17-year-olds a say on important issues affecting their everyday lives. Let’s make our democracy more inclusive!

Vote to protect criminal justice reforms.

Prop 20 will dramatically increase the number of people incarcerated in our prisons and jails by restricting parole release and enacting one of the nation’s strictest laws for theft. Vote NO on Prop 20 to stop the police unions from ratcheting up the criminalization and oppression of Black and brown communities in California.

Vote for rent control and affordable housing.

Prop 21 allows local communities to institute or expand rent control, which would limit rent increases and preserve affordable housing. California’s housing crisis impacts renters, homeowners, middle-income families, and low-income families alike. With increasing rent and stagnant wages, a raging pandemic, and evictions and homelessness on the rise, it’s never been more vital to protect renters. Vote YES on Prop 21 to prevent displacement and keep families housed!

Vote NO on Prop 24 to reject a fake privacy law that benefits big companies and harms the privacy of vulnerable communities.

Prop 24 is a fake privacy law. Instead of increasing protections, it requires people to jump through more hoops and adds anti-privacy loopholes: exceptions for big business, less protection for workers, and more power for police. Prop 24 benefits big tech and corporate interests but leaves vulnerable communities the least protected. Privacy is a right for ALL Californians. Vote NO on Prop 24.

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The ACLU of Northern California is neutral on Prop 25, which asks voters to uphold or repeal Senate Bill 10. 

Read our full statement on our position here.

Measure G creates a more inclusive electoral process by amending the San Francisco’s Charter to authorize 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in local elections and have a say in the issues that closely affect them.

Measure II replaces the Police Review Commission with a new Police Accountability Board with expanded power to investigate police misconduct and provide civilian oversight. The Police Accountability Board will have the authority and resources to thoroughly investigate misconduct allegations, propose discipline, and review police policies to protect civil rights and liberties and address racial and other disparities in policing.

Measure QQ amends Oakland’s Charter to allow the City Council to adopt an ordinance authorizing 16 and 17-year-olds to vote for the Office of School Board Director. Measure QQ creates a more inclusive democracy by forging a pathway for 16 and 17-year-olds to have a say in issues that closely affect them by allowing them to vote in school board elections.  

Measure S1 strengthens the Oakland Police Commission, which was established by the voters in 2016 and is responsible for watching over the Oakland Police Department to make sure it follows the laws. Measure S1 creates a new position for a civilian, non-police officer inspector general, who will to the Police Commission. It also strengthens the independence of the civilian-led Police Commission to ensure greater accountability for police. 

Measure C will help protect families from being displaced by skyrocketing rents. It limits rent increases to the rate of inflation and no more than 5% annually, bans unjust evictions by requiring reasonable cause to evict problem tenants, and create a democratically elected volunteer board to fairly and efficiently resolve issues between landlords and renters. 

Measure P strengthens the Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach (IOLERO) by granting it increased access to evidence of police officer misconduct, allowing it to recommend disciplinary actions for officers subject to its investigations, and authorizing the publication of body camera footage on the IOLERO website, among other provisions.  

Measure BB would authorize the sale of Healdsburg District Hospital to NorCal HealthConnect, LLC, which is part of a Catholic healthcare organization, Providence St. Joseph Health. Although Healdsburg District Hospital is publicly funded – by a local parcel tax, Providence St. Joseph Health restricts health care based on religion, which disproportionately impacts reproductive and LGBTQ health care.  

These updated Know Your Rights Voting resources provide answers to some of the most common questions about voting.

ENGLISH

• Know Your Rights: Voting 101
• Know Your Rights: Every Vote Counts!
• Know Your Rights: Voting During COVID-19

ESPAÑOL

• Conozca Sus Derechos ¿Cómo Puede Votar?
• Conozca Sus Derechos ¡Todos Los Votos Cuentan!
• Conozca Sus Derechos Cómo Votar Durante La Pandémica De Covid-19

The vast majority of adult citizens in California county jails have the right to vote, yet these voters experience unique obstacles when they reach for the ballot box. As a result, many eligible voters are disenfranchised each election purely because they are in jail. This toolkit describes strategies that concerned community advocates, county elections offices, and sheriffs can use to break down barriers to democracy by helping people in county jails to register and vote.

ENGLISH

• Voting in California Jails: A Community Toolkit

ESPAÑOL

• Votando en la Carcel en California: Conjunto de Herramientas

Let Me Vote is a collaboration between ACLU of Northern California, ACLU of Southern California, and the League of Women Voters of California Education Fund, as well as our partners at the Alameda Public Defender’s Office, A New Way of Life Reentry Project, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, Pillars of the Community, and the Santa Cruz County Elections Office.