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The Exclusive Electorate

The Public Policy Institute of California released a report last week called California's Exclusive Electorate that confirmed again what PowerPAC has been saying for three years now: Unless something is drastically changed, California will continue to be governed by a small and elite group of people not representative of the state's population. The report also points out that those who do not vote regularly are much more progressive in their views; much more willing to view government as a critical partner in working toward a common good for everyone. PowerPAC also saw this in a poll we did earlier this year.

PPIC has released a similar report each year for the last several years. And yet, in the world of campaigns and elections, little has changed. Every major campaign, even for very progressive candidates like Phil Angelides, continues business as usual, failing to reach out to critical constituencies -- Latinos are the most glaring example -- who are clearly necessary for any true progressive victory in California.

People need to wake up. We aren't going to win over people of color without actually talking to them. Unless we overhaul the way we run campaigns -- which means dumping the consultants who are advising Democratic candidate after Democratic candidate that they do not need to run ads on Spanish-language media -- we aren't going to have a chance. California is a majority people of color, the most diverse state in the nation, and a bellweather for the country. If we can't figure this out here, where on Earth can we figure it out?

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