Fighting for fair elections isn’t an insurrection
Regarding “Election denialism is fervent in S.F.” (Open Forum, Nov. 17): The op-ed falsely accuses me and other longtime advocates for good government of “Trump-like” “election denialism.”
All of the accused have spent their careers advocating against political corruption. Among them is Supervisor Dean Preston, who just spearheaded an initiative that could nearly double voter turnout in San Francisco. Hardly the work of MAGA insurrectionists.
The allegations stem from a “redistricting fiasco” that moved Supervisorelect Joel Engardio into the district he will soon represent. His entire margin of victory came from the more conservative precincts added through redistricting. Engardio surely worked hard to win, but redistricting likely had an impact.
Don’t take my word for it. Look at the leaked correspondence of a local real estate magnate, boasting that the scheme to flip districts with progressive supervisors to moderate majorities “is going better than I could have ever dreamed.”
Drawing false equivalency between fair elections and MAGA insurrectionists is a dangerous turn of rhetoric by San Francisco’s moderate political faction. Harmful rhetoric lays the groundwork for harmful policy.
As the Supreme Court looks poised to gut the Voting Rights Act and approve Alabama’s redistricting to dilute the influence of Black voters, let’s make sure we don’t go down a similar path in San Francisco.