Tech kids don't vote. An informal poll of my coworkers reveals those that live in SF didn't vote last election, some because they thought you had to live here for over a year before you can vote. Tech companies don't seem to do anything to encourage people to register either.
I voted (especially for pro-building, pro-housing candidates). Maybe if everyone else did the same we could change a few things.
A lot of "tech kids", myself included, are immigrants and can't vote.
And, on a separate note, it's ridiculous that I have lived here for over 4 years and paid hundreds of thousands in taxes but do not have any way to influence the democratic process (it is equally ridiculous that I can still vote in my home country despite not setting foot there for more than 2 weeks per year for the past 6 years and not contributing to its economy at all. The current definition of citizenship is completely outdated in the globalized world)
Also, a lot of "tech kids" like myself aren't in SF proper and thus can't vote on things like SF rent control. It's amazing how privilege acts to protect itself.
I'm sorry, what? Why should you be able to vote on a government that doesn't have jurisdiction over you?
Remember that SF is an anomaly. Generally it's the wealthy in the suburbs and the underprivileged in the city. Suburbanites voting on urban policy (in general) is the last thing you should support if you are concerned about privilege.
So vote in your community. Every municipality in the Bay Area has its own problems, mostly various forms of NIMBYism. You can make a difference where you live.
"it's ridiculous that I have lived here for over 4 years and paid hundreds of thousands in taxes but do not have any way to influence the democratic process"
really? what about the reverse? Can I easily become a citizen of your country if I moved and worked there for 4 years? Most countries don't even have options for immigrants to become true naturalized citizens of that country, in this regard, America is actually pretty progressive.
Off the top of my head, Australia, new zealand, Canada, uk & Germany are all shorter(# years) and far easier(difficulty of visas, crap you have to put up with) to naturalize/obtain citizenship.
The US is one of the least progressive western countries immigration-wise.
Agreed -- and 4 years isn't considered "that bad" by many of my immigrant friends. I have several who have been in the US nearly a decade and are still waiting.
The upside of citizenship is you can travel outside the US for more than six months without losing it. Green cards can be quite easily lost if your company wants to move you overseas for a while.
Wish I could vote this up twice. The people who approve (or don't) the building of new housing units, The people who vote to control or not control the rents, and the people who make the rules about what you can and cannot do on a saturday night when out with your friends are all elected. If you don't like it you can easily affect the outcome of a city council election by getting your friends together to vote as a block.
Not only that, but accidentally voting (e.g. because the person at the DMV said you could) can bar you from ever becoming a citizen and even get you deported:
Tech companies don't seem to do anything to encourage people to register either.
My company (a tech company) sent a bunch of emails about registering to vote and voting, and also had a drop box for voter registration forms, and encouraged people to get out of the office to vote.
Yes, this is just one anecdote, but there are people at tech companies who recognize that political issues are important and push people to get involved.
I voted (especially for pro-building, pro-housing candidates). Maybe if everyone else did the same we could change a few things.