Op-Ed PDF

Opinion: To Write-In or Not to Write-In Teressa Raiford? There's More Hope For Write-in's than You
Might Think.
When Teressa Raiford only received 8% of the vote in the May 2020 Portland Mayoral primary
(Nagaoka, 2020), most of Portland thought the runoff election in November would be between the two
candidates set to be on the ballot: incumbent Ted Wheeler, and Sarah Iannarone. Then we saw the
murder of George Floyd and the civil uprising that followed, along with protests around the country.
Portland has been in the spotlight, as federal officers flooded the streets of downtown Portland,
aggressively teargassing and using crowd-control munitions to quell protestors.
Teressa Raiford has been in the thick of it when it comes to advocating for Black Lives Matter.
Raidford founded Don't Shoot PDX, an organization that holds Portland police accountable for their
actions after she was arrested in 2015 for protesting, and she hasn't stopped short of filing lawsuits
against the Portland Police since the civil uprising: “We immediately filed a lawsuit after I saw the
assault on Portlanders with chemical weapons,” Raiford said. “Those RCA agents that people call
pepper spray or the LRAD devices. I believe in the right to freedom of expression, especially when
you’re showing solidarity for national movements (Pouncey, 2020).”
Now, activists are calling for Portland to write-in Teressa for Portland mayor on November 3 rd ,
2020 (Nagaoka, 2020). Teressa is clearly a busy woman and is not able to be involved in the campaign
herself, but she says she will serve if she receives enough votes to win the election (Nagaoka, 2020). I'll
take you through my many emotions when hearing this call to action from activists: excited, worried,
anxious, despondent, and now I've arrived at hopeful. Why? Because there has been a history of writein
candidates who have gone on to successfully serve in some of the highest offices, including the
Senate and the US House of Representatives.
South Carolina's Democratic Senator Burnet Maybank passed away suddenly in September of
1954. Earlier in the year, he has won the primary nomination for what would have been his third term
in the senate (Senate, 2019). The democratic party decided not to have a special election for a new

candidate, and instead nominated Edgar Brown as the presumptive nominee. He had been a senator for
long period of time, and the democratic committee decided he would be the best fit as the general
election nominee (Senate, 2019).
The public was upset that the decision was up to the democratic committee and not the public at
the voting booth. In response, former Governor Strom Thurmund announced he was running as a write
in candidate and in November 1954, be won with 63% of the vote, becoming the first person to be
voted into the US senate through a write in. More recently, in 2011, Lisa Murkowski won her senate
seat as a write-in candidate after losing the primary by a small margin (Bolstad, 2011).
So, do we write-in a well qualified candidate, or do we go with a “safer” progressive choice
Sarah Iannarone? Something I have been mulling over is trying to understand if my vote would
essentially end up being a vote for Ted Wheeler AKA “Tear Gas Teddy.” This may not be the case. A
June 24 th , 2020 poll shows one-third of Portland voters are unsure who to choose for Mayor. 61%
Uncertain of Sarah, 41% Approval of Ted, and 35% Undecided (Bailey, 2020). Teressa also has strong
support from the community including Damian Lillard, Congressional candidate Albert Lee, Kee’s
Loaded Kitchen, The Kiki House of Flora, and community activists who have all committed to write in
Teressa’s name on their ballot (BITCH politics, 2020).
As of August 27th, 2020, 3,515 Portlander’s have signed their name committing to writing in
Teressa Raiford (BITCH politics, 2020). After understanding more about successful write-in
candidate's and knowing Portland would be in the hands of a candidate who has plans to divest,
demiliterize, and defund the police, I feel I have no choice but to vote for Teressa Raiford. Just as
we've seen write-in candidate succeed in the past, I will be putting my time, energy, effort, and hope
into electing the right choice for Portland mayor: Teressa Raiford.

References
Bailey, E., A poll shows a third of portland voters unsure who to vote for (2020). Retrieved from
https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2020/06/poll-shows-a-third-of-portland-voters-unsurewho-to-choose-for-mayor.html
Baker, M., Fuller, T., & Olmos, S. (2020). Federal agents push into portland streets, stretching limits of
their authority. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/25/us/portland-federallegal-
jurisdiction-courts.html
on-
BITCH Politics. (2020). "Can we count on you to write-in Teressa Raiford on November 3 rd ?"
Retrieved from https://www.change.org/p/valued-community-member-can-we-countyou-to-write-in-teressa-raiford-for-portland-mayor-on-november-3rd?
utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=custom_url&recruited_by_id=96d1a500-
11ea-b691-d9206a9419f2
b29e-
Bolstad, E., Murkowski welcomed back to the US Senate, (2011). Retrieved from
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/article/anchorage-daily-news-murkowski-welcomedback-to-us-senate
Gormley, S., Wach john oliver mock ted wheeler with terrefying teddy bear on “last week tonight”,
(2020) Retrieved from https://www.wweek.com/arts/comedy/2020/07/27/watch-john-olivermock-ted-wheeler-with-a-terrifying-teddy-bear-on-last-week-tonight
Nagaoka, R., Grassroots organizers are pushing a write-in campaign for this BLM activist, (2020).
Retrieved from https://www.pdxmonthly.com/news-and-city-life/2020/08/grassrootsorganizers-are-pushing-a-write-in-mayoral-campaign-for-this-blm-activist
Pouncey, D. (Producer). (2020, July 14). Street Roots Podcast [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from
https://www.streetroots.org/news/2020/07/14/street-roots-podcast-talking-teressa-raiford-don-tshoot-portland
Senator Elected on a Write-in Ballot. (2019, December 12). Retrieved from
https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Senator_Elected_on_Write_in_Ballot.htm
Writeinteressaraiford [@writeinteressaraiford]. (2020, August 18). #Repost @jesseweeg During my 10
years living in Portland, Teressa Raiford has been a consistent figure fighting for Portland’s
vulnerable, underrepresented, and underserved communities. She doesn’t just show up around
election time and tout her achievements to gain your vote. Her work is constant, whether it is in
the streets protesting, giving public testimony in City Hall, organizing youth and art
programming, or holding PPB accountable for police brutality. [Instagram photo] Retireved
from https://www.instagram.com/p/CECrluNhTjO/