Portland State Magazine Winter 2016

winter 2016 pORTLAND STATE MAGAZINE 5 Where are the voters? OLDER CITIZENS have more clout in mayoral elections because they actually vote when many young people don’t—a situation that should serve as a loud wake-up call for citizens of all ages, says Phil Keisling, former Oregon Secretary of State and now director of PSU’s Center for Public Service. Keisling and colleague Jason Jurjevich’s study, “Who Votes for America’s Mayors?” found that people 65 and older are 10 to 20 times more likely to cast ballots in mayoral elections than 18- to 34-year-olds. The study was conducted in the cities of Portland; Detroit; Charlotte, N.C.; and St. Paul, Minn. With the turnout for mayoral contests “utterly abysmal” among all ages, says Keisling, “we need to work together to better engage our entire urban communities in the democratic process.” Carving out a tradition TIEM CLEMENT is sharing his culture in the way he knows best by building a 25-foot outrigger canoe—a proud craft that Marshall Islanders once excelled at sailing on the Pacific Ocean. From September through December, volunteers joined Clement as he carved the canoe from sequoia logs on the west side of campus at 10th and Montgomery. The Outrigger Canoe Project was a partnership between the nonprofit Living Islands and Portland State, and included community events to raise awareness of the almost 7,000 Marshallese and Marshallese descendents living in the Pacific Northwest. The canoe needs a few finishing touches before being put on display on campus sometime this spring. Photo by David A. Anderson. pa r k b l o c k s