Progressive Salem

Author: Dan

  • Avoid ballot problems

    Avoid ballot problems for yourself and your friends BEFORE the April 28 voter registration deadline.  Be sure you and your friends receive a ballot in the mail, by making sure the Elections Office has your current address.    

    Ballots for the May election will be mailed on April 29.

    The Post Office does NOT forward ballots.

    The most common reason for voters not receiving a ballot is that they have moved, or changed their mailing address, and they have not UPDATED their voter registration.  

    If you have moved or changed your mailing address since you last voted, go to www.oregonvotes.org.  Click on the box   “Check Your Info or Track Your Ballot with My Vote.”  Check your address and if needed, UPDATE your address or mailing address online.

    Ask friends who have moved or changed their mailing address to do the same. 

    A large group of voters that do not receive a ballot are college students, who are typically registered at their family home address but living away from home, at their college during the balloting period. 

    College students living away from home should go to www.oregonvotes.org.  Click on the box “Check Your Info or Track Your Ballot with My Vote” and UPDATE their mailing address.   

    In Oregon, college students, and others, may have a mailing address that is different from their residence address.  College students should UPDATE their mailing address every time they change dorm rooms or apartments.  

  • April 7: Join Progressive Salem for First Tuesday

    First Tuesday at Taproot will include special guests Mai Vang, candidate for City Council, Ward 6, and David Inbody, candidate in Ward 4.  Please join us for a time of fellowship and good fun along with good food and beverages. 

    Hope to see you there.

    Taproot Lounge and Cafe
    356 State Street, Salem
    4:30 to 6:30
    Tuesday, April 7

  • Join the organized people who beat organized money in Salem

    Let’s get out and talk to the voters that will make the difference for Salem.

    If you have never canvassed or feel nervous about canvassing, we can pair you with a more experienced canvasser.  If you want to canvass in your own neighborhood, we can cut a custom turf for you.  If you have mobility issues, we can give you a small turf in a flat neighborhood.  Let us know ahead of time by responding to this email.  

    We talk to targeted voters that are likely to vote in a May election and are likely to vote for our candidates.  They want to know, and need to know, which are the more progressive candidates.

    Canvassing Schedule

    • Saturday 3/28 – 10 AM – Marion County Dems, 245 High Street NE
      Canvass for Vanessa Nordyke with Linda Nishioka (Ward 2, South Central Salem) or Mai Vang (Ward 6, East Salem)
    • Sunday 3/29 – 1 PM – Ward 4 Canvass – 341 Mountain View Drive.
      Canvass for Vanessa Nordyke & Dave Inbody in Ward 4 (South of Kuebler)

    Join the No Kings Rally on Saturday 3/28

    Beat the crowd.  Come to the Democrats Office at 10 AM to pick up a turf and literature.  You can secure a parking spot downtown before other protestors and can complete your turf later in the day or on Sunday. The Democrats’ office is only four blocks from the protest.

    Next Week -We are adding new canvassing times.

    • Wednesday 4/1 5 PM – Marion County Dems, 245 High Street NE
      “Walk The Ward Wednesday” with Mai Vang & Vanessa Nordyke (Ward 6)
    • Saturday 4/4 10 AM – Marion County Dems, 245 High Street NE
      Canvass for Vanessa Nordyke with Linda Nishioka (Ward 2) or Mai Vang (Ward 6)
    • Saturday 4/4 1 PM – West Salem, Paul Evans’ Office – 1320 Edgewater St, Suite 120 (Tentative Location)  We will keep you posted.
      Canvass for Vanessa Nordyke with Micki Varney (Ward 8)
    • Sunday 4/5 1 PM – No Canvass – Easter Sunday
      Dave Inbody, Ward 4, may choose a Saturday time instead. We will keep you posted.

  • Presentation: Fascism in the United States

    Thursday, March 26 at 7:00 PM
    Marion County Dems Office
    (245 High Street NE)

    Professor Seth Cotlar will speak on the history of fascism in the United States from the 1920s to the present.  Professor Cotlar, a history professor at Willamette, will speak about the national history of American fascism, and will share some of his research on the history of the Oregon Republican Party and the 1930s-vintage fascist and White Christian Nationalist named Walter Huss who led a 20-year grassroots insurgency that resulted in him getting elected chair of the Oregon Republican Party in 1978.  Professor Cotlar’s  presentation promises to be educational and relevant to current events in our nation.

    We hope you will join us Thursday evening.

  • April 12: Meet the candidates for Salem mayor

    MARK YOUR CALENDAR! Plan to come to the first-ever all ages mayoral forum at the Salem Public Library on Sunday, April 12th at 2 pm. Bring the whole family! Send in a question using the QR code below.

    Meet the candidates

  • Join Progressive Salem for First Tuesday; meet Vanessa Nordyke and Micki Varney

    Vanessa Nordyke
    Micki Varney for City Council

    Taproot Lounge and Cafe
    356 State Street, Salem
    Tuesday, March 3, 4:30 to 6:30

    Special guests:

    Micki Varney, candidate for city council

    and Vanessa Nordyke, candidate for mayor

    Join like-minded progressive friends and meet Micki and Vanessa in a small group setting

  • Please Join Us for Canvassing Every Weekend Until May

    Canvassing for Progressive Salem

    This is how we win — by knocking on doors and talking to friendly voters who vote Progressive. We’ll be doing it every Saturday and Sunday until the election in May.

    On Saturdays at 10 am
    Meet at the Marion County Democrats Headquarters
    245 High St. NE Across from the Transit Mall
    We canvass for Vanesa Nordkye for Mayor and for Linda Nishioka, Mai Vang, and Micki Varney for City Council

    On Sundays at 1 pm
    Canvass for Dave Inbody in Ward 4
    Go here to sign up as a volunteer for Dave and get more information

    If you are new to canvassing we can pair you up with an experienced canvasser. Please join us!

  • Progressive Salem Founder Tina Calos Hands Over Leadership to Chris Hoy

    Tina Calos
    Chris Hoy

    After founding and leading the political action organization Progressive Salem for more than a decade, Tina Calos will step back and turn over the Chairpersonship to Chris Hoy.

    Progressive Salem was founded in 2015 after a group of Progressives led by Calos successfully elected Tom Andersen to the Salem City Council in 2014. Andersen won a tough victory in a three-way race and in 2015 became the only Progressive on the Salem City Council that had been dominated for years by special interest candidates.

    “Tom was our proof of concept,” said Calos. “In his race we proved that organized people could beat organized money.” By recruiting motivated volunteers to go door to door and talk to voters, Progressives showed that they could win, even when being heavily outspent by their opposition.

    Progressive Salem took that winning formula and went on to win 16 City Council elections, beginning in  2016. In every race our candidates were outspent, sometimes two to one or three to one or more, with big contributions by developers, realtors, homebuilders and other special interests.      

    Our latest win was in Ward 6 last year when Mai Vang bested two opponents for an open seat. Vang’s win preserved a solid 6-3 Progressive majority on the City Council.

    Having led Progressive Salem for over a decade, Calos is handing over leadership to former Salem Mayor Chris Hoy, who has been an active member of the Progressive Salem Board and has helped to lead the Candidate Support Committee. He was active in encouraging Dave Inbody to run this year as a Progressive Salem candidate in South Salem’s Ward 4.

    This year Progressive Salem is also supporting Vanessa Nordyke’s run for Salem Mayor and the re-election of councilors Linda Nishioka (Ward 2), Mai Vang (Ward 6) and Micki Varney (Ward 8).

    “I hope to continue Tina’s strong leadership and winning record,” said Hoy. “She proved time and again that organized people can beat organized money and that will continue to be our mantra.”

    Progressive Salem members are already out knocking on doors for all five of their candidates even though the filing deadline is weeks away. “We think 2026 is our year,” says Hoy. “But we have to work hard to make it happen, and we will.”

  • Fascism and the US: A discussion with Professor Bill Smaldone

    Bill Smaldone, Professor of European History at Willamette University led a timely discussion January 31 on fascism’s defining features, how they appear in past and present, and what ordinary people can do when democratic norms come under strain.

    A video of the presentation and discussion is available here.

  • Progressive Salem Supports Mai Vang’s Re-election in Ward 6

    By Kathleen Trepa

    Elect Mai Vang in Ward 6

    Mai Vang was elected to Ward 6 in the May 2025 special election and is running for re-election for a full term.

    A Willamette University Law School graduate and daughter of Vietnam War refugees, Mai brings a strong sense of family, cultural diversity, the value of community and the belief in the American dream to Ward 6 and the City Council. Mai has already shown she leads with her heart and values. 

    Mai’s primary goals are to focus on transportation improvements, including traffic calming, pedestrian safety, and access to bus routes and bike lanes. She is committed to improving 911 response times in Ward 6. She supports the construction of the previously approved local Fire Station and funding the necessary police and fire resources to effectively serve Ward 6. She also champions the Community Violence Reduction Initiative. 

    Housing affordability is a critical issue in East Salem, which is home to many minority and lower income neighborhoods. Mai’s dedication to supporting renter protections and rights is driven by her personal experience as a renter; she will propose a city task force of property owners and renters to explore options to protect affordable rental housing.

    Helping people keep their homes is a more cost-effective and humane strategy than only funding intervention efforts once people become unhoused. As a result, she supports the re-establishment of the City’s Social Services Advisory Board with an annual $400,000 budget. Fifteen percent of Salem’s population lives below the Marion County poverty line, and the bi-annual Point In Time homeless count shows that the majority of Salem’s unhoused are from Salem. Mai believes the City should and can do more to help keep her neighbors housed. 

    Join Progressive Salem in supporting Mai’s re-election campaign. To learn more, please visit electmaivang.com.