JUST VOOOOOOTE, OKAY
I don’t have any exit polls, but, I’m going to assume if you’re reading this and you live in a state with a major election… strike that… ANY election today, you’ve already voted. Or you have a plan to vote. If not…
GO VOTE!
Great, done? Let’s talk.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed but two of our contributors are from Virginia and pretty concerned with the VA Governor’s race. This weekend I rode from New York to Chesapeake, VA to canvas for the Northam campaign and Virginia Democrats.
I saw folks hesitant to state their party affiliation because others in their neighborhood had been targeted and vandalized for having Hillary signs in 2016. I met people who were excited to vote, but needed more details about the processes. I knocked on the doors of split households where the husbands were Republican… or apathetic… and the wives engaged Democrats.
But what I was most struck by were the people I spoke with who just don’t vote, or (and this is just as bad) only vote in presidential elections. Our Lyft driver, a waiter at the hotel restaurant, a random guy in the elevator. Each told their own story of apathy and a general disconnection with the value of their vote.
Now more than ever, we need to dispel with the myth of the off-year election.
Local elections have some of the most direct impact on your day-to-day life and the results of these elections ripple out and up and change the national landscape.
There is no such thing as an off-year. Every election matters. The story of America is the story of people putting their life on the line for liberty and a voice in government. The least you can do is show up.
The Virginia House of Delegates is overwhelmingly Republican and the Senate is split. They come up with crazy laws. The Governor elected in 2017 has the power to veto legislation that is bad for Virginia. The governor elected in 2017 will have power over redistricting efforts following the next census. If you want your vote to matter in the future, you have to show up now. The governor elected in 2017 will have the power to protect citizens from the gun lobby and a loosening of gun regulations. The least you can do is show up.
And vote down ticket.
Imagine giving an incoming Democratic administration a more evenly split or democratic house of delegates. Then it’s not just about playing defense, we can start seeing progressive legislation pushed through. Then we can expand Medicaid. We can get some of the things done as a state, that we can’t get done nationally. Down ballot candidates are also the future of the party and government. If you’re tired of the status quo, the way to breathe new life and build new leadership is to get out some of these incumbents on the republican side and bring in fresh blood. Vote all the way down.
Of course, I’m using Virginia as a stand-in for all elections today. The New Jersey Governor matters, the Allegheny County school board, the New York ballot measure calling for a constitutional congress.
If you live in the cities and states listed below you have an election today.
Every year. Every vote. Every election matters.
Happy voting!
h/t: ballotpedia.org
