Image found at Yahoo Lifestyle
Most of the time the media spends on politics seems to be at the federal level. What’s happening in the White House and in Congress matters to the greatest number of people, so it’s no wonder the national media pays attention to it. However, the politics that happen at the state level affect each one of us in a much more immediate way, and for that reason, we need to get more engaged at the state level.
Conventional wisdom says that Democrats have, for some time, focused a lot of their elections energy on federal politics while the Republicans have focused more on the local & state levels. Well, this is where the power now lies in the state governments…
Red = State House and Senate under Republican control
Blue = State House and Senate under Democratic control
Yellow = Split control
Gray = Nonpartisan
Map from the National Conference of State Legislatures
Clearly we have a lot of work to do.
Here’s a short list of things that our states determine:
> Education – ex. What kids learn
> Healthcare – ex. Medicare expansion decisions
> Setting taxes
> Voter ID laws
> How immigration is enforced
> Redistricting every 10 years (not every state, but a clear majority)
> Clean energy policies
> Cases that go in front of municipal or state supreme court judges
> Infrastructure spending
> Policing reform
> Gun reform
> Marijuana policy
> Confronting the opioid crisis
The 2018 Midterm Elections are a huge opportunity for us to claw back more control at the state legislative level. In November, there are over 6,000 state-level seats up for grabs. Over 6,000!! We need to harness the anger we have over the direction of our country and get involved, right in our own backyard.
Don’t know if your state legislators are up for re-election? Never fear. Ballotpedia to the rescue. Do a Google search for: Ballotpedia [Your State] 2018
Then, get in touch with your local Democratic club and or directly with your favorite candidate’s campaign. They need your help–right now!
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