John --
There’s a well-worn saying that all politics are local. In recent years, that old saw has been challenged, as American politics have been effectively nationalized by the two-party system, with ample help from the media.
That’s a big shame.
Governance—the end goal of all political activity—is still very local. Unfortunately, our collective hyperfocus on Washington has left state and local offices neglected or battling culture wars in which no one wins.
Michigan State Sen. Mallory McMorrow <[link removed]> said it best: “We gotta stop looking at Washington as the only thing that matters.” Indeed.
For an extreme example of what can happen right under our noses at home while we’re distracted by the partisan fights emanating from D.C., take a look at Ottawa County, Michigan <[link removed]>…
The eight new members of the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners had run for office promising to “thwart tyranny” in their Michigan community of 300,000 people. Once sworn in last January, the firings began. They dismissed the county administrator who oversaw a staff of 1,800, the head of the health department, and the lawyer who had represented Ottawa County for 40 years.
Taking over at the health department is a service manager from a local HVAC company whose only apparent “qualification” for the job is being a prominent critic of mask mandates. The Board has even changed the county’s former motto, “Where You Belong,” because they claim it “promotes the divisive Marxist ideology of the race equity movement.”
Instead of focusing on paving roads, building parks, maintaining property records, and collecting taxes—some of the most basic and least partisan functions of local democracy—Ottawa County has become “a case study in what happens when one of the building blocks of American democracy is consumed by ideological battles over race, religion, and American history,” conclude journalists Greg Jaffe and Patrick Marley.
Forward is about real governance, not partisan politics pretending to be governance (and poorly at that, we might add). We’re working at the local level because we believe that’s where functional democracy begins. If you’re sick of seeing culture war BS, like what’s happening in Ottawa County, replace reasonable people acting in the public interest, you’re in the right place.
- <[link removed]>Ian Buruma: The culture-war trap —IPS Journal <[link removed]>
- Disney sues Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over political retaliation —The Washington Post <[link removed]>
- Montana transgender lawmaker barred by GOP from 2023 session —Associated Press <[link removed]>
- The book ban surge gripping America’s schools and libraries —The Independent <[link removed]>
- Karen Tumulty: How supermajorities are making state legislatures less democratic —The Washington Post <[link removed]>
Forwardist Photo of the Week
An enthusiastic crowd turned out for our Forward Together with the Common Sense Party event in Los Angeles last weekend. This amazing group of Forwardists, as well as a second outstanding group in San Francisco, were ready to listen, share, inspire, and be inspired. Thank you, California!
Forward in the News
- FWD Co-Chair Andrew Yang & Common Sense Party Chair Tom Campbell —Inside the Issues w/ Alex Cohen <[link removed]>
- <[link removed]>Andrew Yang, Christine Todd Whitman on ‘The Forward Party’, alliance with ‘Common Sense Party’ —Fox40 <[link removed]>
- <[link removed]>An end to political deadlock? Arizona’s experiment with third parties —The Guardian <[link removed]>
- <[link removed]>Whitman & Torricelli: Why we need a third political party in New Jersey —NJ.com <[link removed]>
OTHER NEWS & VIEWS
Ohio Senate passes measure to make amending the state’s constitution more difficult
In Ohio, lawmakers in the state Senate just advanced legislation that would raise the threshold to pass amendments to the state constitution from 50% to 60% of the vote, making it more difficult for Ohio voters to amend the state constitution via ballot initiatives. The measure is primarily an effort by the Republican supermajority to thwart a citizen-led effort to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would prohibit banning abortion before fetal viability. But the upshot is that it will make all citizen-initiated reform efforts (including for ranked-choice voting) more difficult. —Ballotpedia News <[link removed]>
More Ohio Senate decision news:
- Forward Party’s Mike Ongstad explains the corrupted partisan politics going on in the Buckeye State —Twitter <[link removed]>
- Democracy is under siege in the Buckeye State —Twitter <[link removed]>
Alaska Supreme Court says no to gerrymandering
“In a landmark decision, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled Friday that partisan gerrymandering is unconstitutional under the Alaska Constitution’s equal protection doctrine. The opinion described ‘secretive procedures’ used to draw two Eagle River Senate districts to benefit Republicans behind closed doors, which the justices said was a violation of the state constitution’s equal protection doctrine. Racial gerrymandering and drawing districts to penalize an incumbent lawmaker would likely already have been struck down by state courts before Friday’s decision, attorneys said. But the Alaska Supreme Court had not explicitly made a ruling that drawing maps for political purposes was illegal.” —Anchorage Daily News <[link removed]>
More redistricting news:
- New Assembly maps head to state legislature with few changes to current lines —Queens Daily Eagle <[link removed]>
- <[link removed]>Jacksonville City Council may settle redistricting lawsuit —First Coast News <[link removed]>
- <[link removed]>Palm Desert debates redistricting options after Measure B vote —KESQ <[link removed]>
Open primaries give independent voters a voice
“The exclusion of independent voters from public elections is abhorrent and erodes faith in our election system and government. Our measure will ensure that in every state election, independent voters would have equal opportunities to vote.” —Michael Calcagno on The Fahey Q&A <[link removed]>
More open primaries news:
- What Nevada’s elections could look like in five years —Las Vegas Review-Journal <[link removed]>
- Lawmakers again pushing to open Pennsylvania's closed primary elections —The Daily Item <[link removed]>
Democracy can thrive with RCV
“Ranked-choice voting offers greater competition and helps elect a consensus candidate who is incentivized to work in a bipartisan manner and solve real problems without the fear of getting primaried or punished by his or her party. The people who fight this the most are the Democratic Party, Republican Party, and lobbyists. It's time for the people to speak up, to demand change, and to work hard to make change happen. It will not be an easy task, but it has been accomplished in several states, and it works. If we want to keep our democracy thriving for future generations, change must happen.” —J. Doug Pruitt in Duluth News Tribune <[link removed]>
More ranked-choice voting news:
- <[link removed]>Ranked-choice voting and the Philadelphia mayor’s race —Billy Penn <[link removed]>
- <[link removed]> <[link removed]>Ranked-choice voting is growing—along with efforts to stop it —The 19th News <[link removed]>
- <[link removed]>City Council approves $675,000 to educate Portlanders about new voting system —KOIN <[link removed]>
- <[link removed]>Former Utah Director of Elections Kelleen Potter talks ranked-choice voting —Better Boundaries Podcast <[link removed]> <[link removed]>
Forwardists are out there making their mark. Are you one of them? Share your story with us! <mailto:
[email protected]> Looking for a Forward event in your area? Check out our upcoming events <[link removed]>.
Thanks for reading the Forwardist. If you enjoyed this issue, please share it with a friend. See you next week.
All the best,
The Forward Party Team
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