Hi John,

Politicians know the power we, the people have, and they're terrified we'll use it. That's why they're trying so hard to steal our voices and our power at the ballot box. This fight is on full display right now in Utah and Ohio. Here's a quick explanation of what's going on, and why it matters. 

First up, Utah. The state legislature recently held an emergency session and approved an amendment to the constitution to be voted on this November, giving the legislature the ability to amend or even repeal voter-approved initiatives. Essentially, if the politicians don't like how people have voted, they can ignore those initiatives entirely, or change them to be something the legislature likes more. That's the opposite of democracy 😡.

And then in Ohio, the ballot board gave a very misleading and inaccurate description of the anti-gerrymandering initiative on the ballot in November. The proposal is to create a 15-person citizen commission (five Democrats, five Republicans, and five independents) to draw Congressional and state legislative districts in Ohio. But the language that voters will see in November is deeply misleading, enough that there's a Supreme Court suit against the board to try and ensure that voters see fair and impartial language at the ballot box. 

We're tracking updates on these initiatives and every other democracy reform initiative on the ballot this November. Even if these reforms aren't on the ballot in your state, your support still matters. Big things happen when we start small, and passing laws city by city and state by state is how real, meaningful change happens. We can't wait for politicians to fix our system—it's up to us 💪.

Together, we can make a difference. 

Megan Caska VP of Political RepresentUs