John,
This July, we are thinking about the people we’ve lost and the systems that led us here. It’s the month we lost Philando Castile. The month we mourned Alton Sterling. The month Sandra Bland never made it home. The month we remember Sonya Massey — a Black woman who called for help and was met with fatal force. And our hearts go out to the countless others impacted by the justice system.
These are not isolated incidents. They are part of a larger, deeply rooted system that continues to fail Black people. In the face of that pain, millions took to the streets and raised their voices online, demanding an end to police violence and an end to the racism embedded in our criminal justice system.
And today, that energy is still the same. In 2025, criminal justice is on the ballot. The people we elect at the local and state levels decide how justice shows up in our communities:
👉🏾 Mayors can appoint or remove police chiefs and set policies around body camera footage.
👉🏾 Judges decide what bail looks like, how sentencing is carried out, and whether rehabilitation is prioritized over punishment.
👉🏾 State legislators write the laws that define crime, shape policing, and fund the systems that impact both victims and offenders.
👉🏾 Sheriffs often run county jails and set the tone for law enforcement.
👉🏾 District attorneys can choose to file or drop charges, and even overturn wrongful convictions.
👉🏾 Governors can restore voting rights and sign laws that impact criminal justice reform across the state.
This year alone, voters will decide who holds these powerful roles:
👉🏾 5,000 mayors
👉🏾 1,000 judges
👉🏾 180 state legislators
👉🏾 99 sheriffs
👉🏾 60 prosecutors
👉🏾 2 governors
John, when we talk about transforming the system, this is where it starts — at the ballot box, one seat at a time. The fight for justice isn’t just about what we protest, it’s about what we participate in. See who is on your ballot at WhenWeAllVote.org TODAY!
