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Dear John,
With the midterms just a few weeks away, turnout will be absolutely vital.
But it’s not enough to show up to the polls to vote for governor, U.S. Senator, or even your House representative — you have to vote down the entire ticket.
As our most recent video explains, many of the biggest issues affecting your day-to-day life are determined by state and local officials who are running for office at the bottom of your ballot.
While these races at the bottom of the ballot undoubtedly affect your life, they often receive less attention — and fewer votes — than federal positions that appear at the top. Why? Well, many people who vote simply don't fill out their entire ballot.
This is a serious issue called “ballot roll-off” — and it has been a huge problem for Democrats as of late in key battleground states where top of ticket candidates receive far more votes than those for state legislatures or other local positions. Unfortunately, “ballot roll-off” for Republicans is not as much of an issue — due in part to the fact that the GOP has outspent Democrats on state-level races over the past decade.
But all hope is not lost — as long as we turn out and support grassroots candidates up AND down the entire ballot.
As history shows, down ballot races have proven critical for advancing progressive changes at the state level –– like raising the minimum wage, instituting ranked choice voting, inscribing abortion rights into state constitutions, expanding Medicaid, protecting trans youth, and making public higher education more affordable. All of these things — and more — become possible when we pay attention to down ballot races and ballot initiatives.
Watch our video to learn more about resources that will help prepare you to vote for these crucial races in the upcoming midterm election, and share it with a friend who you think needs a little extra nudge to show up at the polls this November.
We won’t win the progressive change we want to see overnight. We win by connecting with our communities. Paying attention to candidates up and down the ballot — and buckling up for the long haul.
Let’s get to work.
P.S. Here are a few resources for researching down-ballot candidates: Sister District, The States Project, Bolts Magazine, and Peoples' Action.
Thanks for watching,
Robert Reich
Inequality Media Civic Action
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