The US midterm elections are happening this November 4th
no one cares.
Which is shocking, because a lot of these are local elections, and they have a
much larger impact on your daily life than national ones.
In fact, who is in Congress matters
much less in some cases than who is on your school board or in your state house.
And I’m not
being hyperbolic.
Most states are set up exactly like our national government.
With an executive, legislative
and judicial branch.
This is your governor, your district representatives, and your judges.
They
write the bills, sign the laws, and determine the legality of those laws.
They literally decide
what is and is not allowed in your state.
Things like same-sex marriage or legalized marijuana
are decided by these people.
If you want to yell “Legalize it” at anybody, it should be at the
councilmen from your or any other district, because at the end of the day your state’s
drug
policy is their decision.
Education is also largely decided by your state and local governments.
They fund the majority
of K-12 education.
They also enjoy an enormous amount of influence over the curriculum.
If you
want evolution, abstinence, or music taught, or a new football stadium built, you have
to vote for
representatives and school board members who want those same things.
State governments also control the criminal justice system, election laws, and the drawing
of
congressional districts.
All of which can greatly impact basic human rights in your community.
Some states have three-strike-laws or stop-and-frisk-laws.
These tend to negatively impact or
out-and-out target African Americans and other minority communities.
Other governments have
voter ID and registration laws that make it harder for minorities and the elderly to vote.
Some
state governments are changing their congressional districts, so that the political party in
power
can stay in power, despite the fact that their party no longer represents the majority of
your
state’s population.
And that is just the tip of the iceberg.
Everything from the stop sign on your block to the price
of your State college tuition is decided on the local or state level.
If you care about any issue,
be it gun-rights, minimum-wage, affordable health care, abortion, or where your favorite
sports
team is going to play, your district’s representatives are the people making those decisions.
Not
your congressman.
If you’d like to know more about voter ID laws and how some states are manipulating
them
to prevent US citizens from voting please click here now.
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