#vote in state and local elections

[o-the-mts]

(via Tumblr: Image)

[caffeinewitchcraft]

They Didn't

Once there was a town far removed from the capitol. Its citizens lived according to the seasons and held that all things would fall as they should. So when the regime came under fire, they were not alarmed. They did not lock their doors nor did they send their strong ones to go fight. They knew there were good people out there who held their interests and fought for their country in their stead.

And, of course, they were right. The Monarch fell and a new Monarch bloomed in their place. Not a scrap of the war came to the town's doorstep. Of course their crops were less than they should be - seed trade had screeched to a halt two years ago - but they were alive and still citizens of their country which had always looked out for their interests before.

So when the new Monarch sent a representative to their village, they were curious. They had neither rebelled nor contributed. What could the Monarch have to say to them?

"Resources are scarce after two years of war," the representative said. "We have come to see what is needed."

The citizens nodded for this was to be expected. The war had hollowed out their winter stores and delayed major repairs to roads and roofs. They needed much.

They were glad for the representative's arrival, but there was much work to do. They set up their stalls for market and did not pay him much mind. There was not much fare to lay out on their tables. They spent their time arranging each vegetable to hide its bruising and to showcase the best side of handicrafts made with amateur hands.

"By show of hands," he said, "who needs new tools to work their fields?"

Such a silly question! The representative had to have seen their fields while riding into town. He knew the barren state of them.

(They did not see he rode in a covered carriage, so sick by the motion of the wheels that he could not open his eyes.)

Seeing no hands, the representative moved on. "Who needs grain to see them through winter?"

Again so silly! Their storage gaped open and empty at the other end of the square. Surely he knew they needed grain.

(The representative thought it charming to have an empty barn as a communal gathering place and made a note to bring the idea to his own hometown.)

"Very good," the representative praised. Not a single hand! He had been to 40 towns already. What a relief to have one not on the verge of collapse! "And your roads? Your bridge?"

At this, some of the villagers rolled their eyes. The last storm had wiped away their bridge. The representative had to take the long way to come into their town square because of it.

(The representative asked to take the long way into town as his report claimed the village had a rope bridge which would make him even more violently motion sick.)

"And shelter?" the representative asked, checking No on every box. He would have said they needed new roads, but what did he know? Not a single one raised their hand. They must be used to traversing such pitted and rutted roads. "Do you have adequate shelter for the long winter ahead?"

Villagers chuckled for they did not have adequate shelter now. The autumn leaves blew through their eaves and their thatched roofs were gray with age. They had no materials to repair them, nor talent. Did the representative not see that their carpenter's booth at the market sat empty?

(Next year, the representative will do a survey of the town himself. He will count the artisans and craftsmen for his census. He will sleep under their roof to judge their condition for himself. He will eat their food to judge its quality. This year...well. Too many needs in too many places.)

"Thank you for an easy visit," he said. He turned back to his carriage. "See you in the summer."

The villagers watched him go in shock. To think he would leave so quickly! Well, it was fine. He had seen their roads and roofs, their storage and fields, their empty market stalls and slim market fare. They didn't need to worry.

They didn't.

The representative hummed to himself as a distraction while the carriage dipped and rolled away from the town. He thought that it was very good that they needed no craftsmen or grain or tools. This village lay in a valley that would become impossible to traverse in the winter months. He would have to act very quickly if they needed help.

But good! They didn't.

[originalleftist]

Some upcoming US local/state/Congressional special elections:

I know voting might feel very pointless right now, but every Democrat we can get in office is another roadblock, another obstacle, something slowly down the regime from consolidating total control. Republicans' focus on consolidating power down ballot is part of why they've been able to dominate America even with minority support, as they can gerrymander states, obstruct in Congress, etc. We need to do much better here.

Provided the candidates aren't Republicans in disguise, of course- VET YOUR CANDIDATES!

[plounce]

if trump does win in the fall, it will not be the fault of people who are against genocide. it will be the fault of biden, his government, and the DNC for holding onto wildly unpopular and horrific policies that are costing them vast swathes of their voterbase.

[dont-lick-my-foot]

please. i said please so now you gotta

[largishcat]

i do sort of wonder if we, the very very small and loose coalition that is the american left, might benefit from abandoning “both sides are the same” as a talking point, just because of how impossible it makes talking to working class people who identify as liberal. when a leftist, with a solid grounding in leftist theory says both sides are the same, generally they mean that both the democratic and republican parties are beholden to the exact same business interests that have been royally fucking the united states for time out of mind. That’s true. That’s a correct analysis, and it maps onto reality. But if you say that to your average well-meaning liberal, who is NOT at all versed in leftist theory, they’re going to immediately come up multiple compelling differences between the parties, and they’re not even going to be wrong. They’re going to point out that if Trump hadn’t been elected in 2016, Roe v. Wade wouldn’t have fallen and women wouldn’t currently be dying of routine miscarriage complications in texas. They’d point out that no one would be trying to get rid of birthright citizenship right now, or threatening to withhold disaster relief funds from “woke” states, or instituting a federal trans bathroom ban. They aren’t wrong about that, and if you argue with them about it, they’re gonna think you’re completely out of touch with reality. but i know for a fact that a lot of working class liberals are scared, and helpless, and deeply disappointed and angry with the democratic party for failing to protect them. so if you say instead that democrats have proven that they are either unwilling or unable to rise to the moment, to do what’s needed to save us all, they’re going to agree with you. they’re straight up going to nod. and it’s such a short walk from i don’t think the democrats are able to save us to: do you want to get involved my mutual aid network? do you want to learn about unions? do you want to come to a meeting with me? do you want to join me on a picket line? do you want to come to a city council session with me? do you want to feel less helpless?

[cormancatacombs]

[Image ID: A screenshot of a Blue Sky post by user Max Berger @ maxberger.bsky.social. It reads,

“Elections matter a great deal in semi-authoritarian regimes—especially the early ones before the authoritarian has destroyed legal institutions and free elections.

The 2026 election is going to matter an enormous amount.”

End of description.]

[aethersea]

idk I don't really understand the stance of "I'm tired of voting for the lesser of two evils, so I'm just not going to vote." would you rather have the greater of two evils, then? we're not voting for the lesser evil because we just love evil so dang much, it's because between a lesser evil and a greater evil, there is a significant difference. and we only get one of the two. there is no third option.

[dont-lick-my-vote]

via X: [Kamala Harris @KamalaHarris - Today, I signed the forms officially declaring my candidacy for President of the United States.

I will work hard to earn every vote.

And in November, our people-powered campaign will win.

*picture of Kamala Harris signing a document*]

[wiisagi-maiingan]

Are we really back to calling people psyops for saying that they're disillusioned by the American two-party system. Are we really calling people psyops for saying that they don't see the Democratic party as a "lesser evil" when their communities suffer horribly either way. Is this really what we're doing yet again.

The main identifying features of actual psyops on tumblr were 1) just reposting screenshots from other sites with the same generic commentary meant to incite anger without providing solutions and 2) absolutely no original posts or direct interactions with other users. Random people who you disagree with politically are not psyops, they're just people you disagree with.

If I was a Russian psyop paid to undermine American democracy, I wouldn't be so damn broke. God I am so fucking tired of this website.

[aanews69]

Immerse yourself in a shocking twist of political allegiances as we delve into the unexpected shift in union politics. In a riveting turn, the mighty Teamste...

[ivygorgon]

Seeing a lot of Harris Walz signs and demonstrations in my red state. Love to see it!

[tchaikovskaya]

in the front half of his term I have very clear memories of leftists who haven’t totally abandonned federal electoral politics (myself included) saying that Biden was setting himself up to be the most legislatively impactful [left of center] president since LBJ or even FDR. even in the face of goddamn insane right wing opposition from a very extremist congressional caucus within the GOP (and in the same vein, in the immediate wake of J6)

in the last year or so that whole sentiment has all gone to hell in a hand basket lmao he and his admin have torched an extraordinary amount of good will it’s fucking baffling.

[tomorrowusa]

Tuesday is Election Day in many parts of the US.

VOTE! 🗳 🇺🇸

A number of sites provide you with an opportunity to see who is on your ballot and what issues are being contested. They don't include an actual image of your ballot but they do let you know what's on it.

VOTE411 Voter Guide

Sample Ballot Lookup - Ballotpedia

Vote Informed on the Entire Ballot - BallotReady

Of course check the site of your local election authority. In some places it's the county clerk and in others it's a board of elections. The elections mentioned in this post are a small number of those around the US on November 7th.

Because of the GOP SCOTUS overturning of Roe v. Wade, state legislatures now determine whether a state supports reproductive freedom or not. State governments have been badly neglected by liberals for decades — and that situation needs to end.

Both chambers of the state legislature in Virginia are up for election on Tuesday. If both fall under Republican control then the state will join the rest of the South in restricting abortion.

Virginia is not the only state having elections for its state officials.

STATES HOLDING ELECTIONS FOR STATE LEGISLATURE

Virginia

New Jersey

Mississippi

Louisiana

STATES HOLDING ELECTIONS FOR GOVERNOR

Kentucky

Louisiana

Mississippi

There are numerous municipal elections, special elections, ballot measures, and constitutional amendments to be decided on Tuesday.

The biggie is the Ohio constitutional amendment on reproductive freedom. Voters in Ohio have the opportunity to overturn the gerrymandered Ohio Republican legislature's ban on abortion. Vote YES on Ohio Issue 1.

A very local but important contest is the special legislative election in New Hampshire to fill a vacancy in Hillsborough County District 3 (in the Nashua area). Right now Republicans have a one seat advantage in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. If Democrat Paige Beauchemin wins this seat then Republicans will be forced to share power with Democrats in the chamber.

Good candidates for federal office often emerge from state and local government. Before he was elected to the US Senate in 2004, Barack Obama served several terms in the Illinois legislature.

There is no such thing as an unimportant election.

[harriswalz4usabybr]

Speech Vice President Harris gave in Lincoln, NE!

~BR~