#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.

[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

[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~

[rosielindy]

There is definitely something different happening here in Indiana! I just rolled back into town and stopped by my local post office to pick up held mail as well as 200 postcards stamps that I will post about later. I forgot I was wearing my vote gear when a woman in line noticed and asked me where she could go vote early. Before I could even answer two other women started helping her figure out where her closest location was. Then the woman behind me, who mentioned she graduated high school in 1968, said she really likes how Taylor Swift is getting out the vote in a non-partisan fashion. I have never felt so validated in my life. Keeping hope alive for the Hoosier State. 

🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊

Also, the Democratic Governors Association has just given our candidate another $500k in her race against Mike Braun and his Christian white nationalist running mate. I’m writing at least 200 postcards for a local State Senate candidate in the district just north of me and have signed up to do phone banking for the Governor, US Senate, and Attorney General candidates as much as I can until election day. All of my candidates are women, it’s about fucking time! 

💙💙💙

[mossyquill02]

PSA for American voters—

As the Nov 5th general election date approaches, there are some important details to keep in mind to make sure your vote is counted. This is especially important in years like 2024, where there is a high likelihood of election results being contested and recounted multiple times.

1. Regardless of how you vote, all votes MUST be received by or before Nov 5th. This is especially important for mail in voting. In 2020, there were many mail in ballots that got thrown out because they didn’t make the cutoff from not arriving in time—complete it and mail it back as soon as you get it.

2. If you’re planning to vote in person, your employer is legally required to give you time off to do so. Do NOT let an employer intimidate you into not voting by keeping you at work.

3. Don’t take a photo of (or with) your ballot!! Once again, this applies regardless of how you vote. There are more than 10 states in which taking a photo of/with your ballot is against the law and WILL get your ballot thrown out. Don’t take that risk. This is a map of which states have it strictly illegal:

(Source: https://www.vox.com/21523858/ballot-selfies-state-rules)

4. Lastly, make sure you know who and what is going to be on your ballot. While we all know the major party candidates for the general Presidential election, some states will also be voting on state representatives, local board and council members, and state level legislation. State representatives are just as important as the president, because they have the ability to block or pass presidential acts.

You can find out who/what will be on your ballot here (make sure to check BOTH congressional and state/local links for your area):

https://www.usa.gov/midterm-state-and-local-elections