enoughtohold:

if you’re considering not voting because you don’t like the democrats, i sympathize. they are not so inspiring.

but races for elected office are not all that’s on the ballot. there are also ballot measures, where you get to vote directly on the law.

consider taking a minute and looking up this year’s ballot measures for your state. there may be some that would directly help, or directly harm, your community.

to give just a few examples:

• in Alabama, Amendment 2 would restrict abortion rights, completely banning it if Roe v. Wade is overturned, which is now likely.
• in Arkansas, Issue 2 would disenfranchise voters by requiring photo ID. 
• in Florida, Amendment 5 would make it much harder to raise taxes.
• in Louisiana, Amendment 1 would ban people with felony records who’ve served their time from running for office for 5 years, even if their offense was just e.g. marijuana possession.
• in North Carolina, the Income Tax Cap Amendment would cap income taxes, and the Voter ID Amendment would disenfranchise voters by requiring photo ID. 
• in Oregon, Measure 105 would repeal its sanctuary state law protecting immigrants, and Measure 106 would restrict abortion rights by banning public funds from being spent on abortions.
• in West Virginia, Amendment 1 would completely ban abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned, which is now likely.

meanwhile, on the brighter side:

• in Arizona, Proposition 127 would require renewable energy.
• in Arkansas, Issue 5 would raise the minimum wage to $11.
• in California, Prop 2 would fund housing for the homeless, and Prop 10 would allow local rent control.
• in Colorado, Amendment A would fucking ban slavery as punishment for a crime. (yes, that’s a real thing.) Amendments Y and Z would hopefully limit gerrymandering. Amendment 73 would tax the rich to pay for education. Proposition 111 would crack down on predatory payday loans.
• in Florida, Amendment 4 would restore voting rights to people with felony records who’ve served their time, and Amendment 9 would ban offshore drilling (and also vaping in the workplace, because Florida is weird).
• in Idaho, Proposition 2 would expand Medicaid eligibility.
• in Louisiana, Amendment 2 would repeal a Jim Crow–era law that aimed to “increase the supply of free prison labor and nullify the voting power of black jurors” by making it possible to convict someone of a felony without a unanimous jury.
• in Maine, Question 1 would fund a universal home-care program for disabled people and older adults.
• in Maryland, Question 2 would allow election-day voter registration.
• in Massachusetts, Question 3 would protect the state’s transgender anti-discrimination law which is under attack. (it’s not good that this question is on the ballot, but you do need to vote YES on it.)
• in Michigan, Proposal 1 would legalize recreational marijuana, and Proposal 3 would strengthen voting rights by instituting automatic voter registration, expanding absentee voting, pushing back deadlines, and more.
• in Missouri, Amendment 2, Amendment 3, and Proposition C would all legalize medical marijuana (but they’d tax it different amounts and use the taxes for different things — you be the judge). Amendment 1 would make reforms to lobbying, campaign finance, and redistricting, and Proposition B would raise the minimum wage to $12.
• in Montana, I-185 would expand Medicaid eligibility.
• in Nebraska, Initiative 427 would expand Medicaid eligibility.
• in Nevada, Question 5 would allow automatic voter registration, and Question 6 would require renewable energy.
• in North Dakota, Measure 3 would legalize recreational marijuana and expunge existing marijuana convictions.
• in Ohio, Issue 1 would downgrade drug possession offenses from felonies to misdemeanors and provide for some criminal justice reforms.
• in Utah, Proposition 2 would legalize medical marijuana, and Proposition 3 would expand Medicaid eligibility.
• in Washington, Initiative 940 would train cops not to murder people, and Initiative 1631 would charge polluters a fee on carbon emissions and fund environmental programs.

the outcomes of these and other important initiatives will be determined at the ballot box. you can make a direct impact on these issues in your state by doing your research and voting.

can’t vote? search for an organization supporting (or opposing) the initiative you care about, and consider donating your time or money to help them out.

(please note that i’m not an expert on all of these initiatives. you may conclude for example that one of them sounds good, but isn’t implemented well so you can’t support it. that’s fine! but now you know what’s going on in your state and can have your say, and that’s a good thing.)