What We Could Win This Tuesday
Early vote ended this past Saturday and we’re all waiting with baited, anxious breath for the last chance for our community to cast their ballots with rural, multiracial, working-class people in mind. We could go on about what’s at stake for the 2024 election year, but we’ve made it pretty clear, and we’ve seen it all in play, too:
- North Carolina’s reproductive rights were stymied down to a 12-week abortion ban and are constantly threatened by Mark Robinson;
- The NC State House and Senate members once again threatening to pass a bill for school vouchers marauding as “Opportunity Scholarships” that will provide little to no opportunity for rural public school students;
- Catastrophic droughts and storms that put our homes, communities, and businesses more and more at risk this year after our leadership failed to invest in measures to protect us and our economy;
- And unfair housing practices, further exacerbated by landlords and private companies that bought land and homes for cheap and put them on the market at exorbitant prices pushing us farther away from the communities we grew up in.
We’ve already identified the risks and challenges in our communities, campaigned for their solutions, and endorsed the candidates that we know will continue the fight against them in positions of power that we were once not privy to as rural people.
But it’s not just about what’s at stake this election — it’s about what we could win.
A New Future for North Carolina
Picture this: with less than 24 hours until the polls open one last time in our 2024 election season, we have a chance to win a future in North Carolina where:
- Women have the autonomy to make decisions for themselves and their families with their doctors without uneducated, assuming input from the government.
- Small towns in North Carolina have access to accessible and affordable public transportation to dialysis appointments, work, and the grocery store.
- Our children have access to well-funded and safe rural public schools, abundant with options and opportunities, well-paid teachers, and a curriculum that encourages open minds and open hearts for the future ahead of them.
- BILLIONS of dollars have been realized throughout the state through the Inflation Reduction Act and Green House Gas Reduction Fund for investments in our homes, businesses, and communities.
- Community-focused Hurricane Helene recovery efforts for West North Carolina intended to protect the people who make up the core of our Appalachian culture from predatory corporations looking to profit from our vulnerability.
- Safe and affordable housing is accessible to any and every rural and small-town, multiracial working-class person in North Carolina.
These are just a few of the things we, as rural voters in North Carolina, could win this week, provided we vote in the 2024 election for the candidates we know will fight tooth and nail for us.
These Possibilities are Within Reach
When we created our Political Platform at the beginning of the year, we discussed all of these possibilities: health care for all, an economy for all, education for all, and housing for all. And now, through the hard work of the very people who will fight for us, those possibilities are within reach this Tuesday.
We’ve seen people like Jon Council, Tanya Robinson, and Nancy Weaver drop their campaign work and step into action to check on the welfare of their neighbors after Hurricane Helene. They have shown us, not just through words but by action, that they are committed to addressing climate change and protecting the land, air, and water folks in Western NC rely on to survive. They were committed to taking action before the disaster and will continue to fight hard because they depend on those things, too.
We have seen candidates like Mo Green, April Lee, Dante Pittman, and all of our Public School Strong-endorsed candidates step up their game to defend the Leandro ruling and stand up for public schools vulnerable to the actions of those who have shown time and time again that they do not care about what is best for rural public schools.
Josh Stein, Allison Riggs, and so many more of Down Home’s endorsed down-ballot candidates have shown us that they know the conversation around women’s reproductive health goes so much further beyond abortion and that they will make sure that health care is safe and accessible, no matter what economic status these families have.
This is exactly what we’re talking about when we say that it’s going to have to be us. Our candidates are not only identifying the issues that are important to us — they are a part of our community and know what solutions will best represent, benefit and support us.
It’s not just about what’s at stake but what we can create within a better future through direct action. That is what we can win this Tuesday.
Your last chance to vote in the 2024 election
The last day to cast your ballot for the 2024 election is THIS Tuesday, November 5, 2024 from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at your designated polling location.
Download your Down Home North Carolina Down Ballot endorsement guide for any of the following counties and make your plan to head to the polls on behalf of your community before its too late.
