Vote... All Three Branches

Regardless of your political opinion, it’s important that you use your voice to vote in all elections - presidential and midterms. All though, the president is an important part of the democratic puzzle, the other two branches of government are just as important. All three work together in a delicate dance of checks and balances.

Presidents appoint Supreme Court Justices, engage on the international scale, and can sign executive orders, but presidents DO NOT MAKE LAWS that govern the inner workings of your daily life. When you head to the polls remember to pay attention to your local and federal legislators.

470 seats are up for grabs this November. So as you zone in on the executive branch, don’t forget the legislative branch, THEY’RE the people that determine how our funding is administered, which programs are deemed most important, and how our communities are funded and supported. When simplified, it seems as if the president is all-powerful. However, the relationship between the president, the legislative branch, and the judiciary serves as a dance of dueling power and responsibilities. Think of it as the ultimate Rock-Paper-Scissors game, but with laws and government. The president can veto or sign a bill passed by congress; congress must confirm a president’s supreme court nomination; and the supreme court interprets laws and can overturn rulings from lower courts which influence legislation at every level. 

When one branch becomes too powerful, the other branches have guidelines that help them to tip the scales back so that government functions in a more balanced way, but that's only if the people elected and appointed to the position in those branches are capable of exercising their rights under the Constitution. That's where you the voter comes in. YOU THE VOTER ARE THE ULTIMATE... TRUMP CARD. You get to fire and hire the people who serve the needs of our communities and our country. Your taxes pay their salaries, their retirement, and their health care. Your taxes support their ideas - ideas they should be getting from your needs and pain points. So if you're not happy, it's time to fire people from their job.

470 seats at the federal level can do far more damage than the 1 seat everyone is hyper-focused on right now. Read up on who has been sitting in your Senate and House seats, failing you or benefitting you. GO VOTE. Once you vote, follow up your vote by holding your elected official accountable, paying attention to how they vote while in session, and which bills they introduce on the floor. There are plenty of nonpartisan resources that can alert you and educate you on which bills are on the floor and how your representative voted... we've shared some of them below! Don't forget to make this a family affair. Get your kids involved by reading together, educating yourself as a family, and having discussions as a group about how policies impact you!

Happy voting!

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Resources and Reads We Love and Need:

• Issue Voter - Voter education resource
• iCivics Election Resources - Games, Infographics, and educational resources 
• League of Women Voters - Voter education resource 
• Ballot Ready - Ballot education and ballot builder tool
  
• Ballotpedia - Ballot education tool
  
• Raising Little Citizens: Civics for K-5 Kids
  
• The Bias of At-Large Elections: How it Works
  
• Let's Talk About... The Election and The Debates (Podcast Episode) 

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