Keep Virginia Blue (6/6/21)

We are glad so many of you could join us on Tuesday evening to hear author Thomas Dyja speak about his acclaimed book New York, New York, New York. For those of you who missed the talk, here is the link to the recording. Everyone who watched on Zoom also heard an impassioned plea by Daniel Squadron, Executive Director of Future Now Fund, about the importance of state legislatures for the future of our democracy. Thank you to everyone who heard Daniel and donated to our 2021 MFD Giving Circle which will help to keep the Virginia House of Delegates blue. If you are unfamiliar with the term "giving circle," it refers to a group of friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors who pool financial contributions for a common political cause. Markers For Democracy is one of over 100 Future Now Fund giving circles dedicated to turning state legislatures blue to protect the right to vote, reproductive choice, LGBTQ rights, the environment, and a host of other issues under assault by Republicans. If you have not joined our 2021 giving circle and have not been convinced of the importance of state legislatures in the fight to save our democracy, we urge you to read this chilling article by Ron Brownstein in The Atlantic in which he details all the ways that Republican state legislatures are "remaking the country" and changing American life.

We are in a precarious moment in the history of our democracy. We have a calm and competent president and the end to the horrors of the last 15 months of life in a pandemic is on the horizon. Yet as Michelle Goldberg describes, “in red states, Trump’s party, motivated by his big lie about his 2020 loss, is systematically changing electoral rules to make it harder for Democratic constituencies to vote and, should Democrats win anyway, easier for Republicans to overturn elections.” Additionally, Ron Brownstein describes that “the social and racially tinged issues that Trump moved to the center of GOP messaging have dominated legislative sessions in state after state.” These laws include voter suppression, allowing one to carry a gun without a permit, a ban on abortions when a fetal heartbeat can be detected, targeting of transgender individuals, penalizing local governments that decrease police funding, and a host of other right-lurching laws.

As Brownstein writes, “this surge of polarizing legislation is being driven largely by a combination of confidence and fear. Many observers believe that Republican legislators feel emboldened after Democrats in the 2020 election failed to record the state legislative gains they expected.” This idea underscores the importance of our work on down-ballot races and the importance of maintaining the gains we helped make in the Virginia state legislature in 2019. The majority in the Virginia House of Delegates is a slim 5 seats. We must protect that majority so please consider joining our 2021 giving circle which is focused specifically on the Virginia House of Delegate races. No contribution is too small. State races are an effective way to change the direction of our country. What is more, financial contributions go a lot further in state races than in federal races. Become a member of our circle and please reach out to your friends to invite them to join us in helping to secure our democracy.