BB, if you think things in the good ol' US of A have been scary, you're not alone. There's a few things that have happened over the past year that make the 2022 mid-term elections on November 8th really important. If you haven't been getting Jen's daily Cliff Notes on American politics then you might be in the dark on the details:
🤡 There was that time that the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, giving power to state governments to ban abortions, even the case of rape and incest; 14 Republican-led states introduced trigger laws and Lindsey Graham introduced a bill to create a federal ban on abortions at 15 weeks. Our reproductive freedoms are on the ballot. End. Of. Discussion.
🤡 Then there's voting rights. At least 19 (mostly Republican-led) states passed 34 laws restricting access to voting; in fact, more than 440 bills with provisions that restrict voting access have been introduced in 49 states in the 2021 legislative sessions.
🤡 The existential threat of climate change and the degradation of our democracy through election denying and fascist propaganda is still blowing us up like that unfortunate-but-he-was-so-cute-should-have-been-a-one-night-stand-maybe-Jen-is-a-cougar who said that feminists hate men, as he ate a fancy ass dinner made from scratch by said feminist. (We cannot make this shit up.)
Unfortunately, all of this is just your typical day-in-the-life-of-American politics.
That's why it's important to know what's happening with the 2022 mid-term elections. Who we elect at the local and state level matters. This is not an election to skip. It's not one to leave up to other people. Even if you can't vote there are ways to get involved. That's why Char put together this comprehensive list that details everything you need to know about the 2022 mid-term elections. You're welcome.
Scroll through to find out easy ways to assess candidates, learn about voter registration deadlines, identify key races, and more.
Now get out and vote with your values!
What You Should Look For When Assessing Candidates
Doing your homework on candidates is important. It's also time consuming and not that easy. Candidates sometimes have clever PR that are skillful at crafting sneaky language surrounding hot topics, some conservative candidates even scrubbed their sites of anti-abortion language after the fall of Roe v Wade. It can be exhausting and frustrating to parse information. Here are some red flags when doing your research:
🚩 They’re endorsed by Donald Trump
🚩 They’re endorsed by anything with ‘Right to Life’ in the name or similar combination
🚩 They’re endorsed by the NRA
🚩 They’re endorsed by known white supremacist groups
🚩 They’re anti Critical Race Theory
🚩 They’re pro burning books
🚩 They use phrases like “family values” or “traditional family”
🚩 They’re blatantly anti-LGBTQIA+ and anti-reproductive justice
🚩 They don’t believe in or downplay climate change
🚩 They look like they kick puppies, or worse—actually killed 300 dogs in the name of ‘research’
🚩 They have allegations or pending lawsuits over sexual assault
Ways to Get Involved
You might be saying to yourself, OK Bs, I'm registered to vote and I'm gonna do it, but what else can I do to make sure that this dumpster fire doesn't turn into a full on Chernobyl. Also you might be someone who can't vote, either because of age, citizenship, or felonies (we see you prison industrial complex). Don't worry, we've got you covered.
🥳 Sign up as a poll worker
🥳 Canvass or phone/text bank
🥳 Talk to your loved ones about issues
🥳 Post on the socials -- your voice matters no matter how many followers you have!
🥳 Rally your friends and drag them to the polls (literally grab them by the collar and drag their asses if they can't figure out how to get there on their own)
🥳 Support key candidates with a little bit of your spare change via DefendTheSenate.Org
🥳 Get involved in a working group or sign up to phone bank with Third Act
Abortion is on the Ballot in These States
CaliforniaKentucky
Michigan
Montana
Vermont
Slavery is on the Ballot in These States (Yes. Slavery.)
AlabamaLouisiana
Oregon
Tennessee
Vermont
Voter Registration Deadlines by State
Alabama: October 24 for online, by mail, or in-person registration
California: October 24 for online or by mail; Election Day for in-person registration
Colorado: November 1 for ballot by mail; Election Day for online and in-person registration
Connecticut: November 1 for online registration; Election Day for in-person registration
Delaware: November 1 for ballot by mail; Election Day for online and in-person registration
Washington DC: Election Day for in-person registration
Hawaii: October 31 for ballot by mail; Election Day for online and in-person registration
Idaho: Election Day for in-person registration
Illinois: October 23 for online; Election Day for in-person registration
Iowa: October 24 for online or by mail; Election Day for in-person registration
Maine: Election Day for in-person registration
Maryland: Election Day for in-person registration
Massachusetts: October 29 for online, by mail, or in-person registration
Michigan: October 24 for online or by mail; Election Day for in-person registration
Minnesota: Election Day for in-person registration
Montana: October 21 for ballot by mail; October 28 for in-person registration
Nebraska: October 23 for in-person registration
Nevada: Election Day for in-person registration
New Hampshire: Election Day for online, by mail, or in-person registration
New Mexico: Election Day for in-person registration
North Carolina: Same-day registration available only for one-stop early voting; the voting period for the 2022 general election begins October 20 and ends at 3 pm on November 5
North Dakota: Eligible residents are automatically registered to vote
Pennsylvania: October 24 for online, by mail, or in-person registration
South Dakota: October 24 for by mail or in-person registration
Utah: October 28 for online or by mail; Election Day for in-person registration (Humans will need 2 forms of ID at the voting location to register)
Vermont: November 4 for online; Election Day for by mail or in-person registration
Washington: October 31 for online or by mail; Election Day for in-person registration
Wisconsin: Election Day for in-person registration
Wyoming: October 24 for ballot by mail; Election Day for in-person registration
Key Races
Arizona
Senate: (D) Senator Mark Kelly vs. (R) Blake Masters
Governor: (D) Katie Hobbs vs. (R) Kari Lake
California
House 27th District: (D) Christy Smith vs. (R) Rep. Mike Garcia
Colorado
Senate: (D) Senator Michael Bennet vs. (R) Joe O’Dea
Florida
Senate: (D) Rep. Val Demings vs. (R) Senator Marco Rubio
Governor: (D) Charlie Crist vs. (R) Gov. Ron DeSantis
Georgia
Senate: (D) Senator Raphael Warnock vs. (R) Herschel Walker
Iowa
House 3rd District: (D) Rep. Cindy Axne vs. (R) Zach Nunn
Kansas
Governor: (D) Gov. Laura Kelly vs. (R) Derek Schmidt
Maine
House 2nd District: (D) Rep. Jared Golden vs. (R) Bruce Poliquin
Michigan
House 7th District: (D) Rep. Elissa Slotkin vs. (R) Leah Dailey
Governor: (D) Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vs. (R) Tudor Dixon
Nebraska
House 2nd District: (D) Tony Vargas vs. (R) Don Bacon
Nevada
Senate: (D) Senator Catherine Cortez Masto vs. (R) Adam Laxalt
New Hampshire
Senate: (D) Sen. Maggie Hassan vs. (R) Don Bolduc
North Carolina
Senate: (D) Cheri Beasley vs. (R) Rep. Ted Budd (endorsed by Trump)
Ohio
Senate: (D) Rep. Tim Ryan vs. (R) J.D. Vance
House 1st District: (D) Greg Landsman vs. (R) Rep. Steve Chabot
Oregon
Governor: (D) Tina Kotek vs. (R) Christine Drazan The Independent candidate Betsy Johnson is pulling democrat votes away which could spell trouble for the state.
Pennsylvania
Senate: (D) John Fetterman vs. (R) Mehmet Oz (aka Trump-backed Dr. Oz)
House 7th District: (D) Rep. Susan Wild vs. (R) Lisa Scheller
Governor: (D) Josh Shapiro vs. (R) Doug Mastriano
Texas
House 15th District: (D) Michelle Vallejo vs. (R) Monica De La Cruz
Governor: (D) Beto O’Rourke vs. (R) Gov. Greg Abbott
Virginia
House 7th District: (D) Rep. Abigail Spanberger vs. (R) Yesli Vega
Wisconsin
Senate: (D) Mandela Barnes vs. (R) Senator Ron Johnson
Governor: (D) Gov. Tony Evers vs. (R) Tim Michels
