Good morning, peeps, and welcome to WOKF Daily with me your girl, Daniel Moody recording pre recording from the Home Bunker. Folks, you know, I get a lot of messages from all of you that asked me really important questions about how you can best use your energy and time, how not to lose your mind, and what are the best ways to actually get involved right and not just feel hopeless
and like you are doing nothing. And you know, I'm excited for today's conversation with the executive director of the
Ballot Initiative Strategy Center. This conversation I thought was really important and necessary because often times we think that we understand what ballot initiatives are and ballot measures and what the far right is pushing, and how we understand how to push back, and a part of that is really understanding the ways in which we have been led astray purposefully in our understanding of civics and actually how government works.
And so this conversation with the executive director of BISK, Chris Melody Field's figarato, is a really important conversation for her to break down how we understand and use ballot measures to our advantage, how states like Kansas and Wisconsin were able to push back against their abortion bands by ballot measures that the citizens put together in order to
have a voice. Right, Because it isn't enough just to send these representatives in at the state, local, and fed level and think that they're going to do the work. There are other ways, other mechanations of our democratic system that allow the people to have a voice. Now, don't get it twisted. Republicans are coming for this as well,
but it is really important. I think that in this conversation, and I was grateful to Chris to teach me some things that I didn't know, and that I think that is really important as we are trying to hold on to our democracy, as we are flexing our voice and our power as the people, what it actually means to
put back. So this conversation with Chris, the executive director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, is coming up next and they also offer a way for you all to get involved, to learn more and to build out community folks. I am very excited to welcome to OKAP Daily for
the first time. Chris Melody Fields Bigaretto, who is like yes, who is the executive director of Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, an organization that works to create the vision, strategic planning, and fundraising efforts around really important ballot measures that we all end up voting on. Chris, I want to start off with, first of all, explaining the difference, because we
just asked this before we started recording. Explain it. The difference between what we are seeing past in state legislatures regarding the erasure the criminalization of queer people, particularly trans people in states like Florida, Texas, Tennessee, Alabama, and the list goes on, and actual ballot measures.
So the rajor difference between ballot measures and what we see are alleged representatives and governments. And I say alleged because I don't think they actually for the most part listen to the people some of them, and what we're seeing at the state legislative level is ballot measures actually are a tool for us. You and me are community members to go into our community raise some signatures so on a different issue, right, different topics like raising the
minimum wage, affirming reproductive healthcare right. We actually have the power in about half the country twenty five states plus DC, to sign petitions and take these issues to the ballot and then vote on them. Now, state legislators like of Florida or a Tennessee or my home state of Texas also have the power and authority to refer an issue to the ballot measure, So the legislature can refer a constitutional amendment on a number of issues. Now, that's the
major difference between what a bouot measure is. The intent is really for it to be citizen led or citizen.
Driven, Okay.
And then our representative and governments are passing these laws across and I think the opportunity we actually have right now from bout measures, because these four hundred plus bills that are, like you just said, a racing queer people like myself across the country, is we the people actually have the power and agency to say something different through
ballot measures. You know, some states like an Oregan that is considering a reproductive healthcare bouot measure is actually looking how they protect trans healthcare in their measure as well. So that's a big difference. And then I think this is the opportunity for us as citizens in this country to actually tell a different story and narrative than what we're seeing in these state legislatures to actually protect queer and transfolk.
Can you talk to us about when you are living inside of a Republican supermajority in a state legislature, what it looks like, the work it goes into bringing up then a ballot measure that you know would provide voice to the people. So we saw this play out, I believe what in Wisconsin around abortion. We saw this play out in Kansas around abortion. And so I want you to be able to explain how these kind of measures work because the whole point is to give voice and
power to the people. But we're living inside of these Republican supermajorities that are doing the exact opposite exactly.
Actually, this has become a tool in many states that have Republican supermajority, So a Missouri, well back in the day a Michigan. Luckily that there was a flip there, so Missouri states like Missouri, Florida, Ohio where they have the citizen led process, this has actually been a tool of necessity for a number of advacy groups and citizens to take these issues that are actually widely popular by everyday citizens, like raising the minimum wage, like paid lead,
like affirmatively protecting the right to an abortion. That is actually what has been happening in a lot of these
Republican trifecta states across the country. It's become this tool of necessity for organizers to go in to their community, have people sign a petition saying yes, we want this issue on the ballot, and then whenever election day comes or well in most you know, in some states, election days actually may start a couple of weeks earlier through early voting or absenceee voting to actually vote yes on these issues or reject proposals like they did in Kansas,
in Kentucky, in Montana last year in twenty twenty two reject abortion bands. So that's what is how it's been playing out in a lot of states where we've seen Republican trifectas. Now what we're also seeing in those same states where there are Republican tri affectas or super majorities.
These GOP leaders are not happy with what the people are doing, are not in alignment with their constituents, and now our proposing changes to the BOWT measure process and actually making it harder for you and me and members of our community to take these issues that we are no we know our people better than anyone else. Yep, we know these issues are popular. They're trying now to take this, this important tool for the people away. I mean, this is literally happening right now in Ohio.
And what does tell us what does that look like in terms of trying to again take away a democratic tool from the people inside of a democracy that allows you to have voice in between, you know, on election day, in between elections and what have you.
So what's happening in the states right now are a couple of things. One, so we all know, to elect someone to Congress, to elect someone to our city council, it requires a simple majority, right, fifty plus one percent of the vote. That's how you win on election, right.
And what we are seeing in state legislatures across the country is they are proposing bills that would require supermajorities to pass these bout measures, so raising the threshold to pass an issue at the ballot to sixty percent or as high as sixty seven percent. Right. We're also seeing state legislatures propose rules that would increase the signature how
many signatures have to be gathered in a particular state. Now, you know, some people will say more signatures more democracy, right, But we also know that actually has a relationship to how costly campaigns can be. Right, more signatures, more people you got to go into communities, the more people you have to message to, more field operatives that you have
to have in the ground. Right. So that's another thing that they're doing in state legislatures, and in some places they are being as brazen as they possibly can, because you know, we are in many states living under fascists. They are purposed, like they tried to do in Mississippi, they try to restore their ballot measure process, but then they would give the state legislature the authority to completely overturn anything that the people voted on. So all of these are.
So what they want is the appearance of demoperience. Here's here's this ballot measure that you have the ability to vote on. But oh much in the same way that we just saw the North Carolina state legislator decide to over to overthrow the will of the democratically elected governor, we're going to be able to still overthrow the will of the people and say that, oh but we went through due process.
Exactly exactly, And that is what we're seeing now. More and more. And this is a response to us, the people, where we are demanding a different world than what we are seeing right now. Right, I think if you ask the majority, actually we know, if you ask the majority of Americans, they support reproductive rights. We know this to
be true. And we saw that play out in twenty twenty two when every single one of the abortion bands lost and every single one of the abortion the affirmatively protecting the right to abortion care all measures one in all of the states where we put raising the minimum wage at the ballot. We won. But we can't see the We don't see our representatives in government, the people who are supposed to represent us. They're not taking action
on the things that we need. They're not guaranteeing us healthcare, which citizens widely want, right And this is really like, this is the big I don't know, fall like you we're in right now?
Is I like to just say, yeah, we're you know, we're in a little bit of what I call a fuckery pickle.
That's on that part right there, that far.
You know, it's what do they say, it's a democracy so long as you can keep it right. And I think and I think that what you know, what your organization is about. It is frankly, what I would have liked when I was a teacher is actually teaching people
about civics and civic engagement. Right, So can you speak so speak to that piece, because I think that when we step back and we look at all of the things that are happening in all the ways that that we see the Republican Party literally trying to chip away and I won't even say chip away anymore. It was chipping in twenty sixteen. Now they're just hacking with with the chainsaw away at our democracy.
You know.
I think about the way in which we refuse to teach history, the way that we refuse to teach civics, that a majority of people in this country really don't know how government works, right, And what we assumed was law was actually a handshake deal between the quote unquote founding fathers in the assumption that all that entered into government were going to be noble men.
Right.
So, so so talk to us about the I guess that we're starting from the back here because there is an educational hurdle that needs to that needs to be met before you even get to the initia the ballot initiative peace.
Yeah. I mean this is actually so fundamental to what we are losing and have loss in in our education system is the basics of like how government works, how does a buil the law right? Why is it important for you to serve on your jury, which is a civic duty right? Or or to go out and vote and what does that look like and how do you engage in Like you know, one of the things I love about bowel measures and it's an imperfect tool. It
is a completely imperfect tool. Like many of the things that we're created in our democracy because you and I were not included intended in the in the original design of our democracy, is it actually requires us to go into community, have conversations, knock on a door, have a telephone conversation, text, go to the barbershop, right wherever, where, wherever we communicate communist people and have a conversation about why these issues are important and why we as a
community need to affirmatively protect something or are demand something. And so that is what I've Actually one of the things I really love about ballot measures is it's like civics one oh one. It's like, actually, like you, civics is community civics is a responsibility that we have to participate into in government and also hold government accountable to us because that is essentially who they work for. They work for us, right, And that is what I've really
loved about. What I love of the possibility of bowt measures is us going into community and having these conversations and the story there are in many ways of storytelling tool right, a way for us to tell our own stories about it or create a narrative of actually what
we the people want. Right in Florida, right in twenty eighteen, when Amendment four passed, which was a Bowet measure that restored voting rights to one point four million formally incarcerated folks from a gym pro era law right from a gym pro era that disenfranchised people lost their right to vote if they served if they served time. One point people voted to restore it, and then the legislature tried
to undermine that. But what was so important about Amendment four It was led and designed by the most impacted people from Desmond Meade, a formally incarcerated person who lost their rights right his rights. It was led by him and other returning citizens across the state like the field, like who ran the field program, who knocked on doors? Right?
And that's what we're trying to do at BISK really is public policy is often never never designed by the people, right, somebody in DC or New York, San Francisco, right, often very well some lobbying shop, very wealthy folks, mostly white people.
We're never included in those conversations. And what we're trying to do at BISK is actually return this tool to the people and ensuring that you know, if we're thinking about you know, a paid leave BIW measured, like, why are we not including the parents who are impacted, the workers who are impacted by not having a policy that gives them leave from work? Right? Why would we not
include them? And that's what really part of what I think Florida and Amendment for show a possibility and what we're seeing more and more across the country is, yes, we have these tools in civic engagement, but are they actually ours? And who gets to design them? That's you know, that's what we're trying to do at BISK is actually include us the people in that design from the beginning.
You know, one of the questions that I have for you and again is about organizing people and the tools that you're using. But how social media has both become a hindrance as well as an avenue. Right, So, on one hand, social media before a racist, misogynist, anti semitic, homophobic, transphobic billionaire decided to buy Twitter, was the public square, was how people movements and organizing was happening, right, being aided by what was happening on the ground. But you
could spread the words so quickly with social media. And it's the same way with ballot initiatives and measures that
happen across the country. So I wonder in the age where each and every one of us on a day to day basis is either deciding to leave the platform, leave social media altogether, but are still looking at how to connect, How is your how is bisk meeting this really critical moment where we're losing the platforms and the spaces that allowed for there to be more democratic engagement by and for the people.
I mean, this is this is what earlier I told you I have a complicated relationship with Twitter because same I for so long that is where I got my news, not just my news, my cultural conversations. You know, as a latinx squeer woman like that. It was just so important and critical, and you know, it's hard to have those same conversations with so many people leaving the platform, and and you know, for us, it's returning to some of the tools that we've always known as human beings.
Like you know, I'm an organizer. I grew up, you know, in politics, and you know, you go to people, you meet people where they are. For a long time, that was where social media is. But that we're still we're still We're still out in parking lots, We're still going to the grocery store. We're still going to get our hair done right, We're still go I'm still going to the nail salon, which I'm doing on this weekend because my hair, they my nails are looking rough right now.
And so part of what we do is like giving folks the tools so to do that. What is now called relational organizing to me is just organizing. It's just like community, community communicating to humans and then also figuring out the other places people are gathering online right there.
I mean, is it you know, making sure that people have the tools and resources in that signal chat that they're having with you know, twenty of their other friends like get making sure that we equip them with the tools there right to have that conversation with with folks and there in their their group chats, that's like signal chat. That's where my friends and I are are at. So it's also like thinking about the other places like TikTok
where young people that's where they gather. That is my fifteen year old, that is where she is on a daily basis. Right, figuring out those those other avenues and the best way to use those platforms and trusted messengers in those platforms, That's the way that we've been doing it. And then asking I mean we've been asking ourselves as an organization, like is our certain platforms like a Twitter
where we actually want to be? If our people aren't s, it's not, it's not a trusted resource, then you know we're all I think a lot of us are asking ourselves that question, is is that the place we want to be? And for what we're trying to do is focus ourselves, our time and other platforms.
Yeah, I think that it's really important one for all of us who are parts or live at the intersections of communities that are under attack for us to weigh the energy, right, is it worth being on a Twitter? Is it worth being in these spaces that are set up now as attack zones, right as opposed to what they were, which was you know, the town square where
we could have you know, conversations. And so before I let you go, Chris, please tell folks you know that are listening how they can get involved with your organization and how they can learn more about ballot measures that are happening in their states.
Well, we try to keep it really easy for folks. We had. Our website is www dot ballot dot org. All of our social handles are at ballot Strategy. One of the cool resources that I really encourage people to go to on our website is our ballot measure Hub, and that is like a resource we updated every two weeks what are the potential ballot measures that are coming
into to your state. We also feature different campaign leaders, different folks across the country that are leading amazing organizations on the local level that are I mean to us, we provide the resources to the folks on the ground, and we serve as a conduit or a community, a connector to the groups on the ground that are doing this amazing work so ballot dot org or at Ballot Strategy on all all of the socials where we actually try to explain something that's often really obtuse to and
can be kind of wonky, we try to really break it down for folks.
Well, Chris, thank you so much for the work that you're doing at ballot and should have Strategy Center at BISK and for making the time to join wok app. I think that you are on the front lines of a valiant fight of reconnecting people to democracy and their voice, and we just really appreciate you.
Appreciate it for the opportunity that is it for me today.
Dear friends on wok app as always power to the people and to all the people. Power, get woke and stay woke as fuck.