Good morning, peeps, and welcome to willk F Daily with me your Girl, Danielle Moody recording from the home Bunker. Folks, what we've seen over the past couple of election cycles since the fall of Roe v. Wade, are ballot initiatives that have made their way to very red states, and we've seen over the course of the last two years now these ballad initiatives to enshrine abortion pass. We've seen
them really rally people to the polls. And the fact is that there are so many issues right now that we are all reeling from and dealing with that there isn't I don't think one issue that is going to get people to the polls. However, I do think that abortion, reproductive freedom, the attacks on IVF and up next birth control are going to be those issues that really get women, regardless of their party, to recognize that Republicans right don't
give a fuck about women as people. They see us as incubators period to be controlled right for the whole desire of production, and that production really what they are looking at is to produce more white babies, which links up and tracks with their desire for a chrysto fascist nation. Insert kitchen, Katie, right, and this desire for this soft looking, soft spoken, creepy ass white woman sitting in her kitchen, just waiting for her man to come home, with multiple
kids hanging off of her hips. And that's her pride and joy in her head because there are no books on the shelves, and soon maybe they won't even allow women to go to school anymore. Right, this is the future that Republicans want, and they're telling us. You know, Hillary Clinton did late night television a couple of weeks ago and she was just like, I don't see where
the decision is that people have to make. Republicans are telling you exactly what it is that they are going to do, how they are going to do it, and when they are going to do it. So it shouldn't be a fucking surprise. So for folks that think like, oh, well we've made it through you know the first four years, well that was as if saying in the first Jurassic Park, which they did, ah, let us test the fences, see
how well this works. Oh, the dinosaurs figured it out, and so they can break out and do more damage.
That's what the Republicans.
Are going to do in twenty twenty five if in fact they get inside of the White House. So everyone needs to pay attention just to the ballot initiatives, but to everything that is being said and done, because there is no quiet part anymore.
So.
Coming up next, folks, my conversation with a returning guest, Chris Melody Fields Figureto from bisk who is she is the executive director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, and we get into it with regard to where we are with these ballot initiatives, what she is doing to get
out the vote and more. Folks, I am very happy to welcome back to WOKF Daily Chris Melody Fields Figuareto, who leads Ballot Initiative Strategy Center as their executive director, and Ballot Initiative Strategy Center does exactly what it is that the name says, creates strategies around ballot initiatives that can have incredible consequences on our lives. And I think that Chris, you know, the last time that I had you on, I think that we talked about the number
of abortion ballot initiatives that we're on. I think that when we have seen abortion beyond the ballot, we have won in surprising places like you know, Kansas, like Ohio. So I think that that is a good thing. However, I think that we have seen a lot of sneaky business by Republicans with regard to putting up ballot initiatives
that are slowly but surely taking away people's rights. So I want to give you just an opportunity to give us a fifty thousand foot view on what you are working on, what your organization is working on, and kind of the trends that you have been seeing with ballot initiatives.
You so much for having me, and it's a good place to start to from a place of like success, right like we are being successful. We are winning on reproductive rights and freedom issues on the ballot, and we've also been winning on raising the minimum wage and paid leave and redistricting and all these issues that people care about that want to see direct action and have been
taking that power into their own hands to address. And what we've seen over the last couple of years because of that success, but really has been shown in the
last you know, year and a half. You know, if you care about abortion rights, you got to care about democracy, and you have to care about defending direct democracy, because what we are seeing in state legislatures across the country is either is an undermining of the will of the people, we're voters, regardless of party of And I think that's really something important to remember in states like Kansas, like Ohio, like Kentucky, like Missouri, like in many of the states
that are moving towards collecting signatures to put abortion on the ballot this year in twenty twenty, for states like Arizona and Florida, right Montana, is we're winning across party lines on this, on these issues, and now what we are seeing is a disconnect by the people who are supposed to represent us in governments, undermining and not listening
to the people. And we're either refusing to implement voter approved initiatives or trying to prevent trying to put those barriers that you mentioned to the citizen led process to give us the power and the agency to bring these
issues before the ballot. And one of the things that you know we did at the top of the year, because you know we've seen this and we are working, you know, collaboratively with our partners in so many states, is try to see what public opinion is like, try to understand where the voters are, the communities are on
these issues. And what we saw through our research, which is so connected to what we're seeing on these issues, is that regardless of party affiliation, voters overwhelmingly oppose state legislatures limiting the citizen initiated process and they believe that balle measures work, that they trust themselves, and they want to have a direct say on the issues that matter most to their day to day lives. Like you said, right,
these issues have consequences. It will impact on who we love, if we have bodily autonomy, if we have wages, right, you know, these people are acutely aware that there are some things that are not working right now in their lives and they want answers to it. And so, you know, I think this is what's so important. And you know what, our research showed that, like you know, ninety two percent of the voters that we surveyed agree that the bout
initiative process is important. It's an important way for citizens to pass the policies that they care about, and they want legislators to respect the will of the people. Ninety three percent of voters agree that legislators have an obligation to carry out the will of the people.
I wonder here though, right because you mentioned it that what we are seeing too is that when our issues are brought before the voting public in the in the
framing of a ballot initiative, the issues win. And I think that, well, I think, you know, I have an idea of why I think that they win, right, And I'd like to hear from you before I talk about the initiatives that then are created to not allow people to put things on about like the hurdles that are put in place to discourage people from being able to
organize to bring ballot initiatives for it. But I almost think that they work, Chris, because it's one thing that people are very clear on, right as opposed to a presidential election or you know, a midterm election or what have you, where I'm voting on a person and I'm going to assume that that person is going to do what it is that they say that they're going to do. But then they get into office and they do something completely different. Right, So I'm rolling the dice on this person.
But however, when I see a ballot initiative that either says we're for raising the minimum wage, or we're not.
We're for abortion or we're not.
It's very clear to the voter what it is that they are voting on.
Yeah, I mean I think that I think we know you and I know very much coming from being a black woman and a Latina immigrant woman, like we bet on this and we've been on our people. Yeah, and that has been I think what we've seen, especially in the last decade of where we haven't seen action in representative government, right. And there's a million reasons why, gerrymandering the voting laws right, and people are to what you
just outlined, people are not seeing the action. Like people understand when they don't have enough money in the bank and they can't go buy groceries or you know, send their kid to college. They understand that very acutely in their lives. And so for them, it's a no brainer to raise the minimum wage. Or for you know, communities that are low income who don't have access to healthcare, it's a no brainer for them to have Medicaid expansion
because they literally need health care. They need to be able to go to the doctor, they need to be able to get that surgery, they need able to get that prescription drug. To live their lives. And so I actually don't think that there is apathy right now and people, I think what is happening and why we're seeing so much excitement around these ballot measures and these issues as people are saying, I get that, I want that, I want a bodily autonomy, I want to have reproductive rights.
I see.
I mean the stories that are coming out of Louisiana right now on their abortion band Wild Wild women forced to have cesareans, which was incredibly dangerous, right people understand that, And I think that is people want to see that action in their being strawn so heavily towards these issues on the ballot, regardless of party affiliation, and there's this disconnect again to the people who are supposed to represent us in government and deliver for us. And so I
don't think it's apathy. It's that something about the system is not working, or maybe it is working as it was designed, and they're wanting to see different type of results. And they're saying, well, if you have the power and you're not making these decisions in these choices and taking this action, well then I'm going to take that power into my hands. And I think that's why we are where we are. It's so like more multi layered and
multifaceted to that. But I think ultimately people actually understand the deep impact on what is happening in their communities and they are so frustrated that things have not changed, and so they're going to do it for them else.
I believe that Baalid initiatives are also empowering, right like I can. I'm going to take this on for myself, right like I hired write these legislatures to do what it is that I hope that they would do because I thought that our values were aligned. But I'm going to take this on for myself. So I do think that there is a sense of empowerment that does happen.
Talk to us about the obstacles that are being created to Balid initiatives that because they have been so successful that we're seeing opposition or you know, different things that are put in place to deter people from being able to take a valid initiative to the voting boots.
So it's happening in a couple of ways. One through state legislatures. So play in states like a Missouri who literally for probably now it's the sixth legislative session have been fighting back in their state legislature a myriad of bills that would make it harder for citizens to have the citizen led process right anywhere, from raising the threshold above fifty percent, like sixty percent, sixty four percent, sixty five percent, to pass about measure, very strict requirements on
who and how signatures can be gathered. You know the bill that's been going through Missouri right now. If you don't have a certain amount from every congressional district with the vote, then all that's null and void. We know that that's not how it works in you know politics, depending on like the population and turnout, and we just know that that's not how people are elected. Right Name a candidate that often wins every single county or every
congressional district. We're talking about us senator president, right, Like, that's just not the reality. And so we're seeing these like very distinct, very deliberate efforts to undermine the will of the people by preventing these issues from getting onto the ballot at all, or how the sort of scrutiny
in which they have to actually wanted the ballot. And this really came to a head, and I think it was so apparent to folks in Ohio last year when they were trying to move forward reproductive rights about measure the state legislature in committee, Hearing said nah, I don't want that to happen and created a special election, which for the record, they voted to not do anymore and created a special election to change the initiative process in
that state. We know special elections, primary elections are usually not as many people turn out for those elections. Right, three million people turned out in that August special election in Ohio to say, no, we want to protect majority rule in this in this state. We want one person,
one vote, right, we want to protect that. And then they turned around and they want they defeated that initiative, and then they turned around three point thirty million in a year in your elections, usually one million people turned out in an Ohio election. Three point three million turned out to vote for reproductive freedom and legalization of marijuana. So you're seeing those obstacles very deliberate, are very initiated
by these issues. And then Ohio and we're seeing this happen, you know, we're seeing it happen right now in Florida or Nevada, you're seeing these legal challenges the course play a really big role in what makes it to the ballot, you know, so that was a huge impact around the ballot language that ended up the ballot simmary ended up being very confusing to voters, and the groups on the ground had to do a ton of work to address
the disinformation in the confusion around that. We're seeing that, like we're waiting whether the a ballot measure, in the abortion ballot measure will be on the ballot in Florida this year. You know, the courts are playing a huge role of you know, kicking issues off the ballot, and then you know, once we win, then we have say,
legislatures that are refusing to do implementation. So we're seeing it at every level of government, at every part of the interaction of our democracy, whether it's courts, whether it's state legislatures, right or actually you know, the act of voting itself. We're seeing these efforts to undermine the will of the people.
I mean, it's just extraordinary, right, And I think that what makes this time so extraordinary is that it's everywhere right, It's everywhere on every issue. Republicans are coming for right and they are winning, and I wonder, like we are winning right, like by tooth and nail, and then they make another maneuver, right, and then they make another maneuver, and so it becomes more work exhausting, more pivots, more
education on the ground. And I'm wondering if you think that the people, the voters are beginning to recognize that it isn't just enough for us to turn out for these ballot initiatives, but we have to get rid of these people, right, Like we have to get rid of these people, and we have to get rid of this party because they are an enemy of rights, of freedom and of progress.
Yeah. I mean, there was a Pew study last fa that, you know, that was like on the health of our democracy, and like only four percent of US adults say that the political system is working extremely well. Right, That's not a great that's not a great number. And so I do think people it's to why, I you know, I don't think it's we need to frame this as an apathy.
It's that actually people are very acutely aware that the system is not working that I think maybe it was designed in that way, or there are people who are actively denying elections and in creating these efforts to undermine the will of the people. And so you know, for me, voting is the starting point, not the finish line, right yeah.
And I think people, especially right now, see that that part of their job right is to not just vote on election day, but I have to be engaged through the legislative process or my city council or my school board. I have to go to those pta meetings, right Like, I think people are are acutely aware right now that they have to be active participants. Yes, yeah, and in democracy, which is to me has always been my view of democracy, it's it's us, it's for us, by us, right, and
so it's not a path. You know, I think just voting or voting for candidate is a passive way of looking at democracy. And for some people, if that's what works for you, that's what works for you. But I think we're living in in a time where I think people are aware that that's no longer enough it is
voting for candidates. They have to vote for people that actually are going to do the things that they say they do, or is it an opportunity which I think we have right now, is to reimagine what democracy looks like, and what does it mean for us to be active, you know, participants in the creation of our lives.
Let me ask you this with just a couple of minutes that we have left, which is, you know, how do you feel about people's understanding of the existential threat that our democracy is under? Do you feel as if folks are being truly educated about where the stakes are in the presidential election in November?
I think it is imperative about us about to have a conversation and connect the dots for people, because I don't think it's that simple for folks. You know, most people. I can think about my own you know, my father's, you know, is visually impaired. You know, my mother is trying to do the best to support the bost of both of them. Right now. They're just living day to day and so you know, they're not always aware of all of the things that are happening and exactly what
it means. But when I talk to them and have a conversation and connect the dots for them, they're like, oh wait a minute, that doesn't that doesn't make it make sense. So I think it's imperative for us to just connect the dots and also listen, because I really think that people are telling us right now what they want. They are in Any politician should be listening to the people right now because their message is very, very very clear that they are unhappy and there is an expectation
for something to change. And what I don't want to happen, whatever the results are after the November general election, is that we sit back and say, cool, the work is done. Whatever happens, right, that's somebody else's job. It's actually all of our jobs, and we have to do a good better job of connecting the dots for folks and listening to them. Muslim people are hurting right now and are sending a very clear message to the administration of hey, my people are getting killed.
Yeah, right, And at.
The same time we also are seeing a rise of anti Semitism too, Like people are hurting in this country and they're disappointed, and the people who are supposed to do something about it are not doing it. So I think there is a rising awareness. But the more we tell these stories, like the stories coming out this week about Louisiana, like we have to tell those stories about the real impact of these laws that govern our lives, and we have to we have to do it for folks.
Otherwise they're gonna live, They're just gonna go back and and.
Yeah, yeah, Chris, I can't thank you enough for making the time to join me again on WOK and I hope that we can continue to call on you as we get closer and closer to the election.
Absolutely, I mean, you know, I think there is such an opportunity for us this year, and people are going to turn out to show up for these issues, and there's some really exciting work happening on the ground. I just the question I'm always going to ask people to the people in government is are you listening to us?
Yes, technically you work for us.
Yeah, technically technically I appreciate you. That is it for me today, Dear friends on wok, A app as always power to the people and to all the people.
Power, get woke and stay woke as fuck.