FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 6th, 2024
Contact: chelsea@thebettertogether.agency
As leaders who fight for transformative change at the state level, we are sitting with the grief, pain, and frustration of the federal election results. The country has re-elected a fascist leader to the White House. He used this election cycle to direct violent rhetoric about women, trans people, immigrants, and democracy to win both the Electoral College and the popular vote. His campaign has promised to enact physical harm on its political opponents and to weaponize the administrative state to attack anyone who disagrees with his perspective or priorities. This is a sobering moment for all of us who work to advance justice, and it requires our collective resolve, a commitment to long-arc transformation, and the love of community to guide us forward. We must be clear-eyed about what this means for the work ahead.
At this moment, states hold the mantle of a fragile democracy on their shoulders. State legislators - in red and blue states alike - will bear the brunt of responsibility to protect their communities from harm. During his first administration, Donald Trump attacked Muslim communities, put immigrant children in cages, eliminated the federal right to an abortion, and sowed division and chaos pitting communities against each other. In each of those instances, state legislators were the ones who fought back with state policy and resources to minimize the harm. And in many states, legislators have already been working to beat back Project 2025 priorities that are actively being field-tested by extremists. We’ve done this before and we unfortunately will need to continue this difficult defensive work.
But defensive work alone won’t win us the future. We know that true transformation demands more than resistance – it requires our active partnership with legislators to turn bold visions into reality. When communities and legislators work as true partners, we build solutions that address problems and transform lives.
The State Innovation Exchange (SiX) and our network of 3,000+ state legislators are in this for the long haul. We are committed to empowering state legislators who put communities first. We champion governance rooted in direct partnership with those most impacted by policies. Collaborative governance is not merely a response to division and mistrust; it’s an antidote to them – a pathway toward a system where people are heard and become co-architects of solutions. This is how we build a democracy that actively works for everyone.
We have worked with state legislators for 10 years and know that if you want to see a hopeful vision for the future, you need to look first to the states.
Our hope for a better future is rooted in what we have seen firsthand from state legislators who use their power to expand our rights, not control our decisions. From Arizona legislators leading the successful fight to repeal a Civil War-era abortion ban to multiple states sharing strategies and actions on Paid Family Medical Leave to Oregon legislators, rural residents, farmers and advocates passing a sweeping reform for how the state regulates new factory farms, expansive and affirmative work is happening in all states and territories.
This election reminds us that states are the most viable path for immediate, impactful, and lasting progress that will change lives.
Our focus will continue to be on empowering state legislators, as they have the ability to connect with their constituents and take their wants, needs, and circumstances into account.
As we move toward the necessary repair work after this election, we will remember that change starts in all 50 states. Together, we will continue shaping a country that works with the people, creating a more inclusive, just, and equitable future.
In solidarity,
Neha Patel and Jessie Ulibarri
Co-Executive Directors, State Innovation Exchange