Daily Resource Highlight - 11/07/2022

Posted by on November 07, 2022 at 2:23 PM

Below are the highlights and featured resources of this past week’s Daily* Resource.

November 1, 2022 - Anxious to “Do Something” Other Than Donating; We’ve Got You

Like many of you, my inbox is a steady stream of donation requests from one of the two major political parties – and this is after I added filters to get rid of most of them. I am antsy about the upcoming elections, and would like to put my energy to good use, but being treated like a piggy bank isn’t much fun.

If you’re on the same page, please sign the Safe and Fair Elections Pledge as soon as possible. I also highly recommend visiting Citizen Connect. The site has a steady stream of events to keep you engaged and informed, and new events are being added all the time. For instance….

  • The Belfer Center will host a webinar on November 3rd @ 7 PM ET to discuss the challenges of misinformation and disinformation ahead of the midterms.
  • Unify Challenge on November 3rd @ 8 PM ET will give you the opportunity to connect with somebody who may vote / think differently than you.
  • On November 5th @ 2 PM ET, Braver Angels will help you learn how to preserve important family bonds without sacrificing your values or political beliefs.

You could also apply for the 2023 Braver Angels Convention to help unite the country, and/or simply listen to a few informative podcasts in the upcoming days, like…

And if you want a bit of non-partisan good news about the elections, here’s an article by Jazmin Sanchez, formerly of RepresentWomen, about how this could be a record-breaking year for female governors. Right now, there are nine female governors (tied for the record), but eleven women are favored to win election, and a few more have a shot. In other words, there’s a chance that more than ¼ of U.S. Governors could be female in 2023. We’ll just have to wait and see!

November 3, 2022 - Democracy Among Growing Diversity: Gender, Age, Religion, Etc.

Diversity has become a core part of the conversation as we figure out what America’s democratic republic will look like in the next few decades. And necessarily so, as the American Dream continues to attract people of all backgrounds and experiences with the possibility of better life. (though some of that hinges on stability, so take the pledge!)

The implications of this changing landscape are impossible to predict. For instance, the American Values Coalition considers a future where Christians are a minority, but what exactly that means is anybody’s guess. As churches contemplate their proper role in elections (podcast), should the same thinking be applied to synagogues? Mosques? Other places of worship?

And what are the implications of diversity for the push for women in politics? We know from RepresentWomen’s latest report that women are a growing part of city leadership, and that we are likely to see a record number of female governors this year. We also know, though, that different cultures treat women differently. How will those cultural differences affect women in government?

Meanwhile, Millennials and Gen Z are quickly asserting themselves as political forces. According to Student Governmental Affairs Program, as of early September, Gen Z’ers (18-24) in 2020 had already exceeded 2018’s registration numbers for the same age group in eighteen states. As for Millennials, MAP found that Millennials are beginning to take over Congress, and that these young legislators tend to score as more bipartisan than their older counterparts. Will that collaborative spirit stay with them? Hopefully!

Either way, to quote Bob Dylan, “I know a change gonna come.” 

Featured