| POLITICS: IT’S LOCAL AND IT’S PERSONAL
 While the pundits pour over every detail of the election outcomes, they’re overlooking an important development: voters embraced kid-friendly state initiatives!
Voters from the Alaskan wilderness, the Great Plains of Nebraska, the Lone Star state, and others overwhelmingly cast their votes to advance paid leave, protect public education, and expand access to child care.
The fact that voters in very red states resoundingly passed paid leave measures for large and small businesses shows that paid leave is not a partisan issue.
- In Nebraska, where President Trump garnered 60% of the vote, 75% of voters passed a paid sick leave requirement.
- In the “show me” state of Missouri, voters showed equal support of President Trump and a paid sick leave plan.
- Seven out of 10 Alaska voters said yes to paid sick leave and raising the minimum wage.
Despite well-funded campaigns back by public school nay-sayers like Betsy DeVos, voters stood firm in their support of their neighborhood schools.
- In Kentucky, 65% of voters went for President Trump và against a plan to undercut public education by diverting public funds to private schools.
- Nebraska overturned a new state law that would have sent public funds to private schools.
- In Colorado, voters said no to a state constitutional amendment that would enshrine public dollars being doled out to private schools.
Voters in red and blue states turned up in huge numbers to support child care, showing how important this issue is to Americans of all political stripes.
- Washington state voters shot down an effort to repeal a tax dedicated to child care subsidies and programs.
- In Texas, a county passed a property tax increase to raise $75 million for child care.
- Voters in three Colorado counties cast their votes in favor of hotel tax dollars going to child care.
Red and blue state voters differed in their pick for president, but they stand together in supporting our children’s mental health and well-being.
- Voters in a Missouri county north of St. Louis said yes to a sales tax boost to provide a steady stream to dollars to mental health programs, including early childhood screening.
- Colorado voters agreed to a 6.5% percent tax on guns and ammunition; $3 million of it will fund behavioral health services for children.
- Santa Cruz County in California passed a tax on sugar-sweetened beverage (aka “soda tax”) to fund youth mental health and other kids’ programs.
Our takeaway is voters in these states tuned out enough of the national election noise and tuned in to what’s good for their children on a state or local level. Long ago, two political idioms took root: “The personal is political.” and “All politics in local.” This election proved that they can both be true at the same time. |
