By Lindy Browning | Contributing Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice
It’s election season 2024. No one in America is unaware of that fact.
Election news is wall to wall on every TV station, every newspaper, podcast and social media platform. The tribalism is exhausting and it’s very real.
People have pretty much made up their minds about the top of the ticket, Team Red for Donald Trump, and Team Blue for Kamala Harris. Yet, all the discussions, energy and money are focused on that top-of-the-ticket race, even though most people have already made up their mind.
If only people, including the media, put as much passion and energy into the down-ballot races, people might see a federal, state and local government that is more representative of their values.
The American people have been motivated and distracted by personalities, sound bites, virtue signaling and social media moments of fame. These same Americans then complain when the government does not work for them and problems they have are never addressed.
Policy that serves Americans top to bottom is what we should be paying attention to and voting for. Candidates that put policy solutions first and foremost and have an agenda to serve are the candidates that get the work of the people done. We need a little less talking, and a lot more action on behalf of the American people.
While the top of the ticket is very important to issues of foreign policy, domestic and financial policy, people tend to forget that the President does not have much influence on the things that affect people in their daily lives. At best, it’s an indirect impact. Local representation influences people’s lives much more directly.
The Founding Fathers knew exactly what they were doing when they designed the government to work this way. They wanted the power to remain with the people and thus ensured that the government closest to the people, was the one that had the most power and authority in their lives.
Team Blue has a super majority in the state legislature and they look for the most progressive change candidates to run, while Team Red looks for candidates that represent more traditional values and norms. Team Blue also is far better funded these days than Team Red.
In a state that is dominated by Team Blue, the divide is real. It truly comes down to an urban –rural divide, and rural Coloradans feel run over by their urban counterparts.
This is why the down ballot races matter, in some ways more than the top of the ticket.
There’s a reason that the old saying, “All politics are local.” It’s because they are.
The government that has the most impact on people’s lives is the local and regional races. Colorado is no exception.
Local down-ballot elections are the back stop and protections from the existing supermajority in the Colorado legislature.
Colorado Democrats, beginning with Gov. Jared Polis, think one-size government fits all of Colorado. We all know that it doesn’t. The governor’s progressive tax-and-spend agenda hurts rural Colorado families, economies and values. The truth is it also hurts families, economies and values in the metro as well.
If you hate what’s happening in your schools, elect the school board candidate that best represents your values.
If your businesses and industries are suffocating from overreaching and burdensome regulation, make sure that you are voting for the candidate at the state level that is going to fight to reduce the regulatory burden.
If you don’t want high state and local taxes in addition to the federal taxes, and if you want to continue to control how much of your hard earned money the Democrats in Denver can spend, vote for your local candidate who will push back on taxes and fees, and protect TABOR.
Would you like safe cities and law and order in your community? If so, elect the candidate in your state and house races that will support law enforcement and push back against laws that decriminalize criminals and their activities, and that reverse no bail laws across the state.
Do you think sanctuary cities are allowing criminals into your once safe neighborhoods? Are you tired of your tax dollars going to people who are here illegally? Vote like your life depends on it, because just maybe, it does.
Are you sick and tired of the government picking winners and losers in business? Is your county feeling the loss of the oil and gas revenue and jobs? Choose wisely and vote for the candidate who supports those jobs as part of the “all of the above” strategy.
We all want our air and water as clean as possible, somehow, there doesn’t seem to be much change in air and water quality, even after this governor has run all but the largest companies out of business in Colorado.
Moffat County voters, did you like it when the state and federal “Green New Scam” agenda cost you all of the fossil fuel jobs and mandated the Craig Station closure that threatens your economy? Vote wisely on those Congressional races and Colorado races.
School Board members, sheriffs, district attorneys, city councils and county commissioners have the most direct control over people’s day to day life, and they stand in the way of the majority rule in Denver.
Making sure that you vote for your state house and state senate candidates ensures that you have a voice at the state capitol, and that your best interest is represented.
Whether you are a farmer from Yuma or a rancher on the western slope, you need a representative that votes your values and protects your income.
Less than 50 percent of registered voters turn in their ballots. If you are one of those people who do not exercise your duty and right to vote, then you don’t get to complain, and you are part of the problem. Talking in our echo chambers is not the same as voting your choice. All too often, voters conflate the two activities.
Polls indicate that the presidential race is neck and neck. If Donald Trump wins, he is going to need a majority in the House and Senate to implement his agenda. If Kamala Harris wins, the Republicans in every House and Senate race must win so they can block all but her executive orders. Either way, Republicans must hold, and gain seats on both sides of the legislature.
People have said every election that this is the most important election in the history of America. This time, they might just be right. Our only protection from the Harris administration’s radical progressive agenda is making sure that the down ballot Republican candidates win.
If we want a secure border, Republicans up and down the ballot must win. If we want an economy that raises all people up, Republicans must win up and down the ticket. If we want inflation under control, if we want the abuses of bureaucracy to end, if we want equal justice under the law, if we want to protect our 1st Amendment rights and ensure that the 2nd Amendment stands firm, Republicans up and down the ticket, federal and state, must prevail on Nov. 5.
Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Rocky Mountain Voice, but even so we support the constitutional right of the author to express those opinions.