While the world watches the US presidential election closely, and to a lesser extent Congress, most elections in the US on November 3rd will be for local offices. The consequences of these elections are tremendous. Not only will local results determine congressional district lines for the next ten years, but with reduced federal spending on a social safety net, Americans increasingly turn to local government programs for basic needs.
Several members joined us for a Democrats Abroad Virtual Discussion of the advantages and limitations each Party has when it comes to winning these crucial local seats. Tory Mallett, a political sociology PhD student at the London School of Economics, lead us in a discussion of both ideological and institutional strategy for finding progressive success all the way down the ballot. The Zoom meeting was recorded; the YouTube link can be provided upon request.
Theory:
- How Liberals Learned to Love Federalism, The Washington Post (PDF)
- America has local political institutions but nationalized politics. This is a problem., Vox (PDF)
- The Ideological Reasons Why Democrats Have Neglected Local Politics, The Atlantic (PDF)
- Planet Money: REDMAP, NPR
Cases: