Down-ballot voting is a big deal in 2024. Sure, the presidential race gets a lot ofhype, and it is very important. (Like, very!) But the people we elect locally — like governors, city council members, and school board reps — make decisions that hit much closer to home. These are the people who influence our daily lives!
In 2024, there’s a lot on the line. Voting rights, reproductive health, and how our communities continue to bounce back from the pandemic are being handled at the state and local levels. If we don’t vote on down-ballot races, we’re leaving a lot of important choices up to chance. And by voting all the way down the ballot — something only a third or more of those voting actually do, according to U.S. Vote Foundation — we make sure our voices are heard all the way to the most local position.
Let’s look to the people who understand down-ballot voting better than anyone — local government officials, including state governors. At a DGA panel hosted by Julia Louis-Dreyfus on Aug. 21, 2024 during the DNC, eight Democratic women governors came together for a discussion the 2024 election while stressing the vital importance of down-ballot voting.
“I started at the lowest level,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul told the room. “I was maybe just a step above dog catcher in my town — and I worked my way up.” Hochul, New York state’s first female governor, also says that women who want to be involved in the political sector shouldn’t be discouraged to “get into the game” if they don’t have the strongest resume — start small in roles on the school board or town board and “build the farm team.”
“The guys don’t require any qualifications, they just step up and run. We’ve got a guy who said, ‘I’m a billionare, I want to be president, I’m gonna ruin the country…’ and he did!” Hochul said, referring to former President Donald Trump.
The true heart of democracy lies in the less glamorous but equally critical down-ballot races. These local and state-level elections are where the policies that impact our daily lives are often decided, and they are a great place to elect more women. If these are the people deciding our communities’ futures, shouldn’t we feel represented by those making the call?
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham hit the nail on the head when she said at the panel, “Critical decisions get made down ballot.” She stressed how important it is to have women in these roles to make sure decisions are fair, equal, and actually get things done.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey took it a step further. “Look at the decisions,” Healey pointed out. “It’s your school committee that’s going to decide curriculum, whether there’s health education (especially for girls), funding for education, for housing, protection of abortion rights.” Healey and the Massachusetts Board of Education are a great example of just that. In September 2023, Healey passed the first comprehensive health education update the state had seen since 1999, which now includes mental and emotional health, personal safety, substance use and misuse, sexual health, and many more cornerstones of inclusive, medically-accurate, and developmentally age-appropriate education.
So the policies that affect your life? “That’s all happening by state actors right now, up and down the ballot,” Healey said.
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, didn’t just jump into the governor’s mansion in 2023 — she worked her way up from the legislature to Secretary of State. Hobbs reminded attendees that even future presidents might kick off their careers in these local roles, meaning that the people we vote for today could be the big names leading the country tomorrow. “Just look at our next president,” Hobbs said of Vice President Kamala Harris, “She started as a [District Attorney].”