nearly 1,000 volunteers , who together contacted 1 in every 43 eligible voters .
This was no partisan affair . When some Trump voters asked why we were bothering to reach out to them , our answer was simple : We don ’ t endorse or oppose any party . We just want to make sure that you vote .
If you need more than a minimum wage , go vote . If you need to decide between paying for rent or medications , go vote . If you still don ’ t have decent health care or potable water , go vote . That ’ s why I wasn ’ t surprised when many of these issues won in the midterms , even in so-called “ red ” states : These are the living politics that tens of millions of people actually want and need .
Over these past few weeks , I have been thinking about that 2009 meeting in West Virginia . Although elections are the most visible battleground , democracy is also fought for and built in those meetings , with people who are tired of being left out of the decisions that impact their lives . These are the spaces where visions for living wages , health care , housing , and more begin to take shape .
Nijmie Dzurinko was at that meeting . Nijmie , an Indigenous and Black woman born in poverty , has been organizing in Pennsylvania for over 20 years . At a rally this year , she called for “ a mass , politically independent force of poor and dispossessed people ” in every community in this country .
“ If we build a space for 140 million people ,” she said , “ we can not only impact elections — we can change what is politically possible .”
Whether we hear about poverty in our elections or not , that community is coming together .
56 x The Trial Lawyer