Elections are won before
the final votes are counted
From the desk of Bibek Gurung, Senior Digital Strategist
70%. That’s how many races in 2024 had exactly one candidate on the ballot, according to research from BallotReady. Seats are held for decades because nobody ever mounts a challenge. A ballot full of coronations leaves us with a very thin bench and a lot of prayers.
At the local level, where decisions most directly touch your life, that number drives up to 74%. As the researchers put it, millions of Americans feel this firsthand as they “scroll past pages and pages of uncontested races” on their way to casting a vote.
Building the bench matters more than any single race, because lower offices are the doorway to higher offices. Today’s state legislator might run for mayor in 2030. A school board member who learns to win a tough local race becomes a senator who knows how to win a tough statewide one. Every uncontested seat at the bottom of the ballot prevents a future candidate from the top of it.
The fix isn’t flashy, BUT it works: more people running. That includes you. Learn how at traindems.org.
💻UPCOMING LIVE TRAININGS
Tech Time: Setting Up a Virtual Phone Bank
07.27
10 am PT
Tech Time: Cutting Turf in VoteBuilder
07.28
10 am PT
Explore upcoming events + trainings coming up this month.
NDTC Learner Spotlight
NDTC learner Matt Johnson: Small business owner. Conservation corps director. AmeriCorps state director. A career spent serving Nevada, and now he’s bringing that same energy to Reno City Council, Ward 2’s general election. He believes if we’re going to fix money in politics, we start local.
SUBSTACK
Running to Defend Democracy Is the Most
Patriotic Thing You Can Do
Trump turned the 250th anniversary of the Declaration into a celebration of himself, but the actual founders were a group of people challenging the most powerful man in their world.
ICYMI
Field Director Intensive: Win The Ground
The field can make or break a race. It’s seen through how many doors were knocked, how many calls made, and the volunteers that kept showing up. But none of that happens without a field director who knows how to build and lead the team.
What’s On Our Newsfeeds
Why this story matters:
Texas’ attorney general and GOP Senate nominee appears to have voted in six elections using an address where he hasn’t lived in two years. The self-appointed sheriff of election integrity should probably start by checking his own voter registration.
Why this story matters:
After failing to close primaries through the legislature, the SC GOP is suing the State Election Commission to restrict who can vote in the contests that decide most races in a deep-red state. When you can’t win the argument, just shrink the electorate until you can!
Why this story matters:
The GOP is disenfranchising Black voters, again. Well, Black organizers, leaders, and voters decided they’re not having it and have mobilized. “This awoke a sleeping giant,” one organizer said.
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