IGNITE's Blog

Politics starts at the local level. In this series on our blog, we’re taking an in-depth look at local elected offices. As much as our lives are influenced by the legislators in Washington, our lives are significantly impacted by local elected officials, such as governors. Learn more about what a governor is, what a governor does, and how you can become one.

Politics is personal and it starts at the local level. Local elected officials are the ones who make decisions that affect our everyday lives and impact communities. In this new series on our blog, we’re taking an in-depth look at local elected offices. We’re starting with mayors, so keep reading to learn more about what a mayor is, what they do and how you can become one. 

Once elections pass and newly elected officials are sworn into office, that’s when our representatives get to work. But if you follow politics especially at the local level, you might hear titles being thrown around like “Commissioner” and “Lieutenant Governor”. What do those titles really mean? And what powers do those positions or offices hold? Keep reading to learn more about elected officials and offices at the state/local levels.

In this election year, more women ran for office than ever before. We should all take a moment to celebrate those who ran and have inspired the next generation of leaders. Some of the many womxn who ran just made history by becoming the “firsts” at the congressional and state levels. Keep reading to learn more about the women in politics who made history in this election.

A record number of women ran for office in 2020, surpassing the record set in the 2018 midterm election. Many women have won up and down the ballot including Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. 26 non-incumbent women have been elected so far as a result of the 2020 election—9 Democrats and 17 Republicans. Check out some of the firsts in the 117th Congress who will be sworn in on January 3, 2021. 

Election Day has come and gone. As 2020 begins to wind down many of us are looking forward to a restful holiday season. But if we know anything about civic engagement, activism, and women’s rights, it’s that the work doesn’t end when the election is over. The real work happens in the years in between.  

If you’ve been listening to the news, or even just scrolling through social media, you’ve probably been seeing a lot about Georgia and the “Senate runoff”. It may have been the first time you’ve heard the phrase “runoff” being used in the political realm. What are these runoffs everyone keeps talking about? Who is part of the runoff? Keep reading to learn more about what runoffs are and what’s at stake for both parties.

What we know thus far is that young people voted at rates we have never seen - from 14% of the electorate in Michigan to a whopping 21% of the electorate in Georgia.*

As we commemorate the centennial of women’s suffrage in 2020, it is important to remember that not every woman could cast a ballot after the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920. Women of color couldn’t exercise their voting right for more than four decades until the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965. Despite the fact that only 100 years ago, women couldn’t even vote in the United States, the current 116th Congress comprises the highest number of female members in its history so far. Out of 127 women in the Congress today, 48 of them identify as women of color—4 in the Senate and 44 in the House. One of the notable women of color in Congress is Senator Kamala Harris who, as of November 7, 2020, is the Vice President-elect of the United States. Although the representation of women of color in Congress is yet to reach its pinnacle, the 116th Congress is a beautiful reminder of how far we have come. Keep reading below about some of the remarkable women of color in the 116th Congress: 

Election Day is over just like that. Now what? This election has consumed many of us for what feels like the better part of a year. It’s fair to be feeling tired, burnt out, and frankly ‘over’ political discussions. But in reality, we’re just getting started. Now is when we begin the next phase of our civic duty - we hold politicians accountable for their promises.