MAKE IT MAKE SENSE: Election time again
Why we're voting tomorrow, what's at stake, and what a better democracy looks like
In today’s letter: The unlikely reason this year is an opportunity to take back some power from MAGA authoritarians, why a better democracy starts with a look back at American citizenship at the beginning of the 19th century, and a chance to listen in on a conversation on creativity with two great American musicians.
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THE GIST: It’s election time again. Why is that?
It’s an off-year election tomorrow, and wherever you live, there are likely important local races for mayor, school board, local referenda, and more. And some of those races — like the New York City mayoral election — might hold the key to the future of the Democratic Party, and the country.
What’s more, a couple of governorships — and control of state houses — are up for grabs in New Jersey and Virginia, two of the five states that hold their major races in odd-year elections (the others, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi, go to the polls in 2027).
Now, while most states hold local races — even high-profile, impactful ones like the New York City mayoral election — in odd-numbered years, why do a handful of states make major electoral decisions out of the regular cycle? We’ve been wondering, so we did a little digging.