Values, vision, and pressing needs don't drive most policy discussions. In fact, too often policy conversations take place in a land of politicians, lobbyists, and policy experts, and are filled with dry talk of "revenue constraints," confusing acronyms, and excruciating details. The atmosphere is oriented for "insiders" who know each other and how to navigate the usually lengthy and circuitous policy process.
And the voice of people—especially those in low-income communities and communities of color—who will be affected by those policies is frequently absent.
Real change happens when the process is opened up, when community members speak out and fill hearing rooms, op-ed pages and blogs, when research is oriented to community members' perspectives and experiences. When all those forces work together, policies that create greater equity and opportunity succeed, while potential harmful policies fail.
Many of you reading this column already know this and spend your days and evenings making it happen. Others are learning about the ingredients, the strategies, and the politics of change in different places and on different topics. Every month, I'll write a new column trying to connect those dots, detailing how policy successes (and failures) are being developed, tried, and advocated for across the country. Sometimes the column will cover issues, other times new and potentially powerful new strategies and emerging leaders, particularly from low-income communities of color. It will always seek to provide a view of how the envelope is being pushed, why, and how it matters for the movement for greater equity and inclusion.
PolicyLink is launching this new feature at a fascinating time. In November, there was a political sea change. I wouldn't call it a tidal wave, but there was certainly a shifting tide. Important lessons were learned—some relearned.
This month, Democrats will officially take over the reins of both houses of Congress. And Democrats will hold a majority of state legislative houses, controlling 54 total chambers—the most since 1994.
The climate suddenly appears more receptive to discussions around issues like affordable housing, comprehensive health policy reforms, and new infrastructure investment. For many of us there are new hopes and a welcome return to and increased focus on proactive campaigns for change. Further change will still require much effort and innovation, but the possibilities are tantalizing.
A lot of questions remain unanswered. Will the new Congress, new governors, and new legislators act any differently than the past ones? Will they listen and actually act on vital and long-ignored needs? Will the political will remain strong long enough for change to happen?
Will innovative and fresh strategies be able to bubble up from community groups and local jurisdictions? Will new political leaders embrace these strategies and champion them through the compromise-heavy policy process?
The answers lie not strictly with the inside plays in Washington and state capitals, but also in the efforts of local advocates to keep the pressure on these new leaders and to present the issues from the local perspective. Local people—leaders, constituents, advocates—have a great deal of power in pushing these policies through, and the results from November enhanced that power further.
The old adage that every vote counts was proven over again with many local, state, and national races turning on razor-thin margins. Some results were so close that both sides are still claiming victory. The imperative to listen to constituents was driven home over and over again in the starkest terms, ending the long careers of some politicians who seemed out of step with the needs, views, and priorities of voters.
Change came from voters electing new politicians and in the approval of ballot measures with far-reaching impacts. There were also some potential limits to voters' desires for change.
In all six states where it was on the ballot, the minimum wage hike carried the day, often by fairly substantial margins. Voters clearly supported a pay raise for working families, and while even the higher minimum wages fall short of what is necessary to secure the basics—food, clothing, and a decent place to live (the National Low Income Housing Coalition estimated that an hourly full-time worker must earn an average wage of $16.31 to afford a two-bedroom home at fair market rent)—these voter mandates bring us closer to the goal of a real living wage for all workers. The wage hike victories were not only good in their own right, but may have helped tip the scales to more progressive candidates in several closely contested elections, particularly the down-to-the-wire U.S. Senate race in Missouri. But the measures didn't succeed on their own. They grew from the hard work of community-based efforts by ACORN, labor, and equity-focused groups. New online strategies were used to engage constituents, as were more well-honed standard offline ones.
The political landscape wasn't all roses for equity-minded advocates, though. Measures dealing with a host of other issues from tax policies, to increasing access to health care, to alternative energy, to infrastructure investment fared differently in different places. In many cases, proponents are planning new measures on these issues so voters will have additional opportunities to voice their opinions about proposals for change.
Victories for greater equity did go beyond just the minimum wage, though. An overwhelming majority of voters in California and Rhode Island backed substantial state support for affordable housing development. In Los Angeles, more than 60 percent of voters supported a $1 billion affordable housing bond, though the referendum failed, falling just short of the two-thirds support needed for passage. Like the minimum wage fights, these efforts, too, were fueled from the field—with huge numbers of endorsers and grassroots efforts to build support. Even in defeat, strong community backing for the measure is pushing politicians to find other means of securing more affordable housing.
There is a movement afoot. Indications are that after a long time of watching legislators backslide on important issues or accept stagnation as "victory," the American people are starting to clamor for powerful equitable policies that will result in real change. In this space each month, I hope to help make sense of how that battle is being fought on the ground and in the halls of power—and how we can help push for progressive policy change.
—Judith Bell, President