Before last week’s midterm elections, we talked about voting to advance racial, economic, and social justice. With our votes, whether by mail-in ballot, drop box, or in person, we voiced our support for candidates who are champions of change and for policies that make our economy work for everyone. While election results continue to be counted, there are already incredible victories across the country, including four state trifectas, protection of key Gubernatorial seats in red states, and the advancement of policy proposals—all moving the needle forward on favorable economic policy issues in 2023.  

We Voted for Financial Security 

The federal minimum wage has stagnated for over a decade, but advocates have taken the need for livable wages to the voters. People in Washington, DC ended the subminimum wage for tipped workers, ensuring that restaurant workers will make the same as other minimum wage workers regardless of their tips. Folks in Nebraska also ended their tiered minimum wage system, leveling the playing field for Nebraskans. Nebraska also went a step further and approved a measure to increase their minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026. In Arizona, voters passed Proposition 209, which puts a limit on how much interest can be charged on medical debt. Medical debt is the leading cause of bankruptcy in the United States and puts incredible financial strain on families everywhere. Illinois voters added a constitutional amendment that enshrines their right to organize, a right that promotes worker solidarity and economic equity. 

We Voted for Affordable Housing  

Voters in cities across the country showed how important it is to vote all the way down the ballot by approving critical affordable housing measures. Folks in Kansas City, Missouri supported a city proposal to spend $175 million in general obligation funds for city upgrades, including affordable housing. Voters in Austin, Texas approved their largest housing bond measure to date which will help repair existing affordable housing, expand land use, and build new homes. Coloradans surpassed the local limits and passed a statewide measure that would allocate two percent of income tax revenue to affordable housing. 

We Voted for Reproductive Freedom  

Across the country, in response to the post-Dobbs reality, reproductive freedom was on the ballot as well. Voters in Michigan, Vermont, California, Kentucky, and Montana either voted yes on reproductive freedom measures or rejected measures aimed at restricting abortion. Reproductive health care and economic wellbeing cannot be separated. Research shows that denying people access to abortion overwhelmingly limits their control over their economic future. People who are denied abortions face significantly worse economic and educational outcomes than those who can obtain one. Those who have been denied access to an abortion face increases in debt, bankruptcy and evictions. This demonstrates that restricting abortion undermines people’s ability to get to and stay on a pathway to prosperity. Those without wealth and most restricted from opportunity face the brunt of abortion restrictions.  

We Voted for Steps Toward Dismantling Systems that Perpetuate Violence 

Mirroring a national conversation around ending the slavery loophole in the 13th amendment, this midterm cycle states continued a recent movement for constitutional changes and prison reform. The people in the great states of Tennessee, Oregon, Vermont, and Alabama all approved measures abolishing the use of slavery as punishment. These amendments are key steps towards redressing the legacy of slavery in the US and establishing labor rights for incarcerated people. None of these measures would outright abolish prison labor, but the increased passage of these kinds of amendments draws increased attention to forced labor, creating opportunities to improve worker protections and wages for incarcerated people. Continuing to disassemble systems that perpetuate systemic racism and violence against Black communities is critical to creating a just and equitable economy and society for everyone.  

As we reflect on these wins it is important to recognize that these victories come at a time when the democratic process is under attack, with voter suppression targeting BIPOC (Black, indigenous or people of color) communities and other disenfranchised groups and election subversion continuing to take center stage in the national conversation. In the face of these attacks on democracy, folks in Michigan and Connecticut increased voting rights and access, and Nevada approved open primaries and ranked choice voting. Working to create an inclusive, accessible and safe democracy is critical, and this work allows voters to use their voice to create transformational policy change.