ICYMI: Defending the People’s Tool on Sorry Not Sorry with Alyssa Milano Podcast
Washington— Ballot Initiative Strategy Center Executive Director Chris Melody Fields Figueredo recently joined the Sorry Not Sorry Podcast for a conversation with activist and actor Alyssa Milano about the ballot measure landscape and the new “Defend Direct Democracy” Survey. This newly released report found that in recent years, citizen-led ballot measures have threatened self-interested politicians into outright eroding the process altogether. In the episode, Chris dives into the most popular and trending issues on the ballot this year, the politicians attempting to dilute direct democracy, and what’s at stake for the future of ballot initiatives.
Listen to the full episode here.
From Chris Melody Fields Figueredo:
- “I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to have really strong coalitions of folks that have different ways to engage—whether they’re going to be knocking on doors, doing phone calls, going into the communities, fighting on the legislative level, or fighting this in the courts.
- “That’s my favorite thing about ballot measures: How it creates a coalition of people to fight together for issues that are so critically important.”
- “People forget that we, us, the people, are the most important part of our democracy. And we really look at ballot measures as a collaborative way of governing and making sure that people’s voices are actually heard.”
- “I truly believe in collaborative governance. And that means that there is a relationship and a responsibility between those who govern, those who are in elected office, and their responsibility to their constituents.”
- “What democracy to me means is that we are active collaborators and visionaries and have a seat at the table to determine what happens in our lives.”
To speak to Executive Director, Chris Melody Fields Figueredo or one of our policy experts, please reach out to María Gamba; [email protected]
You can also check out BISC’s Ballot Measure Hub for more info!