u/RootforIN

I hear people say all the time that Indiana is a red state, so what is the point of voting?

I get why people feel that way. When the same people stay in office year after year and you watch decisions get made that make life harder for your family, eventually you start wondering if anyone is listening.

But here’s the part I can’t stop thinking about: 44% of registered voters don’t show up.

Nearly half.

We spend so much time talking about how red Indiana is, but what would Indiana look like if the people who have stopped voting decided to come back?

We got a small glimpse of that here in Hamilton County this year. Democratic turnout in the primary increased 248% this year.

That gives me hope, because those aren’t imaginary voters we’re waiting to appear someday. They’re our neighbors. They’re people who have been here all along and decided this time was worth showing up for.

Indiana doesn’t have to be a place where someone works full time and still can’t pay their bills, parents spend a second mortgage on childcare, people put off going to the doctor because they can’t afford it, teachers beg for resources, and women have to leave the state for healthcare.

I refuse to believe this is as good as we can do.

I’m running for State Senate in a district plenty of people would look at on a map and immediately write off. We haven’t.

The other night, we were supposed to have a candidate forum hosted by nonpartisan community organizations. My opponent didn’t show up, but I did. And I’ll keep showing up.

That evening pissed me off because if you’re asking someone for the privilege of representing them, you should be willing to stand in front of them, answer their questions, listen when they disagree with you and explain what you’re actually going to do.

Nobody has a right to your vote because there’s an R or a D next to their name. Candidates should have to earn it.

We’re trying to run our campaign that way too. We don’t take corporate PAC money, we haven’t raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, and we don’t have huge checks coming in with expectations attached.

Our campaign looks like someone sending us $5, a group of volunteers writing postcards around a kitchen table, someone knocking doors after work, and people who have never been involved in politics nervously making their first phone call.

Those things don’t make national news, but they’ve built this campaign.

We’re running against a Trump-endorsed Republican candidate in a district people have been told is too red to change. I don’t know what would happen if the people who have given up on voting decided to come back. But I want to find out.

If you haven’t voted because you don’t think your vote matters, please reconsider this year. You don’t have to know everything about every race, and you don’t have to fill out every single part of your ballot. If you’ve voted Republican your whole life and there’s a Democrat you trust this time, you’re allowed to vote for them. Your ballot doesn’t change who you are.

Just don’t give your voice away because somebody convinced you it wasn’t worth anything.

If you want to get involved with a social worker, progressive candidate by donating or volunteering, you can find us at rootforindiana.org. We need you.

Hamilton County gave me a reason to believe something different is possible. Democratic primary turnout increased 248% because thousands of people made a choice to participate.

There are still so many people across Indiana who are frustrated, exhausted, or convinced that nothing will ever change here. They stopped believing anyone was listening.

I want them to know we are.

Indiana isn’t destined to be anything. Red isn’t something written into our state constitution. It’s the result of what voters show up and who we choose to put in office.

Indiana changes when you remember your vote matters.

Vote for the people you believe will make your life and your neighbors’ lives better. Bring someone with you who was planning to stay home. Talk to the person who thinks there is no point anymore.

There are enough people sitting on the sidelines to completely change the conversation in this state.

We just have to decide we’re done sitting there.

Healthcare should be about getting people the care they need, not making them prove they deserve it through a mountain of paperwork.

Jack Chance (Candidate for State Rep) and I (Kirsten Root, Candidate for State Senate) talk about what happens when bureaucracy becomes a barrier to healthcare, and what we can do differently here in Indiana.

People need care before crisis. Our systems should make it easier to get help, not harder.

You don’t have to know everything about politics to have a voice in what happens in your community.

If you’ve ever thought, “I don’t really understand how any of this works,” or “What can I actually do about it?” this is for you.

I’m excited to co-host a nonpartisan Civics Lab with MadVoters tonight where people can learn together, ask questions without feeling embarrassed, and figure out how regular people can make their voices heard.

🍽️ Dinner is provided.
👧 Kids are welcome.
💬 No political knowledge required.

You don’t need to follow politics every day or belong to any political party.
Just come curious.

Government belongs to all of us. Come eat with us, meet some neighbors, learn something new, and leave knowing a little more about how you can make a difference in your community.

Tonight's debate in Kokomo was supposed to give voters the chance to hear directly from the people asking to represent them.

I believe showing up should be part of the job.

Below is our full statement, including an invitation to Tracey Powell for Indiana to sit down for a nonpartisan debate so District 21 voters can hear from both of us in one place.

Emily Angel Shaw and I have been working with families in the system for years. Now, we’re ready to take our experience to the next level so we can better support foster families, parents, and family supports.

We have the money to fund strong public schools in Indiana. This is about where we choose to spend it.

We don’t have a problem with families choosing private school. There is a problem with asking local homeowners to keep making up the difference while Indiana is now helping pay private school tuition for families regardless of how much money they make.

Our kids deserve well-funded schools and our neighbors deserve some breathing room on their property taxes.

We can do both.

Childcare shouldn’t cost more than a mortgage. And preschool shouldn’t be a luxury some families simply can’t afford.

Devon Wellington (Candidate for Statehouse Representative) and I (Candidate for State Senate) talked about what universal Pre-K could mean for Indiana: breathing room for working families, stability for parents, and a stronger start for every kid.

If universal Pre-K matters to your family, speak up. Share your childcare story, send this video to someone who needs to hear it, and ask your state lawmakers where they stand on making Pre-K accessible to every Indiana family.

911 isn’t always the answer. Investing in prevention saves lives, saves money, and supports first responders.

Thank you Ti’gre McNear (Candidate for Hamilton County Commissioner) for collaborating on this message.

I’m a social worker running for the Indiana State Senate. We’d love your support so we can prioritize programs like this.

Thank you Devon Wellington for joining me to talk about recidivism

Public safety matters. But so does your privacy. It is guaranteed to us in our state constitution. Flock does not belong here.

It is birth control. Fertility care. Miscarriage care. Pregnancy care. Abortion care. Postpartum care.

And the people making these deeply personal medical decisions should be patients, their families, and their doctors, not politicians at the Statehouse.

Racheal and I both know what it looks like when policy collides with real life. Hoosiers deserve reproductive healthcare that is safe, accessible, and centered on the person receiving it.

We trust Hoosiers to make decisions about their own bodies, their own families, and their own futures.

And we’ll fight to protect that right.

Labor Day isn’t a celebration of corporations. It’s a celebration of working people.

The people who build our homes, teach our kids, care for our families, grow our food, stock our shelves, keep us safe, and keep this country moving.

You deserve more than a thank-you.

You deserve healthcare you can afford. Wages that let you build a good life. A safe workplace. Time with your family. A secure retirement. And the power to stand together with your coworkers and demand better.

Because the wealth of this country is built by working people,and working people deserve to share in it.

That’s why I will always stand with workers over corporations. I’ll fight to strengthen unions, protect collective bargaining, end Right to Work, and make sure the people doing the work have a real seat at the table.

This Labor Day, thank a union. Stand with your fellow workers. And remember: every right working people have won was won because ordinary people decided they deserved better, and fought for it together.

Happy Labor Day. Solidarity always.

Should energy companies be able to raise your rates whenever they please?

Jack Chance and I don’t think so.