I’m so lucky to know Jerry and Ann Shively and call them friends. Thanks so much for the kind endorsement.
John Radford Endorsement
My friend John Radford has been an amazing asset to our community. Thanks so much for the endorsement!
Thank you for your confidence in real Idaho values!
I’m so fortunate to know so many amazing people here in D33. Thank you for your trust in me, and I hope that I can earn your vote.
What you need to know about voting in 2020
Let’s do this thing. This year is a little different. Here’s what you need to know about voting this year.
Here are my top tips for voting this year. MAKE A PLAN to vote. You will probably need it.
1. Go to https://IdahoVotes.gov and sign up for an absentee ballot.
2. You can also sign up to receive an absentee/mail-in ballot at the county elections office. Wear a mask.
3. Get your friends to sign up.
4. When your ballot comes, fill it out and send it back ASAP. We don’t know what will happen next, so do the thing quickly. Recommendation is to mail your ballot NO LATER than October 27. You can also physically deliver your ballot to the county elections office. There’s a dropbox.
5. Make sure you follow all the instructions, including signing the outside of the envelope.
Help Idaho Invest in Education
Unlike SOME people, who voted against the higher education budget THREE times, and voted to repeal all education and teaching standards with no replacement, I ACTUALLY support education.
The courts have given Reclaim Idaho the chance to collect signatures for their education petition online, and this means you can do something to help.
You can sign the petition here: https://www.reclaimidaho.org/
If you have questions about how the law would work, you can go here: https://www.reclaimidaho.org/faq
Reminder: This is just to get the initiative on the ballot. Idahoans still have to vote for it in November for it to become law.
However, it’s vital that you also vote for people who are ready to invest in education. Passing this initiative does no good if we just void it by voting in the same “representatives” who left us in this mess to begin with.
Also, go request your mail-in ballot: IdahoVotes.gov
Using IdahoVotes.gov to Participate in Our Political System
One of the best ways to make your voice heard is to VOTE. Engagement is hugely important, and the more involved we are, the better off we are as a society. Plus, we’re more likely to get public officials that actually reflect our values and respond to our interests.
IdahoVotes.gov is actually a pretty solid resource. Here are some of the ways you can use IdahoVotes.gov to prepare to vote.
1. Check your registration. Find out if your registered, verify your party affiliation and other information. Make sure you haven’t been purged.
2. Register to vote or update your registration. If you aren’t registered, you can register online. You can also update your information if it’s out of date.
HOWEVER, to register online, you MUST have an Idaho-issued ID card. If you don’t have a driver’s license or state-issued ID, there’s a form you can fill out a form, print it out, and take it to the county elections office.
https://idahovotes.gov/…/voter_registra…
3. Request your mail-in ballot for November. Be ready to vote, no matter what happens with the pandemic. Plus, it’s super convenient. Other states that do automatic vote by mail have high levels of participation and that’s amazing.
Link to my video about requesting your mail-in ballot for November: https://www.facebook.com/MirandaMarquitforIdaho/videos/272471740501772/
We Need to Pay Attention to Who Represents Us
There’s A LOT going on right now that makes it clear that many of our current “representatives” don’t have our best interests in mind.
1. A few legislators gathered for a meeting (let’s not pretend like it was a special session of anything) to prate about WHATEVER. These are the same folks that couldn’t be bothered to address property taxes last session.
2. Thanks to Reclaim Idaho for actually taking action and doing SOMETHING. It’s great to know that we have real leaders in the State of Idaho, ready to move forward with things that matter to us.
3. Rather than addressing property taxes and education (or infrastructure or public land access), our legislators instead spent last session making bad (and expensive) policy for problems that don’t exist. We need to focus on electing people ready to do the people’s business, not try to score culture warrior points with the Idaho “Freedom” Foundation.
https://www.idahostatesman.com/opinion/readers-opinion/article243720302.html
4. No matter your political leanings, it’s concerning when a party tries to grab more power. This weekend, some so-called leaders will try their best to rig the system to reduce the power of voters.
5. Hey, don’t forget to request your ballot for November’s election! You can do that online at IdahoVotes.gov. I made about a video about it as well.
Request Your Mail-In Ballot for November — Online
Guess what? Idaho has updated its website so that you can request an absentee ballot for the November election. Head over to IdahoVotes.gov and request your ballot. We don’t know what the next few months will bring, so now is a great time to sign up to receive your ballot by mail.
Also: Save the USPS. Learn more
https://ips-dc.org/how-congress-manufactured-a-postal-cris…/
John Oliver: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoL8g0W9gAQ (NSFW)
Priorities! Are we putting our money where our mouths are?
We’re always talking about what things cost and what we’re willing to pay for. So let’s talk about it.
1. Cuts to education: Our “leaders” say they value education, but at the first sign of trouble that’s what gets cut. Are we really interested in investing in education? Or is that just something that legislators say — while doing something else?
2. Medicaid Expansion: Even though the governor had a plan to pay for Medicaid Expansion, as voted on by We the People, our legislators dragged their feet. Rather than using a sensible way forward, they spent their time gaslighting us and fighting against us. This is especially evident here in D33, where both the House “representatives” fought against Prop. 2 — and funding it — even though the folks in our district voted for the measure by one of the highest percentages in the state.
3. Let’s talk about property tax relief: Even though there were legislators interested in putting forth sensible solutions to property tax issues, those bills never saw the light of day. Instead, so-called “leaders” shelved the bills. Most of the legislative session was spent passing extremist bills that amount to bad policy for problems that don’t even exist.
So, how do we pay for this stuff?
Our current legislators here in House D33 like to follow the ineffectual bleating of their “leaders,” claiming that we have to make cuts. However, the reality is that it’s about priorities. Do we want to invest in our people and in our communities? Rather than tackling these issues, too many of our “leaders” claim that there’s nothing to be done, other than giving tax cuts to Idahoans who need them least and cut investments in education and health.
The reality, though, is that there are more than $2 billion in sales tax exemptions each year. While some doubtless make sense, not all of them do. In fact, we should review these sales tax exemptions to discover where we could be redirecting resources. Many of these sales tax exemptions are unnecessary and investing even a portion of that money in education, infrastructure, healthcare, and the maintenance of our public lands could do much in terms of helping us live our priorities — rather than just talk about them.
We Can’t Give in to Apathy
Every morning, I see a pin in a crystal trinket holder on my dresser. It reminds me that apathy isn’t an option. It’s a reminder that we can make our corner of the world a better place, and that it’s possible to make a difference.
Sometimes it’s hard to get excited about what’s going on when we feel overwhelmed by what’s going on around us. There’s so much that seems so big that we can’t control.
However, local is the most important thing we can focus on. It seems counterintuitive, but the changes that really impact people are made at the local and state level. Think about it. When you consider what came out of the 2020 legislative session, it becomes very apparent that we have a lot of work to do right here at home.
I’m running for office because our current House “representation” consistently votes against the best interests of the everyday folks in D33. We need to focus on our Idaho values, settle in, do the work, and, above all, CARE.