How To Stay Grounded During Election Season
This week we’re sharing wise words from Chanea Davis, one of our friends from CASA in Action! Casa in Action mobilizes Black and brown voters across high-opportunity states. Hear from Chanea what voters are saying ahead of the midterms and how she manages to stay grounded during election season.
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My name is Chanea Davis. I’m the Electoral Communications Manager at CASA in Action. I am based in Washington, D.C. while serving Georgia, Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania. This election cycle, our Georgia campaign is focused on Gwinnett, Fulton, DeKalb, and Clayton counties. That work is rooted in mobilizing Black, Latine, Afro-descendent, Indigenous, and immigrant voters to the polls. By building political power among the communities we represent, we ensure their voices and priorities are heard in government.
The biggest need I see heading into this election is making sure we never lose sight of what elections actually mean for people’s lives. At CASA in Action, we hear directly from communities about the issues they are navigating every day: the cost of living, employment, healthcare, housing, and the ability to build a stable life for their families. Those are not abstract political issues. They are the things people are living with right now. After talking to community members all year, CASA in Action has found that cost of living, employment, and healthcare are among the issues community voters care about most.
I often think about the phrase, “democracy is on the ballot.” That is true, but for me, there is an even more important realization: people’s lives are on the ballot, too.
The cost of groceries is on the ballot. Gas prices are on the ballot. Whether working families can afford to live with a little more breathing room is on the ballot. Whether immigrant, Black, Latine, and brown communities feel heard, protected, and able to participate fully in civic life is on the ballot.
That realization is one of the biggest “aha” moments I’ve had doing this work. Elections are not just about politics. They are about what people experience at their kitchen tables, at work, at the grocery store, and in their communities.
What keeps me sane through all of this? Good food, music, spending time with my family, and remembering that behind every number, poll, message, and voter file is a real person.
That is what keeps me grounded in this work.