1. United States
2. Wisc.
3. Letter

I am a mother of two school-age children, a teacher, and a proud member of my community in Waukesha, Wisconsin. I have been writing to you for several months now, every weekday, and I wanted to help you understand, as one of your constituents, why this is important to me. Since I turned 18 many years ago, I have always been truly excited by the ability I have to vote. I believe strongly in our country, and the fact that we elect people who will listen to us, who work together with other parties and people in our government to try and find solutions that will create better lives and more opportunities for everyone here in Wisconsin and our nation as a whole. I have traveled extensively around the world, and have often found myself in places where rights or freedoms were not so clear. I have walked through streets where soldiers with large guns kept a show of force during elections, or where women needed to keep to the shadows and let men make decisions for them. It opened my eyes to the greatness we live each day here in our own country. We are active members of our community in Waukesha, helping connect our neighbors by participating in a community garden, and taking our kids out with gloves and a wagon to pick up trash at the park. We belong to a church that partners with local organizations financially and through volunteers to boost their ability to serve the homeless, foster families, low-income schools, and those struggling with addictions. I write to you each day because I do not see our country's decisions being made in ways that are faithful to those ideals or those of our Constitution. I see decisions being made to draw more power to one political party or another, or to grow the executive branch into an all-encompassing force that drowns out the voice and agency of the judicial and legislative branches. For me, this is not about Republican or Democrat. This is about the fundamental structure of our nation, the opportunity for dissenting voices to be heard and come together, and setting the stage for what America will be in the years to come. I know I am writing to you as one person, one mom, one teacher. But I believe that what makes America great is that each person is important. All of our voices should be heard. Please speak up today, and each day, when you see these rights being taken away. You are in a place of power yourself, not FOR yourself, not for your political party, and not to simply say yes to the loudest voice in the room. You are doing what you do on behalf of me, on behalf of my neighbor, and on behalf of all of us here in Wisconsin who voted for people who would be our voice.