ArtsVote – Make Your Vote Count

 

by Patricia Frischer

California for the Arts has issued the US Congressional Art Report Card for 2022. This year marks a midterm election year, which means all 435 U.S. House of Representatives, 6 Delegates, and one-third of the U.S. Senate are running for election on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. There will likely be state and local elections taking place that day as well.

We encourage you to be an ArtsVote champion by pledging to make your vote count and encouraging others to turn out to vote. Download your customized State Voter Factsheet with key deadline dates, times, and locations to update your voter registration, find out if you can vote absentee, or vote early in person at ArtsActionFund.org/ArtsVote.

The following have Pro-Arts Grades:
US House of Representatives in San Diego County
Mike Levin CA 49^th
Scott Peters was 52^nd Now Running for 50th
Sara Jacobs was 53rd – Now running for 51st
Juan Vargas was 51^st - Now Running for 52^nd

US Senate in CA:  Alex Padilla and Diane Feinstein both have Pro-Arts Grades

The following DO NOT have Pro-Arts Grades
Darrell E, Issa was 50^th - Now running for 48^th  Against Stephen Houlahan
Michelle Steel was 48th - Now running for 45th

To find out who your US House of Representatives is,  put your zip code in this link.

Of course, you also should know how candidates stand on the arts in more local races;  Mayor of your city, your City Councilpersons, your CA State Congress Representatives and Senators. And maybe most important, the San Diego County Supervisors who are all now known to support the arts with their bold move to re-create a county level Commission for Arts and Culture. We hope they announce the full-time staff member for that commission soon.

Yes, it takes time to find this information, but once you know who these people are and who might be running for office this fall, you can attend debates and forum and put forward questions about who supports the arts.

One caveat: The first goal of politics is to get people to act in unison: the second is to get them to stop!

Questions for candidates:

1.         Identify one particularly important cultural, creative, or artistic asset in your district. What is its significance to the community?

2.         If elected, how do you plan to identify, connect with, and support cultural, creative and artistic assets in your district?

3.         What role should municipal government play in funding cultural and creative efforts? Please state your reasons.

4.         Will you advocate for a county-wide conversation about various municipal arts funding and fund management paradigms? Explain your position.

5.         What are the under-utilized municipal assets in your district that could help support the creative, cultural, and artistic efforts of your constituents? How would you make them more easily accessible?

Californians have an opportunity to positively impact every public school in the state by voting Yes on PROP 28. It will fund high-quality instruction in visual arts, media arts, music, dance, and theatre if passed!

October is National Arts and Humanities Month but we celebrate the arts every hour, every day, every week, and all and every year!

...and sent to us by Lonnie Burstein Hewitt, this little glimpse into the robot Ai-Da, the artist of the future at the UK House of Parliment!