In Baltimore, Maryland, Montgomery County, Washington, DC

What an election season this has been already — and it’s not over yet. As Jews, we know that every vote is sacred, just as every person is sacred. Every single one of us is entitled to a say in our democracy. We’re going to keep working to make sure every vote is counted, but here’s what we know already:

We are so proud to be part of a powerful local progressive movement in DC and Maryland, a movement that will continue to gain momentum even when the election is over. This fall, we endorsed 14 candidates and 7 ballot initiatives. Every single ballot initiative and nearly every candidate won last night. 

Mazal tov / congratulations to DC Councilmember-elect Janeese Lewis George; DC Councilmembers Robert White and Trayon White; Baltimore Mayor-elect Brandon Scott; Baltimore Comptroller-elect Bill Henry; Baltimore Councilmembers Zeke Cohen, Ryan Dorsey, Sharon Green Middleton, Kris Burnett, and John Bullock; and Baltimore Councilmembers-elect James Torrence, Phylicia Porter, and Odette Ramos.

Kol hakavod / well done to the teams that worked so brilliantly to pass Montgomery County Questions A and C, and to oppose Questions B and D. JUFJ is proud to have played a leading role in the coalitions that won these fights for representative democracy and fair taxation.

Kol hakavod as well to everyone who worked to pass Baltimore County Question A, Baltimore City Question F, and Maryland Question 1. We will soon have a Fair Elections program in Baltimore County, like the ones we fought for in Montgomery County, DC, and Baltimore City, which will give regular people without deep-pocketed corporate backers a real chance to compete in local elections. And both the Baltimore City budget and the state budget will be newly shaped by our elected legislators, giving the people a stronger voice in making those budgets reflect our values.

We are also bursting with pride in DC Council candidate and longtime JUFJ partner Ed Lazere and the rest of his team, who ran a strong, principled, and progressive values-based campaign. The numbers aren’t looking like they’ll end up in his favor, but we’re still waiting for all the votes to be counted. Whatever the result, we’ll continue fighting with Ed for a more fair and just DC.

After all of the votes are counted and the election is decided, we will still have work to do. We will keep working, keep fighting, keep building our part of the movement for a more just region, a more just country, and a more just world, no matter what happens this election season. Thanks for being in this movement with me.

Jacob Feinspan
Scoring alert: DC Councilmembers should vote YES on sentencing reform and workers rights.