Election Day is less than a month away! This election represents yet another opportunity for California’s charter public school parents, educators, and yes, students, to demonstrate the power of their collective voices at the ballot box.

Although the presidential election is generating the greatest amount of coverage and is top of mind for many Americans, it’s important to recognize all the other contests being held further down the ballot. Many of these will have a more direct impact on policies that are critical to ensuring California’s charter schools ability to thrive and serve families well for years to come.

In each of these elections, CharterNation has the potential to flex its muscle at the ballot box and help determine an outcome that benefits kids and the education they receive. Let’s take a brief look at how each of these elections—including those at the presidential and congressional level—affect the landscape for charter schools.

Local School and County Board Elections: Members of your local school and county boards have a direct impact on educational equity and academic accountability in your community. Their votes have the power to determine if families will have continued or future access to quality charter public schools. They also—depending on the approval and appeal process in your district and county—hold charter public schools accountable for raising student achievement.

State Legislative Elections: State legislators craft and pass policies that create a framework for the approval and appeal process for charter public schools across our state. We saw that last year through the passage of AB 1505 and AB 1507. Through the budget process, legislators appropriate funding for classroom and nonclassroom-based charter public schools. This year, shamefully, legislators broke from the long-held precedent of allowing funding to follow students and denied growth funding to NCB charter schools that have stepped up during the current pandemic to serve more students and families.

Presidential and Congressional Elections: Each year, Washington funds the Charter Schools Program, which provides millions in grants for the creation and expansion of quality charter public schools across the country, including California. Aside from funding, both the White House and Congress help to elevate awareness about charter schools and make the sector a part of the national conversation around education.

For decades now, there’s been bipartisan support of charter schools, a core strength of the movement. Unfortunately, that’s waned over the past few years. But this November, CharterNation can send a powerful message to both parties that support for charter schools translates to a real and influential uptick in votes.

In this challenging moment for charter school families, educators, and supporters, we need to send a clear message: our voices matter, and our votes are powerful. So be sure to register today and together let’s show elected officials at all levels that #CharterNationVotes!

Are you registered to vote? You can check your status here. As we get closer to Election Day, here are key dates to remember:

• Voter registration: October 19
• Vote by mail application deadline: October 27
• Vote by mail ballot is due: November 3
• Election Day: November 3