The Indian American

America is draining, in part because of a 24/7 news cycle that can require immediate responses from public figures. Whether a bill is being considered on the floor of a leg- islature or a tragic accident occurs, elected officials are expected to be available to respond, in addition to regularly engaging their constituents through social media. They are also under constant pressure to see and be seen – at community events, for fundraising purposes, and their district’s businesses,” she writes. And legislators often pay a personal price for their decision, sometimes living at the margins of the economy as they struggle to survive on part-time salaries for full-time jobs. Bhojwani gives the example of Yvanna Cancela, who was the political director at the Culinary Workers Union, before becom- ing a state senator in Nevade, and who makes $8,777 a year plus per diem allowance for the days on which the legisla- ture meets. In Nevada, that’s 120 days every two years. However, in the four states will full-time legislatures, the yearly salaries are $90,526 in California, $84,012 in Pennsylvania, $79,500 in New York, and $71,685 in Michigan. These salaries are supplemented with per diem allowances for days the legis- latures are in session. In places like Los Angeles, City Councilors earn a generous yearly salary of $184,610, more than the governor, state legislators, and most mem- bers of Congress. In New York City, Council members make $148,500. Oftentimes, there are cases of immigrants like Vandana Slatter, a Washington state representative who waited until she could afford to quit her job and her son was out of high school before she ran for the Bellevue City Council. Until December of 2016, Councilmembers made $19,800 a year, as salary had not increased for 16 years. The salaries increased in 2017, to $28,728. Bhojwani makes the point for democracy reforms, which would entail revamping the policies and processes that has kept ‘people like us’ out of power. These would also include redistricting to take into account interests of minority voters, and beat out challenges in redistricting that have to do with biased maps for Congressional and state legislative districts. Only 21 states in the country have commissions that are bipartisan or nonpartisan to help determine how these districts look. “As the most marginalized groups in American politics, they need to be engaged as voters, donors, and candidates in order to make democracy more inclusive and repre- sentative,” Bhojwani writes. Bhojwani notes that one in four Americans is an immigrant or child or immigrants, and by 2040, that number will grow to one in three. But voter participation among these groups is significantly lower than among native-born whites and African Americans. Fewer than 50 percent of eligible Asian Americans and Latinx voted in the 2016 elections, compared to 65 percent of Whites and 60 percent of African Americans. Bhojwani writes: “In addition to disman- tling the system that is rigged in favor of rich white men on both sides of the aisle, we must also shift the culture within politics about who can be an American leader. Ironically, voters are frustrated with the usual political insiders, but the system only works for insiders.” 44 THE INDIAN AMERICAN OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2018

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