Hello! Welcome to episode 107 of I’d Rather Stay In. This week we’re digging into why state-level legislation matters with friend of the pod and Arkansas state senate candidate Allison Grigsby Sweatman.

Quick links

• Follow Allison for Arkansas on Instagram
• Donate to Allison’s campaign
• Follow Allison’s personal Instagram

Episode transcript

Megan
Welcome to I’d rather stay in with your host Megan Myers and Stephie Predmore. This week we’re chatting with our guest Allison Grigsby Sweatman about local elections. Stay tuned.

Stephie
Do you love listening to I’d rather stay in and want to support the podcast? Well, now you can visit our website or the link in our Instagram profile and click Buy me a coffee or visit buy me a coffee.com/irssi podcast. For the price of a cup of coffee, you can help us cover the costs of creating this podcast. There are no monthly memberships and you could support us at whatever level you like, whenever you like, whether you buy us one coffee, many coffees or simply continue listening as always, we’re so grateful for your support

Hello, Megan,

Megan
hello.

Stephie
You my friend flew for the first time in like two years. This past week, you took a you took a trip and you went on an airplane. How was that? Uh,

Megan
it was, it was okay. I didn’t like that. It was it was a little weird. It was mostly just annoying because of like standard airline things where like the flight was delayed and then we had to like, you know, trek through the airport to make our connection. So like that is normal.

Stephie
Normal and things that we do not miss.

Megan
Yeah, I didn’t mind wearing my mask on the plane at the airport, whatever it was, that was fine. And there was no kerfuffles on our flights. Go crazy people like losing their minds about it. There were definitely fewer people coughing and sneezing than there has ever been on a flight that I’ve been.

Stephie
I mean, that is that is a lovely thing.

Megan
I think I sneeze a couple of times on the way back because I caught my lovely pollen. friends when I was in Austin. And I was like, oh, no, it’s just it’s appalling. I swear to God.

Stephie
I always have that because like I sneeze when I get in the sunlight. And so when I like get out of the car, like go into a store and I start sneezing and I want to just very loudly be like, it’s not though rhona’s. I swear. Yes. So I understand that

Megan
feeling. Yeah, it was it was basically fine. So Well, that’s good.

Stephie
That’s good. I was anxious for you about you being on a plane. So that’s, you know, anyway.

Megan
So when we talked about voting in November 2020, like, so long ago now. We mentioned go, it was forever. We mentioned how important it was to vote in your local and state elections, not just in national elections.

Stephie
So to talk to us more about why state elections matter and the impact that state legislation can have on a national scale. We’ve invited back our friend Allison Grigsby Sweatman. Welcome back, Allison.

Allison
Hello, thanks. I’m excited to be here.

Megan
Glad to have you back. We’ve had a number of returning guests on the pod, but you are the first one to come back so soon after their first episode. And a lot of that has to do with some pretty big life changes you’ve had recently. Can you tell us what you’ve been up to?

Allison
Sure thing, it. It is a huge life change. I’m actually running for State Senate here in my home state of Arkansas. And I’m really excited to talk about it. I have loved your podcast for a long time. And that episode about voting that you mentioned was fantastic. And so yeah, I’m excited to talk about all that today.

Stephie
So, you know, obviously, you know what we were talking to you last last time, we talked about how you’re a social worker, and you’re in law school, and you’re a mom of two and a wife. What made you decide to add Arkansas State Senate candidate to your resume, like what made you feel like you could make an impact on your community through this race?

Allison
Thank you so much for that question. I recently realized that I’m having to come to terms with the fact that if I were a rational person, I would not have taken this on.

But I also think that it it’s time for people to be bold about the need for change on on every level of government. It’s time for people to take on things like this that look irrational and that are going to take a lot of help from a lot of people in their community and beyond in order to pull it off and make the change that we all need to see. Like you said, I’m a social worker. I’m a mom. to kids who have disabilities and so firsthand, I saw what it’s like to have to advocate within systems to get them what they need. And sometimes fighting within systems I, I don’t like to use that word, I don’t use it lightly. But I sometimes I think the word fight is thrown around a lot, you know what I mean? Like, we were fighting for this and that, but there were times when it really was that stressful. And it was, it was that much for our family. So on the most micro level, on the most personal level, I’ve contended with that. And eventually, my personal advocacy became something that people would share among one another, and I became kind of the parent to reach out to, to help other parents navigate those same systems, health care and education. And that was an honor. It’s the reason that I went back to school for social work, and then sort of in school, and then also just in that practice of, of working alongside parents in those systems, I realized that if anything is going to change in a meaningful long term way, it has to be systemic change. That one on one work that I was doing, gave me face to face, knee to knee interaction with parents who were just so broken and exhausted and needed, needed this change. And so I’m, I’m in it to, to change, specifically, the future for our children and to meet their needs right now. Not just children with disabilities. But but all children. And I’ve been working in mental health for a little bit now. And, and also seeing the need for change there. Again, not just for children, but for adults and everyone in our community. I think that’s another thing that has really been brought forward in the last two years is the need for mental health to be more accessible to more people. And so those are just a couple of the issues that I guess you could say I couldn’t ignore anymore. And, and then on the most basic level, for democracy to function, people need a choice on the ballot, they need a choice, they need to see multiple people who they can look up, they can witness sort of putting themselves out there talking about the issues. And they need to be able to make that choice from the bottom of the ballot to the most local election all the way up to you know, whenever like every four years when we have a presidential election, like every single line of the ballot, there should be a choice. And I noticed that there wasn’t one in my Senate district and decided to take the plunge this cycle. It’s something I thought I would do eventually. Definitely didn’t think I would do this year. But here we are. So

Stephie
and yet apparently, we’re not rational. I feel that would you say that?

Allison
Yeah, no logical, but I mean, I think it’s so important to because, like, we can be logical about approaching these issues. But when I say it’s not rational, I mean, it can be difficult to be to have these feelings like, especially as a woman, these feelings of like, oh, no, I can’t change anything. Like I have to focus just on the most micro issues on the people right in front of me. But the truth is, I can do that. And I can have this big, irrational movement driven focus for systemic change. So that these one on one conversations, these micro level issues won’t be quite so difficult. And and the reason it’s irrational is because there’s very little legislative will sometimes for these things that I’m talking about, but I know because I’ve met with the people in my community and beyond. I know these are the things that are affecting them directly. And the people who are making the laws are not paying attention.

Stephie
Well, some of the biggest changes started from things that sounded so irrational. Absolutely. And then they grab so

Megan
in case anyone listening is not sure of the difference. Can you walk us through the differences of being a senator at the state level and versus the national level?

Allison
Absolutely, I first of all, I want to say that it is not a shameful thing to not understand. Because it’s it’s hard because state and federal, like we use the same language. And so it can be so confusing, you know, if you’re not kind of all up in it. So basically, the state level, for the most part mirrors the federal level. So there are three branches of government in the federal government. We’ve got the executive branch, which is the president and her cabinet and all of the agencies in that branch. And then we’ve got the legislative branch, which is where the Senate and the House of Representatives preside. And it’s where laws are made, and passed and, and then you got the judicial branch branch, which is our court system. And so, essentially on a state level, for the most part, it looks very similar. In the state of Arkansas, we have a state legislature that that’s made up of the House of Representatives. In the Senate, and then, of course, we have the governor, which is the executive branch and then our own state court system. And so I’m running to be in the State Senate. And there are 35 senators in our state. And they are each representing about between 80 and 90,000 people in our state. And most most states function similarly, as far as how they elect representatives in the legislature to go make those state level laws.

Stephie
Awesome. So, you know, get like a continuing kind of talk about, you know, the state level, one of the things we really want to dig into you into with you here is why state legislation matters. Like I feel like when people talk about or think about laws and lawmaking, a lot of times we think about it on a national scale. But statewide laws are actually really important and can extend beyond just that individual state. So can you kind of talk us through why that is and how that happens?

Allison
Absolutely. So it makes sense, right, that the federal lawmaking would get the most headlines and get the most attention. It’s, it’s, it’s like you can see these federal lawmakers pushing these issues that end up in more headlines, then you will see on the state level, and it’s where most people are tuning in for their news, etc. But on the state and local levels, that’s where the average citizen has a greater opportunity to be heard. And as far as what happens on the state level, extending beyond the state, we see that all the time. So we see trends happening in state legislation across the country, and others watch to see how it’s received, like one state will start with it. Other states will pay attention, they know that their voters are paying attention. And then they bring it to their own lawmakers. And they bring it to their own legislatures to try to enact similar legislation in their own state. So trends like this can gain national attention and end up being addressed on a federal level too. And by that time, a lot of times people don’t even understand that it actually started at a state level. So one example is the state level voter suppression legislation that we’ve seen all across the country that put Federal Voting rights protection on the agenda, people wouldn’t have started pushing for Federal Voting rights, lawmaking, if not for the state level laws being passed, that were being interpreted as incredibly voter suppressive. And so that’s kind of one just one way that state level legislation and federal legislation play on one another and affect one another. And it happens with, you know, what I consider to be against oppressive, oppressive, lawmaking. And sometimes it happens with with good laws as well. Well, I

Stephie
just wanted to circle back real quick, you know, what you were saying of you know, that on the on the state level, and state and local levels are where, you know, average citizens are more likely to be heard. And because I think that what you I hear a lot, especially when we’re looking at national elections, especially the presidential elections, is that people are like, Oh, my vote doesn’t even make a difference. Yeah, why I’ve like why bother go and vote, it doesn’t even make a difference. But like, they forget about that you in those on those same ballots, you’re able to vote on a local level, you’re able to vote on a state level. And like those really do like even if you feel like on a national level, your vote doesn’t make a difference. It really does on a smaller scale, that then can compound into that large scale change. So I think slightly wider.

Allison
And and also, some of these local level positions are not nearly as sensational li political in the sort of culture war way that we find ourselves right now, especially with federal level politics. But but some of the more local ones, they’re, they’re not part of then the folks that were voting for. And so you can really ask yourself, What does this person about without having to get into what is really difficult for a lot of people right now, which is what politics has become, right? Like politics has become so exhausting. I think for the average American definitely for the folks that I’m talking to, like, they’re just sick of the political grandstanding. They’re sick of the culture wars, making its way into lawmaking. And they want to see what people are about how it’s going to change their life specifically, without the sort of one liners that are looking to make its way on to Fox News. Like it’s so it’s so hard to watch that be what it’s become. But on a local level, that’s far less likely to be the case. And then let me tell you something else. Not only does your vote matter on a local level, on a state level, let me tell you about my like where I live The person who represents me in our state legislature in the house, won by 16 votes last night. Holy cow. Wow. 16 votes. Yeah. And on the other side of the river, I live in North Little Rock in Little Rock on the other side of the river. The person who won that election, I want to say it was about it was it was similarly close, it was like in in the 30s, or something. And then more recently, we had a special election, a woman named Lisa Parkes was challenging an incumbent, and she lost by 32 votes, 32 votes more recently, and fewer people also vote in those special elections. And so so I know that it can seem exhausting. And it can seem like the only way to mentally survive, the way that politics have become, is to disengage. But the local level, and even often the state level is where you can be engaged, without as much of the exhausting way that politics is affecting us, like engaging on the local and very often the state level is where you’re going to find a lot of the folks who genuinely want to see change that’s going to affect you directly, they genuinely want to sit face to face with you, and hear how the systems that they are making laws for are affecting your life directly. And that’s, that’s few, it’s few and far between, I think with the way that national politics has become over the last six years or so.

Megan
Yeah, I think it’s hard to especially to get people to go out to these local elections, because the dates are so different from place to place, you’re used to the big, you know, the big presidential election, even the midterms, like it’s always the same day, every single time. And, you know, sometimes, like your election might be in April and might be in May, sometimes there’s like a special one in July. It’s really confusing. And if you aren’t purposefully keeping up with what’s going on in your local government, you’re not going to know even when voting day is. Mm hmm.

Stephie
It’s true, how it makes up on you.

Megan
It does, yeah.

Allison
And I can’t be the only person who like before I became engaged, engaged enough to run for office, but engaged enough to, like really be paying attention about six years ago, I, I found myself in the ballot box, saying Who’s that? And I, I mean, I didn’t want to just vote on party lines alone, even as as like even before I became engaged politically, like I am now. And so I never wanted to find myself in that place. But I think that it can be a lot of hard work for the average person who’s just trying to get by and just trying to affect change in their community and just trying to vote for their own interests and their own values, you know, it should be easier than it is to figure out what someone’s about, you know what I mean? Yeah. And so, I would also say that there are some organizations, there’s one in our state, but there are some organizations in various states that are really trying to meet that need as well, folks who, you know, identify as independent, or who are, are really, like I said, just trying to figure out what these people are about without hearing. The, the. without hearing what they’re hearing from everyone else, they really want to see what people are talking about and the issues that they’re standing for. There are some organizations that are trying to meet that need make it easier for people to be informed voters whenever they show up to cast their vote.

Stephie
Yeah. So you know, we’ve seen recently in the news, like laws attacking and LGBTQ plus youth and states like Texas, Tennessee, and Florida, and those really come to mind as negative examples of how state laws can have a snowballing effect. But you can you share some examples of positive state legislation that’s made it to a national level?

Allison
Absolutely. And again, those those laws are not only sensationalized, they’re incredibly upsetting and harmful. And so I, I am, I am glad that we are talking about these issues, and I hate that we’re having to talk about it because of the harm that’s been done on a systemic level. The ones that are not as sensationalized or upsetting are kind of what come to mind and some of them came from the pandemic. So the COVID 19 pandemic brought, I think, a lot of issues to the forefront that are either trending or on the brink of trending. They’re just not talked about as much It might seem small but telehealth coverage for folks who need it is a huge state level sweep since COVID. began, like we saw it initially, folks were or states were cutting out a lot of red tape so that people could access their health care and mental health care needs via telehealth, and a lot of them have expanded that and extended it and kept it and I think over 30 states have kept it if I’m not, if I’m not mistaken. And then it’s actually a disability access issue, you know, for a lot of people, they can now see their providers from their homes. I know that for us, we my daughter, Rosie sees like something like 10 different specialists at our local children’s hospital. And occasionally we would have appointments, where would be like, you know, getting up to the hospital with her wheelchair and her feeding pump. And like everything that we have to bring was so stressful to spend a whole day there. And now we’re able to see some of those doctors from home those who can, you know, examine her and just talk with us via telehealth that has been huge for our family. And I know, it’s been huge for a lot of other families. And then I as a therapist, I see a few clients via telehealth who who genuinely need it, they wouldn’t be able to access mental health services without it. And so that’s something I’m really glad to see has has, you know, kept in like state by state. And something I see happening in the future also as a result of COVID is broadband expansion. As as many as 16 million students were without internet to attend school remotely whenever the pandemic began. And that that that is mind blowing. When you think about the number. Yeah, it’s like 16 million students that I talk a lot about special education. And I’m always talking about millions and millions, right, who who don’t have access to a free and appropriate education under that the federal law that that mandates that they’re provided it. But here we have, it’s one resource, this is one thing that I mean, literally, they cannot access their education, when and if it goes remote. And so 16 million students weren’t able to do that. And I think that made a lot of people realize how important that is not just for students. But for everyone in order to be connected to society. That’s kind of that’s kind of where we’re going in order to participate meaningfully and access what you need to access. Broadband expansion is something that I think a lot more people are talking about, and that I think we’re going to see soon, maybe state by state, that was also part of the infrastructure package that was passed by Congress to last year. So those are, those are some trends that I see that are positive, but again, they’re not as sensationalized they’re not as culture worry, you know, and it’s, it’s hard because people aren’t talking about them, but they’re affecting a lot of people. And I believe they will affect a lot of people for the better whenever they’re seeing through. But what gets a lot of what kind of takes up a lot of the oxygen in terms of legislative will like there has to be a will like these legislators have to have a will like a reason to move forward on these things. And there’s just so many other things that are taking up oxygen, that are either harmful or really not important. And really only benefiting the the politicians who want to get their soundbite. So

Megan
what are some of the platforms you are running on? And how do you think making those changes in Arkansas can affect change on a larger level?

Allison
Absolutely. Well, like I said, when we talked before, Special Education and Disability Rights is something that has always been very personal to me. Not only are both of my kids, individuals with disabilities who have participated in the special education system and needed, needed access to health care that we’ve had to fight for. But I work with families, a lot like mine to help them navigate those systems as well. And so that was kind of the beginning of it for me as far as seeing the need for systemic change and legislative change. And then I was raised in a small business family. My mom owns a restaurant that has been in my family since 1976. here locally, it’s actually in my district which is fun. And I worked there as a teenager watched my mom work 60 hour weeks staying up all night to crunch numbers to to you know make payroll keep the lights on keep costs down and and watching that. I noticed on a very personal level, the way that small businesses are affecting not just the family that owns it right my family but but those people who became like family like the people who worked at our small business and the regulars who came into our small business and and who supported us and who we were able to feed like These, these are the businesses that are not just a place for the community to gather. But they are the backbone of the local economy, the dollars, like Penny for Penny $1, that goes into a small business stays in that local community, and benefits the local economy tremendously more than when we put our dollars into bigger business around around our communities. And so I’m just I’m proud to be from a family, a woman owned small business family. And that’s, that’s a big issue to me as well. And then, like I said, mental health access, the barriers to accessing mental health in a meaningful way that will actually meet the mental health needs of not just the children that I work with, and their parents, but everyone. Those barriers are many, and it looks different for every community. But here’s what I know, as a therapist, I know that the biggest indicator of success for a person seeking mental health services to seek to see a therapist, the biggest indicator is therapeutic relationship and rapport with the person who is is serving them. So basically, your relationship with your therapist. And a big thing that I hear people saying is, I can’t choose who I work with I, whether it’s because of the lack of coverage at the place where they want to where they want to seek services, or whether and then and then on the other side of it, I know as a mental health provider, that the red tape on our side of things keeps us from offering services to everyone who needs it. And so I think that a lot of those issues need to be met systemically, with with big change. So that so that people like I said, can choose who they work with, they can see them for as long as they need to see them in order to feel like they have a hold on their mental health and a footing with which to go forward into the world. We’re seeing a lot of people on waiting lists to access mental health services right now. It’s it’s the reason that I transitioned from the work I was doing for the past few years into direct clinical practice is because there are waiting lists that are hundreds of people long, people who were avoiding mental health services, because of the stigma, I have had no choice but to seek them over the last two years. And they shouldn’t be on waiting list because of these systemic barriers that I’m talking about. And so those are the main issues that brought me to running, running for office. Like I said, they’re all very personal to me. But I also know, because I’ve sat across from from several of my my constituents and my my friends here in my community, I also know that they’re affected by them, too. And so I’m excited to to bring those issues to the forefront and hopefully, you know, service senator to change them on a macro level.

Stephie
That’s amazing, you know, so if our listeners want to learn more about you and your Senate race, where can they do so how can they support you? What are your biggest needs in the coming months?

Unknown Speaker
Yes. So Allisonforarkansas.com is where you can find my website and a few platform issues are written about there, and a little bit about my district and kind of my personal story is all there, Allison for Arkansas, on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, sometimes it’s Allison for AR, you can kind of play around with that, but definitely find us on there. And then the biggest need as we get this campaign off the ground is to have a good start with fundraising. We are in the very beginning here about a month ago is when I filed to run for office. And I said yes to running one week prior. So we’re kind of in the infancy. But we don’t have as much time as you would think like this is this is a marathon and it’s also a sprint. We’re eight months away from election day. And we have really big plans to get this message out there. And anyone can help anyone with whom this message is resonating. Whether you live in Arkansas, or you don’t. Whether you’ll be directly affected by by Arkansas politics or not, like we said state by state, we’re all affecting one another. If you want to see the kind of change I’m talking about, I would love your support, your monthly support your one time donation, anything that you feel makes sense to you. And as always share with your friends about these issues, folks who will also resonate with it, send them to my pages to engage about these issues. And let’s keep this conversation going not just on our state levels but on a national level so that they can’t be ignored any longer.

Megan
And of course we’d be remiss if we did not ask you when is election day.

Allison
Election day is November 8 2022 here in Arkansas and so that that’s when everybody who lives in my district of North Little Rock mom out Sherwood and Jacksonville, here in Arkansas can cast their vote. And I would be honored to have it.

Stephie
Amazing. Well, thank you so much for coming back today. Allison, I know that your schedule is so busy with all the things that are on your plate. So I we are honored that you took some time out of your schedule to come and talk to us again, listeners, like, if anything that she has said with you resonates, please go please go check out her platforms, you know, even if all you have is five or 10 bucks to support her, like there’s no amount that’s too little. And you do not have to live in Arkansas, you don’t have to live in her district to say like, these are things that I want to support. And I want to see happen in other places so that they can happen in my state and on a national level. So that’s my little that’s my little support speech for you. Thank you. Yeah. So as you know, we always been talking about joy. So what is bringing you joy this week, friend?

What’s bringing us joy?

Allison
I should have had an answer prepared because I was on your podcast like two weeks ago. And now I don’t feel prepared. I feel a lot of joy. And I just have to be honest and very immediate with this answer. I got eight and a half hours of sleep last night. Because Because I I finished so much paperwork yesterday that had a deadline. And then I could have gotten up early and gotten ahead on some things. But I said no. And so that that almost nine hours of sleep is what’s bringing me joy, if I’m being honest.

Megan
That’s amazing.

Allison
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. It’s really it’s it’s kind of a big deal.

Stephie
Oh, I’m a little bit jealous. It’s amazing.

Megan
Stephie what’s bringing you joy.

Stephie
I went to a candlemaking class last night at one of our local breweries they brought in this local company that does these candle making workshops, I went with a friend and it was really fun. And we got to like pick our like scents and like mix and match and do our own like custom thing. And my candle smells really nice. And now I have a really nice handmade candle to sit on my little like, I have a little like tray thing that goes over my clawfoot tub for my you know, a nice long dragon that I take and so and I can light my little candle and I can have my dragon bath. It’s great. So I’m very excited about that.

Megan
So fancy. Yeah.

Stephie
Megan, Megan, what’s making you happy this week.

Megan
So as we talked about the top of the podcast, I went to Austin, this past weekend and my friend and I went to play with baby goats. So no fun. baby goats are amazing. They are just like dogs. They love to be petted. They love to sit on your lap. They’re very playful. They’re very sweet. The Mamas are also very sweet. Like if you’re just standing there, not doing anything. A Mama will come up to you and just like shove you petting her. They’re so sweet. I love it so much. We went out there and had a little picnic of some amazing goat cheese. It’s like the creamiest goat cheese I ever had in my life. And watch the sunset and it was delightful. I love going to farms and just like being out, you know, so peaceful and it really filled my cup.

Stephie
So just I love goats so much goat cheese is like my favorite food. And I love baby goats. So I told Allison I texted Megan, as she was like at her picnic, and I said if you do not send me pictures of baby goats.

Allison
They’re so cute. They really are like little puppies. Like yeah, so, so loving. Like they’d like to be scratched and cuddled. Yeah, they’re so cute.

Stephie
So much.

Next week’s episode

Megan
Well, next week, we are going to be back here talking about some of our guilty pleasures.

Stephie
Until then, leave us a review on Apple podcasts and listen to us on your favorite platform. You can also follow us on social media at IRSIpodcast or send us an email at Idratherstayinpodcast@gmail.com We’d love to hear from you.

Megan
Bye

Transcribed by https://otter.ai