Remote workers are freer than ever to relocate, especially when smaller cities dangle incentives.
Leconte Lee seems like a very cool guy and I’m happy that he and his partner are doing well in Tulsa. But if you decide to move to a smaller city, at least try to settle in one in a purple state. 😉
Politically, the worst thing you can do is move to a deep blue state. Nothing personal, but we don’t need you in New York City, San Francisco, or Seattle. And you certainly don’t need the high cost of living and ridiculous rents which go with such overpriced real estate.
In California and New York, your Democratic vote in presidential elections is nice, but it has little impact on the Electoral College.
The same, of course, is true if you move to a deep red state.
On the other hand, your vote in purple states counts WAY more. The last two presidential elections were decided by just tens of thousands of votes.
^^^ source of graphics.
The Electoral College will be around as long as Republicans control state legislatures. Hoping it will go away and signing petitions will change nothing. To get rid of the Electoral College, start working to make your legislature blue or even bluer. Legislatures are key if you want to change the US Constitution.
And forget about that so called Electoral Vote Compact. A Republican-run state will quickly pull out of it after Election Day if it looks like the the compact would elect a Democratic president. As with amending the US Constitution, legislatures have a preeminent role in deciding who gets the Electoral Votes in their states. Republicans don’t care about anything other than holding on to power. Just look at the wave of voter suppression laws currently sweeping through GOP legislatures.
So if you are thinking of relocating AND are politically minded, keep in mind the states where the winning margins in 2020 were less than 10 percentage points.
There are some great places like Eau Claire in Wisconsin and Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania where you can live comfortably in pleasant surroundings and have a disproportionate impact on elections -- and therefore on the future of democracy.
Vote with your moving van as well as with your hands. 🚐 ☒