By: Julia Hartlep
As citizens of Wisconsin, we all have an inherent reliance on our public representatives. When we elect them, we are trusting them to keep our best interests in mind and to represent us fairly and justly. Such is the nature of democracy. Yet many citizens don’t really know who they’re electing,… who they’re relying on. Who are our representatives? What do they stand for?
Representative Chris Taylor has been a part of the Wisconsin state Assembly since August of 2011, representing the 76th assembly district. In her own words her “first responsibility is to represent the constituents of my district. First, that means being their advocate and helping them with any state issues or problems they may have. Second, it’s to propose and push for state policies my district wants and improve our state.” Taylor’s main priorities include supporting the pushing for renewable energy policies, addressing inequalities, and advocating for a “more transparent, clean” government. “Finally, my job is to fight as hard as possible against policies which hurt people and our state.”
From a young age, Taylor has been interested in social justice issues, especially gender inequalities. In fact, fighting for reproductive justice has been a point of passion for her since she was a young adult.
Even so, becoming a Wisconsin representative was never an explicit goal for Taylor. Though she was interested in politics. she says that she “never thought [she] would run for public office.” Even to this day, her goal doesn’t consist of a specific profession, but instead purely working towards a more just and equitable society.
Because politics can, and will, affect everyone- something that we are becoming more aware of. “Politics impacts everything that happens in our lives. There is no way to live outside of a political framework.”
And through recent years and events, Taylor has seen a lot of new activism, especially from the youth- even from those who never considered running for office, or becoming politically involved. “But citizens are still unfortunately not driving most policy currently being passed at the state or national level.”
But we are seeing more and more change- for the better- each and every day.