School lunch theme for tonight’s Down Ballot Dinner, complete with Capri Sun & drink boxes. We had great conversations about experiences at school and on the job that shaped how we understand difference (and differences of opinion). And since we were talking about work & school, we also talked about the candidates for Commissioner of Labor and State Superintendent who will be able to influence work & school in NC.

As I looked at the North Carolina Council of State races this year, State Superintendent of Public Instruction and Commissioner of Labor felt particularly important to me; these departments influence the day-to-day functioning of our communities (public schools! boilers!) and make investments in our future, through educating our children and preparing and protecting our workforce.

I knew I had friends who would respond to an election day text: “Hiiiii! if you’re voting today, consider X for X!” But I wanted to reach people who 1) may vote different from me in the presidential race, but might not be sold on a straight party ticket or 2) may share my top of the ticket choice, but might not vote in other races if they hadn’t done their own candidate research.

I also wanted my participation in this election season to be something more than reposting memes to my IG stories. An August 8 Instagram caption from adrienne maree brown interrupted said reposting: “Redistribute 20% online time to offline planning, prep and relationship building.”

It was time to redistribute.

I decided on dinner parties because I believe the ritual of shared meals leads to shared stories. And I decided to call them Down Ballot Dinners because I believe in the power of alliteration. In my email invite, I promised:

  • A good dinner with six or seven people (because that’s how many dining chairs I have)
  • Conversation about what’s important to us when it comes to education and work (and elevator and roller coaster inspection, because the Commissioner of Labor is in charge of that)
  • A pitch for Mo Green (Public Instruction) and Braxton Winston (Labor), the candidates I’m supporting in these races
food-for-dinner-party
In addition to eating chili & cornbread, we talked about complicated trade offs in education, building infrastructure for NC agriculture—and there was a quick pitch for a Department of Labor that focuses on workers (since we’ve already got a Department of Commerce for business owners…)

I also offered these hopes for the evening:

  • We get to share some stories, some laughter, and maybe even disagreements – followed by more laughter and maybe extra dessert, just in case there’s an awkward moment
  • We all know more about what our friends and neighbors care about and why

Some folks responded immediately and enthusiastically, some said “I cannot possibly talk about politics with people I don’t know right now,” and some still haven’t responded. I’ve had three dinners so far with a total of 21 guests. Conversations have been wide-ranging and heartfelt, with stories of fourth grade caving expeditions gone wrong to realizing the magnet program you were bused to was deeply segregated. We’ve talked about the difference between “work” and “job,” and how our definitions of those words are influenced by wages and identity. We’ve learned some fun facts about state government, too. (Everyone was pleased to know there are two high schoolers on the State Board of Education.)

If you’ve got a race you care about, host your own Down Ballot Dinner! Here are my recommendations for how to go about it:

  • Make a simple meal. A pot of lentils! A pot of chili! Have your guests bring crusty bread and dessert (or drink boxes for the school-lunch theme night). But don’t make salty cornbread; you’ll just be disappointed in yourself.
  • Invite people to the table. Set the tone for the night with a favorite quotation, a song sung together, a prayer, or a poem. I read “Among Children” by Philip Levine because I think every event should begin with a poem and because Levine expresses so beautifully why public schools and quality jobs matter to people every single day.
  • Ask interesting questions. Have a few questions prepared to discuss while you enjoy your meal together. Don’t talk about the candidates or the races – talk about shared values. Since my dinners were focused on education and labor, I asked the following:
    • What is something you learned – via school work or social interaction – in elementary or secondary school that changed how you understood your place in the world?
    • Are work and a job the same thing?
  • Get on the same page about the requirements of the role. After dinner, we had a bit of State Government 101. I shared the basic responsibilities of the office, the department’s reach and budget, and a bit about the current office holder. It wasn’t a deep dive – just a summary from the department’s website.
  • Make a pitch for the candidate you plan on supporting. Offer a brief summary of both candidates’ experience and platforms and a bit about how you made your choice. Then discuss together what connections you see in the candidates’ positions and the things the group noted were important during your earlier discussions.
  • Make a plan instead of party favors. Encourage guests to do their own additional research, to vote, and to share what they’ve learned with their neighbors and friends.

Bonus: you can enjoy the leftovers for lunch!

Abby Parcell is the poetry editor of Exponent II. She lives in Chapel Hill, N.C.