"As a nation built on laws, I think it's policy change that will help us create the better world that we all envision." - a conversation with Maria Yuan - a podcast by Liz Gold

Did you know incumbents are re-elected 90 percent of the time? In this episode, I'm talking with Maria Yuan, founder of IssueVoter, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to give everyone a voice in our representative democracy. Described as "politics for busy people," IssueVoter helps people become more informed by summarizing hard-to-understand legislative bills and tracking representatives' activity. Learn how you can become more engaged with what your elected officials are doing between elections and why the nonprofit chooses to be nonpartisan.

"Thinking back, I realized that I grew up with parents who always voted. My dad's family fled Communist China, so I think from a very young age my parents taught me the importance of civic duty."

"I had a realization at a young age that there are people in other countries that don't ever get to vote."

"I didn't necessarily want to work in politics because I didn't necessarily agree with either party 100 percent of the time and I think that's most people."

"Politics and campaigns and candidates and dramatic narratives really overshadow what is just, if not more important, which is policy."

"As a nation built on laws, I think its policy change that will help us create the better world that we all envision."

"Congress introduces over 15,000 bills each legislative session. They may vote on about 1,000 of them and we're only hearing about a handful in the news."

Maria Yuan - bio

Maria Yuan is passionate about fixing significant, systemic problems by leveraging creativity and determination to achieve world-changing results and impact. As the Founder of IssueVoter, their mission is to give everyone a voice in our representative democracy. Individuals from all 435 Congressional Districts already use IssueVoter and they have sent over two million alerts to individuals and opinions back to Congress. IssueVoter has motivated Americans to vote, stay informed, and make their voices heard between elections, when the real work that affects our lives gets done. IssueVoter also collaborates with organizations to engage and activate their communities in impactful ways.

Maria's political experience includes introducing and passing a bill as a constituent, working for a Representative, and managing and winning one of the most targeted races in Iowa - an open seat in a swing district. Maria's professional experience includes investment banking, strategy, corporate development, recruiting, social enterprise, and consulting. She currently serves on the Bridge Alliance Board of Directors and Keep Families Giving Foundation Advisory Board and has served on the boards of Gibney Dance, The University of Texas Co-Op, and Friends of the Children New York.

Maria's interviews and writing have appeared in Real Clear Politics, The Hill, PBS, MTV, Fast Company, and more, and she has spoken at conferences, companies, and universities across the U.S. on civic engagement, technology, and democracy. Maria earned degrees from The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania and The University of Texas at Austin.

Issue Voter info

https://issuevoter.org/

https://www.facebook.com/issuevoter

https://twitter.com/issuevoter

https://www.instagram.com/issuevoter/

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