Presidential politics has taken center stage this election year, for good reason. But if you're interested in making a political impact, you may be focusing on the wrong race.

The truth is, when you vote for a candidate (or donate to their campaign), you can't be sure you will get what you voted for. Politicians make all sorts of promises during the campaign, but after the election, often for perfectly good reasons, their positions are less clear. This is the nature of indirect democracy.

Ballot measures, on the other hand, are a form direct democracy available to citizens in 26 states (and the District of Columbia). If a ballot measure passes, it will happen. If it doesn't, it won't happen. So if you really want to make a difference on the issues you care about, one of the most effective things you can do this election is to get involved in campaigns for or against ballot measures.

You see, moving the needle in America's "fifty laboratories of democracy" can actually be a pretty effective way to advance political change nationally. A law enacted in one state can have a ripple effect on policy across the country and set a precedent or model for similar action in others.

That's why we've launched a new tool designed to help you be as effective as possible this election based on the issues that you care about.

This year, states will vote on critical issues that could cause a dramatic shift in the national policy debate over health care, land use, drug policy, election reform, and the minimum wage. Voters in California, Nevada, and Arizona will decide whether or not to legalize recreational marijuana. Washington and South Dakota will vote on public financing of political campaigns. Massachusetts voters face a major ballot proposition on the expansion of charter schools. And the state of Colorado will actually be voting on Universal Health Care.

But although voters will decide the fate of over 150 statewide ballot measures, these campaigns are often funded by big donors and special interests who are investing millions of dollars to advance their cause. These political insiders have expensive consultants and advisors who tell them where to direct their donations to get the outcomes they want.

At Crowdpac, we don't think your network or net worth should determine your political power. So we've created campaign slates based on ballot measures to help you make a direct difference on the issues you care about. Donating to them may be the most effective political action you can take to move the ball forward on the causes you believe in. And if passed, they'll be enacted...no matter who becomes president in November.

Photo Source: AP