All of us have seen the data demonstrating that we are in the midst of an affordable housing crisis - and that data doesn't just take the form of wonky reports and numbers splashed across headlines. Your child's teachers who can't afford to be a part of the community they serve is data. Your close friend who moved away because of housing costs is data. The traffic we all witness daily from thousands of educators, construction workers, EMTs, restaurant workers and others trapped in long car commutes to cling to their jobs - at the expense of family time - is data.

Collecting and analyzing data is good but taking action on it is better - and fortunately leaders in state and local governments are giving us the opportunity for action by placing several measures on the ballot to make a definitive, intentional difference in the lives of our friends and neighbors.