Polarization is real. I am not denying it. But the idea that cooperation has completely vanished isn’t true. What has vanished is our attention to the places where bipartisan work still happens. 

In statehouses, local governments, and even Congress, lawmakers are quietly working together on real problems. It doesn’t trend, so we decided it doesn’t exist. 

Let’s take a closer look at this gap between perception and reality. What parts of bipartisanship are overhyped? What progress is real? And where is cross-party cooperation actually working?

If you only look at national politics, everything feels frozen. But the closer you get to home, the more that story starts to fall apart. In statehouses and local governments, bipartisan work is alive and well, especially on issues that hit families directly. 

I didn’t believe this at first. I assumed “working across the aisle” was just a talking point. That changed when I saw it with my own eyes, speaking with my local representatives. They shared how much collaboration happens off-camera. Youth mental health is one of the clearest examples. 

In Colorado, Democrats and Republicans came together to create “I Matter.” The program helps cover the cost of therapy sessions for young people. It first passed in 2021, then was expanded and made permanent in 2024 to help more young people access help. It wasn’t flashy or made the front page of newspapers, but it made a real difference. 

 The story we tell about “broken politics” is incomplete. Behind the headlines, legislators from different parties are doing the hard, steady work of improving the lives of young people. 

The headlines are filled with shouting matches between the Democrats and the Republicans. This is the image we get from cable news and social media. Conflict makes for better television than committee meetings. But the real policymaking runs on conversation. 

Legislators spend hours every month together on committees, town halls, and working groups. These spaces provide an avenue for collaboration and shared values, such as protecting children and supporting educators. I’ve heard stories from staffers and legislators recounting sleeping on the floor at 2 am to finish negotiations and bill markups. 

In Wisconsin, leaders from both parties worked together on a task force focused on human trafficking. They held public hearings and put forward 11 bills in 2024. On a national level, attorneys general from nearly every state, Democrat and Republican, joined together to support funding for youth substance-use prevention. 

We love to say politicians only care about clout. And yes, some do. But that’s not the full picture. While some laws are written with headlines in mind, many others are driven by real experiences and community needs. 

Many lawmakers are a part of our community. They are parents, teachers, healthcare workers, and firefighters. They have seen gaps in the system firsthand, and that shapes the policies they support. 

In September 2025, Mike Kelly (R-PA) and Don Beyer (D-VA) introduced the Peer-to-Peer Mental Health Support Act, a bipartisan bill that aims to facilitate a student-led peer-to-peer mental health crisis response in schools. The idea came from young people who shared their experiences and helped shape the proposal. It’s a good example of lawmakers working together, across party lines, to respond to what young people were asking for. 

Another myth I am tired of hearing is that bipartisan work only survives on boring, technical bills. That’s simply not true. 

Some of the most complex and high-stakes issues facing young people today, like online safety, are being addressed through bipartisan efforts. These are not small issues; they shape long-term wellbeing, healthcare systems, and economic opportunities. 

In Utah, lawmakers passed HB 464, which targets the harmful social media algorithms. Similarly, Washington State created a bipartisan Artificial Intelligence Task Force (ESSB 5838) to study the impacts of AI across education, health, and civil rights. These efforts don’t always dominate national headlines, but they influence the everyday environments where young people learn, connect, and access care. 

Federal policy doesn’t feel disconnected by accident. It feels disconnected when the people most affected aren’t in the room. Local experiences and urgent needs don’t always make it into national policy, leaving people feeling unheard. 

But lawmaking doesn’t have to be so out of touch with the reality of communities

When young people, families, and community leaders speak up early and often, policy changes. 

We have seen this practice happen locally with youth advocating for peer-support networks and state-led digital safety frameworks. The pathway to crafting community-centered, evidence-backed legislation is clear—communities voicing their needs to state representatives, who elevate those issues to the federal level—but only if communities continue to push. 

So no, bipartisanship isn’t dead. It is just quieter, harder to notice, and far less dramatic than the version we’re used to seeing. And honestly? That might be a good thing.