**MOST POLITICIANS THINK WOMEN SHOULD BE SEEN AND NOT HEARD. IN THE LAST ELECTION 22 MILLION WOMEN AGREED. THIS YEAR MAKE THEM LISTEN…VOTE!**

YOU ARE NOT JUST VOTING FOR PRESIDENT!

You are voting for who replaces Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

You are voting for Federal Judges who are not far-right ideologues.

You are voting for the next Secretary of Education.

You are voting for the next Attorney General.

You are voting for saving National Parks.

You are voting for letting kids out of cages.

You are voting for clean air and clean water.

You are voting for scientists to be able to speak freely about climate change and public health and to be respected for their knowledge.

 You are voting for housing rights.

You are voting for LGBTQ+ people to be treated justly and with dignity.

You are voting for people of different faiths to be treated as full citizens.

 You are voting for Dreamers.

You are voting for the protection of Social Security and Medicare.

You are voting to bring back manufacturing jobs to America.

You are voting for veterans to get the care they deserve.

You are voting for rural hospitals.

You are voting so that everyone can have healthcare.

You are voting for public broadcasting (PBS).

You are voting for renewed efforts to eliminate systemic racism.

You are voting against hate.

You are voting to have a President who doesn’t embarrass this country every time he attends an international meeting.

You are voting for a President who respects and stands with our Allies.

You are voting against allowing the United States to become yet another authoritarian regime.

Joe Biden may not have been your first choice for the Democratic nominee and he’s not perfect but he will be 1000 times better than four more years of Trump.

MAKE SURE ARE REGISTERED AND HAVE A PLAN TO ENSURE YOU VOTE!

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On August 26, 2020, America celebrated 100 years of voting rights for women.  It’s been over 100 years since women have been granted the right to vote in our country.  And that does not include all women.  Black women were not given full voting rights until the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965.  And yet, they were an incredible part of the struggle back in the beginning of the 20^th century.  America’s troubling history with women’s rights has included black women.  Black women were at the forefront of every major battle in U.S History – the abolition movement during the 1850s, the suffragist movements of the 1860s and 1920s, and the Civil Rights Movements of the 1950s and 1960s.  Together, black and white women have paved the way for all women to have racial and gender equality.  And yet, we have a long, long way to go. 

Dare to Run is a 501 c 3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to train women how to run for public office in New York and in 14 states around the country.  We have a two-semester certification program that gives women all of the tools and skills they need to run ambitious campaigns for public office in their respective communities.  This year, in honor of Women’s Equality Day, Dare to Run is proud to celebrate 100 years of voting rights – and what that means for our country.  Since 1920, women have impacted every single election in our nation’s history.  They have contributed to what is known as the gender gap in electoral politics – the difference between the men and women vote.  As you may have guessed, overall, women tend to vote for more Democratic Candidates; men tend to vote more Republican.  The gender gap between men and women’s voting trends is deeply partisan and has grown increasingly so over the last thirty years.  Experts predict it will continue to be that way for a long time.  Dare to Run is proud to celebrate women’s history this year with a small celebration in honor of the past, the present and the future.

We toast the ladies of the past – the women suffragists who fought for our right to vote in the early 1900s, who went on hunger strikes and protests so that future generations of women would be able to vote.

We toast the ladies who completed the first Cohort of Dare to Run – Giselle, Keyla, Nayma, Shanequa, Melissa, Jillian, Wanda, Sheba, and Jusinta – you are a phenomenal group of women and we are so proud to recognize the contributions you have made to your communities in New York City and beyond.  We look forward to watching all of your accomplishments as you embrace your journey to public office. We toast the ladies of the future – the incoming class of Dare to Run for Fall 2020 – Karinna, Stephanie, Dorian, Tammy, Sharon and JoEllen – we salute your dedication to running for office and changing your communities and the world you will one day leave behind.  We know you will do amazing things with this information and we are so happy to have you be a part of this program. 

And finally – we toast YOU: the person who is reading this blog post.  Check out https://www.daretorun.org and learn how YOU Can enroll in the program, get the hands on tools and skills you need to run a successful campaign for public office, and change the world.  It is within reach.  Happy Women’s Equality Day! 

Rachelle Suissa
Founder and CEO
Dare to Run

#womensvoicesmedia

The 2020 elections are the most consequential in generations. But with a global pandemic not only straining our healthcare system, paralyzing our economy and upending our daily lives, our fundamental right to vote is equally under threat.

The Primary Day debacle in Wisconsin is the most recent — and cruel — example. Conservative lawmakers, right-wing judges and even the U.S. Supreme Court participated in an attempt to keep the Primary Election date and curtail absentee voting. Voters waited in line , some for hours, wearing masks and distancing, while those with underlying medical conditions or didn’t want to risk getting sick were essentially disenfranchised.

No one should have to choose between their health and safety and participating in our democratic processes. While most states and the federal government have yet to adopt universal vote by mail, one of the best ways right now to stay safe this election season is to request and vote by absentee ballot. 

We’ve put together a quick guide to help you retain your right to vote in the upcoming elections. Right now, only five states, Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington and Utah, offer all-mail voting. If you live in one of these states, you’re in luck. But the vast majority of Americans lack mail-in voting options. Multiple bills to enact election security and universal vote-by-mail have stalled in Congress, by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has allowed hundreds of important House-passed bills to stack up and be ignored.

Unsurprisingly, Donald Trump recently called voting by mail “corrupt” and “RIPE for FRAUD” (it’s not). Some suggest that Trump’s unwillingness to provide the U.S. Postal Service with additional funding to keep the agency running during the pandemic is a political game threatening mail-in voting and our democracy. (Hypocrisy alert: Trump himself recently admitted that he voted by mail. 

Without an option to vote by mail for everyone, how can you exercise your right to vote while protecting your health? A different vote-by-mail alternative: Absentee ballots. Each state has its own rules governing absentee voting — some with more stringent requirements, others enjoy no-excuse absentee voting. Luckily, several states have begun relaxing the rules for who can request an absentee ballot, raising the count to 34 states and the District of Columbia now allowing no-excuse absentee voting.

If your state hasn’t held its primary election yet, now is the time to request your absentee ballot. Sixteen states and one territory Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Wyoming and Puerto Rico — have recently pushed their primaries back or instituted vote by mail. 

You can find out the rules for your state here.

Requesting your ballot is simple. The non-profit Vote.org provides a number of handy resources to register to vote, verify your registration status and, of course, request an absentee ballot.

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The struggle that gave birth to this nation was driven by the determination to create a government  “by the people, for the people, and of the people”.  There was just one flaw in the plan.  In the minds of those who led the revolution,  “ the  people”  were white male heterosexuals.  And today – well over two hundred years later – very little has changed.

Lesbians, gays, women, African – Americans, Native Americans, anyone not white, male & heterosexual: none of us has yet achieved an equal voice in the political process.  Politically and economically we share a common oppression and we must recognize this fact if we’re ever to change our lot.

Think about this for a moment.  Those who control the economic and political power are not the majority – repeat that – not the majority.  Together WE are the majority.  So how then does a minority continue to hold on to its power?  Answer: By pitting one group of us against another so that we do not join together to seize the power.  Fear-mongering is the weapon they use to ensure we are fearful & suspicious of one another and don’t get wide-spread support when any of us enters the political arena.

When individuals and groups put aside their differences and focus on the common oppression we face, we’ll build alliances so strong that we will seize the political power and then ultimately economic power. 

Believe this - a few of your dollars and a few hours of your time together with that of your sisters and brothers can elect those who will truly represent us.

We’ve already seen what has happened because the religious right has made a concerted effort to gain school board seats, city and county commission seats, state offices and judicial seats.  The results are what we are living with every day.

Believe this - no issue that separates us is more important than the common oppression and inequality we share.  The survival of our democracy depends on each of us.

START TODAY:

1. Make sure you are registered.
2. Sign up to receive absentee ballots, if you can.
3. If you can afford to, start donating to candidates. (even a few dollars will help)
4. Sign up & work for get-out-the-vote efforts. (much can be done even from home)
5. VOTE!!

There is one more thing you can do, especially if you are a younger person considered to be less vulnerable to the COVID19 virus and have the time to do it.  Sign up to work the polling place on Election Day.  You will be making it possible for more people to vote without having to wait hours to do so and protecting their right to do so.   You will be paid to do it!

#womensvoicesmedia