Things to get Excited about!
It seems that it’s all anyone can talk about but next week’s election is special. There are a record number of women who have qualified for the ballots across the US. With 234 women running for the House and 22 running for the Senate!
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Rashida Tlaib (MI-13) Ayanna Pressley (MA-7), Abby Finkenauer (IA-1)
Most of you have heard about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her historic win in New York City but do you know who Ayanna Pressley is? Or what about Rashida Tlaib? And how about Abby Finkenauer? Ms. Ocasio-Cortez faces a Republican challenger but because she defeated a 10-term incumbent, she will likely represent her district. Both Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley are running unopposed in their districts from Michigan and Massachusetts, respectively. Rashida Tlaib is a Muslim woman and Palestinian-American woman in Congress. And Abby? She has an opponent and we’ll have to wait and see, but if she’s elected she’ll become the youngest woman elected to the US house of Representatives at age 29.
Governors
There are also 16 women running for Governor of their states. How great would it be to see Paulette Jordan, a Native American woman from the Coeur d’Alene Tribe to be elected as Governor of the state of Idaho! Or see Stacey Abrams be elected in Georgia!
Paulette Jordan (ID), Stacey Abrams (GA)
Ballot Measures
Those are the big races and maybe they are races you can vote in, but more than likely you’re voting in a less contested race and on measures or amendments like getting rid of Daylight Saving Time or Changing the age to serve as a senator or representative in your state assembly. Colorado has a Proposition called “Fix Our Damn Roads” and Utah is considering Medical Marijuana with Prop 2. Yes, you read that right UTAH!
Sometimes it’s hard to understand what a YES vote means but never fear, there are resources out there. For example, California has this weird rent control proposition that is worded so poorly that you don’t know what is going on and the TV ads have all of these senior citizens telling you they’re going to be kicked out of their homes unless you vote a certain way. My favorite podcast Pod Save America put together Vote Save America and broke down all of the measures in a nonpartisan way to explain what was up. For this CA Proposition they explained:
Getting to the Polls
If you haven’t already voted, but know that parking is going to be crazy on election day, Lyft, Uber, and Lime have some deals for you!
Lyft will give away 50% off promo codes on Tuesday. Check out their blog for the codes here. For Uber, when you open the app on Election Day you’ll see a “Get To The Polls” button. If you have Lime scooters or bikes in your area, you can use LIME2VOTE18 to get to and from the polls! Also remember to check out Carpool Vote if you need a ride or if you can give a ride to someone who needs help getting to the polls. Sometimes getting to the polls is the hardest part!
Another suggestion we had from a reader was to remember the moms with young kids in your area. Even if you don’t have kids, you might have friends who do! Help them out by offering to watch the kids while they go vote! Get a few moms together for a play date so other moms in your area can also vote and take turns! If your kids can make the trek with you, take them! Share this part of democracy with them!
