It’s no secret that the United States has one of the lowest voting rates in the world at 56% for Presidential election years. Unfortunately, the average for young people 18-29 is even lower at about 34% followed only by the next older tranche of folks 30-44. Voting has been an older person’s game for quite some time because they have free time to go vote during a working day Tuesday, but also because they know how the vote affects their Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security.
Your vote as a pregnant or new mom matters!
New moms have even more on the line when it comes to upcoming elections. When election choices are even starker your vote really does determine the future of women’s and moms’ issues. Whichever way you think on issues like women’s reproductive health, social services, separating mothers from babies at the border, or education, these are all issues that directly affect you and your family.
On a lot of issues, the candidate who says he or she is “pro-family” may not actually support the same policies you do. Voting does take some research but doesn’t have to be a long slog. Your local newspaper (hard copy or website) usually will have a guide that will give you a good picture of the main viewpoints of your local and national contacts. The League of Women Voters, a non-partisan pro-voting group, publishes local guides that help you understand who is behind candidates and issues. These lists will include other politicians, organizations and corporate sponsors. This often can give you a better idea than the name of a proposition what people or companies will benefit from your vote.
We’ve all seen in the past ten years, high profile elections won or lost by just a few votes, and in some cases, just one vote. While it might seem that your vote is a just a drop in a sea of other votes, sometimes that one vote will determine your choices for health care, your kids’ schools and where your tax dollars go.
Useful resources:
Find your state and local elections website: https://www.usa.gov/election-office
League of Women Voters: https://www.lwv.org
Polling place locator: https://www.vote.org/polling-place-locator/
Register to vote: https://vote.gov