August 26, Women's Equality Day, marks the anniversary of the certification of the 19th amendment, which granted women the right to vote in 1920. The national organization of the League of Women Voters was founded in February of the same year. I’m a member of the League of Women Voters in my city, and every year, we have a program that marks this anniversary.
Yet in 2022, women have fewer rights than they've had in decades. This year, the LWV is acknowledging Women's Inequality Day, uniting with women to demand that lawmakers restore and protect our rights by:
Passing voting rights legislation;
Adding the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution; and
Restoring reproductive rights to women and those who can become pregnant.
1. Social Media
From the League of Women Voters site:
Raise your voice and demand change in your community by sharing our message on social media. Feel free to tailor sample posts to fit your voice. Make sure to include #WomensInequalityDay in all social media posts.
This year, we're not celebrating Women's Equality Day, as women today have fewer rights than we've had in decades.
It's been more than 100 years since women won the right to vote, and we are far from equal in our democracy.
Today I'm joining the League of Women Voters and many other national organizations for Women's (In)equality Day in demanding our government not only represent us but include us as equals.
This includes passing voting rights legislation, adding the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution, and restoring reproductive freedom to all who can become pregnant.
Women hold the power to create a more perfect democracy, join us!
2. Support Voter Registration and Get Out the Vote Efforts
Your votes DO matter. On Tuesday, Democrats gained ground versus Republicans in all races. Even when the Democrat candidate lost, the margin was significantly lower. By helping register voters and getting out the vote, you can make a difference. Join your local League of Women Voters, or get applications from your election office, and don't be shy about asking people if they are registered. (especially if they have moved)
There have been four special House races since the Dobbs decision came down in June, and each has swung sharply to the Democrats. According to figures posted by Dave Wasserman of the Cook Political Report, in Nebraska’s 1st Congressional District, which Trump won by 11 points, the Republican only won it by five, meaning a six points shift; in Minnesota’s 1st, a similar six point shift occurred; in New York’s 23rd, there was a four point shift. While in those elections the shift wasn’t enough to notch a win for the Democrats, in New York’s 19th, enthusiasm and turnout among Democratic and independent voters was enough to deliver one. (Jay Kuo, August 24, 2022)
Heather Cox Richardson, wrote that Tom Bonier, who runs the political data firm TargetSmart, noted that women have out-registered men to vote since the Dobbs decision by large margins: 11 points in Ohio, for example. And a Pew poll released yesterday shows that 56% of voters say that the right to abortion is very important to them for their midterm votes, up from 46% before the Dobbs decision. Read the TargetSmart article here. Read the complete report by Richardson here.
3. Ask Your Candidates if They Support Reproductive Freedom or Not
A friend of mine in Pennsylvania visited House Candidate April Weaver at her information table last week to ask how Weaver would vote. She would not answer, and that video went viral. (After she lost the election, my friend took down the video.)
Two years ago, in 2020, the pandemic limited nationwide celebrations. Our state League staged a vigil on the steps of The Statehouse, commemorating the suffragists who stood outside Woodrow Wilson’s White House between 1917 and 1919. Now it's even more important to protect the right to vote.
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