“Freedom is never really won. You earn it and win it in every generation.”
– Coretta Scott King
We’re on the countdown kids! The 2018 midterms, which will be held on November 6 (at a theatre near you!) are 98 days away.
This is SO MUCH AT STAKE and Black women and men have given up too much for us to squander our votes.
We want you to be ready to use your voice to make our democracy better. Specifically, we want you to have everything you need to Vote, Volunteer and GiVVVe this election season. See our tips below. Also, read and SHARE your The Black Woman’s Guide to the 2018 Midterms today!
See you at the polls!
VOTE
We can’t say it loud or often enough. The most important way you can make change in 2018 is to V.O.T.E. HeadCount is one resource that makes it easy to verify your voter registration and confirm your polling place.
Not registered to vote yet? Don’t wait. Go to Vote.org and register now.
Pro Tip 1: If you moved recently and changed neighborhoods, counties, or states, your polling place may have changed. Go to HeadCount to verify your registration and confirm your polling place.
Pro Tip 2: Don’t leave your house without the right credentials. Read up on what your state requires you to have to vote—e.g., government ID, driver’s license, state ID, or birth certificate.
VOLUNTEER
In addition to voting, there are plenty of ways to get involved in the midterm elections. Consider helping to get out the vote by canvassing or driving friends, family, and neighbors to the polls. You can also reach out to your campaign of choice and volunteer to send out mailings and phone bank. If you really want to do your neighbors a solid, check out Spread the Vote. They are helping folks get the identification (IDs) they need to vote.
GIVVVVVE
Running for office ain’t cheap! And you won’t be surprised to learn that Black women running for office have a harder time raising money than others.
In general, challengers to incumbents face a steep climb to electoral success. In fact, according to “Gender, Race, and Fundraising Inequality: What We Can Learn from 2016” by The Arena:
“For every $2 a White woman incumbent candidate was able to raise for a U.S. House race in the last election cycle, Latinx and African American women incumbents were only able to raise $1.12. Race and ethnicity data on candidates who are challengers or vying for open seats is more difficult to come by, but where the data does exist, it suggests fundraising disparities are relatively consistent with that of incumbents. When looking at the challengers for whom we have race and ethnicity data and who made it to the general election, the average total donation is $989,930.”
See also chart below.
Supporting candidates financially is critical. And it’s not hard to do. Just follow the steps below!
- Choose a candidate to support.
- Visit the campaign website and learn about the issues.
- Invite your friends to lunch.
- Invite the candidate to address your group.
- Ask for donations.
- Rinse and repeat!
Finally, be sure to check out BlackPAC, The Collective, and Higher Heights. They are backbone organizations that provide comprehensive support for Black women (and men) running for office. If you can, you should support them too!
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Another good place to look at who is running for office in your area is http://www.Vote411.org. You can compare and contrast candidate positions and ballot questions, get polling location, check or amend your registration or register if you haven’t already. The site is part of The League of Women Voters so is totally nonpartisan. The candidates are asked questions by the League and it is up to them to answer – telling a lot if they don’t bother to respond. Just remember to get out there and vote! And bring a friend or two along with you, We need all our voices to be heard!!
Thanks, Kathy! We’ll check it out!