Interns at the Feminist Majority Foundation held a briefing on Capitol Hill yesterday urging college students to register and mobilize young women to vote in November as part of FMF’s Get Out Her Vote Campaign. Speakers emphasized the importance of turning out the young women’s vote at this critical time and they described the how-to’s of organizing voter registration. They also delineated the issues at stake in the upcoming election, including environmental concerns, reproductive rights legislation, domestic violence, and childcare. “If you want an environment where you can breathe the air and drink the waterÑwork must be done,” said Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (D-NY). Women aged 18-24 are the least likely to vote and to be registered to vote among all voting-aged women. “Four years ago, 22 million women stayed home, because they felt that no one cared about them,” said Congresswoman Hilda Solis (D-CA), urging the audience to use their power of the vote to voice their concerns. “We outnumber the NASCAR guys! There’s only six million of them,” added Solis. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) and FMF President Eleanor Smeal both alerted the audience to the potential problems associated with electronic voting without a paper trail. “Never in my life did I think this would happen,” said Smeal. “We never thought we’d have to worry about whether or not the votes are being counted.” Jackson Lee emphasized the importance of students asserting their right to vote right there on their college campuses. “Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t vote on your college campuses,” said Jackson Lee. Speakers also encouraged young women to pursue elected office, and stressed that the first step on this path is to vote. “Right now, the Constitution takes care of the very fewÑthe very rich, the very white, and the very privileged,” said Solis. “The way we take it back is to go out and vote.” More than 130 interns and young activists attended the Get Out Her Vote briefing, representing over 60 non profit organizations and Congressional offices, as well as colleges across the country. JOIN the Get Out Her Vote Campaign today! INTERN at the Feminist Majority Foundation, one of the nation’s leading research and advocacy organizations for women’s rights
Uncategorized
