Get
Out and Vote
“Oh, if
I could live another century to see the fruition of all the work for
women! There is so much yet to be done.”
Susan B.
Anthony
The 19th
amendment to the Constitution gave American women the right to vote
in 1920, the year my father was born. When I was a child, he went
into the voting booth with Mother to make sure she voted the way he
told her to. Later in life, after my dad died, she often didn't vote
because she felt awkward going to the poles alone. When I was with
her, not long before she died, early voting had begun in North
Carolina. I took her in a wheelchair equipped with oxygen tanks to
vote. She gave me her choices, and I operated the machine for her. My
mother was obviously not a feminist. She never even thought it her
right to enter into a conversation with men unless one of them asked
her a direct question, and even then, she usually deferred to my dad. Needless to say, she was appalled by her middle
daughter's strong opinions and brash behavior, once telling me, “Get
down off your high horse, young lady!” Oh, yeah—that worked well!
There are many places in
the world today where no one, man or woman, has the right to vote, or
where people are told how they will vote if they want to continue
breathing air. We have that right, and even if we aren't delighted
with the candidates, we have a duty to exercise it. The voices of
women are particularly important since we make up more than half of
the electorate. More importantly, women are likely to vote in ways
that reflect compassion, that take into consideration people beyond
their neighborhood, their country, and their business interests.
Women, feminist or not, carry a deep concern for children—all
children. They look at the world through the lens of what it will
mean for their children. Will we make the world a better place for
them to grow up? What legacy will we leave for the little girls and
boys who are coming after us?
Whether you are a man or a woman, having a voice, and
adding your voice to the chorus, is both a right and privilege. Also,
a responsibility. Get out and make your voice heard today. Go vote.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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