Sisterhood Agenda

When Women Vote

Angela D. Coleman
Latest posts by Angela D. Coleman (see all)

When women vote, we commit to the process and have hope for the future.  Of course, people vote for a variety of reasons, and women are no exception.  To vote is to act on the belief that individually, we can make a difference.

Image credit: Lilla Rogers Studio

Not sure if you are going to vote?

Choosing not to vote is an action, too. History has proven that when women vote, are actively engaged in the process, and our votes are counted in free and fair elections, we win.

Avoid gender stereotypes

Gender stereotypes may lead you to believe that women participate in the electoral process primarily for family and safety issues that concern them.  This blanket assumption can be misleading:

Just as there is no one monolithic “Black community,” there is no one monolithic group of women voters.  Women do not all vote the same way.

Why women vote

We all have our motivations, sometimes deeply personal, and all times, very political.  Voting is a political process, a right that has been historically denied.  When we vote, often we want our elected officials to see and hear us.

When women vote, we create change.  Voters are agents of change.

Most of the reasons why women vote are not difficult to understand.  We vote for the same reasons everyone else votes!  Read more about women’s suffrage around the world.

Generally speaking, we vote:

  • To address societal inequalities, such as discrimination based on race, gender, and sexual identity
  • To move from marginalization to empowerment status
  • To protest unfair, unequal treatment
  • To make the world a better place for everyone
  • To see our personal vision for day-to-day quality of life issues come to life
  • To participate in a process that was previously denied to us
  • To protect ourselves, our children, our families, and our communities
  • To communicate our priorities and address issues that are important to us such as health insurance, the economy, and climate change
  • For progress and positive social change
  • To maintain the status quo if the status quo is good for us
  • To make our voices heard
  • To grab our seat at the table
  • To engage in a group process that consolidates our personal and social power with likeminded others

READ MORE:  HOW TRAUMA CAN SPARK ACTIVISM

Image credit: ABC Studios

Share with us

What are your thoughts about voting?  What has been your experience when women vote?  Share with us in the comments below.

Photo credit:  Sabrina May, Unsplash

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4 comments

  1. Women getting to the polls this Centennial Anniversary year of the White woman’s right to vote in the US could lead to a historic turnout. African American suffragettes from Ida B Wells, Mary Church Terrell and May Howard Jackson, Harriet Gibbs Marshall, Dr. Amanda Gray, and Dr. Eva Ross just to name a few fought racism and sexism to lay the groundwork for all Americans to have the right to vote.

    When women vote, women win. We say that in a group of women voters propelled to the US House of Representatives in special and midterm elections starting in 2017. With a Black and Indian woman on the ballot to become the first female Vice President of the US, the 2020 elections can result in another first for womanhood.

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