Sisters,

We are all familiar with the phrase ‘keep your eyes on the prize.’ We know that maintaining your focus on the goal means not allowing yourself to be distracted by foolishness or people hell-bent on making sure you don’t achieve your goal. Well, here we are, 21 days away from THE most consequential election of our lifetime.

Join WE CAN and our co-sponsors on Friday, October 18^th at 7:00pm ET to watch Suppressed and Sabotaged: The Fight to Vote, a film about the tactics used to keep people from voting. After we watch the film, we will write to voters and encourage them to vote in November. Click here for details on how to get letters!

I know you’ve heard that before, but we can’t lose sight of how important the election is to our rights, freedoms, health, and safety/security. I don’t want to wake up on November 6^th preparing for a real-life version of The Handmaid’s Tale. I DO NOT want to live in a country where women are only useful if they can give birth, cater to the needs of a man, or take care of the house. If you’ve never watched the series, please watch it for entertainment and a peek into what life could be like here in America if we don’t get things right in November.

By right, I mean understanding what the candidates for every office have shown you about what they will do if given the power to do so. Read their campaign platforms. Follow them on social media. Look at the legislation they have sponsored and supported. Do all of these things add up to what they SAY in debates, on TV, and in advertisements?

Try not to be distracted by negative television commercials. Did you know that political ads don’t have to be truthful? Lying does not automatically mean you have violated free speech laws. Since the candidates are not trying to sell us a product or service, they can pretty much say whatever the hell they want. Advertisers estimate that about $10 billion will be spent on political ads this election cycle. This means we can expect a fair amount of bullsh*t to be aired in commercials until the end.

So, what does staying focused mean?

#1 – Understand who is running for office in your community. Pay attention to the ENTIRE ballot! When someone tells you to vote down a ballot, they’re reminding you that ALL the races are important, from the President all the way down to the dog catcher!

#2 – Make a plan to vote on or before November 5^th. You need to know the voter registration deadlines, early voting/mail-in ballot options, where your polling place is located and when it’s open.

#3 – Encourage others to vote. The stakes are too high for anyone to sit at home and not raise their voice and VOTE. Join WE CAN in writing letters to voters to encourage them to join us at the polls. You can see more details about our upcoming get out the vote letter writing parties. If you can’t make the parties, you can still write letters—see the details on WE CAN’s Vote Forward page.

Keep your eyes on the prize and vote like your life depends on it in November because it does!

In solidarity,

Stephanie, WE CAN Founder