Mobilize Monday: Don’t Despair – Prepare, Part 2
By all accounts hundreds of thousands of women again took to the streets to protest the current administration. These women are from despairing, instead they are taking matters into their own hands and daring to suggest that the November elections offer an opportunity to truly make America great again. If we have learned nothing else the past year, is that EVERY vote matters and we can’t sleep on one of our most important tasks in our democracy—voting!
With Power to the Polls as the rally cry for 2018, hundreds of organizations are gearing up to launch aggressive voter registration campaigns that will hopefully lead to massive turnout on November 6th. WE CAN will be registering women of color (and anyone else standing around ?) at locations across the country from now until election day. Take a second to check your voter registration status and share this post with your family, friends and networks, so they too can check their status.
Courtesy: WomensMarch.Org
Another thing we can do now is to make sure we fully understand what is at stake. This November 6th, there are several important things you need to know as we prepare to demonstrate our Power at the Polls! We have at least one opportunity to affect change when we cast our vote for the House of Representatives, and some of you will be selecting Senators, Governors and other key local offices.
33 Seats in the United States Senate
United States Senators serve for six (6) year terms. Not all Senators are up for election at the same time. The Constitution requires the Senate to be divided into three classes for purposes of elections. So, every two years the members of one class—approximately one-third of the senators—face election or reelection. In November 2018, the following Senate seats are up for grabs. Click your state to learn your history of Senate elections. If your Senator is not in this class, s/he has more time to earn your continued trust and represent you and the issues you care about well. Now would be a good time to contact your United States Senator and start to build a relationship (if you haven’t already).
[one-third-first] [/one-third-first] [one-third] [/one-third] [one-third] [/one-third]
Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill
All 435 Seats in the United States House of Representatives
The Constitution requires that all 435 members of the House of Representatives be subject to elections every two (2) years. This means we have a chance to put in office a candidate who represents you and your issues well more frequently than the Senate. Likewise, we also have the power to remove from office any Congressman who is not representing us and our issues well. Learn more about your Representative on their website and reach out and establish a relationship (if you haven’t already).
Maryland State House
39 Governors Offices in State Capitols Nationwide
Equally important to the National Congressional Elections are state and local races. In November 2018, 39 Governors will be elected. WE CAN will share more details later the voting calendar for each state so you know voter registration deadlines, requirements and primary dates. In the meantime, take a look at the list below and see if your state will be selecting its’ leader this November.
21 Incumbent Races – Incumbents Eligible to Seek Reelection
[one-half-first]Alabama – Kay Ivey
Alaska – Bill Walker
Arizona – Doug Ducey
Arkansas – Asa Hutchinson
Hawaii – David Ige
Illinois – Bruce Rauner
Iowa – Kim Reynolds
Maryland – Larry Hogan
Massachusetts – Charlie Baker
Nebraska – Pete Ricketts
[/one-half-first] [one-half]New Hampshire – Chris Sununu
New York – Andrew Cuomo
Oregon – Kate Brown
Pennsylvania – Tom Wolf
Rhode Island – Gina Raimondo
South Carolina – Henry McMaster
Texas – Greg Abbott
Vermont – Phil Scott
Wisconsin – Scott Walker
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US Territories
Northern Mariana Islands – Ralph Deleon Guerrero Torres
Virgin Islands – Kenneth Mapp
18 Open Races – Incumbent Not Eligible to Run or Not Seeking Reelection
[one-half-first]California – Jerry Brown
Colorado – John Hickenlooper
Connecticut – Dan Malloy
Florida – Rick Scott
Georgia – Nathan Deal
Guam – Eddie Calvo
Idaho – C.L. “Butch” Otter
Kansas – Sam Brownback
Maine – Paul LePage
[/one-half-first] [one-half]Michigan – Rick Snyder
Minnesota – Mark Dayton
Nevada – Brian Sandoval
New Mexico – Susana Martinez
Ohio – John Kasich
Oklahoma – Mary Fallin
South Dakota – Dennis Daugaard
Tennessee – Bill Haslam
Wyoming – Matthew Mead
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32 States and Washington, DC will have major municipal elections in 2018
Cities and counties in the following states will be electing Mayors, City Council, County Commissioners/Supervisors, Board of Education members, City Attorney and other key legislative positions that make decisions that affect your everyday life. Please check and see if your city or town is selecting leader(s).
States with Municipal Elections in 2018
[one-third-first]Alabama
Alaska
California
Colorado
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Kansas
[/one-third-first] [one-third]Kentucky
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Nebraska
Nevada
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
[/one-third] [one-third]North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
Washington, DC
Wisconsin
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Now is not the time for us to be lazy or otherwise complacent with our duty to vote and participate in our democracy. Now that you know what’s at stake-get ready. November 6th is only 286 days away. Don’t despair-prepare!
Yours in the struggle,
Stephanie McGencey
WE CAN Founder and President