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Elevating Women in Politics, from Galax to Gainesville
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OCTOBER 2022 MIDTERMS EDITION |
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A LETTER FROM OUR PRESIDENT |
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This week I organized a conversation on how to get people who don’t usually participate in the electoral process to vote by Election Day. If we only target consistent voters in our programming and outreach efforts, we lose an opportunity to connect with potential voters who may not feel like they are a part of the system. By engaging them in a range of activities, we are building their confidence and engagement in society. The panelists shared these important points:
We should educate and cultivate voters 365 days a year. This should be a goal of all of our programs. When we recruit attendees to listen to a conversation on an issue, we should focus on those who may be unlikely to vote but may be impacted by the issue.
Youth engagement is critical. We should use every opportunity to involve our youth in civic engagement.
When it comes to engaging people who have not been involved in the process, we should be honest about the faults in the system and that voting is the only way to fix it.
Share how you decide who to vote for, and tell others about the candidates. Showing potential voters pictures of the candidates can also be helpful.
Stay positive! Despite the negative campaigning, positivity is the best way to recruit voters.
Focus on the issues, and provide details about specific policies. For example, saying “abortion is on the ballot” is not enough.
Voting is a process and an investment in the future. Change will not happen overnight.
Postcards work. They are proven to increase voter turnout and are great opportunities for the volunteers to connect.
Make it fun! Some groups have organized comedy tours, provided food, held parties and encouraged selfies of early voting and voting.
I encourage you to reach out to at least one person who does not vote and have a conversation with them. With elections every year, changes in the political landscape, a one-term governor, and critical policy decisions in the coming years, we can’t afford to not increase the number of people who participate in the process and support equality for all Virginians.
Onward,
Krysta Jones, 2021-2022 President
National Women’s Political Caucus-Virginia
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Good news, Virginia! So far we’ve seen more early voting in 2022 than in the last Midterm Election! As of October 25, 443,789 Virginians have cast their ballots, compared to 344,594 total early voters in 2018. The Department of Elections (DoE) logged 21,524 new registrations statewide in September and 13,986 in August (October data is TBD.); the total new registrations so far for 2022 are 151,573.
However, we could potentially have a bumpy election in the commonwealth. ICYMI, at the beginning of this month, our DoE acknowledged discovering a backlog of voter registration applications. Supposedly an IT network issue within the agency led to delays in sending about 107,000 voting-related transactions submitted through the Department of Motor Vehicles to local election officials. A DoE spokesperson said that this issue has been resolved and that all affected registrations have been sent to local registrars for processing.
This past week, another 60,000 voters in northern Virginia (Prince William and Fairfax counties) and southwest Virginia (Tazewell and Buchanan Counties as well as Bristol City), especially those with PO Boxes, received notices directing them to incorrect polling locations. Tazewell County Registrar Brian Earls noted that this hiccup was likely due to the state hiring a third-party vendor to handle the post-redistricting notices.
If you haven’t yet voted, PLEASE VERIFY THAT YOUR STATUS IS CURRENT including your polling place here: https://vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation. Check the voting timeline below for key dates.
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Please note that thanks to a new same-day registration law, Virginians can still register to vote at their polling place on Election Day and cast a provisional ballot. VOTE before or on November 8! |
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NWPC-VA is excited to share that the National Women’s Political Caucus, our national organization, has endorsed the following candidates in next month’s Congressional election. We all need to do everything we can to make this election count. There is too much on the line for women and their families.
As a reminder: NWPC-VA does not directly endorse federal level candidates. NWPC National sends notices to all women candidates for federal office and interviews those candidates who return the endorsement application.
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October 28: Last Day to Apply for an Absentee Ballot (Online)
This is the last day to apply for an absentee ballot online, by mail, or by fax.
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November 5: Last Day of In-Person Early Voting (In-Person)
This is the last day to vote early in person at local registrars' offices or satellite voting locations. |
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November 8: Election Day (In-Person)
Members, please cast your ballots in local, state, and Congressional midterm elections! |
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November 29, 7:00 p.m.: NWPC-VA Annual Meeting, Part 2 (Online) Join us as we discuss and vote on the proposed changes to NWPC-VA’s By Laws as well as welcoming a group of excellent panelists to discuss how Women Are Changing the Game in politics. As we work to increase women’s participation, we’ve discovered that women often find innovative ways to run campaigns, get out the vote, and build political relationships. This provocative discussion will focus on how together we are shifting existing methods and changing the game! Register here.
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December 7, 6:00 p.m.: Salon Series, How Change Happens (Online) Rebecca Solnit is a leading voice in the feminine power space. She has written several books over the past decade. She is widely credited for coining the term “mansplaining” in her 2008 book Men Explain Things to Me. At our December Salon Series, we will be discussing her 2019 article “How Change Happens” found here. Register here |
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