While at BlogHer 2007, I attended a session entitled "Earn Our Votes: What Questions Do Women Bloggers Want Candidates to Answer in Election 2008?" When the floor was open to comments, a representative from Emily's List rose to speak. I had never heard of Emily's List and I was struck by what she had to say. So I looked up her site and found a group of women, working on a grass-roots level, to get things done. Their ideology (pro-choice, Democrat) was the same as mine. So today, as I recuperate at home from surgery, I thought I'd tell you a little more about Emily's List and the power of Women Voters because I believe, that regardless of if you are a Democrat, Republication, Independent or Libertarian, in the end, we are all women voters, with common issues and values.
Who is Emily? From their site: "Who is EMILY? EMILY is an acronym for “Early Money Is Like Yeast” (it helps the dough rise). When EMILY’s List was founded, we knew that early money made women credible candidates and gave them the best shot at winning. That is still our organization’s goal: to help elect pro-choice Democratic women. EMILY's List, the nation's largest grassroots political network, is dedicated to building a progressive America by electing pro-choice Democratic women to federal, state, and local office.
We are a network of more than 100,000 Americans -- from all across the country -- committed to recruiting and funding viable women candidates; helping them build and run effective campaign organizations; training the next generation of activists; and mobilizing women voters to help elect progressive candidates across the nation."
Back in 1992, Jennifer Granholm, who is now the governor of the state of Michigan, put it this way:
“EMILY is every woman who has ever sat at a business meeting while someone else took credit for her good work.
EMILY is every young professional who’s been told to wait her turn and every seasoned one who’s been told she still has to pay her dues.
EMILY is every working mom who’s managed to balance a checkbook, who’s managed a clean house, a corporate budget and a 12-year-old’s basketball tournament in one day.
EMILY is every stay-at-home mom who has ever been asked, “No, I mean, what do you do? What do you really do?”
She is every woman who’s ever had to defend her right to be pro-choice. She’s every woman who’s ever had to explain her choice not to have a child. She’s every woman who has ever demanded a raise because she’s been doing the same work as the man in the next cubicle for the same number of years, and she’s still not getting the same pay. She’s every woman who has ever wondered why the company won’t cover her contraceptives, but will cover that same guy’s Viagra.
EMILY is every working mom who has ever fought for quality day care or family leave time. She is every woman who has given up a single day of vacation to care for a sick child or a sick parent.
EMILY is every girl in every classroom whose hand was still in the air after the boys got their questions answered. She’s every athlete who’s ever been told, “She throws like a girl.” She’s every candidate who’s ever been asked how she can run for office and have a family at the same time.
She is every African-American woman who has had to work three times as hard to be considered as good as her white male colleague. She is every Jewish woman who has ever been called a princess. She is every Hispanic woman who has been asked how long her family has been in this country. She is every woman who has been called too soft or too strong or too aggressive or too nice or too ambitious to get the job done. She is every woman who has ever been measured against a glossy picture in a magazine.
EMILY is the seamstress who has sewn the graduation gowns for years but has never worn one. EMILY is every woman who helped set up this room today and who will clean up after we leave … and that same woman who only wants her daughters to dream big dreams, because EMILY knows that young girls cannot be what they cannot see. She is you. She may be your next governor … she may be your next vice-president … she may be your next president. And EMILY doesn’t get mad — she gets elected!”
-- Michigan Attorney General Jennifer Granholm, EMILY's List Majority Council Conference, June 2002
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How many of you can relate to what Jennifer had to say? How many of you see yourself in her statements? At BlogHer, Emily's List passed out a fact sheet about what everyone should know about WOMEN VOTERS:
Women Voters Will Be the Key to Success in 2008 - Women will have an incredible impact on the results of the Presidential Election in 2008. Nationally, there are 9 million more registered voters than male voters.
More Women Vote Than Men - Women comprise a disproportionate share of both Democratic primary and general election voters. Women turn out at a higher rate than men do in general elections, comprising 54% of the electorate in 2004.
Women Voters are Critical in the Primary - In the primary, women are likely to make up nearly 60% of the vote.
Women Supporting Women - Women candidates fare better on the issues with female swing voters, who in 2004, made up 32% of all women voters and 17% of the electorate. Female swing voters expect that a female candidate will better handle family values, education and health care than a male candidate.
"EMILY's List does more than just recruit and fund pro-choice Democratic women candidates. They also help them build and run effective campaigns and mobilize women voters to help elect progressive candidates across the nation." Go here to find out specific details on their programs and how you can get involved.
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