What’s the Most Important Part of Resisting? Voting!

Did you know that almost the entire Virginia state government is up for election this year? Embarrassingly, this was news to me. (Don’t tell my mother.) So, on November 7th, we’ll go to the polls to vote for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General and the entire 100 member House of Delegates. True fact!

Now here’s where the really amazing part is – and a huge opportunity – we currently have 18 districts in the House that are going to Republicans automatically, because they’re UNCONTESTED! What?!

This may not be news to you, but I had no idea. How is this even possible?

OK, I admit it — up until now, I was always the person who just went to the polls, voted for the democrat, and really didn’t do much else. I didn’t know much about Virginia politics, and I have a feeling many people out there, especially busy parents of younger kids, are the same way.

But now, thanks to Trump, I realize that I can’t be like that any more. None of us can. If we want to preserve environmental policies that save Virginia’s land and water, keep public education funding, preserve women’s health care rights and honor LGBTQ rights in our state, we need to be more involved and encourage our friends and neighbors to get out and vote.

I mean, I’ve learned some amazing things about VA politics lately. Did you know that because Republicans have a majority in both the State House and the State Senate, Governor McAuliffe has had to veto bills trying to take away rights and funding for all of those issues I just mentioned, and more, just this past year? In fact, he just broke the record for the most vetoes by a Governor in Virginia, ever.

Thank goodness we have a Governor who stands up for human rights, our environment and our civil liberties. Now we need to make sure we continue to have Democratic leadership in our executive officials, and we need to add as many democrats as we can in the House of Delegates. Up until now, the dems were able to sustain Governor McAuliffe’s vetoes by just ONE vote. We absolutely cannot afford to lose that one Democratic vote. And more importantly, we need to kick those Republicans right out of power and show them that we’re not just a bunch of snowflakes with protest signs and feelings. We vote!

Now, this could be a challenge, because in the immortal words of Samantha Bee, Democrats suck at voting! (see hilarious video below) We’ve spent all this energy marching, calling our congresspeople and yelling at the TV, but where are we when it comes time to kick the Republicans out of office? Well, in all of the races that have taken place around the country since Trump was elected, we’ve turned out at an average of anywhere between 12% and 35%. We need to step it up big time.

That’s why I plan to start volunteering for my Hunter Mill District Democrats, and it’s why I’m writing this post, so I can share this info with you and you can spread the word too.

Here are some great resources to get you started:

Ballotpedia – This site has a huge amount of easily laid out information about the election process for all the states and the federal government. You can find candidates, voting information and tons of details. It’s also non-partisan, so you can feel comfortable knowing that the information you find there is just the facts.

VA Democratic party – All the official info from the Democratic party in our state, including a calendar of events, opportunities to get involved on the state level, and a list of all the localities with a sign-up to get involved in your area.

Blue Virginia – This blog-style site is quite partisan, which is fine with me, personally. You’ll find all the latest news about the candidates, down to the most detailed issues, and about Virginia politics in general. It’s a great way to keep up to date with VA-specific issues.

So, look these over and find your group or event that resonates with you. Check out your calendar and see what kind of time you have to devote. Then join me in helping to keep Virginia a kind state that cares for ALL of its people.

Now for a little humor and inspiration, check out Sam Bee’s Full Frontal video about how Democrats suck at voting 🙂