Elections are coming up soon, and there’s a lot at stake — not just for the presidency, but for offices and local initiatives across the country. Eleven states are electing governors. 5,800 legislative seats in 44 states are up for grabs. More than 100 ballot measures will be put to voters. So we’ve created this handy voter guide illustrating the various people and issues up for a vote on Tuesday. We don’t have the time to cover every local race and every issue, so we’ve narrowed it down to races and issues that are of particular importance to feminist voters. I guarantee, though, that we’ve missed a bunch, so feel free to leave local endorsements or thoughts in the comments. If you’re in New York, Planned Parenthood has a great voter guide. And EMILY’s List is a good resource if you want to support pro-choice female candidates.
NATIONAL
The two big-party candidates for president are Barack Obama and John McCain. If you read just one endorsement, make it the New Yorker’s — theirs is the most comprehensive and eloquently-penned, and hits on virtually every crucial issue in this race. I’m not quite the writer that the editors of the New Yorker are, and there have been a lot of accusations that Obama is more about form than substance, but I think even a brief look at the issues makes clear that he is a solidly progressive, feminist choice for the presidency.
A group of economists evaluated both candidates on the positions that have the greatest impact on women, since American women tend to be economically disadvantaged compared to their male counterparts (and since American women are being hit particulary hard by the economic crisis). It’s worth a perusal. Obama earned a B average, while McCain got a D. From the report: “Professor Nancy Folbre, from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, noted that Joe Six Pack and Joe the Plumber are getting lots of attention in this campaign. “What about Josephine the Working Mother, Wanda the Waitress, and Sarah the School Teacher? These working women care about health care, pay equity, retirement security, paid time off, and child care and want to know how the candidates stand on these issues,” Folbre said.”
Obama is pro-choice (NARAL Pro-Choice America gives him a 100% voting record); he supports comprehensive sexual health education; his tax plan is beneficial to the middle class; his response to the economic crisis includes investing in infrastructure and social welfare programs that would actually help “average Americans;” he has supported federal measures that increase paid time off for illness and family leave; he’s been a proponent of wage equality; his running mate, Joe Biden, essentially wrote the Violence Against Women Act, which Obama has steadily supported; he is LGBT-friendly and supports civil unions (although not marriage); he was an early opponent of the war in Iraq and has committed to restoring peace and security to the Iraqi people and bringing American troops home; and he has promised to make his judicial appointments fair-minded as opposed to purely ideological.
McCain has opposed wage equality; his economic plan helps the wealthiest Americans but does almost nothing for middle and low-income people; he is strongly anti-choice; he will likely appoint Supreme Court justices and other judges who oppose reproductive rights; he did not support the Violence Against Women Act the first time around or when it was reauthorized; his health care proposal would create incentives for employers to not offer insurance to their employees, and instead farm the whole operation out to increasingly predatory insurance companies; he has supported the privitization of Social Security; he wants to make the Bush tax cuts permanent and reduce corporate income tax; he does not support any extensions to the Family and Medical Leave Act; despite his supposed “pro-life” values, he has never supported early childhood education or child care expansion initiatives; he voted against expanding the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, which would have given more children from low-income families access to health care; he voted for the Defense of Marriage Act; he supports abstinence-only sexual health education; and he supported the Bush administrations efforts to de-fund the UNFPA — a move that has serious life-and-death consequences for women around the world (the $34 million withheld every year could prevent 2 million unintended pregnancies, 800,000 abortions, 4,700 mothers’ deaths, and more than 77,000 infant and child deaths).
But McCain and Obama aren’t the only candidates running. I’m not going to bother with all of the third-party candidates because there are a lot of them and the majority won’t be of much interest to Feministe readers, but I will point out that Cynthia McKinney is running on the Green Party ticket. She is fully pro-choice; she supports LGBT rights, including adoption; she is pro-affirmative action; she is a supporter of VAWA and other measures combatting gender-based violence; she voted no on making the PATRIOT Act permanent; she supports a Constitutional amendment on gender equality; she is anti-death penalty; she supports legalizing marijuana and ending the war on drugs; she wants to emplement the Kyoto agreements and opposes drilling in ANWR; she has a 100% energy independence rating; she supports funding on child care, child heath and child housing; she opposes the war in Iraq; she opposes the occupation of Palestine; she wants to repeal NAFTA and CAFTA; she voted to withdraw from the WTO; she called for the impeachment of Bush and Cheney; she supports publicly financed elections; she supports single-payer universal health care and expansions of pre- and post-natal care; she opposed the Mexican border fence; she authored a living wage bill; and she was a proponent of net neutrality.
For a lot of us, myself included, McKinney best represents our beliefs (I’m not exactly on board with her foreign policy and trade views, but I would guess that I’m in the minority here). Whether to vote for her or Obama is a tough call, especially when we know that she won’t win. So I won’t editorialize too much on that issue, because it’s a touchy one — but I will say that I’m voting for Obama. I’m doing that because, even though I live in a blue state, there are going to be a lot of shenanigans around this election, and Obama needs to win by a large margin in order to make absolutely sure that he’ll be walking into the White House in January. And the larger his victory margin, the clearer it will be that he has a mandate, and the easier it will be for him to move left and push a progressive agenda. I’m also on board with him policy-wise on almost everything, so I don’t feel like I’m settling for a lesser candidate just because he has a better shot. But that’s just my two cents; vote what’s in your heart (unless John McCain is in your heart, and then please don’t). While I think that voting Obama is the best choice for feminists and progressives, I also like to think that people of good faith can disagree on that point. And if you’re in New York, I’ll also throw in a pitch for the Working Families Party; you can vote for the Democrats on their ticket, and it helps to strengthen local progressive politics.
State-by-State:
CALIFORNIA
There are a lot of important issues on the ballot in California.
The first is Proposition 4, a parental notification law that would amend the California state constitution to require minors seeking abortions to notify their parents. Proposition 4 sounds reasonable enough on its face — after all, who doesn’t want to know if their kid is having an abortion? — but in reality, it’s very dangerous. The fact is that the majority of girls seeking to terminate a pregnancy do tell their parents; but national legislation doesn’t just impact healthy families. It also applies to girls whose safety and well-being may be compromised if they inform a parent of their pregnancy. Proposition 4 offers an “out” to girls who don’t want to notify their parents, but that out requires that the girl sign a statement saying that she fears physical, sexual or severe emotional abuse, and triggers a family investigation. It doesn’t offer the necessary mental health counseling or actual assistance; it just puts girls in crisis in an even more difficult position. Proposition 4 is opposed by leading local and national medical and pediatric institutions — the American Academy of Pediatrics (California District), the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (District IX), the California Academy of Family Physicians, and the California Family Health Council. If you’re in California, vote NO on 4.
Another biggie is Proposition 8. Prop 8 would eliminate marriage rights for same-sex couples, and enshrine discrimination into the California state constitution. If you oppose bigotry and homophobia and think that people should have the right to marry even if the person they love is of the same gender, vote NO on Proposition 8. (And how much do I love Apple, Google and Pacific Gas & Electric for helping to fund the No on 8 campaign?)
Finally, there’s Proposition 2, which extends basic protections to farm animals, requiring that for at least part of the day they are not confined in a manner that does not allow them to turn around freely, lie down, stand up, and fully extend their limbs. If you’re an animal-lover in Cali (or just a person who thinks that even farm animals deserve to be treated in a way that approaches humane), vote YES on Proposition 2.
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COLORADO
Colorado has my personal favorite amendment this time around — Amendment 48, the personhood initiative, which requires that “the terms “person” or “persons” shall include any human being from the moment of fertilization.” If it passed, it would not only make abortion illegal, but would probably outlaw all kinds of birth control and infertility treatments. It’s a ridiculous amendment and it’s failing miserably, but it’s also a sign of broader anti-choice goals. Contrary to widely-accepted belief (especially among self-important political moderates who believe that splitting the difference on issues of fundamental human rights makes them morally and intellectually superior), overturning Roe would not end the exhausting debate on abortion. Instead of focusing on the Supreme Court, anti-choice activists would turn to a national amendment to outlaw aobrtion, and I would guess it’ll look a whole lot like Colorado’s — and have many of the same wide-reaching impacts. So it’s important not only that Amendment 48 loses, but that it loses by a lot.
Coloradans will also have the chance to vote on Initiative 128, which will appear on the ballot as Amendment 51. It will add a two-cent sales tax for every $10 spent; the revenue would be used to provide services that help the developmentally disabled with daily living tasks like food preparation, job training, nursing, and medical needs.
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ILLINOIS
Melissa Bean is running for a U.S. House seat in Illinois against a multi-millionaire right-wing extremist who is anti-choice, against gay rights, and pro-gun. Bean is progressive, pro-choice, and supports affordable health care access (her opponent, by contrast, has said that universal health care would give “45 million uninsured Americans a one-way bus ticket to the land of dependency”). Bean has also worked to provide greater resources and opportunities to small business-owners, and female small-business owners in partiicular.
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INDIANA
The Republican incumbent Mitch Daniels has a pretty substantial lead over Democratic challenger Jill Long Thompson, but it’s worth noting anyway that Long Thompson is the first woman to be nominated as governor by a major party in Indiana, and is a wonderful pick. She supports equal pay legislation, greater power for unions, responsible environmental policies, strengthening the Indiana Civil Rights Commission, providing greater protection against discrimination, expanding internet access and connectivity, and boosting health care services to underserved communities. Her opponent, Mitch Daniels, wants to cap property taxes, is anti-choice, and is in the pocket of big corporations — not to mention the fact that he worked as director of White House budget office for the Bush Administration. So if you’re a Hoosier, it’s worth casting your vote for Long Thompson, even if she’s trailing in the polls.
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MISSOURI
There’s a gubernatorial election happening in Missouri, with Republican Kenny Hulshorf running against Democrat Jeremiah W. (Jay) Nixon. Nixon has a comprehensive health care plan and is focused on college affordability. Kenny Hulshof is strongly anti-choice (he has a 100% rating from National Right to Life), anti-immigrant, and endorsed by the NRA.
There are also two great pro-choice women running for U.S. House seats in Missouri — Judy Baker and Kay Barnes. Baker is running for an open seat in the 9th district. To quote EMILY’s List, “A mother of three, Baker has been a staunch advocate for women and families in the Missouri state legislature, fighting to protect victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse; expand insurance coverage for children; improve nutrition and mental health care in public schools; and ensure that victims of sexual assault have access to emergency contraception.” Her opponent is conservative and anti-choice. Kay Barnes is running against a Republican incumbent who once called President Bush a “deep thinker.” Barnes helped to pass legislation providing benefits to domestic partners of city employees; she aims to make the federal defense budget address the needs of veterans; she is against the war in Iraq and wants to see greater diplomacy in the Middle East; is endorsed by the League of Conservation Voters; and is pro-choice.
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MONTANA
Montana’s gubernatorial election is an important one that Democrats will likely win. Democrat Brian Schweitzer is the incumbent, and he’s embodies the idea of a “Montana Democrat” — he’s a libertarian-leaning cowboy-type who wants government out of his personal business while still thinking it has a place in regulating things like the environment that impact all of us collectively. He’s against gun control and he’s pro-choice, and he’s served as a model for Western Democrats. And he’s running against Roy Brown, who describes himself as “a very pro-life Catholic who believes in cherishing life at all costs” — even when, one assumes, the cost is women’s health. He wants “the toughest laws, harshest penalties and strictest reporting” on crime. He has no health care plan, and his website says as much.
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NEW YORK
Two New York women to focus on this time around: Alice Kryzan and Kirsten Gillibrand. Kryzan is a pro-choice environmentalist who, as an evironmental lawyer, is focused on bringing green-collar jobs to Western New York — improving the economy and creating stable jobs while maintaining a responsible environmental policy. She’s also very feminist and was on the board of Planned Parenthood. Kirsten Gillibrand is the founder and former chair of the Women’s Leadership Forum Network, which encourages political activism among women under 40. She has worked to implement the recommendations of the 9/11 commission; she’s an advocate of greater access to preventative health care; she wants to expand child care availability; she supports reponsible environmental policies; and she’s strongly pro-choice — so much so that she was a cosponsor of the Global Democracy Promotion Act to repeal the global gag rule.
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NORTH CAROLINA
With no incumbent in the race, the North Carolina gubernatorial election is an exciting one where the progressive candidate has a real shot of winning. Bev Purdue, the Democratic contender, lists education and health care as her two biggest issues. She is a proponent of raising teacher salaries; she’s a big advocate of raising funding for the arts; she supports responsible environmental policies; she helped to create North Carolina’s Children Insurance Program; she’s pro-choice; and she tried to create a Working Families Agenda in the NC General Assembly that focused on fair wages, health insurance and affordable housing. If she won, Purdue would be the first female governor of North Carolina, and the first female governor of a Southern state since Ann Richards of Texas. While Purdue’s campaign focuses on those issues, her opponent zeroes in on things like Second Amendment rights and illegal immigration. Plus he’s got some race issues, he’s anti-choice, and he has strong ties to corporate interests. This race is an important (and historic) one, and Bev Purdue is a great candidate — here’s hoping she’s successful.
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SOUTH DAKOTA
The big ballot issue in SD this election is Measure 11. Cara has covered this issue pretty extensively here, but in case you’ve somehow missed it, Measure 11 would outlaw all abortions in South Dakota, with only narrow exceptions for rape, incest, and health/life of the pregnant woman. Doctors who perform abortions in South Dakota would be subject to felony convictions, which carry with them as many as 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. It’s horrendous legislation, and would have national influence, as anti-choice activists are hoping to use South Dakota as a starting point for their efforts to overturn Roe and eventually outlaw abortion nationwide. If you’re in South Dakota, say NO to Measure 11.
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WASHINGTON
Washington is my home state, where Christine Gregoire is up against Dino Rossi for governor (again), repeating what was a highly-contested race last time around, wherein Gregoire won by one of the narrowest margins ever recorded in a state election. Gregoire is a liberal Democrat who, though far from perfect, is pro-choice and far better on issues like the environment, education and health care than her opponent. Rossi is a Republican who is anti-choice, anti-stem-cell-research, a global warming skeptic, hostile to public education, and bad on health care. He has also supported pharmacists who refuse to fill birth control prescriptions.
Darcy Burner is also running for office in Washington State, for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives (in Washington’s 8th district). I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Darcy several times, and she’s a fantastic candidate and feminist advocate, running against a right-wing Bush loyalist. So if you’re in the 8th District, Darcy is your woman.
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EMILY’s List has a whole bunch of pro-choice female candidates to support in the elections, so check them out and look for who’s up in your state. I would love to detail every one of them, but my time is sadly limited. So feel free to include pitches for your candidates and issues of choice in the comments.
And vote! I’ll close the post with words that I’m borrowing from Jack:
We’re about to make history here, damn it, and I’m going to be part of it. I hope you will be, too.