Brand 19

By Kate Alexander

As voters we brand ourselves as Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Greens, Undecideds, and so forth. Maybe we choose a party because we support its platform, or maybe because we cannot abide the others’ platform. But isn’t our real identity as a female citizen demonstrated by whether we participate in our government or we choose to sit it out and hope for the best?

According to a recent study by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, Texas women rank LAST in the nation for voting! It is one thing to complain about wage inequality and gender issues; but only by participating in guiding legislation will we provide the right legacy for future generations of Texas women.

Be proactive. Start by asking the females in your life if they are registered to vote. If they are at least age 17 years + 10 months and will be 18 by November 3, they are eligible to vote in the 2020 uniform (presidential) elections.

Be savvy. Answer this question: How many animals did Moses take into the Ark? Even for a moment did you start multiplying by twos? Out of one hundred of us, only twelve said zero because Moses did not have an Ark. Noah did. But our brains tend to skip over some details in favor of what stirs us. That is why we are so easily inflamed by misinformation on the web.

"It’s important to take the time to put aside any emotional reaction to the content and do a quick Internet search for additional information." – Cindy L. Otis, former CIA analyst and disinformation expert

Do not let election misinformation distract you into counting the animals on Moses’ Ark instead of gathering the facts you need to make your best election choices. These independent fact-checking sources can help (clickable):

Misinformation Monday

AARP

Download a voter registration application: www.votetexas.gov/register-to-vote

Apply for voter registration online:

https://webservices.sos.state.tx.us/vrapp/index.asp

Confirm your voter registration:

https://www.nass.org/can-I-vote

FAQs: VoteTexas.Gov

https://www.votetexas.gov/faq/index.html

Deadline to register for the November 3rd Uniform (Presidential) Election:

October 5

Early voting dates for the November 3rd Uniform (Presidential) Election:

October 13 – 30

2020 Uniform (Presidential) Election: November 3

Be 19. Let’s unite as descendants of foremothers who campaigned, debated, protested, suffered, and prevailed to gain for women our right to vote via the 19th Amendment – and think of this as our brand - “Brand 19 – Women Who Vote”. Encourage your circle of women to vote early, give them a ride to the polls, and when it is over and done, THANK THEM for voting!

Let’s raise Texas women’s political participation rank from an “F” to an “A” to guarantee that bad politicians are never elected by good women who do not vote.

BRAND

Women Who Vote

Kate Alexander

October 2020

Current Events, History

Sources:

The Guardian. (2019). Why smart people are more likely to believe fake news. Book review in The Guardian. URL: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/apr/01/why-smart-people-are-more-likely-to-believe-fake-news

Institute for Women’s Policy Research. (2018). Status of women in the states: Texas. URL: https://statusofwomendata.org/explore-the-data/state-data/texas/

Mozilla.org. (2020). “Misinformation Monday” blog and links to independent fact-checking sources. URL: https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/blog/tags/misinformation-monday

Otis, Cindy L. (2020). I’m a former CIA analyst trained to spot fake news. Here’s how you can do it, too. Opinion. USA Today. URL: https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/07/29/cia-tips-fake-news-check-bias-ask-questions-do-research-column/5518879002/