IGNITE's Blog

As we commemorate the centennial of women’s suffrage in 2020, it is important to remember that not every woman could cast a ballot after the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920. Women of color couldn’t exercise their voting right for more than four decades until the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965. Despite the fact that only 100 years ago, women couldn’t even vote in the United States, the current 116th Congress comprises the highest number of female members in its history so far. Out of 127 women in the Congress today, 48 of them identify as women of color—4 in the Senate and 44 in the House. One of the notable women of color in Congress is Senator Kamala Harris who, as of November 7, 2020, is the Vice President-elect of the United States. Although the representation of women of color in Congress is yet to reach its pinnacle, the 116th Congress is a beautiful reminder of how far we have come. Keep reading below about some of the remarkable women of color in the 116th Congress: 

Election Day is over just like that. Now what? This election has consumed many of us for what feels like the better part of a year. It’s fair to be feeling tired, burnt out, and frankly ‘over’ political discussions. But in reality, we’re just getting started. Now is when we begin the next phase of our civic duty - we hold politicians accountable for their promises.

Kamala Devi Harris is an American politician and attorney who has served as the junior United States senator from California since 2017. As of November 7, 2020, she is the Vice-President Elect. Here's a timeline of key moments that brings us to the first African American, the first Indian American, and the first woman to serve as Vice President of the United States.

Phew! We made it through what might be the most taxing and emotionally draining election of our lifetime. People were stressed out before the election, and now having to wait to see who will be the winner, it seems like we can’t catch a break. If you’re feeling stressed or having some post-election blues, you certainly aren’t alone. 

We’ve been building up to election day for months on end. We’ve mobilized voters, educated our peers, and together, we’ve set voter turnout records. As an election year coupled with a pandemic and ongoing social unrest, 2020 has been unprecedented to say the least. With the election cycle over and the year coming to an end, it’s time to take a break. It’s time to detox. 

lections are far from over at the close of polling on Election Day. After everyone’s cast their ballots, we still have a ways to go before election results are finalized and made official. In this post, we take a brief look at how and when presidential election results (from the general election) are certified.

By volunteering or working on a campaign, YOU can play a major role in electing more women. IGNITE alumna Emily Kaplan has rounded up some tips from her time working on campaigns to inspire you.

A Self-Care Plan for Now through Election Day

This election cycle is taking a greater toll on folks than previous elections, so much so that people are getting Election Stress Disorder (ESD).

In recent weeks, we’ve talked a lot about the importance of voting, convincing the non-voter to vote, and falsehoods about voting. Voter apathy is very real. It’s one of the reasons the U.S. has one of the lowest voter turnouts in the developed world, but it’s certainly not the only reason. Registration, scheduling, and voter suppression contribute to this problem as well, and unfortunately, it’s simply much harder to vote in some states than others. On the contrary, states, where it’s the easiest to vote, have conveniences like online voter registration, automatic voter registration, allowing voters to register on Election Day, and some even have universal mail-in voting.

Continuing on with our series highlighting the most difficult places to vote in the U.S., we dive into issues affecting Georgia.