IGNITE's Blog

We all heard this statistic after the 2016 election: 52% of white women voted for Trump. And now new polling shows the same trend could play out for middle-aged white women in 2020. Yet all the candidates are ignoring a vital demographic: new voters. Given that one-in-ten eligible voters will be from Gen Z this fall (24 million new voters!), Gen Z may prove essential to the outcome of this election cycle.

Your vote does matter! There is no way to say that loudly enough. We need to knock down every argument we hear about why voting doesn’t matter because it truly does. In 2016, the winning margin in Michigan averaged only two votes per precinct. Even if you don’t live in a swing state, you should still vote. Why? Because there’s a lot of talk about contesting the results of this election if President Trump isn’t reelected. However, it’s awfully hard to contest a landslide win.

A recent analysis found that more than 558,000 presidential primary election ballots were rejected because of mistakes. Yikes! That means that over 100,000 people didn’t get their votes counted or voices heard. 

Unless you're living under a rock, you've probably been hearing a lot about making a plan to vote. Due to several factors unique to this election cycle - the pandemic, cutbacks to the USPS, rampant misinformation, and blatant voter suppression - it isn't enough to be a registered voter. You need a detailed plan to get your ballot, cast your vote, and check that it's counted. 

Elections have consequences. Just as voting has the power to reshape our country with each election, so does not voting. Which is why voter apathy is so frustrating. Deciding who and what to vote for is an active choice, but so is not voting.

Political women offer strategic, resourceful and resilient approaches to leadership. As the pandemic sheds light on significant disparities, women’s political leadership has been instrumental in ensuring access to community resources and lifting up marginalized voices. By supporting women leaders, we have the power to shape the landscape of politics for a brighter, more inclusive future. Here are just a few of the many elected officials who are leading their community through the global pandemic. 

Women make up 51% of the population but hold less than a quarter of elected office. The numbers are even lower for women of color. That’s why we need you to run for office and there’s no better time to start than right now. Check out this guide on how to run for office and start on your path to elected office today! 

Are you one of the younger Gen Zers who can’t yet vote in general or local elections, and are screaming ‘What about me?’. This post is for you.

Elections are one way we can address real-life issues such as climate change, immigration, systemic racism, police brutality, and so on, on a local, state, and federal level. Through voting, we can work toward creating a better future for the generations to come. Elections are important and the outcomes impact all of us. 

During the 1960s, Alabama was at the center of the fight for voting rights yet today, six decades later, it’s still one of the most difficult places to register to vote and cast a ballot. As other states have evolved policies for early voting, voter registration, and vote-by-mail, a report by the Southern Poverty Law Center shows pretty much the opposite in Alabama.