IGNITE's Blog

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. 

A presidential election during a global pandemic is just one more challenging circumstance for Americans to navigate in 2020. As a result, several states have expanded absentee voting in the past few months to allow people who are concerned about contracting COVID-19 to vote-by-mail instead of at the polls. However, Tennessee is one of six states that still requires an excuse in order to cast a ballot by mail.

Believe it or not, Wisconsin used to be one of the easiest states to vote in. Other states looked to the Barger State as a golden example of voting. Things have been steadily changing, though. 

Virginia once had the dubious distinction of being called the “second hardest state to vote in.” While it’s still harder to vote in Virginia than some other states, it is making significant progress.