This past Tuesday, on the steps of City Hall in San Francisco, Judy Patrick, CEO of the Women’s Foundation of California joined other women leaders for a press conference on the importance of women voting on November 2nd. At the same time, women leaders in Sacramento and Los Angeles gathered to speak out.
It took 70 years of organizing by women suffragists before American women gained the right to vote in 1920. In honor of that decades-long struggle, and in recognition of the important issues on the ballot, we are urging women to turn out and vote. There are many issues and candidates on the ballot this year that will have an impact on the health and well-being of women and girls. Below is Judy’s speech from the press conference, which touches on the issues elected officials should uphold on behalf of women and girls..
(Confused about the ballot propositions? Check out our Voter Guide.)
Good Morning. My name is Judy Patrick. I am the CEO and President of the Women’s Foundation of California.
In California we have clear choices in this election and the votes of women, young people and communities of color are critical. While reproductive choice remains important, it cannot be our only litmus test. We need elected officials who:
- want to protect our environment,
- support the rights of anyone to make life long commitments through marriage,
- work to improve and sustain the social safety net that protects the most vulnerable in our communities,
- recognize that its important to be smart on crime, not tough on crime,
- recognize that after 40 years of effort, there is still a pay gap between men and women, and between white people and people of color–and then work to close that gap,
- prioritize funding for ending domestic violence,
- work towards fair immigration reform,
- support legislation that makes all work places friendlier for working families, and
- implement policies that put the lives and well-being of individuals and communities first.
Because healthy, educated communities are better places to do business.
For 30 years the Women’s Foundation of California has been working to move these issues forward.
In California, in the Governor race, the US Senate race, the California Secretary of State race, Attorney General race, the Insurance Commissioner race and many more local races, the division between candidates on these issues is clear. There are both men and women on the ballot who hold these values. We should support them. We should particularly support women candidates who share these values because we know that two things happen when we have more women in elected office:
- debate becomes more civil and cooperative
- the number of pieces of legislation related to the well-being of women and their families increases…as does the rate of passage
We all have 21 days to work towards a California where the rights of women and their families are prioritized. Please encourage everyone you know to vote. Nothing is more important!