Martha Burk - Your Voice, Your Vote: 2020–21 Edition: The Savvy Womans Guide to Politics, Power, and the Change We Need

Praise for Your Voice, Your Vote: 202021 Edition

Burk is insistent and urgent when pressing the cause of gender equality. Part primer, part call to arms with its lessons on how politics work... valuable lessons for every voter: Take time to know what your candidates stand for, question and prod them beyond bromides and talking points, and hold them accountable.

The Washington Post

Martha Burk reminds us there is still work to doand shows us a road to gender equality that goes straight through the voting booth.

Susan Scanlan, chair, National Council of Womens Organizations

Martha Burk is much more than simply an advocate for womens issues. Her broad range of experience and understanding of the political process make her uniquely qualified to outline whats at stakenot just for women, but the country as a wholein the upcoming election. A timely and important call to action.

Bill Richardson, former governor of New Mexico

Whether youre a young woman worried about your future, an employed woman fighting to break the glass ceiling, a mom out of the paid workforce, a retired woman struggling to make ends meet, or a feminist activist trying to change the world, this book has the information you need.

Eleanor Smeal, publisher, Ms. magazine

A call to action and a resource for women who want to understand whats really at stake, and why women should view their political selves in a more powerful way. Burks book is also a great primer on the issues that you think you know something about, but would like a little more background on without the spin of cable talking heads, like the Affordable Care Act, why women voters should care about the mortgage/housing crisis, foreign affairs, reproductive health, paid maternity leave, civil rightsyou name it, shes got it in this valuable book.

Joanne Bamberger, The Huffington Post

This is a must have for every voter, not just women... the heart of this book is Burks explanation of the issues. Read the book and then share with the women in your life. Or buy a few copies and start an election discussion group.

Vivalafeminista.com

Copyright 2020 by Dr. Martha Burk

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Tom Lau

Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-5253-5

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-5254-2

Printed in the United States of America.

Elections are often characterized as the election of the century, and billed as the most significant election in our lifetime for one group or another, including women. The last few US presidential elections were no exception, and indeed had high drama and high expectations. What made them so significant?

In this century, weve had three regime changes at the top, with the presidency going from Republican to Democratic and back again to Republican. The balance of power in Congress has changed as well. In 2010 House majority changed from Democratic to Republican control, and not for the better, insofar as women are concerned. It got worse in 2014, when Republicans (historically more hostile to womens rights) also took over the Senate. Even though the House once again went to the Democrats in 2018, the government remains all but paralyzed, and anti-woman legislation has been introduced time and time again at the national and state levels. Thats why 2020 and beyond is so important.

Womens rights, for which we fought so hard, have recently been eroded. The first federal ban in history on an abortion procedure became law in 2007, and a woman-hostile majority on the Supreme Court seriously curtailed our ability to challenge employment discrimination. Title IX, the law requiring equal educational opportunities for girls and women, has been weakened and remains under constant assault. In 2019 courts allowed a Trump administration rule banning federal family planning dollars from going to health care providers providing abortion services, also impacting cancer and HIV screenings, birth control, and preventive care.

In spite of the setbacks, there is much room for forward progress. The pay gap remains, we still lack pregnancy leave or paid family leave, and child care is a patchwork of make-do arrangements that leaves families struggling. There are many other pressing national issues we dont normally think about as womens issues, but that is indeed what they are. Gun violence, the low-wage economy, the continuing assaults on Medicare and Social Security, ongoing and potential wars, and tax policies all affect women in different ways than they affect men, and all are growing concerns.

We must view these challenges not as obstacles, but as opportunities. Women are the majority of the population, the majority of registered voters, and the majority of those that actually show up at the polls. That means we have the opportunity to take control and make the changes we need in every election. But having the opportunity is not enough. We must have the willfirmly grounded in essential knowledge of the issues for a path ahead. Thats what this book is about.

This book is not about individual candidates or one party or the other, though it does hold both incumbents and parties accountable for their records. It is about how we can reverse the losses since the turn of the twenty-first century, and once more go forward. But please dont think of this as just another good citizens act, good citizens vote sermon. Voting and taking action dont help, and indeed can hurt, if women and the men who care about them end up doing something against their own interests because they dont know the facts.

It is still true that knowledge is power. By the time you close this book you will know whats at stake for women as we navigate the most important opportunities for progressor lack of itin this election year and the years following. But knowledge wont bring change without actionthat means holding candidates and elected officials accountable for long-term solutions.

The first action we must take is confronting those who seek our votesincumbents and challengers of both partieswith questions not only about their voting records, but also their future intentions on our most vital issues. At the end of each chapter, you will find such questions. After all, theres a national election every two years, and every one is the election of the century for women. And when the election is over, the information here will help you hold candidates that got elected accountable.