Why is the Election so Important?

When you cast your ballot for a U.S. Senator or state representative in any given election, you are voting for an elected official who will represent your community, district or state. Elected officials are accountable to the voters who put them into office. Their primary responsibility is to listen to their constituents and enact legislation that will improve the lives of the communities they serve. Elections are also important because it gives you an opportunity to vote for a candidate that shares your political ideology and reflects the diversity of your community.

Elected officials create the laws that impact almost every aspect of voters’ lives. More specifically, they:

vote for or against proposals and legislation that impact the lives of women, girls, and communities of color;
advocate for issues that prevent and end violence against women, policies that increase the minimum wage or protect the right to vote.
decide if and how to respond to city, state, national and international issues including the lack of affordable health care, housing foreclosures, and immigration reform; and
decide if and how to respond to city, state, national and international crises such as hurricanes, flooding, and terrorism.

The 2012 elections will be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012.

On the state level, elected officials include city council members, city and town mayors, state Governors, state senators and representatives. This election year, there will be eleven gubernatorial races, many state legislature races, special elections, and various other state and local races.

Every four years the president, vice president, one third of the Senate, and the entire House are up for election (on-year elections). On even-numbered years when there isn't a presidential election, one third of the Senate and the whole House are included in the election (off-year elections).

Elections will be held for all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing the 50 U.S. states and territories. One-third of the U.S. Senate or 33 seats of the 100 seats will be up for re-election. Senators serve a six-year term and each representative serves for a two-year term.

Every election voters have a choice:

A choice on who to elect to positions of power
A choice on who to elect to be involved in discussions and decisions regarding direction of local, state, national and international policy and action.
A choice on who to elect to be involved in discussions and decisions that shape the future of our families, communities and nation.

This year the choice is even more important. When voters go to the polls, they will be casting their ballots for elected officials who will be involved in deciding what is done about major issues facing the country including:

• Health Care
• Medicaid
• Medicare
• Social Security
• Economy
• Housing foreclosures
• Lack of affordable housing
• Rising costs of college
• Energy policy
• Immigration Reform
• Taxes
• Terrorism

Voting is one of the most important activities individuals can engage. Who an individual votes for can have an enormous impact on the lives of women, girls and people of color in the United States and throughout the world. This is especially true this year.

Some people believe that voting is not important or does not matter. But the old cliché is true; one vote can make a difference.

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