This is the last time I’ll be writing to you before the election.  

I’m proud of all the grassroots work NOW members have done not only in this election cycle, but also during the appallingly rushed confirmation process for Amy Coney Barrett. As this column by S.E. Cupp points out, Democrats were much more energized by the Kavanaugh hearings to vote in the 2018 elections, and the Amy Coney Barrett nomination could have the same effect on turnout.  

We must stay focused, and keep our eyes on the prize by making a plan to vote and helping others plan their own ballots.  If you are still figuring out your voting plan, the Voting Rights Alliance has some great resources for each state. Here’s an inspiring get-out-the-vote message from Kamala Harris, and also, a compelling article from the Atlantic about “The Woman Who Led Kamala Harris to This Moment,” her mother. 

A week from today, I’m hopeful that we’ll be celebrating the impact of the largest feminist voting force in history.  The bigger the turnout among women, the harder it will be for Donald Trump to get away with challenging the results of the election.  

Despite efforts to suppress the vote with long lines and hours of wait time in states from Georgia to Texas, NPR reports that Americans are breaking early voting records. In addition to record early voting turnout, The Guardian also featured this article about how a record number of women of color are running for Congress, with profiles of some of these women to watch. 

NOW helped prepare a detailed set of policy recommendations for a new administration, focusing on the needs of women of color and marginalized communities. Entitled, Women Demand: A Letter to the Federal Elected Officials and Candidates from the Women’s Community, the letter was signed by more than 200 organizations, including 34 NOW chapters. You can read it here.  

My hope for next week’s elections is that we will have cause to cheer the work we’ve done together and the results we always believed were possible.  But no matter the outcome, I know that your determination and resolve remain strong. 

I leave you this week with some inspiring words in the form of a poem, Love Wins by Melvina Germain