More Than A Magazine, A Movement
The historic Jan. 6 hearings have given us the details of the riot, the crush of white supremacists and armed paramilitary, the hypocrisy of some members, and the sheer, snarling hatred of some citizens on display. I’m grateful for all the work the hearings have done, and the justice they may yet bring.
More important than the vitriol and violence of that day is the truth that our America is resilient—still promised to us, if only we’ll come together to achieve it.
The end of national abortion protections was a wake-up call for many voters, just months before the midterms. From candidates and key races, here’s what you need to know ahead of the upcoming elections.
Ever since the overturn of Roe v. Wade in June, the national gaze has shifted towards state-level leadership.
The secretary of state is vital to the effective functioning of state government. Responsibilities of the secretary of state vary but, overall, administering election law is one of their most pertinent duties. Only 22 percent of our nation’s secretaries of state are women. In 2022, 27 states are holding elections for the position of secretary of state.
On Aug. 2, Kansas voters will decide whether or not to amend the Kansas Constitution to explicitly state that nothing in it creates a right to abortion. If passed, the amendment would allow the state legislature to pass laws banning and restricting abortion. The activists behind the amendment are attempting to overturn a 2019 Kansas Supreme Court decision that protected a woman’s access to abortion.
If anti-abortion extremists are successful in passing the constitutional amendment in Kansas, millions of Americans will be left in an abortion desert.
If passed, a proposed constitutional amendment on Kansas’ primary ballot in August would allow more than 20 laws restricting abortion to stay in effect, including mandatory ultrasounds and biased counseling to discourage abortion, a 24-hour waiting period, parental consent for minors, a 20-week abortion ban, a ban on telemedicine abortion and limitations on public funding and insurance coverage for abortion.
Feminist and equity-focused groups urge Kansas voters to vote “no” on the amendment.
The U.S., one of the world’s oldest democracies, is now seeing a rise of antidemocratic views. But never fear. We come bearing good news. There is hope. And that hope, we believe, is the shared power and potential of mobilized women to forge a new movement for a 21st century democracy.
We hope you are inspired and encouraged by what this slate of women experts—working at all levels to reform and revitalize our democracy—have to say. And to hear more about democracy solutions and how you can get involved, join us March 8–10 from 3–5 p.m. ET for RepresentWomen’s democracy Solutions Summit, which brings together experts and leaders in election administration, voting rights and democracy reform who are working on innovative solutions that upgrade and strengthen our democracy.
Texas’s S.B. 8, the state’s near-total abortion ban, went into effect on the same day that S.B. 1, an omnibus voter suppression package, was passed by both chambers of the state legislature. The parallels between these laws extend well beyond their synchronized timelines.
Voters in more than one-third of the country enjoy some form of an Election Day holiday.
Young voters, especially young Black voters, were critical to Georgia’s historic shift—especially during the latest Senate runoffs. In fact, almost one in five young voters (ages 18-29) who voted in the recent Georgia runoffs did not vote in the general election—made up disproportionately of Black youth.
To understand where trends in promoting democracy are headed, it’s important to put into perspective the myriad ways in which businesses and industry leaders contributed to unprecedented turnout in 2020.
