Look What We Did Together

As 2012 draws to a close, we’d like to take a moment to thank our AAUW members and supporters for your extraordinary efforts to advance our shared mission. Your advocacy and donations have helped AAUW influence public policy and implement successful and exciting programming throughout 2012. As educated women and men, you are advocates and catalysts for sustainable social change, and your ongoing support will supercharge our efforts to continue to empower women in the new year.

Thanks to your work and generosity, we can be proud of some impressive achievements. Below are just a select few (read the full list). This year, AAUW

• Received top ratings once again from Charity Navigator, GreatNonprofits, GuideStar, and America’s Charities for our excellent financial management, transparency, and accountability

• Launched the nationwide voter education and turnout campaign It’s My Vote: I Will Be Heard through the AAUW Action Fund. This campaign, targeted at millennial women, engaged members and branches in nearly every state and registered tens of thousands of voters.

• Released Graduating to a Pay Gap, which uses the latest nationally representative data to explore the salary difference between women and men college graduates working full time one year after graduation and examines the effect of the pay gap on the burden of student loan debt

• Awarded $4.3 million in fellowships and grants for the 2012–13 program year, the largest amount in four years, to support 278 women at various stages in their professional and academic careers, research projects, and programs promoting education and equity for women and girls

• Awarded more than $100,000 in case support through the Legal Advocacy Fund to help women like Betty Dukes and Kori Cioca improve working conditions for all women employees at Wal-Mart and women in the military

• Continued to rapidly expand our use of social and new media tools, experiencing 50 percent growth across many of AAUW’s social media channels

• Reached more than 600 women and girls in India, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, and China through in-country projects implemented by AAUW fellowships and grants alumnae

• Played a large role in drafting and introducing legislation sponsored by Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) that would undo much of the harm caused by last year’s Wal-Mart v. Dukes Supreme Court ruling

• Started a member leadership programs department to facilitate a more focused approach to programs for our AAUW member leaders

• Continued to expand our global commitment to women and girls through participating in the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women and the U.S. National Committee for U.N. Women, sending an international delegation to China, and hosting women visitors from abroad

• Celebrated the 40th anniversary of Title IX

• Awarded 15 Legal Advocacy Fund Campus Outreach Grants to AAUW branches across the country, which held programs on local campuses focused on issues such as pay equity, dating violence, Title IX and athletics, and gender discrimination in the workplace

• Saw the dedicated members of the AAUW Action Fund Capitol Hill Lobby Corps make more than 1,200 congressional office visits on protecting college access and affordability, reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act, protecting women’s access to contraceptives, preventing bullying and harassment, passing the Paycheck Fairness Act, and eliminating workplace gender discrimination

• Reached 30 campuses and more than 600 participants with Elect Her–Campus Women Win, the only program in the country that trains college women to run for student government

• Helped guarantee that insurance companies cover women’s preventive care services, including contraception, pap smears, and mammograms, without co-pay or cost sharing

• Updated The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap with numbers and graphics from the 2011 U.S. Census, including new state-by-state rankings

• Confirmed fair pay advocate Lilly Ledbetter, leadership strategist Cynthia D’Amour, and former AAUW fellow and MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry as 2013 AAUW convention speakers, with more to come

• Helped prevent student loan interest rates from doubling this summer so that those with student loans can meet their commitment despite the tough economy

• Took the lead in efforts to bring the Paycheck Fairness Act to a vote. Although the bill failed to overcome procedural hurdles in both the House and Senate, AAUW was recognized by the White House, House of Representatives, Senate, and the press as the leading authority on the bill.

• Earned a perfect score on our audit thanks to the hard work of the AAUW Finance Committee and staff. See the annual report for specific numbers and a wonderful programmatic overview.

• Gathered a record number of almost 600 students for the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders. Save the date for the 2013 conference, May 30–June 1!

• Sent a letter to 10 of the largest public school districts urging them to review and correct their reporting to the U.S. Department of Education of an unlikely zero incidents of sex-based bullying and sexual harassment. Several districts responded.

• Addressed the issue of sexual harassment in grades 7–12 through seven AAUW Campus Action Project grants

• Ensured that the AAUW-backed Campus SaVE Act was included in the Senate-passed reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act

• Reached more than 140 campuses with our $tart $mart salary negotiation workshops

In the past year, AAUW and our advocates have had an undeniable impact in our nation’s capital, on college campuses, in our branches and communities, and around the world. Please make a contribution now so that AAUW can intensify our crucial work to break through barriers for women and girls in the coming year.

From everyone at AAUW, best wishes for a wonderful start to 2013!

Read Full Post »

Track State Legislation with New Tool

With the 2012 elections over, it’s time to hold legislators’ feet to the fire. AAUW now has a high-tech legislative tracking tool to help us take effective and timely action on policy issues not just at the national level but also in your state.

CQ StateTrack allows AAUW staff in Washington, D.C., to work with state leaders to track local bills that affect our priority issues. We will use CQ StateTrack to create a profile for each state, which will include a set of key words and pertinent committees and legislators. This information will allow us to find relevant state bills by searching certain terms. The system will e-mail you when state legislation containing one of the key words is introduced, being heard in committee, or ready for a floor vote. You can also generate web reports that give us a snapshot of what bills state legislatures are considering at any given time.

CQ StateTrack is a game changer for advocacy on AAUW priority issues. Through our policy experts in Washington, D.C., AAUW already has the capability to track federal legislation down to this specific, instantaneous level, and CQ StateTrack will extend that capability to state legislation.

AAUW can embed the CQ StateTrack legislative report on AAUW state or branch websites so that they become a go-to resource for up-to-date information on legislation affecting women and families. CQ StateTrack will help you make quick decisions about taking positions on new bills and leading the charge for or against particular legislation.

Throughout December and January, AAUW is holding conference calls with state public policy chairs to walk through the CQ StateTrack system. If you would like to be involved or have questions, please e-mail advocacy@aauw.org.

This post was written by AAUW State Grassroots Advocacy Manager Kimberly Fountain.

Read Full Post »

Vote Today—There’s Still Time!

The AAUW Action Fund’s It’s My Vote: I Will Be Heard voter education and turnout campaign represents an unprecedented investment in making women’s voices heard in the 2012 election. Follow us on Twitter, on Facebook, and on Tumblr for the latest updates, and check out our weekly Campaign Update for news, resources, and ideas.

The stakes in this election, especially for women and girls, are enormous. You might think your vote doesn’t count. But one vote made the difference for women’s suffrage in 1920 when Tennessee became the last state to ratify the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. A handful of votes in key precincts made John F. Kennedy and George W. Bush president in 1960 and 2000, respectively.

The people elected today, on November 6, will vote on pay equity, Social Security, and reproductive choice. Economic issues are also of major concern to women. Pay inequity affects family income. Two-thirds of women in the workforce function as primary or co-bread winners. Working women still typically earn 77 percent of what men earn. According to 2011 census data, a Michigan woman working full time typically makes 74 cents to a man’s dollar. This affects every paycheck as well as lifetime earnings, retirement, and Social Security benefits. Yes, women are concerned about economic issues.

College affordability affects the economy. Higher education is a necessity to equip the workforce to handle decently paid jobs. Students graduating in 2010 owed an average of $25,250 in college loans. Loan repayment has a significant impact and leads many to defer marriage, graduate education, or major purchases.

Job creation and economic opportunity are critical issues. Women lost proportionately more jobs in this recession, particularly in the public sector. Programs that help the most vulnerable were cut and remain on the chopping block. Women lost 71.2 percent of the jobs cut between June 2009 and September 2011. When children live in poverty — as many as 1 in 4 in Michigan do — this is an economic issue.

The Affordable Care Act offers women’s preventive health care services without co-pays or cost sharing, including birth control. Some women are already receiving this benefit, and when most health insurance plans renew in January 2013, this coverage will expand to millions of women in this country. Contraception is a vital part of women’s preventive health care. The vast majority of women use contraception, but the costs for many are a burden. Every woman should have the ability to make her own informed choice regarding her reproductive life. The Affordable Care Act also includes maternity care and well-woman visits. This is an economic issue.

Elections matter. Michigan Sens. Carl Levin (D) and Debbie Stabenow (D) voted in support of 90 percent of AAUW’s legislative priorities in the 112th Congress (January 2011–December 2012). Rep. Dan Benishek (R), who represents my district, voted for zero. Check out the legislative record of your senators and representatives with the AAUW Action Fund Congressional Voting Record, and consult the AAUW Action Fund voter guides to see the positions of the presidential and select Senate and House candidates.

Vote as if your life depends on it — because, in many ways, it does.

Karlyn Rapport is the public policy chair for the AAUW Marquette (MI) Branch.

Read Full Post »

AAUW Is Active on Election Day

Today, Election Day, the entire AAUW staff of almost 100 people made get-out-the-vote reminder calls to young women. By 2 p.m., we had made almost 1,500 calls. For some staffers, it was their first time phone banking, and some called more than 100 people each. Staffers also worked a table outside to distribute AAUW materials and Election Day swag to people passing by our national office, which is located just two blocks from the White House.

As AAUW Executive Director Linda Hallman said, “Taking an entire day of staff time to join our membership in getting out the women’s vote is a significant investment of our resources, but it’s critical when we consider what’s at stake for women in this election. It’s time for all hands on deck.”

AAUW volunteers take a break from phone banking.

Shana takes a break from phone banking. She says voting is important to her because it’s important to set a good example for future generations — something she’s very concerned about!

Everyone at AAUW got involved! Executive Director Linda Hallman made calls to remind people in Ohio to vote.

We start them early at AAUW! Suzanne’s daughters had the day off from school, so they helped their mom make calls.

AAUW staff, including Executive Director Linda Hallman, chat with passersby about voting.

Today was Jennifer’s first time phone banking.

Today wasn’t just Latoya’s first time phone banking — it was her first day as an AAUW staffer!

Read Full Post »

Voting Women Can Create Powerful Change

Hey, women! You’re more than 50 percent of the population! Are you voting in this election as if your life depended upon it? Are you exercising the right that so many have fought for? Are you showing your power to change lives, to strengthen our country, to stand and be counted?

One of this year’s big political themes has been the “war on women.” As exciting as that sounds as a campaign or fundraising slogan, it really is nothing more than the same old thing, different day. The messages of politicians and pundits who are sounding off about sluts, rape, working women, and breast cancer are only louder and more public, more personal, and more easily spread by the quickness and availability of instant communication. But to act as if this is something new this year is absurd. Women have been facing inequality since way before we fought for the right to vote.

When women act, we change the world. Just ask the Susan G. Komen Foundation, which showed us earlier this year that playing politics was more important than fighting breast cancer. Or look at the response of Rush Limbaugh’s sponsors, whose mass exodus showed us that calling women sluts for expecting insurance coverage for birth control was unacceptable.

The congressmen who feel comfortable excluding women during congressional testimony about reproductive health must understand that this is also unacceptable. The candidates for public office who have made chilling references that attempt to delegitimize rape must not be allowed to represent us. We must push beyond those who do not believe that women deserve respect, equality, equal pay, and equal protection under the law.

We must continue to voice our displeasure by voting in elections and by carefully choosing how we spend our money. Women must speak up, speak out, and vote, vote, vote. We must engage in the political process as candidates, as donors, and as voters. We must honor our foremothers who suffered great indignity, danger, and injury while fighting for the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote in 1920. Not exercising that right is an affront to their struggle and to our history.

By being silent and failing to vote, we run the risk of being complicit in the politicization of access to health care, which is so much more than abortion; of a growing acceptance that rape is OK; of the idea that equality in pay should not be expected and that a woman who seeks parity is somehow less desirable as an employee or spouse/partner. Women and men must not allow equality to become a sound bite, an ideal that we hope for and dream about but continue to not attain. We must not continue to allow politicians and those who speak more loudly than us to interrupt our right to demand equality.

This year’s presidential campaign is of huge importance to women. Continued disinterest or lack of participation in the political process will only further embolden the agenda that does not include women as important members of our society. Vote as if your life and your rights depend upon it.

This post was written by Carlynne McDonnell, CEO of the nonprofit Change in Our Lifetime, a 501(c)(3) organization that is committed to reigniting the gender equity dialogue through action, activism, and leadership development.        

Read Full Post »

Top Five Ways to Motivate Young Women to Vote

For the past eight months, our It’s My Vote: I Will Be Heard campaign has done everything possible to inspire young women to vote on November 6. With just one day left in the final countdown to Election Day, we want to share with you our favorite inspirational posts from our campaign’s Tumblr. Share them with someone who might need motivation to vote!

1. Fair pay e-cards
   
   When we saw the latest wage gap numbers a few months ago, we knew young women would care that women still typically get paid 77 cents for every dollar a man gets paid. So we came up with some snarky e-cards to remind folks that the fight for fair pay isn’t done — and this November could make all the difference.
2. Facebook cover photos
   
   If the young women of America are anything like us, we’d bet that they love Facebook and pictures of kittens. We merged the two with a virtual voting billboard that can be easily uploaded on Facebook. It’s easy to change your cover photo, which is a great way to tell your Facebook friends that you’re voting.
3. Sandra Fluke’s pep talk for voters
   
   Personal stories are motivational. And when those stories come from people like Sandra Fluke — a NCCWSL Woman of Distinction and AAUW friend who became famous for being a strong advocate for birth control access — they’re even more powerful. So it was no surprise that Fluke’s It’s My Vote pep talk was our most popular. In the video, she tells the story of a poll worker who remembered her from the previous election. So few young people had voted that Fluke stuck out at the polls. There’s too much at stake in this election for young women to not show up, and Fluke’s video drives that point home.
4. “Speak up, show up” graphic
   
   If you’re on Facebook, you may know a few wannabe pundits who are constantly on their soapboxes. We’re all for people speaking their minds. But if Election Day isn’t part of speaking out, what’s the point? That was the motivation behind this graphic — a visual reminder of who listens to those who don’t vote.
5. Liza Donnelly’s pep talk for voters
   
   It’s no surprise that the second most popular pep talk we made was from another NCCWSL Woman of Distinction: Liza Donnelly. I have to agree with the crowd on this one. I’ve watched every single pep talk our campaign has, and Donnelly’s always stands out. Watch it yourself to see why.

Of course, no image, video, or graphic is as powerful as a personal phone call. Take the time today to make sure the young women in your life are voting. Lilly Ledbetter can tell you how. And make sure you have everything you need to vote. The AAUW Action Fund has voter resources that cover polling places, voter-ID laws, and anything else you’ll need for tomorrow.

Read Full Post »

The Last Weekend to Get Out the Vote

The AAUW Action Fund’s It’s My Vote: I Will Be Heard voter education and turnout campaign represents an unprecedented investment in making women’s voices heard in the 2012 election. Follow us on Twitter, on Facebook, and on Tumblr for the latest updates, and check out our weekly Campaign Update for news, resources, and ideas.

It’s not every day that Rosie the Riveter and Garth Algar from Wayne’s World get to hang out, but on the night of Trick or Vote, it’s the kind of thing you just expect. On Halloween, I had the opportunity to work alongside a team of energized volunteers at my local university as we reached out to an underrepresented cross-section of the voting population: college students.

As you probably know already, the AAUW Action Fund has led the high-energy, high-return, nonpartisan It’s My Vote: I Will Be Heard campaign to mobilize women voters, especially women of the millennial generation (ages 18–31). This year, the AAUW Action Fund partnered with Trick or Vote to combine civic engagement and democracy in a fun way for young voters.

I had the chance to partner with some downright fabulous volunteers, and together we reached out to 982 students on the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, campus. We were just one of many organizations working in 41 states to offer young voters a Halloween mix of costumes and community service. We handed out voter location information, It’s My Vote swag — buttons, temporary tattoos, and door hangers — pens, and bracelets, all to remind millennials about when and where to vote. A big shout out to Rachel Fleming of United Council for partnering with us on the event.

Brady Klein, an honors student and lead volunteer, said, “Voting isn’t scary — in fact, it’s a lot of fun. Trick or Vote saw amazing interest here in Eau Claire from young voters. We can tell from the energy that 2012 is going to be huge. With the costumes, candy, and voter outreach, we had a lot of fun. At the same time, we helped answer common voting questions about polling locations and encouraged citizens to vote in this election.”

True enough, we had a great time, but some of the feedback we got from the young voters we canvassed was that they still were not sure where to vote, let alone what day to vote. So guess what that means? Even though so many of us have worked endless hours and organized many outreach events, the work is not done!

Won’t you join me to give it your all, even if that’s just one more hour of your time invested in the lives of young women voters? Between now and Election Day, I’ll be leading three AAUW phone banking events, and there will be more AAUW events in my state. Contact your local AAUW branch leader to let her know that you’re on board to make a difference in young women’s lives in these last days before the election.

On behalf of my youngish, 32-year-old self and my daughter, who is in the second grade, thank you! Your investment in our lives will make a difference. One day, my daughter will read about Lilly Ledbetter in her history book, and I will be able to tell her that thanks to good policy decisions and devoted women’s groups like AAUW, women’s equity is more of a reality.

I’m excited to work with you for this last get-out-the-vote weekend!

This post was written by Catherine Emmanuelle, AAUW Eau Claire (WI) Branch member, It’s My Vote Wisconsin organizer, and appointed city council member.

Read Full Post »

What You Need to Know for Election Day

The AAUW Action Fund’s It’s My Vote: I Will Be Heard voter education and turnout campaign represents an unprecedented investment in making women’s voices heard in the 2012 election. Follow us on Twitter, on Facebook, and on Tumblr for the latest updates, and check out our weekly Campaign Update for news, resources, and ideas.

Election Day is around the corner! You have been preparing for months to ensure that women’s voices are heard on Tuesday, November 6 — now is the time to make sure your vote is counted.

AAUW is proud to partner with Election Protection to ensure that all voters have an equal opportunity to participate in the political process. Before you head to the polls, learn how to protect your vote and what to do if something goes wrong. Even if you have already taken advantage of early voting, you can strengthen your impact by sharing this information with friends and family members.

Be Prepared on Election Day

• Know your polling place. You can locate your polling place online at www.866OurVote.org.

• Find out the hours of your polling place and which forms of identification your state requires by checking your state’s voting checklist.

Know Your Rights

If you are an eligible voter, you have the following rights:

• If your name is not on the official voter list but you believe you are eligible to vote in that precinct — even if an election official challenges you — you have the right to cast a provisional ballot.
• If you are in line when the polls close, you are entitled to vote no matter how long it takes to get to the voting booth.
• In many states, employers must allow you time to vote at some point during the day. Check your personnel policies with your employer.
• You have the right to vote without being intimidated by anyone.
• If you are elderly or if you have a disability, you have the right to vote using an accessible voting method, and you may have the right to receive help with voting by an election officer or any other person of your choice.
• Visit the Election Protection website for more information on your rights.

Know the Issues

• Find out where the candidates stand on issues that are important to women and girls. The AAUW Action Fund’s VoteHER Toolkit is an essential guide to how candidates and elected officials stack up on the issues this election year. The toolkit includes
  • The Congressional Voting Record for the 112th Congress (January 2011–September 2012)
  • Voter guides for the presidential and select Senate and House races
  • A report on the Obama administration’s first term
• If you live in Florida, Idaho, Maine, Maryland, Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma, or Washington, read our summaries of key ballot initiatives in your state and explanations of AAUW’s position.
• The AAUW Action Fund has also created fact sheets on access to birth control, college affordability, women’s employment, and the gender pay gap.

Encourage Others to Vote

• Make voting a social outing — bring your friends, family, and neighbors with you to vote, and help others get to the polls by arranging rides.
• Wear your “I voted” sticker the rest of the day to show your co-workers that you voted, and encourage them to vote, too.
• Send this blog post to your friends and family.
• Take our “3 x 3” challenge by calling three millennial women ages 18–31 and asking them three simple questions:

1. Will you pledge to vote this year?
2. What is your plan for getting to the polls?
3. Will you call three young women and ask them the same questions?

What if Something Goes Wrong?

First, document it. If there are specific individuals challenging your right to vote, intimidating voters, or interfering with the process, try to get their names. Write down exactly what happened, including the time of day, descriptions of the people involved, and any other details you can remember.

Then, report it. There are many organizations that will be working to respond quickly to complaints of voter intimidation, suppression, and fraud. Here’s who to call:

• 866.OUR.VOTE (866.687.8683). This hotline has been set up by the nonpartisan Election Protection coalition to ensure that all voters have an equal opportunity to participate in the political process. They have hundreds of lawyers standing by to immediately respond to problems at the polls. Call as soon as possible after you encounter problems.
• Voters who believe they have been the victims of racial discrimination in voting should contact the U.S. Department of Justice at 800.253.3931 in addition to 866.OUR.VOTE.

For more voter resources, visit the AAUW Action Fund website. Together, we can ensure women’s voices are heard on Tuesday, November 6.

Read Full Post »

Election Day 2012: AAUW Staff to Make Get-Out-the-Vote Calls

The AAUW Action Fund’s It’s My Vote: I Will Be Heard voter education and turnout campaign represents an unprecedented investment in making women’s voices heard in the 2012 election. Follow us on Twitter, on Facebook, and on Tumblr for the latest updates, and check out our weekly Campaign Update for news, resources, and ideas.

This Election Day, AAUW staff members have some important phone calls to make. Our yearlong, nonpartisan investment in getting young women to vote won’t stop until the polls close. Our entire staff — almost 100 people — will spend the day calling young women to remind them to vote. We won’t tell them how to vote — we just want them to vote.

Taking an entire day of staff time to make phone calls to potential voters may seem unusual for a busy organization, but those of us who have spent a year working on our nationwide It’s My Vote: I Will Be Heard voter education and mobilization campaign wouldn’t have it any other way. We’ll sleep better — or sleep, period — knowing we did everything we could to remind people to vote!

With that in mind, we’ll also take turns on Election Day staffing a table outside of the AAUW national office at 1111 Sixteenth St. NW in Washington, D.C., with candy to reward those who walk by with “I Voted Today” stickers. No sticker? We’ll remind you to vote! And, yes, you can come back for candy.

However, our Election Day activities won’t be limited to reminding others to vote. We’ll also take time to vote ourselves if we haven’t already! Some AAUW staff members have mailed in absentee ballots or taken advantage of early voting. If you haven’t voted yet, make sure you’re ready to go — use our VoteHER Toolkit to educate yourself on how candidates and elected officials stack up on women’s issues. We want you to be prepared to vote — so prepared, in fact, that we’d even like to see the shoes you plan to wear.

Reminding young women to vote is so important because studies have shown that voting is habit-forming but that young people have yet to make it a habit. We’d love it if everyone could find time over the weekend to encourage that habit in young women ages 18–31. Just call them and ask three simple questions:

1. Will you pledge to vote this year?
2. What is your plan for getting to the polls?
3. Will you call three young women and ask them the same questions?

Let us know how it went! We so appreciate your help in this — and the commitment we’ve seen throughout our get-out-the-vote campaign from members, branches, volunteers, and organizers.

This post was written by AAUW Political Media Coordinator Elizabeth Owens.

Read Full Post »

AAUW Voter Guides: A Trusted Messenger

The AAUW Action Fund’s It’s My Vote: I Will Be Heard voter education and turnout campaign represents an unprecedented investment in making women’s voices heard in the 2012 election. Follow us on Twitter and on Tumblr for the latest updates, and check out our biweekly Campaign Update for news, resources, and ideas.

“Sometimes I wonder if we shall ever grow up in our politics and say definite things which mean something or whether we shall always go on using generalities to which everyone can subscribe and which mean very little.”

— Eleanor Roosevelt

We hope you have been following the AAUW Action Fund’s It’s My Vote: I Will Be Heard campaign to educate voters about the importance of this election for American women and families. Of course, the most important thing we can do this Tuesday is VOTE.

As a trusted messenger to more than 150,000 members and supporters, AAUW provides voter education materials that cut through partisan hyperbole and media spin. We focus instead on whether the candidates have publicly stated their support for issues that align with AAUW’s member-adopted Public Policy Program, including pay equity, earned sick leave, college affordability, access to birth control, and more. We’ve provided voter guides in one way or another since 1994. More people are seeing them now due to our increased commitment to getting out the vote, and we couldn’t be more excited!

Our VoteHER Toolkit is the result of scrupulous research of the public statements of candidates running for president and many of the candidates running for Senate and House seats. These voter guides, sponsored by the AAUW Action Fund, provide the type of nonpartisan voter information that many feel is missing from the media and in some cases from the campaigns themselves.

Candidates’ positions on the issues were determined using candidates’ voting records, public statements, campaign position papers, and information posted on the Internet from trusted sources. Campaigns were contacted via telephone and e-mail to make sure they had the opportunity to respond before we published the guides. If campaigns respond after the deadline, or if we receive new information, we revise the guides online to reflect the new positions. AAUW makes it clear in print on each of the guides, which are provided as a public service, that we do not make endorsements of any candidate or political party. No endorsement or AAUW policy position is implied by the descriptions of these issues.

Here are the standards we used in assessing candidates’ positions:

• Support — The candidate has co-sponsored or voted for this legislation or has explicitly stated support on the record with no ambiguity.
• Oppose — The candidate voted against legislation or has explicitly stated opposition on the record with no ambiguity.
• Unknown — There’s been no explicit or compelling public position taken by the candidate.
• Mixed — The candidate has given conflicting statements on the issue or has taken a nuanced position.

Candidates for public office have one goal: to win. They know the women’s vote is critical to their path to victory. But here at AAUW, we also expect them to govern once they win. We will hold these candidates to their public statements on the stump. That’s why AAUW members have organized hundreds of voter education and candidate forums throughout the country to pin down these candidates on our issues.

We are frankly baffled by candidates who continue to be ambiguous about how they will govern on issues that are so critical to the health and economic security of women. For example, an “unknown” or “mixed” position isn’t for lack of research but for lack of a candidate taking a clear stand on an AAUW priority issue. We don’t see an “unknown” ranking as a failure of research. If a candidate’s position on one of AAUW’s priority issues is unknown, people need to know that. Asking a candidate where she or he stands on these issues would be a great question for a forum or in a letter to the editor. Not taking a position on an issue indicates a candidate doesn’t see it as a priority. We’re here to make sure they do.

The It’s My Vote: I Will Be Heard campaign is nonpartisan, and it does not tell people how to vote. Instead, we want to give everyone information about candidates’ stances on priority issues. It’s our hope that these guides will spur voters to ask candidates about their stances on these issues and to encourage public conversation.

Read Full Post »