OUR VOTE MATTERS – so do our rights & our values!

Did you see the poll that came out this weekend confirming that a majority of Rhode Island voters support the repeal of the state’s restrictions on abortion coverage for state employees and Medicaid recipients? BIG shout out to Planned Parenthood of Southern New England for fielding this important research!

Two-thirds of voters agree people should have coverage for abortion, so let’s do something about it. Let’s push candidates to take action when elected and pass the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act! Last week we reached out to ask you to get in touch with the folks who are running for office to make sure they realize we are paying attention and that we expect them to support our values of reproductive justice and freedom!

Did you reach out? We get that folks are busy, so if you can take a few minutes this week to speak out with us, it would still be great to have you send the few emails and make sure they’re paying attention to things like abortion access and advancing policies to support women and families!

We have an opportunity to show folks who are trying to get elected that we expect them to take action and take a stand for the things we believe in! 

• Here is a collection of the Twitter and Facebook pages for folks running for statewide office, as well as House and Senate races: https://bit.ly/VoteYourValuesSocialHandles.
• Most Facebook accounts will allow you to create a post on their public page. For Twitter, you need to include their handle (name with the @ symbol) and it will come up in their notifications and others can share/replicate. We have included samples below

You can just do the statewide folks and your own House and Senate candidates. Not sure which district you live in? Click here to find it and identify your folks for tagging/posting.

Sample Facebook Posts 

• It is important to me that the people I vote for share my values and will work towards a more just Rhode Island. What specific policies will you move or support to support families? Will you use your power to ensure access to abortion care? I am casting my vote for people who will support and protect reproductive health, rights and justice!  #VoteYourValues
• As an engaged voter, I want to know where people who are running for office stand on issues that are important to me. Do you support repealing bans on health coverage for abortion & getting rid of obstacles to care? I DO! I want to vote for people who are working for a more just Rhode Island! #VoteYourValues
• Did you know abortion coverage is taken away from most state employees & people who use Medicaid? Did you know there are specific barriers for young people who need abortion care? Do you support getting rid of these harmful policies? I DO!  I am casting my vote for people who will support and protect reproductive health, rights and justice!  #VoteYourValues

Sample Tweets (just include the tag to the officials you are targeting) 

• Hey, @TWITTERNAME. It is important to me that the people I vote for share my values and will work towards a more just Rhode Island. What specific policies will you move or support to help protect reproductive freedom & support families? #VoteYourValues
• .@TWITTERNAME, as an engaged voter, I want to know where people who are running for office stand on issues that are important to me. Do you support repealing bans on health coverage for abortion & getting rid of obstacles to care? I DO! #VoteYourValues
• .@TWITTERNAME, did you know abortion coverage is taken away from most state employees & people who use Medicaid? Did you know there are specific barriers for young people who need abortion care? Do you support getting rid of these harmful policies? I DO! #VoteYourValues

________________

There are organizations that do official endorsements of different candidates. That is not something that The Womxn Project does. We help keep people informed of different key moments, educated on how to get out there and vote, and of course as community organizers we want to help YOU to use your voice to connect with and hold accountable the people who want to represent YOU!

Here are some key dates for voter registration and voting. We need to be engaged and stay engaged to push for the change we want, deserve and demand!!

– – – – – – – – – – – –

ACT NOW: Take a few minutes THIS week to reach out to candidates in advance, so we can get as much information about where folks stand – and so you can know more about the folks you will be voting for in either the upcoming primary on September 13th and/or the general election on November 8th.

There are organizations that do official endorsements of different candidates. That is not something that The Womxn Project does. We help keep people informed of different key moments, educated on how to get out there and vote, and of course as community organizers we want to help YOU to use your voice to connect with and hold accountable the people who want to represent YOU. This action shows people care, people are watching — and as always if folks who want to or do represent us do us wrong and try to undermine our rights, we will be there! 

So for right now, we want to focus on direct contact – calls and emails – with candidates and then next Monday leading up to the primary we will share a quick social media toolkit you can use to put folks on notice by tagging them and asking for a response. Both of these actions are a way to get more info, put candidates on notice that we are paying attention, and make sure that other people are asking the questions and making an informed decision about who gets their vote! 

1. Take a look at the contact information for current candidates: https://bit.ly/VoteYourValuesContactInfo. BIG thanks to our lead volunteer who worked so hard to pull this together!
2. We are asking you to reach out to candidates for statewide office (attorney general, treasurer, governor, LG, secretary of state).** We are also hoping you can connect with people running for office in your district. Not sure which district you are in? Click here to find your district and see who currently represents you: https://vote.sos.ri.gov/.
3. You can email folks – or give them a call (would be amazing) – and then use this form to log your interactions: https://bit.ly/VoteYourValuesResponses. Please, do take a moment to fill this out, so we can have it for our records!

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –  Sample Email  – – – – – – – – – – – –

Dear ____,
My name is _______ and I am a Rhode Island voter. As an engaged voter, I want to know where people who are running for office in my area stand on issues that are important to me. I am hoping you can share your thoughts on a few key issues. I will also be looking for opportunities to attend any public forums that you will be at to talk with you directly. I respect that you are looking to take on the huge responsibility of shaping policies to address the challenges facing people in our state. Thank you for providing more information on where you stand.1. Did you know abortion services are not covered by the insurance plan provided to most RI State Employees?

2. Did you know that the state Medicaid denies coverage for abortion services?

3. Do you support expanding abortion coverage for these Rhode Islanders?

4. Did you know that there are also specific barriers for young people who need abortion?

5. Would you support addressing these youth obstacles?

6. A key piece of managing our sexual health and preventing unintended pregnancies is information. Do you support truly comprehensive and accurate education about sexuality and healthy relationships?

7. For people who are looking to become parents or add to their family, financial challenges can get in the way. What specific policies will you move or support to help support families?

It is important to me that the people I vote for share my values and will work towards a more just Rhode Island. Thank you for your attention and response!

Sincerely,
Name, Phone
________________