vote like our future depends on it

Every day, I help people express themselves through writing and ensure their voices are heard. I’m constantly telling my clients the same thing: The world needs your voice!

Right now, it’s time for each of us to make your voice heard with your vote. So many issues related to books, writing, education, and basic human rights are on the ballot this year, including:

• Freedom to read (and write!) what you want

• Freedom to make healthcare choices about your own body

• Access to affordable healthcare

• Free public education

• Free public libraries

• Funding for artists and arts organizations

• Funding for Medicaid

• Funding for schools

• How generative AI is regulated, and who will regulate it

• LGBTQ+ rights, including the right to adopt and foster, workplace protections, and access to healthcare

• Environmental protections, climate change initiatives, and clean energy

• The possibility for a ceasefire deal in Gaza / Lebanon / Iran / Israel

• Peace and safety for not only American citizens, but the world

On the flip side, you can use your vote to prevent:

• Millions of people losing access to affordable healthcare, especially those with pre-existing conditions or low incomes—including the defunding of Medicaid. (Not a good idea).

• A mass deportation program, targeting millions of undocumented immigrants. (Nope!)

• Losing the Department of Education along with massive cuts in federal funding for education, especially for programs that help students with disabilities and those from low-income communities. (Double nope).

• Even more book bans (I’m melting).

• Even more restricted access to abortion nationwide (take my vote), including banning abortion medications (which are needed as a part of reproductive rights), limiting access to contraception (this sounds so smart!), and increasing government oversight by requiring states to report miscarriages and abortions to the federal government (hello Handmaid’s Tale!)

• Restrict adoption and foster care by same-sex couples (this just makes me want to cry)

• Allowing workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity (same here)

• Restricting gender-affirming care, proposing criminal and civil penalties for doctors who provide such treatments, as well as allowing healthcare providers to refuse services based on personal beliefs (wtf?!)

• Rolling back climate change initiatives, withdrawing from international environmental agreements, and deregulating industries like oil and gas to boost fossil fuel production. (Idiots.)

• A promise to sign rockets sent to Israel if given the chance - and no hope for peaceful negotiation (Unconscionable).

• A leader who is only concerned with power, and has strong connections with aggressive dictators who are constantly threatening world war, including Netanyahu, Putin, and Kim Jong Un. (Horrifying).

If you’ve already voted, thank you.

If you haven’t, do your research and make an informed decision.

If you want something to do with your election anxiety, write letters to voters in swing states through Vote Forward. Sign up here.

And then, go outside, watch something funny, hug your pet or someone else’s pet. Eat some ice cream and go to bed early. Be kind to your neighbors and give the people around you a break, we’re all living through this 3rd election from hell and need to be kind to each other <3

Vote like our future depends on it - because it does!
xx Caitlin