I know we are better than electing Trump, America. I know we are better than putting a man who is a sexual predator and bigot, a man who has caused serial bankruptcies, a man who can be baited to send unhinged Tweets at 3am, a man who is a bully and not a leader into the Oval Office. I'm ignoring the fluctuating polls. I have faith.
I have faith that everyone who can vote, will find a way to vote.
I have faith that people will remind their friends, family, and neighbors that ballots need to be in by close of business this Tuesday, November 8th. Not everyone is paying attention to the election details. My own twenty-year-old son asked me the other day if the deadline for him to vote had passed. It hadn't. He was incredibly relieved when I told him he still had time to vote. So think of reminding people about November 8th as a community service. Share election information on your social media outlets, including this article. Studies show that sharing on Facebook has a big impact on encouraging people to vote. People want to know this type of information and will thank you for it.
I have faith that people will spread the word on when, where, and how people can vote. Here's some information to share: People can get their voting location texted directly to their cell phones by texting the message "Vote" to the number 747464, which spells RISING. Or, just go to Google, which has set up a special system, and type in "How do I vote in INSERT YOUR STATE NAME HERE."
I have faith that people will make a plan to vote on Tuesday, November 8th. Bring kids to vote. Make it a party. You can even peek at your ballot in advance and get information that will help you figure out and plan how you want to fill out your ballot. Just plug in your address to this website www.ballotpedia.org and tons of information about the candidates, tailored to your ballot so you can plan how to vote, will be at your fingertips.
People across the country have your back. If you have problems voting or see something that looks like voter suppression or voter intimidation, call 1-866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) to speak with an Election Protection expert for free. And the number for Spanish speakers is: 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA. It's against the law for people to stop other people from voting in any way. Legal experts are available to you at no cost to protect your rights.
In our country, voting is our most important right and responsibility. No one can take that away from you.
Vote. Vote for Hillary. There's no perfect candidate. And there never will be. But you can't get much better than Hillary Clinton, a woman who has spent decades effectively fighting for children, families, and our nation; won healthcare advancements like the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), equal pay protections like the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and advanced affordable childcare, paid family/medical leave, and more for all of us; a woman who is focused on bringing our country together instead of pitting us against each other. Hillary Clinton is more than qualified to be President and has proven herself over and over again in the face of years of intense, highly funded smear campaigns against her.
To be clear though, this election isn't about measuring against perfect. Donald Trump is the other nominee--and Hillary Clinton, the first woman to be nominated by a major party, is unfairly being held to different standard of perfection than Donald Trump. The fact that a large percentage of this election has centered around the sexist treatment of women by men, including by Donald Trump, and that we have the first woman running in this position is not a coincidence.
Don't get pulled into that vortex of sexist false equivalencies. Want an example of this? Unbelievably, some people have been equating the recent emails found on Hillary's staffer's soon-to-be ex-husband's computer (emails which news reports say weren't even to or from Hillary and the FBI announced had no bearing on Sunday) with Trump's repetitive unhinged racist, sexist, bigoted and xenophobic behavior that makes the front page so often it's become a blur.
Some reference points in the blur of Trump's unhinged behavior include: Trump's attacks on the Khans, the Gold Star Muslim family whose son gave his life defending our country; Trump saying he won't necessarily accept election results, which is about the most un-American thing a Presidential candidate can say; Trump stating you should just "grab them by the p--sy"; Trump's ongoing hounding of the Central Park 5, the five teenagers of color who were exonerated on DNA evidence and a confession by the real perpetrator; and Trump's pronouncement that the judge presiding in the racketeering lawsuit against Trump University could not be impartial because his parents are Mexican -- all of this has become numbing background static to our political discourse.
It can't be overlooked that Trump is also under investigation for fraud with Trump University, appears to be supported by foreign governments meddling in our election, has pushed his companies into multiple bankruptcies, won't release his tax returns as every other candidate has done who has ever run for this office, and regularly incites violence against our own nation and has said he'd jail his opponent if he wins.
That's bullying behavior by Trump, not leadership. These are not actions or words we'd ever want our children to hear or mimic, no matter who said them. Donald Trump is quite simply unfit for the Presidency.
For the love of America, vote. And cast your ballot for a true leader, Hillary Clinton. There's never been a more critical time to vote than now.