MomsVote 2008 Advocacy Guide

Exciting news: Mom Power is sweeping the nation! This is one of the most important elections in the history of the United States. Let's make our voices heard loud and clear. There's lots of talk by pundits and politicians about how the mom vote matters, let's show them what we can do. After all, over 80% of American women have children by the time they are forty-four years old, and women make up more than half the electorate.

Moms and families in America are facing more challenges than ever before, and it’s time to build a truly family-friendly America. Busy moms may wonder how they can get involved, and where to begin. Have no fear…here is comprehensive guide to advocacy, Mom-style!

The Basics: What does a family friendly America look like?

Great question. All of our work at MomsRising.org is based on the M.O.T.H.E.R.S. acronym. Here it is:

M- Maternity and Paternity Leave

O- Open and Flexbile Work

T- TV We Choose and Other After-School Programs

H- Healthcare for All Kids

E- Excellent Childcare

R- Realistic and Fair Wages

S- Sick Days for all Americans

You can be a part of the movement to make the M.O.T.H.E.R.S. acronym a reality.

Candidate Forums

One of the best ways to spread our message is by making sure the right questions get asked of the candidates. This year, both Presidential and Congressional candidates are holding public forums all around the country. Asking the right questions about the issues that are important to families is crucial—the answers of the candidates will help determine which candidate is the family-friendliest! More importantly, these answers will become part of the public record, and will bring crucial issues relating to families to the forefront of this election.

How do I find out when a Candidate Forum is happening in my area?

• Read the newspaper and watch your local news. This is the number one source of information for campaign events.

• Sign up for news alerts from the candidates. Log on to candidates’ websites to sign up to stay informed about events and campaign news.

• Watch out for ads. Keep your eyes peeled for advertising in the form of posters, billboards, and advertisements.

• Be proactive! Call the local campaign headquarters of the candidates to find out about special events, such as forums and town hall meetings.

Once I find a Candidate Forum, how do I get in?

• Get tickets. Do some research to find out whether or not tickets are required for entry. If they are, act quickly to acquire them, and consider buying extras for friends.

• Make a connection. Contact the candidates’ local headquarters to see if they will reserve seats for you.

• Arrive early! There may be lines, and if the event does not require tickets, it will be first-come, first-serve.

Once I’m there, how do I make sure my question gets asked?

• First and foremost, be prepared. Arrive early enough to figure out the format of the questioning, and use this information to determine how to get the best seating. If the questions are submitted beforehand, submit as many questions relating to families as possible, even if they are similar. Keep in mind that there may be some formats that don’t allow for questions from the audience, which may be difficult to determine ahead of time.

• Don’t blend in--choose your seat strategically. Never sit in the front row. Choose a set that is in the direct line of the moderator or close to a podium used for the question and answer session.

• Come with friends. Gather some fellow moms and spread out in the audience. Coordinate your question to maximize your chances that it will be answered.

• If you’re writing your question, write legibly and concisely. Make sure the moderator can read your writing—and be clear, simple, and to the point!

• Eye contact is key. Make consistent eye contact with the moderator or the person in charge of ciruculating the microphone to increase your chances of getting your question answered.

• Practice before you go. Practice at the dinner table in front of your kids! What better way to educate your family about the importance of participating in the political process?

• Ask a question. Most importantly, make sure you are asking a question and not giving a speech.

Sample Questions to Ask Candidates

• Right now, the birth of a child is a leading cause of a "poverty spell" in America, and 1/4 of families with young children are living in poverty. Do you support a policy to provide paid family and medical leave to parents following birth or adoption of a new child?
• Nearly 1/2 of all full-time, private sector workers in the U.S. have no paid sick days. Do you support a policy to provide paid sick days for workers to use when they or their children get sick?
• In most American families, both parents work outside the home. Please tell us what your administration would do to help parents secure excellent, affordable childcare and early learning opportunities?
• Studies show that moms are paid 73 cents and single moms are paid about 60 cents to the dollar. Do you support the Fair Pay Restoration Act and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act?
• A child is born every 41 seconds without healthcare. What kind of Health Care policy could Americans expect in your administration?

Talking Points

• Children and families must be a priority in the United States. No mother should have to choose between taking care of a sick child and feeding her child. And no mother should have to choose between taking her child to the doctor and paying rent.

• Family dynamics are changing, and it’s time to respond to those changes with new and improved policies for families everywhere. With now three-quarters of American mothers in the labor force, but a societal structure which hasn’t caught up to that modern reality, we, as a nation, are at a crisis point for our families.

• When it comes to support for families, we are far behind other industrialized nations. Countries with family-friendly policies and programs in place--like paid family leave and affordable childcare--have smaller wage gaps for mothers, healthier children, and spend less funds later on the criminal justice system, grade repetitions, healthcare, and much more.

• Women, specifically mothers, are disproportionately affected by the struggling economy. Women get a huge wage hit when they have children: mothers make only 73 cents to a man’s dollar, and single moms make only about 60cents.

So, I’ve heard the candidates speak. How do make sense of their answers?

We’re with you. In an election year, it’s hard to separate fact from fiction when you are listening to your candidate speak about the issues that matter most. Here are some hints for making sense of it all.

Questions to ask yourself as you hear your candidate speak about an issue important to you:

• If your candidate is answering a question, do they answer the question directly? Do they give specific examples about corresponding policies that they plan to implement? You may hear buzzwords about families but make sure there is a policy measure to back it up.

• Does their answer match up with their voting record? Take the time to do a little research. What specific pieces of legislation has this candidate supported or sponsored in the past that relate to the issue at hand?

• What does their website say about their plans for families? Candidates’ websites are great resources for specific information about their platforms. It may take a little digging, but in the end—what you find, and perhaps what you don’t find—will be worth it!

Women in America were granted the right to vote in 1920. In honor of this important milestone for women, here are 20 ways to participate in the 2008 Election:

• 1. Attend a Candidate Forum in your area and ask questions about pressing family issues.

• 2. Host a debate party and play our Candidate Bingo game! To access the Bingo game, click here.

• 3. After you’ve played Bingo, share your scores with other moms on our website. Click here for the sign up link.

• 5. Check our our tools on our MomsVote website to ensure that you are registered to vote.

• 6. Worried that you may not be able to make it to a polling station on election day? Register as an absentee voter.

• 7. Find about the candidates in your local election and where they stand on family issues by visiting this awesome tool from the League of Women Voters. Click here to access this resource.

• 8. Sign up to volunteer on election day at your local polling station.

• 9. Offer to watch other moms’ kids while they vote.

• 10. Take a minute to brush up on the voting rules in your state. Click here to access www.vote411.org.

• 11. Help register 8 moms in 08! Send a quick email to 8 of your friends, family, or coworkers reminding them to check to make sure they are registered to vote. Some states still have voter registration open right up until Election Day!Here's the link.

• 12. Do your kids like crafts? Help them decorate t-shirts to wear on voting day to remind all of the adults in their lives to go to the polls!

• 13. Write a letter to your local paper to spread the word about Mom Power!

• 14. Check out this great site about the electoral college. Click on your state to learn more about the polls in your area, and past voting trends. Click here to access www.270towin.com

• 15. If you have a blog, add a “Register to Vote” widget to your site by clicking here. (link)

• 16. Encourage your kids get involved in the Election. Talk to them about the candidates, political parties, and why voting is so important.

• 17. Donate to a campaign or cause that matters to you. Considering donating to MomsRising.org? Here is the link.

• 18. Search our online store for great items with catchy slogans about the power of the Mom Vote! Click here to access our store.

• 19. VOTE!!

• 20. And as they say, vote early and vote often... which means, VOTE!