How Your Vote Affects Others

Ohio and Georgia "I Voted" stickersAll I ask, is that you vote. And while you do it, think about how your vote affects others.

Republicans (as detailed in Project 2025) want to redefine marriage as being between a man and a woman. I am in a loving and fulfilling same sex marriage to the man I love. They would hurt me, my husband and our legal and financial stability as a couple.

Republicans in numerous states, including my current and former home states, are banning books about racial and LGBTQ minority groups. That hurts kids who are confused about who they are, seeking someone to tell them they’re not broken. Just like I was as a teenager.

Donald Trump and Republicans up and down the ballot have consistently used hateful rhetoric about transgender people. Threatening to ban treatment. I have family, friends, neighbors and coworkers who are trans and nonbinary. That hurts them every day.

Donald Trump wants to use our military and police to carry out mass deportations. I have undocumented friends, many of whom were brought to the US when they were too young to know what was happening to them. They have since built lives here. That would hurt them.

Donald Trump and Republican legislatures are restricting reproductive health services. I have multiple friends who have experienced miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies. That would hurt them and possibly kill them.

Make sure you’re registered.

Don’t stay home. Don’t just vote for the letter next to the name. Look at what these candidates are saying and doing. Vote your values. I certainly will.