Women's Press Club of NYS Urges Women to Vote in Upcoming Election

, (10/30/2010)(readMedia)-- The Women's Press Club of New York State, Inc., (WPCNYS) is urging New York women to vote in upcoming election on November 2, 2010. As stated in the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which guaranteed that women have the right to vote in our country, "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex."

Unfortunately, though we now have the right to vote, not everyone exercises that right. In fact, according to Alan Gerber's 2004 book, Getting out the Vote, "the United States has the second-lowest voter turnout of any Western democracy … in a recent study of declines in (voter) turnout over time, we are among 17 of 19 western democratic countries that have experienced (voting) declines in turnout over the last generation."

We urge the voting public to exercise their right to vote. No registered voter should let this election pass without casting a vote for the candidates of his or her choice!

This past summer, we marked the 90th anniversary of the passage and ratification of the 19th Amendment. This milestone was only achieved by hard work done by great Americans who believed in equal rights for all people. After seven decades of advocacy and activism, and more than 140 years after the Declaration of Independence was signed, women finally achieved this right. Until then, women were second-class citizens – unable to give voice to their preferences about the leadership of our nation.

Great women like Abigail Adams, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, Carrie Chapman Catt, and others, dedicated their lives to equality for women as part of the suffrage movement. Right in our own backyard, in Seneca Falls, New York, they rallied in 1848, and hosted a National Women's Rights Convention in 1850, so that we could have this right. The 19th Amendment was passed in large part because of these efforts.

Today, women's political leverage is stronger than ever and continues to grow. According to Rutgers University's Center for American Women and Politics, since 1976 there have been four occasions when more than 60 percent of women have voted in a presidential election.

Women are considered by pundits to be a wildcard in this year's election. A recent New York Times/CBS News poll "suggests that they may stay home this year, giving more of the decision-making to men by default." The Women's Press Club of New York State is urging New York women not to abdicate their power to contribute to this important election by staying home!

This year, this election, and in honor of the 90th anniversary of Women's Right To Vote, the Women's Press Club of New York State is urging women to celebrate the right to vote by voting!

About the Women's Press Club of New York State, Inc.

The Women's Press Club of New York State, Inc., is a nonprofit organization formed in 1966 by a small group of women journalists committed to supporting women in journalism and communications. Today, the organization's members include women and men who work for radio and television stations, newspapers, government agencies, nonprofit organizations and private companies, as well as freelance writers, entrepreneurs and students. The WPCNYS provides support, professional development, programming, mentoring and networking opportunities for New Yorkers in the field.

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Contact: Women's Press Club of New York State

E-mail: wpcnys@yahoo.com

www.womenspressclubnys.com