JWI celebrates historic firsts & record voter turnout in the mid-term elections
Ballots are still being counted and control of the Senate and House of Representatives remains unclear, but yesterday's election was an example of democracy at work. We commend the peaceful election process and high voter turnout, particularly amongst young people and college students.
According to exit polls, 27% of voters picked abortion rights as "mattering most" in their decisions (Politico), which was highlighted in California, Michigan, and Vermont where the majority of voters chose to enshrine abortion rights into their Constitutions. In Kentucky and (most likely) Montana, anti-abortion amendments were defeated.
Additionally, in a victory for gun violence prevention, Oregon passed one of the strictest gun reform laws in the country. This law requires permits to purchase firearms, puts a ban on high-capacity magazines, and creates a gun ownership database. We hope other states follow suit so we can continue to improve our laws in order to prevent senseless gun deaths and build safer communities. A number of candidates who support common-sense gun reform also won their elections.
Many Americans rejected anti-democracy candidates who reflected a willingness to undermine our very democratic institutions by outwardly denying or questioning past election results. Voters instead chose to put their trust in our democratic process, and showed up in record numbers.
We also celebrate the many historical firsts that were made yesterday. In the 118th Congress, Maxwell Frost (Fl) will be the first Gen Z member; Summer Lee will be the first Black woman to represent Pennsylvania; Becca Balent will be the first woman and the first outwardly gay person elected from Vermont; and George Santos (NY) will be the first out gay Republican to have won a Congressional election. Leading our states, Wes Moore (MD) will be the first Black governor in Maryland and third in US history; Maura Healy (MA) will be the first out lesbian to be a governor; Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be the first female governor of Arkansas; and Kathy Hochul will be the first woman to be elected governor of New York.
JWI CEO Meredith Jacobs says, "This election is evidence that when we use our collective voices to stand up for our values, we can make change. We respect the results of this election and applaud the many young adults and college students who turned out to vote at historic rates, insisting to be heard. We will keep working at the local and national levels until our vision for a safer, more equitable world where women and girls can thrive becomes a reality."