GirlTalk

On the topic of voting, from everything I’ve read in the news recently, Tuesday is shaping up to be one of long lines and frustrated voters.

Yesterday, a voter-protection group filed a lawsuit on behalf of the NAACP against Gov. Tim Kaine and other election officials for failing to make adequate provisions for the enormous influx of newly registered voters in Virginia.

I received some information on this a few weeks ago, and was glad to see the issue finally coming into public light. According to a report filed by the Advancement Report (Click here to view the report), Virginia is one of the many states not equipped to handle the increased amount of expected voters next Tuesday. Sadly, certain parts of Virginia are expected to be more affected by this than others. Not surprisingly, many of them consist of minorities. For more information on this issue, check out ColorofChange.org.

I’m not in a position to do anything about this, but I will tell you that come hell or high water, I will be voting Tuesday. As women, it is our duty to take a stand and utilize this right we have that so many before us have fought for. If you’re not up on the women’s suffrage movement, I strongly encourage reading about it. Just a few minutes on Wikipedia is all anyone needs to help understand what an extraordinary thing it was and how many women suffered - being jailed, beaten and tortured - simply for believing that we, as women, are smart enough to go to the polls.

It goes without saying that I encourage everyone to make it out Tuesday to vote, no matter how long you may have to wait in line. Tell your mothers friends and sisters, too!

Need some help? Check out this video: Remind your friends and family to vote! My mother sent it to me earlier this week, and it has since spawned into one of the most viewed videos on the Web this week. As of Oct. 28, the site itself is reporting more than 30 new viewers a second, and it’s a great way to remind people you know to vote! ***Caution: It is done by MoveOn.org, a site that is typically liberal, so the video does speak specifically to Obama voters. But it’s still pretty funny ***