Can You Hear Me?
by JOANNA SMITH
It’s election season in Utah and this year the ballot has some major contenders running for office, as well as policies with great potential for the entire state. I’m registered Republican, but I tend not to vote the party-line and I try to approach every candidate with an open mind. For the most part, they are all spectacular members of our community who have a genuine interest in making the state better for everyone. in Utah, women tend to register to vote—and actually show up to the polling booth— in higher numbers then men. Yet, issues that affect women are often not considered when policies are being made. Heck, Utah ranked “F” when it comes to women and womens issues. I think a large part of the problem is that we’re not engaging with our elected officials in the same way it’s been done historically. And that makes sense— most people can’t take off work for six weeks to be on The Hill every day of the legislative session. Laws have changed. We can’t take Legislators to dinner, as was previously done, to have our issues heard. Most of us, especially women, aren’t in the private clubs that legislators frequent. And the reality is that we shouldn’t have to be.
The burden should be on them. If it’s easier to have a constituent tweet them, asking for accountability or answers, then legislators should meet with an expert and learn about the technology.
But let’s be real. Elected officials are human. They have very limited time and, overall, their pay is low and many have other jobs that pay their bills. They’re hustling, just like the rest of us. They may not have time to know the answers, or the expertise needed, for over 1,000+ bills that run through the legislature every year. They rely on experts and constituents to educate them—which means some of the burden is on us to educate our legislators on what is important to us, what our neighborhoods need, and what is actually happening in our communities. This dialog between “them” and “us” should begin before an elected official is sworn into office. That means that when we vote, we have to ask our questions before November to get us the answers that we seek. We have to start the conversations now. The burden of telling candidates what is important is squarely on our shoulders. Women’s shoulders. We are the ones that vote and show up more than our male peers.
Utah Women Unite has recently published a list of questions for legislators and candidates that get to the heart of the matter. I love the last question on their survey. After asking ten simple “yes” or “no” questions like, “Should Utahans receive equal pay for equal work?,” they ask their final question… “Would you be interested in working with Utah Women Unite by sponsoring/supporting legislation that addresses any of the above issues?”
I think that question is vital, not only to the organization, but to all of voters. Regardless of party, this is the power of democracy. Are we showing up at debates, or engaging in dialog with contenders, and then asking them, “Are you willing to listen and work with me, as your constituent, throughout the legislative session?” Will you take my calls, listen to my concerns, and schedule time with me/us to talk about concerns surrounding Native Sovereignty? Hate crimes? Wage gap? Because I matter. I’m a voter and I’d love to support you, but I have to know before I vote that you will hear me after my vote is counted.”
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