The 2024 election has important consequences for women’s health, and eligible voters should exercise their right to vote to help protect women’s health, bodily autonomy, and privacy. That’s the message from the National Women’s Health Network (NWHN).
For nearly 50 years, the NWHN has represented the health interests of women across the life continuum. Here, the NWHN’s executive director, Denise Hyater-Lindenmuth explains why your vote matters, how to encourage others to vote, and how to get answers to your election questions.
Denise Hyater-Lindenmuth
Executive Director, National Women’s Health Network (NWHN)
Why should voters make it a priority to vote on election day, regardless of who they vote for?
Voting — no matter what your party is — is the cornerstone of democracy. Voting is the way to take your power back.
What’s the relationship between democracy and women’s health?
It seems like sometimes the only policy we talk about is the battleground of women’s bodies. Some issues are not very partisan at all, like the absolute dearth of women in clinical trials means we don’t know how a lot of drugs affect them. We don’t have good research on treatment for fibroids, endometriosis, and other diseases that disproportionately impact women across party lines. We also have the restrictions for IVF.
We follow the science: Abortion is health care. We want people to have correct science-based information. Everybody should have access to that same information in order to practice informed consent.
These policies are made by people, and these people are voted into office. It starts at the local level. It’s really important that we take an active part in making sure the people who make these laws represent our interests.
What other important topics are on the ballot this election?
We read Project 2025, particularly the 200 pages that have to do with the proposed changes by conservative thinktanks to our health care system. It’s essentially a statement of intent by certain lawmakers.
We’re really concerned about the attacks against gender-affirming care for the LGBTQ+ community. We represent the health interest of women across the life continuum, meaning trans women are women, and the people assigned female at birth still need high-quality health care. Everybody deserves high-quality health care, no matter how they identify.
Why did National Women’s Health Network create a Get Out the Vote Campaign?
We recognize voting can be super confusing. There are all of these complex “what-if” scenarios. What if you’re a student living away from home, so you can technically register in two places? What if you’re trans and you don’t have a license that reflects your name or your gender, and what if there’s ambiguity around that? What if you’ve recently been incarcerated, or you’re a new citizen, or you’ll be abroad on election day?
A lot of people are in these situations and they give up because they don’t know what to do. And information, in our opinion, is not as readily accessible as it should be to anybody, but particularly people with those “what-if” scenarios. We’ve created a free voting guide to help.
What else do you want voters to know?
The biggest thing you’ve got to do right now is check your registration status. You have to be registered in order to vote. Checking your registration status takes less than two minutes. You can do it online.
Also, on election day, never let them turn you away. Always ask for a provisional ballot because they have to give you that.
How can voters motivate others to vote?
Have conversations about your identity as a voter. Steer away from partisan politics and just talk about what it means to be a member of a democracy and really reflect on what it would mean to you if you couldn’t vote.
Offer to help your friend reduce barriers. If it’s fear, offer to go with them. If it’s “I can’t get to the polls,” maybe carpool. There are legitimate barriers and fears to voting, and the only way that we’re going to break them down is if we work together.
To access NWHN’s free voting guide, visit nwhn.org/4her2024
