Feel like voting in a midterm election doesn’t matter? That sleeping in on election day 2018 or writing in a funny name on the ballot doesn’t have consequences? The Bold Type‘s Meghann Fahy wants you to understand that couldn’t be further from the truth! “I think a version of me has probably been one of those people,” who thinks that voting in the midterms isn’t important, Meghann told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY. “Every single midterm election, every vote, leads up to the ultimate vote (the general election), so I think it’s really important to be active from the very beginning and just continue to work and work towards what will eventually be the big [vote].” Amen!
ICYMI, elections in the United States don’t just happen every four years when it’s time to elect (or reelect *shudder*) the president. There are innumerable “down-ballot” votes on the local and state levels that fly under the radar, and that’s devastating. As Meghann said, change starts from the bottom and works its way to the top. If you don’t like how things are going in the White House, it’s time to pay attention to what’s happening locally, too. Two thousand eighteen is a midterm year, and the stakes are higher than ever. This election doesn’t just impact which party controls the White House; it could change who holds the majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate. Whichever political affiliation you align with, this affects you!
On The Bold Type, Meghann plays Sutton Brady, a savvy, driven young woman who works hard to balance her dream career with friendship, love, and all the big things in between. Living in two worlds at once as a millennial woman means Meghann knows all too well what challenges may lie in the way of wanting to make a difference, and failing to get to the polls. Like turning in an exciting proposal you’ve agonized over for days, or actually making things happen with your work crush (Team Suttard all the way), it’s easy to psych yourself out and settle for doing nothing, instead of achieving results.
“I think sometimes it can feel really overwhelming when you care about things and have opinions, but you’re not sure what you can do to become active,” Meghann told us. “What’s beautiful now is that we are all able to make things accessible for other people. Social media gets a lot of negative light, but on the other hand, it’s a way to make information accessible. It’s so easy to scroll through Instagram and look at pictures and pictures, and then something pops up and you’re like, ‘Oh, I want to stop people from downloading 3D guns and printing them in 3D printers. [It could be] something as simple as a retweet or a repost of an Instagram Story, or just a photo of a number to call if you have a problem, or want to support something. There are numbers that you can text, there are numbers that you can call, and that is so exciting.”
She’s right! It’s so easy to get involved in making a difference with the internet at your fingertips. Why, in fact, if you scroll down to the bottom of this article, you can register to vote! Seriously; all you have to do is fill out the form provided in the Rock the Vote module embedded below. Easy peasy. Come November, you’ll be standing in line with Meghann and the rest of us, filling out ballots and kicking butts. “In terms of voting, I think now more than ever, our voices matter and our vote matters, so to have the power to do that is such a luxury,” Meghann said. “I’m so inspired by all of the young people who seem to feel like that’s important, who are coming out — people who might not have voted previously, because they didn’t think that it mattered much.
“I think people now are really realizing what a difference can be made,” she continued. “I think as scary and uncertain as the [political] climate feels right now, it’s also a time where we can feel really empowered as a generation. People are learning and getting outside their comfort zones and starting [movements] that are catching speed and gaining momentum, and really making a change in a positive way. I feel like it’s nice to feel a sense of community, and to rally for what we believe in and things that we want to change; I think is really exciting.”
If you haven’t registered to vote yet, you can do it below in our partner, Rock The Vote’s module. Go ahead — do it!
For Meghann, one of the biggest issues she’s concerned about right now is women’s health. She’s justified in that. The right to affordable healthcare, and you bet that includes reproductive health services, has been at stake since the November 2016 election. The GOP-majority Congress has attempted to repeal and replace (with what?) Obamacare multiple times without success, but they’ll keep trying. Justice Anthony Kennedy has stepped down from the Supreme Court, leaving another opening on the bench left at the whim of President Donald Trump. While Kennedy was no peach, Trump’s pick, Brett Kavanaugh, is staunchly anti-choice. The threat of a Roe v. Wade overturn has never been realer.
“I really believe in a woman’s right to make choices for her own body that are not dictated by anyone else,” Meghann told us. “I feel really passionately abut that, and I know a lot of other people do. To see a lot of the action that people are taking to support that is really incredible. I think knowledge is power. Being able to use your voice is so powerful and exciting.”
Now please; register to vote and make it to the polls on November 6. Your lives depend on it!