Today is the Massachusetts Senate Primary. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. If you’re in the Commonwealth, please get out and vote. And may I suggest you vote for Martha Coakley?
Massachusetts voters have the opportunity to send a qualified, competent candidate –who also happens to be a woman — to the Senate. And that matters.
Women legislators bring much needed attention to so-called women’s issues such as childcare, elder care, fair workplace policies and healthcare. They serve as role models for young girls and increase women’s overall participation in government and civic issues. And women politicians work hard. According to a study from the University of Chicago and Stanford University, women in Congress, on average, introduce more bills and secure more money for their districts than their male counterparts do.
But women are woefully lacking in Massachusetts politics. The state has never had a woman senator and is currently represented by only one woman in the House of Representatives, Niki Tsongas. On Beacon Hill, women represent just 17 percent of the elected leadership. And yet, women make up more than 50 percent of the U.S. population. They have surpassed men on the national payroll, represent at least 85 percent of consumer buying power and control half of the nation’s investment wealth. They deserve equal representation.
A vote for Martha Coakley is a vote of confidence, a vote for history, for equality and for a government representative of its people.
