Canvassing has easily been my favorite part of running for office so far, even given the heat leading up to last week’s primary. All those treks up treacherous steps in North Chattanooga and long driveways in Hixson were rewarded with some fascinating conversations with folks in District 26.

My mind keeps going back to a conversation I had with a young woman in a modest subdivision in Middle Valley. She took so long to answer the door that I’d started to walk away by the time she opened it. And I could see why: she was holding the hand of a little girl who was steady on her feet but not yet stringing sentences together. The toddler had a very important crayon in her other fist. She offered it to me several times. “Yellow,” she explained in a serious voice.

I’ve been thinking about that young woman since the day after Election Day, when I read this Bloomberg article describing how hard it is to be a woman in America, which undervalues female-dominated occupations and offers little support for working moms, although they carry a heavy economic load. If the situation is bad in the United States in general, you know it’s worse in Tennessee.

 I don’t know if that young woman voted. Most of the women in the district did not. While turnout was low overall—typical for an August primary, unfortunately—early indications are that men in D26 significantly outvoted women. That’s what I thought I saw as I waved signs at the polls.

With women’s rights on the ballot in every state election now, many of the women with the most to lose are barely making it through the day. As much as we try to engage them, they might not make it out vote. This November it may be up to the rest of us—the women who can, the men who care—to carry their load. 

Allison
[email protected]