Mock Vote Results and Rally.
The midterm elections are almost here, and the stakes are high. In Massachusetts, there has been a lot of discussion about Ballot Question 3, which will determine if transgender people will continue to be protected under state law from discrimination in public spaces.
The School of Public Health has stepped up on this issue and supports voting ‘Yes’ on Question 3 for dignity and respect for our transgender neighbors. We are not in this alone, though. The Dental and Medical schools are fighting along with us, as well as Boston Medical Center. Most of our community on the Boston University Medical Campus has either taken an oath or made a promise to champion the improved health of the patients, clients, and populations we work with every day. We believe that the health and well-being of transgender people is a public health issue and that we must work to protect the rights afforded to this community, as they significantly impact transgender people’s overall health.
To gauge the understanding and opinions of Ballot Question 3 around the BU Medical Campus, the Activist Lab held a mock vote on October 29 and 30. The mock ballot had two questions: (1) Have you already voted/do you plan to vote in the November 6 election? And (2) the Question 3 measure as it will read on the midterm election ballots. Results of the mock vote are as follows:
Nearly 450 people across the Medical Campus anonymously cast their vote, with 89 percent planning to vote in the midterm elections and 94 percent supporting a ‘Yes’ vote for dignity and respect for transgender people across the Commonwealth. These numbers are exciting, but we cannot stop here.
Starting this weekend, thousands of volunteers will be out knocking on doors and making calls in cities and towns across our Commonwealth, with one goal: Turn out supporters to vote Yes on 3 and uphold protections for our transgender neighbors on Election Day. If you haven’t called or canvassed, now is the time. Don’t wake up the day after Election Day wishing you’d done more to keep discrimination out of Massachusetts. Volunteering stations are located in the Boston area—including at the Yes on 3 Newbury Street office and in Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, Arlington, and Cambridge—as well as in Waltham, Quincy, Newton, Framingham, Worcester, Northampton, and Greenfield. These are the most important locations to the campaign where voter turnout is critical.
The Activist Lab wants to keep this positive momentum around Ballot Question 3 going leading up to the November 6 election and will be holding a rally to support the Yes On 3 campaign and encourage people to get out and vote on election day. The rally will be held on Monday, November 5. Attendees are invited to meet in the lobby of the Talbot Building at 1 pm to make rally signs before taking a group photo at 1:30 pm.
These midterm elections will shape American politics for years to come, so it is more important than ever to vote and have your voice heard on November 6. The midterm elections are notorious for having a lower voter turnout than the presidential election, with only around 40 percent of eligible voters showing up at the polls. Millennial voters are particularly difficult to depend on to show up to the polls because they often lack a sense of urgency. However, Trump’s 63 percent disapproval rating from millennials, alone, offers promise for a higher overall turnout rate this election than in the past.
We hope you are a part of that turnout and that you use your voice for the health of all.