This year marks a significant moment for women, as we celebrate the centenary of the 19th Amendment, which granted many women the right to vote. Just fifty-five years ago, the Voting Rights Act ensured that people of color could exercise their voting rights without discrimination. These transformative milestones, driven by courageous suffragettes, have sparked ongoing discussions about gender and racial equality in our nation.
It’s disheartening that we still grapple with outdated notions questioning a woman’s capability to lead. Thankfully, I cherish the right to vote for the candidate I believe should be our next president. This year, I was thrilled to take my four-year-old daughter, Lily, into the voting booth to cast our votes together.
Lily is a spirited child full of energy and imagination. She sees herself as a superhero and is always ready to champion a cause. Last month, I introduced her to Elizabeth Warren, a presidential candidate whose vision and tenacity resonated with me.
When I played videos of Warren speaking at a “Get Out the Vote” event in New Hampshire, Lily’s eyes lit up. Alongside Warren were several pioneering congresswomen, and I explained to Lily that Warren has made history by selecting an all-female team of campaign co-chairs. To us, that’s a monumental achievement, and Lily saw these remarkable women as a new team of superheroes.
Among the co-chairs is Rosa Martinez, the first Latina congresswoman from Massachusetts; then there’s Mia Jacobs, one of the first Native American women elected to Congress; and finally, there’s Sarah Lee, the first single mother to represent her California district in Congress.
As Lily watched Warren talk about uniting everyone to ensure our country works for all, her smile grew wider. Warren’s message about fighting for the many and not just the privileged few struck a chord with her. “For me, it’s about a fight from the heart,” Warren said. “We can’t just continue with an America that favors a select few and leaves so many behind.”
I also shared with Lily the fact that, historically, no woman has ever been elected president. Her reaction was priceless—her jaw dropped, and she gasped. “Mommy, I want to meet Elizabeth Warren,” she exclaimed.
On February 11th, Lily made an impactful announcement that shifted our day’s plans. She insisted on coming with me to vote for our next president. I called her preschool to let them know she’d be late. Lily declared her support for Warren, proudly stating, “She’s my biggest fan.” When I asked if she was also Warren’s biggest fan, she beamed and said, “Yeah!”
Once she realized that Warren wouldn’t be at the polling station to greet us, I had to negotiate to keep her excited. The promise of popcorn afterward motivated her to join me. Hand in hand, we entered our local voting site, where she charmed the polling volunteers with her enthusiasm. When it was time to cast our votes, we rushed to the booth together. I knelt beside her to show her that we had voted for Warren. She scanned my ballot, beaming with pride, and ensured I hadn’t made any mistakes before I submitted it and got her “I voted” sticker.
Later that day, when I picked Lily up from preschool, I found out she’d been excitedly telling everyone about our voting experience. Just before bed, I watched her run around the house, enthusiastically declaring, “I’m going to be president!”
While that moment was undeniably adorable, it carried a deeper significance. As a busy mom, I was already drawn to Warren’s Universal Childcare plan. As a proud bisexual woman, I appreciate her commitment to passing the Equality Act to protect the LGBTQ+ community from discrimination. And as someone whose family faced debt for my college education, I became a staunch Warren supporter after hearing her pledge to forgive student loans for millions of Americans on her first day in office and invest in historically Black colleges and universities to bridge the racial wealth gap.
But what truly solidified my support was witnessing the effect Warren has had on my daughter. To Lily, Elizabeth Warren embodies the same inspiration as the strong female characters in her favorite films. Warren’s unwavering spirit and dedication to social justice resonate with my daughter, who frequently advocates for her classmates and believes in using her voice for good. Seeing a powerful woman like Warren in the public eye has encouraged Lily to dream big and fight for what’s right.
Our daughters need real-life role models to look up to. They deserve to see that women can lead just as effectively as men have for generations. Like Lily, I grew up hoping for a female president, and it pains me that we still haven’t seen that dream come to fruition. When systems only uplift a select few, it harms us all. Girls everywhere should understand that electing a woman to lead is not just a dream but a tangible reality.
As much as Lily enjoyed participating in the voting process, I found it even more rewarding. By allowing her to support a courageous female candidate, I gave her the empowering gift of believing in a future where presidents like Elizabeth Warren are not only possible but achievable.
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Summary:
In this heartfelt reflection, Jamie Carter shares her inspiring experience of voting for Elizabeth Warren with her daughter, Lily. Through their journey, they explore themes of female empowerment and the importance of having strong female role models in politics. Jamie’s support for Warren stems from her commitment to social justice and progressive policies, which resonate deeply with her daughter. Together, they celebrate the right to vote and envision a future where women can lead just as effectively as men.
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