In Her Words: The Countdown Continues

What's top of mind for women as they cast their votes.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story October 31, 2020 In Her Words continues its conversations with women around the country as they cast their votes. For the full series, see: Women Could Decide the Election. Here’s How They’re Voting. By Alisha Haridasani Gupta and Emma Goldberg Mary ReynoldsBéatrice de Géa for The New York Times Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT “As Catholics, we’re taught to follow our conscience. I cannot in good conscience vote for either.” — Mary Reynolds, 66, a retired accountant, Overland Park, Kan. President Trump and Joe Biden are two sides of the same coin. I have always voted Democratic except for in 2016 when I voted Green. This is the best country in the world, quote-unquote, and the best we can come up with is Joe Biden and Donald Trump? We’re a laughingstock around the world. It’s so sad. As Catholics, we’re taught to follow our conscience. I cannot in good conscience vote for either.I remember back in 1969 and 1970, when Nixon was president, he had put three or four people up for the Supreme Court. They did not all go through — it wasn’t automatic. There was true dialogue and discussion in the Senate. I know what life was like before Roe v. Wade was law — knitting needles and horrible things. We cannot, cannot, cannot go back to what it was before. It is your right as a woman to say what goes on with your body. It’s very ironic that pro-life people want to control women’s bodies when it comes to abortion, yet no one can control their bodies when it comes to wearing a mask. I find that extremely ironic. The Affordable Care Act, as far as I’m concerned, did nothing but make pharmaceutical companies and the hospitals wealthier. I will tell you from personal experience, when I had to go on the Affordable Care Act, I paid an astronomical amount. There should be universal health care. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Who are you voting for? I am not voting for president. I will vote for Sharice Davids, my congresswoman and Barbara Bollier, for Senate. How are you voting? By mail Brooke SolomonBéatrice de Géa for The New York Times “Nothing is going to change unless we change it — it’s not enough to just vote for another old white man.” — Brooke Solomon, 18, student, Detroit As a pre-med major, I’m very concerned about health care — it’s very crazy to me how we’re in the middle of a global pandemic, people are losing their jobs, losing their lives and losing loved ones and still nobody, neither the Democratic or the Republican Party, is campaigning on a platform of universal health care. But the movement for Black lives is probably the most important to me. Everything intersects through that. The Black Lives Matter movement is against police brutality but the broader movement encompasses environmental justice, class discrimination, the Supreme Court. The movements for Black lives over the years have been very patriarchal. I believe that all the beautiful intersections of Black womanhood, Black queer women, Black disabled women, poor Black women, holds everything together. Liberation for Black women, especially trans Black women, is liberation for all of us because when you’re at the bottom and you rise, everyone else rises. Even though Black women save democracies, we don’t get to be people in a lot of the ways that other people do. The Democratic Party commodifies Black women and uses us as selling points. Honestly, the presidency doesn’t really affect my community. No one’s going to descend from the White House onto Detroit and fix all of our problems. Even with Mr. Biden, I see him as just another person to uphold the unjust system that we live in. Nothing is going to change unless we change it — it’s not enough to just vote for another old white man. Who are you voting for? Biden How are you voting? Drop-off or by mail Tangie WoodenBéatrice de Géa for The New York Times “I don’t necessarily vote for personality, but personally, I like Trump’s personality. I mean, he’s a New Yorker. He’s very blunt and to the point.” — Tangie Wooden, 48, senior training specialist, Ringgold, Ga. My parents own their own business. Now they have not been affected by Covid as much as other small-business owners, but small-business owners don’t have the safety net that big corporations have. And when you close down the economy, you’re taking food off their table. You’re causing them to not be able to pay their mortgages. I think the economy has to be reopened. I loved what Trump did on taxes, because it put more money in my paycheck. There was a lot of talk from the Democrats that his tax cut only affected the people that were making lots and lots of money. Well, I fall into the middle class and it affected my pocketbook. Supreme Court justices are a pretty big issue for me. I am pro-life, and when I say pro-life, that means I don’t believe in abortion and I don’t believe in the death penalty. So I am pro-life across the board and I want constitutional judges, not ones that create policy. I want people that interpret the Constitution the way it was meant to be interpreted. I don’t necessarily vote for personality, but personally, I like Trump’s personality. I mean, he’s a New Yorker. He’s very blunt and to the point. I’m a very blunt, to-the-point person. I want you to tell me the way it is. I don’t want you to sugarcoat something. Just give it to me straight. Who are you voting for? Trump How are you voting? In person, on Election Day What else is happening Here are four articles from The Times you may have missed. Brian Dawson for The New York Times “Like Superwoman.” Nicole Lindsey and her partner have 45 bee hives across Detroit. Explore her farm and others as they make it through the harvest of 2020. [Read the story] “I hope to free Plath from the cultural baggage of the past 50 years.” A new book shifts the focus from Sylvia Plath’s tragic death to her brilliant life. [Read the story] “Just look what I managed to do with a five-minute video.” A generation of young women in Egypt are using social media to challenge the idea that women are to blame when they are attacked by men. [Read the story] “He’s a real man.” What makes a man manly? Trump and Biden offer competing answers. [Read the story] In Her Words is edited by Francesca Donner. Our art director is Catherine Gilmore-Barnes, and our photo editor is Sandra Stevenson. Did someone forward you this email? Sign up here to get future installments. Write to us at inherwords@nytimes.com. Follow us on Instagram at @nytgender. Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for In Her Words from The New York Times. To stop receiving these emails, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018