Video the Vote!

Election day is just one week away! With McCain and Obama running such a close race, either candidate could potentially get elected.

Voting issues and problems at the polls from the last election are still fresh on everyone's minds. Video website Video the Vote is dedicated to monitoring and protecting the process of voting. Through its website, the organization encourages ordinary citizens to document voting problems in their own communities and to upload their own videos on the site. Video the Vote works closely with their partner sites such as PBS, YouTube, and Rock the Vote, to distribute the videos across the net.

Many of you may not be old enough to vote yet, but this is a great opportunity to still get involved with the election and politics, as well as join in on an initiative that helps to protect your right to have your vote-and voice-heard in the future! If any of you create your own videos, send them in to gweb@newmoon.org and we'll feature them here on the New Moon Girls blog as well! Need inspiration? You can watch the Video the Vote trailer below:

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

It's politics week at newmoongirls.com! Women have started to be powerful political players this election, with Hilary Clinton nearly gaining the Democratic presidential nomination and Sarah Palin as the Republican vice presidential candidate. As the only female currently on the Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg is another example of a powerful woman in politics.

Ruth is the second woman to serve as a justice on the Supreme Court of the United States. The Supreme Court is the highest judicial body in the country, made up of a Chief Justice and eight justices, all who are appointed by the President. Once appointed onto the Supreme Court, the justices serve life terms. They are only removed from their position by extreme situations such as death, or if they choose to retire or resign.

Ruth attended Cornell University for college, and then attended Harvard Law School. She transferred to and received a law degree at the Columbia Law School, where she later became the first tenured female professor. An influential voice of the Women's Movement,  she has been involved with several initiatives to advance women's rights and reduce gender bias during her career. She founded the Women's Rights Law Reporter, which was the first law journal to focus exclusively on public policy in relation to women's rights. She also wrote a law school case book on sex discrimination and served as the chief litigator for the American Civil Liberties Union's (ACLU) women's rights projects. President Bill Clinton appointed Ruth to be a justice on the Supreme Court in 1993, where she has served for the past 15 years.

Check out newmoongirls.com this week to watch an interview with a female news journalist and read a girl's account of the Democratic National Convention. You can also read what qualities all of YOU want in a president and what questions YOU would ask the presidential candidates!

Hey, girls. Do you have a question for Barack Obama or John McCain? Well, here’s your chance to ask it! Send your questions for the presidential candidates to us at submissions@newmoongirls.com by noon on Wednesday, October 1. We'll forward your questions to The Women’s Media Center (WMC), which has been accepted to submit questions to the final Presidential debate on October 15.

This is a wonderful opportunity to speak up about issues that affect you—we can’t wait to hear from you!

Wanted: Girl to Write about Republican Convention

Hi, girls! It's an exciting election year in the U.S., with all of us waiting on the edge of our seat to see whether we'll have our first Black president or our first woman vice president. Recently, I received a journal about the Democratic National Convention written by a 12-year-old girl who attended. We'll be featuring the journal at NewMoonGirls.com. I'd love to include coverage of the Republican Convention as well. If you or a girl you know attended, please consider submitting something to NewMoonGirls! You can get in touch with me at laceyl@newmoongirlmedia.com to learn more!

Guest Blogger Lacey poses a Women in Politics Friday Story Idea

Today, we have Lacey guest blogging for us. Lacey, busy managing the orb28 blog and NewMoonGirls.com, took the time today to write a beautiful post about the passing of Congresswoman Stephanie Tubb Jones. Lacey says:

I learned this morning that Congresswoman Stephanie Tubb Jones passed away Wednesday evening. Although I never personally met Stephanie, I can't help but be inspired by her ten years of political service in Washington and the way she rose from a career in social work and law to her seat in the House of Representatives. And because only 16% of our Congress is comprised of women, I have the utmost respect for each of them that represents us. I'm sorry that there's one less woman in Washington today.

If you have personal memories about Stephanie, Senator Hillary Clinton is collecting them at her website. I wrote about what a pleasure it was to work with Stephanie when she gave us an interview for our Letter to Congress website. Her passing makes the interview even more precious.

In honor of Stephanie Tubb Jones, I'd like to pose women in politics as a Friday story idea. Are there any women in politics that you particularly admire? How do you feel about the comparatively low participation of women in politics? What political issues get you fired up? Is it important to you that women be involved in politics? Why or why not?
I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Send us your comments and blog entries!

Getting Involved: The 2008 Election

Hey Girl Bloggers!
I’ve noticed a lot of you expressing your concern over the upcoming 2008 presidential election. Issues that seem to be most important to you based on your articles and comments in the Girls Blog include concerns about the environment, gay marriage, civil rights, and the war in Iraq.

Although most of you can’t vote yet it’s still important to be informed about the presidential candidates. You can make a difference in the election by discussing your opinions with those who can vote and influence the election like your parents, older friends and siblings, and teachers. Encourage them to vote on Election Day. Put posters and signs in your house’s yards and windows of the candidate you support. You can write a letter to your hometown newspaper or school newspaper expressing your thoughts on the candidates. If you find a parent or older friend to accompany you, you could even volunteer for one of the candidates by distributing flyers and yard signs around your neighborhood.

To find out more about the Democratic candidate Barack Obama click on this link.
To find out more about the Republican candidate John McCain click on this link.

If you girls have any other ideas about how to become more involved in the election feel free to post a comment!