Women Can Vote! Women Can Run! Women Can Win!

The County of Sonoma Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) will be holding a free family-friendly workshop and event featuring voter registration and education, local political success stories, as well as guidance on getting involved in public service. The Women Can Vote! Women Can Run! Women Can Win! event will be held Saturday, August 27 from 10.00 am to 1.00 pm on the Santa Rosa High School lawn, located at 1235 Mendocino Avenue in Santa Rosa. This event is being held in conjunction with Women’s Equality Day – celebrating the anniversary of the historic Joint Resolution of Congress in 1920 giving women the right to vote.

“We’ve come some distance since 1920, but the Commission, much like United Nations Secretary, Ban Ki-moon, strongly believes that increasing women’s access to political participation and leadership is key to finding solutions to many of the world’s problems,” said CSW Chair and event organizer, Jan Blalock. “We’re starting to see that slowly take place on a global scale, and are excited about doing our part on a local level, right here in Sonoma County.”

The community event will feature:

• Voter registration and education
• Speeches by local women in elected office – 1^stDistrict Supervisor Susan Gorin, and Sonoma Mayor Laurie Gallian
• Young women just beginning their political journeys will share their experiences in getting involved in public service
• Stories from women voting for the first time and why they feel it's important to do so
• Representatives from  Emerge California will speak to how they inspire and train women to run for public office

“Participating in the voting process can be confusing, and at times 'we the people' aren’t sure our voices are even heard,” explained CSW Vice-Chair Ariana Diaz De Leon. “This event will help diffuse some of that confusion and demystify the process. And, in case there are women out there with aspirations to run for office, we’ve got that covered too!”

Additional information about the event, which will include free activities for children, music, and food, can be found on the CSW website  www.sococsw.org. Follow us on  Facebook