Dear BoomAthens Readers,
This edition is dedicated to all women, mothers, daughters, wives, and sisters and those friends who are just like sisters.
Throughout history, women have transformed society. Women are teachers, mothers, police officers, soldiers, CEOs and everything in between. When it comes to movies and TV shows, women are portrayed as pioneers rather than sidekicks. To be frank, women are powerful.
Since women began voting in 1920, we have swarmed the polls in record numbers, but it wasn’t until 1980 that women began to outnumber men at the polls, according to Rutgers University Research. We need to maintain that same level of commitment in the coming elections.
Women compose the majority of the population, meaning they hold majority of the vote in this country. Women turn out at the polls at a higher rate than their male counterparts every year and outvoted men by more than 3 percent in the 2016 presidential elections, according to the U.S Census Bureau. What that means is that the future of this nation, of your state, and of your local government rests upon the shoulders of women, just like us.
AARP conducted a survey in 2016, focused on understanding the issues causing women the most anxiety in our current political climate. The majority said they were or have been family caregivers, and they want their elected officials’ political agendas to reflect that. Women want politicians to start the conversation about how they would support family caregivers who provide unpaid care to aging parents or spouses or other adult family members.
We need to make our voices heard and ensure that our elected officials are putting the needs of voters first and acting with our best interests in mind. Together, as women, we can make an impact on the outcome of this election season and focus the agenda on the issues that matter most to us.
We are the past, present and future. The outcome of the 2018 midterm election is up to us. Together we can be the difference. We owe it to ourselves and our families to exercise our right to vote and do what’s in their and our better interests. Take our pledge to vote at www.aarp.com/vote. Be the Difference. Vote. 
All the best,
Debra Tyler-Horton
State Director, AARP Georgia
