Book Review/Heather Seggel

What Now?

Male readers can be forgiven for assuming anything titled “A Woman’s Guide” might lie outside their field of interest. But “After You Vote: A Woman’s Guide to Making an Impact, from Town Hall to Capitol Hill” (BenBella Books, Inc.) really does have a lot to offer any reader, regardless of gender. Author Courtney Emerson says as much in the book. But since its intent is to encourage participation in politics at all levels by people often left outside the process, one could do worse than to start by trying to bring more women into the fold. The book is a mix of statistics, activist profiles, and a workbook that, if completed, will leave the reader educated about their local, state, and national representatives, and aware of the best ways to engage them or, failing that, steal their jobs. It’s a fun, if bracing, experience to read.

Emerson is a cofounder of the All In Together campaign (aitogether.org), a group whose mission is “ensuring women’s voices are fully represented in political and civic life.” As such, she’s well-positioned to both assist women over the easy hurdles they’re often stopped by (feeling like one doesn’t know enough, imposter syndrome), and also help them identify and smash the systemic barriers to equal representation that can make simply showing up an obstacle course. One of the book’s biggest strengths is a frank discussion of how lack of representation, the corrupting influence of money in politics, and voter suppression are designed to keep anyone not wealthy, white, and male sidelined and out of power. The election we just went through offers several real-world illustrations of many of the points made here, and repeatedly proves Emerson’s points.

Readers who consider themselves political junkies, especially those who share memes online and sign every online petition that comes their way, may be disillusioned by the news that those are among the least useful contributions a person can make to effect change. A generous introduction to Civics 101 offers some perspective on what politicians actually do all day, depending on their office, and it becomes clear that reaching out in person with consistency over time has real influence. (This is borne out by an example Emerson shares that has made the rounds: Polling consistently shows majorities of people want stricter gun control legislation, but the minority of “second amendment voters” contact their representatives regularly on issues that are in any way tangentially connected to gun control. They have the ears of the people who serve them, and thus tend to get their way.)

From that introduction, the book turns to making it personal, helping readers find the issues they want to organize around and then translating that into a plan of action. The third part looks at the ways participation is currently roped off, and offers suggestions for change that encourages more participation by an increasingly diverse and more representative mass of people. A December episode of “Pod Save America” discussed the aftermath of Trump’s attempts to steal the election (as I write his lawsuits are losing 50-something to-1), and one of the hosts noted that the takeaway for Republicans was something we all need to be watchful for: Trying to steal the election after the fact failed because our institutions, however shakily, held. But preventing people from voting worked, and will likely work again. There’s a lot of food for thought in this book about working to make voting more accessible, and it is most likely the one issue we should all be continuously tapping into as things move forward.

The overall tone is upbeat and encouraging, but Emerson doesn’t hesitate to apply pressure where it’s needed. Women are grossly underrepresented in letters to newspaper editors and op eds, two things politicians use to weigh the importance of issues to their constituents. But this lack of representation is not a matter of bias on the part of editors; it’s because we write in about one-fourth as often as men, a situation that it is entirely our duty to change. Among the fantastic range of resources listed here are guides to writing effective letters and op eds, so don’t be shy. For “After You Vote” to have its intended impact, we’ll be juggling efforts to keep the vote free and fair along with advocating for our personal passions, but a sea of new voices on the editorial pages would be the greatest evidence of its success. Read it and start typing.

Heather Seggel is a writer living in Northern California. Email heatherlseggel@gmail.com.

From The Progressive Populist, March 1, 2021

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