<http://schema.org/articleBody>
" Whether you are addicted to CNN or hardly ever glance at a newspaper, hosting a party is the perfect way to start the political conversation in your own backyard (or living room). Gather your girlfriends together for music, food, and stimulating conversation. Let&amp;#039;s not let politicians decide what real American women&amp;#039;s lives are about. Let&amp;#039;s share who we are in all our wonderful, individual complexity and motivate one another to speak up, to vote, to count. When it comes to getting the life we want, let&amp;#039;s remember that there&amp;#039;s strength \u2014 and change \u2014 in numbers. These six discussion questions should help get everyone talking about the issues that matter most and how to get our voices heard.  1. Are you registered to vote? Nationwide, almost 15 percent of eligible women admit they aren&amp;#039;t registered to vote, according to an exclusive Every Woman Counts (EWC) poll conducted for Lifetime TV. Hey, ladies: If you&amp;#039;re not registered, you can&amp;#039;t vote! It sounds obvious, but just raising this point with your friends might be all the motivation they need to register. Have this information handy: You can download a voter-registration form from , fill it out, then mail it to your state&amp;#039;s chief election official at least 30 days (in most states) before Election Day, which is November 4, 2008. If you don&amp;#039;t have Internet access, or you live in New Hampshire or Wyoming, where you can&amp;#039;t register online, call your city hall to find out how to register. Go to redbookmag.com/whatweshare --&amp;amp;gt; to print out a handout about voter registration.  2. How do logistics affect whether you vote? It can be tough to make time to vote. In fact, 12 percent of registered voters (including 8.4 million women) didn&amp;#039;t vote in 2004. The top reason? Busy schedules. Half of those too busy to vote were caring for kids, grandkids, or aging parents (EWC). Talk to your friends about what it takes logistically to get to the polls. Do you have to wake up early, get a sitter, or use a half day of vacation from work? What could make the process easier? Consider absentee voting, which is conducted by mail and sometimes in person before Election Day; in 2004, 14.8 million people used an absentee ballot (Election Data Services). About half the states allow anyone to request one, and many states allow you to request permanent absentee-ballot status, so that you will receive an absentee ballot for every future election. Download an application at declareyourself.com, then mail in your vote to your local election officials. 3. Do you vote locally? Many people who vote in the presidential elections skip local elections, and yet local officials impact your life more directly \u2014 they control your income tax, public safety, and more. Pay attention to who governs your county or municipality. Talk to your friends about what role elected officials like the mayor, board of aldermen, city council, sheriff, local judges, and the school board play in your lives, and what changes you&amp;#039;d like to see. Discuss local news stories and share personal anecdotes.  4. Does your vote count? This is a pivotal year for our country, and many of us already realize it \u2014 39 percent of women believe that this election is more important than previous ones (EWC). But do you feel your one vote can have an impact? Discuss with your friends how they feel about the state of our country and their past experiences at the ballot box \u2014 are they hopeful or cynical? Excited or despondent?  5. Do you feel politicians connect to your lives? More than two thirds of women are still undecided about who they will vote for in the upcoming presidential election (EWC) \u2014 engage your guests in a discussion about which issues you&amp;#039;re unsure about, and what a candidate might propose that would tilt you to his or her side. Ask, &amp;quot;How do you hear politicians talking about the issues that matter to you?&amp;quot; Print articles from redbookmag.com/whatweshare for guests to read about what matters to other REDBOOK readers.  6. How can we feel like our concerns matter? Brainstorm and share ideas about how to keep the conversation going after your party&amp;#039;s over. Ask friends, &amp;quot;How can you act to help enact change?&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;What&amp;#039;s the first step?&amp;quot; Check out redbookmag.com/whatweshare and for more ideas about how to make an impact. TAKE IT UP A NOTCH! Add more political pizzazz to your party.   Clip out the news that catches your eye. Ask guests to bring recent newspaper articles, blog posts, pamphlets from their windshields, etc., then discuss.   View a movie montage of film scenes that address different issues (think An Inconvenient Truth, Baby Boom, or Jarhead). Afterward, discuss over popcorn and Milk Duds.  Cook up healthy treats, then encourage guests to discuss the obesity epidemic; or serve up organic fare and veggies from your garden, then talk about the environment.   Decorate!  To encourage talk about your state&amp;#039;s minimum wage, scatter around objects whose costs approximate it. To discuss immigration, collect and display bilingual items like store signs and takeout menus.  Give goody bags.  To represent education reform, give your guests fun favors such as pencils and apples. Include articles printed from redbookmag.com/whatweshare and fact sheets from everywomancounts08.com.  Party on the go.  Invite friends to visit a political museum exhibit or attend a reading.  Log on to everywomancounts08.com to join our Every Woman Counts coalition (in partnership with Lifetime TV and Marie Claire and CosmoGIRL!) and let your voice be heard loud and clear. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.redbookmag.com/life/a2524/every-woman-counts/>