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"  &amp;quot;I don&amp;#039;t believe in the Republican party or the Democratic party. I just believe in parties.&amp;quot; Who could forget such an infamous quote as it was uttered by Samantha Jones in the third season of HBO&amp;#039;sSex and the City? I remember feeling shocked that Samantha\u2014in my mind, someone who embodied the total idea that a woman should be anything that she wants to be, regardless of how society feels about it\u2014would make a statement that held such a negative underlying message about the ability of women to make a difference in politics. In my mind, Samantha&amp;#039;s statement indicated that not only did caring about politics make a women &amp;#039;uncool&amp;#039;, but that it was something that should be left to the white males in the room to discuss. However, as I watched the very last of the 2012 general election results trickle in this morning, I found myself thinking about Samantha&amp;#039;s one-liner in a way unlike I&amp;#039;d ever been able to before. In the 113th Congress, there will be a record 19 female Senators in Congress, with women from both sides of the aisle, of varying ages and ethnicities, and of differing sexual orientations. Issues that strongly impact women were at the forefront of the debate this election, with many voters listening closely to determine how their local candidates felt about access to birth control, the ability to obtain affordable higher education, and closing the gender pay gap. Women volunteered for campaigns and get-out-the-vote initiatives in astounding numbers to ensure that the issues that were highlighted throughout the election will remain political priorities for those elected into the 113th Congress. No matter which party gained or maintained a stronghold over the House, Senate, or White House last night, the true winners of this election are women, who abandoned the idea of party politics to make sure that we all receive an invite to the party of politics. Throughout the past several months, I&amp;#039;ve been privileged to work with a great team of activists, organizers, and friends on the AAUW Action Fund&amp;#039;s It&amp;#039;s My Vote: I Will Be Heard nationwide voter education and turnout campaign, an unprecedented investment in making the voices of millennial women heard in the 2012 election. Together, we&amp;#039;ve worked to register over 12,306 new voters, held 72 candidate forums, 18 issue-based or ballot initiative forms, and contacted 9,874 women to remind them to make their voices heard on election day. However, our mission has been about more than just getting the numbers to fill the statistics\u2014it&amp;#039;s about making sure women are invited to the party and feel empowered to share their stories.  In this sense, it seems that Samantha Jones was right after all\u2014in the end, it isn&amp;#039;t about the Republican or the Democratic party. Instead, it&amp;#039;s about making politics your own and determining how you feel about issues that matter in your life. The best part? It isn&amp;#039;t over yet. If you haven&amp;#039;t had the opportunity to join the party, you have the opportunity to tell your elected officials each and every day your opinion on what&amp;#039;s important to you. To steal a line from Carrie Bradshaw herself, I can&amp;#039;t help but wonder\u2014will you? "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.seventeen.com/life/a19694/women-in-politics/>