The Duchess of Sussex has spoken about the importance of women voting during an event hosted by former First Lady Michelle Obama’s voter registration organization “When We All Vote”.
The event, held on Thursday, was dubbed the “When All Women Vote Couch Party” to celebrate the 19th Amendment – the amendment to the United States Constitution that gave women the right to vote. The event was chaired by former Obama White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, and it also saw appearances by actress Yvette Nicole Brown and the editor of Glamour magazine, Samantha Barry. “When All Women Vote Couch Party” was co-hosted by Glamour magazine and The United State of Women.
In a video appearance, Meghan stressed: “I think we are obviously faced with a lot of problems in our world right now both in the physical world and in the digital world, but we can and must do everything we can to make sure all women have their voices heard.”
She then told the women watching that if they didn’t vote, they were complicit, echoing the common American saying, “If you don’t vote, you don’t have a right to complain.”
She said: “At this juncture, if we aren’t part of the solution, we are part of the problem. If you aren’t going out there and voting, then you’re complicit. If you’re complacent, you’re complicit. We can make the difference in this election and we will make the difference in this election.”
“When I think about voting and why this is so exceptionally important for all of us, I would frame it as: We vote to honour those who came before us and to protect those who come after us,” Meghan also said, adding: “That’s what community is about and that is specifically what this election is all about. We’re only 75 days away from election day and that is so very close and yet there’s so much work to be done in that amount of time.”
She also hinted at her thoughts about who she will will voting for saying, “We all know what’s at stake this year.” She has not said who she will cast her vote for this year for president. Before becoming royal, Meghan was a supporter of the Democrat Party.
The Duchess also spoke about women getting the right to vote with the 19th Amendment, but women of colour not being able to cast a ballot until the 1960s. Meghan said: “As we look at things today, though it’s taken decades longer for women of colour to get the right to vote. Even today we are watching so many women in so many different communities who are marginalised, still struggling to see that right come to fruition—it’s just simply not okay.”
“When We All Vote” is nonpartisan and works to eliminate the race and age gap in voting in the United States.
The Duchess of Sussex retained her American citizenship when marrying Prince Harry and is still able to vote in US elections. She recently confirmed that she would be casting her ballot come November.
