What you probably already know: Coinciding with the anniversaries of Title IX, the Supreme Court’s Dobbs abortion ruling and the Shelby County voting rights decision that weakened federal protections, the American Association of University Women has relaunched its nonpartisan “It’s My Vote!” campaign to mobilize women ahead of the 2026 elections. The initiative features a new civic engagement guide covering 10 key issues, including pay equity, reproductive rights and education access. The free resource provides voters with nonpartisan questions designed for candidate forums and town halls, targeting local school boards up to Congress. As part of the launch, AAUW has also joined the Leage of Women Voters’ “Unite and Rise 8.5” initiative, a national coalition aiming to mobilize 8.5 million voters.
Why it matters: “This week, we mark the anniversaries that remind us exactly what is at stake for women in American democracy, in our schools, for our bodies and at the ballot box,” AAUW CEO Gloria L. Blackwell says. “(We’re) not telling anyone who to vote for, but making sure every woman has the tools, the information and the confidence to make her voice heard.” The guide focuses heavily on the economic and educational disparities that disproportionately burn women, framing voting as a practical tool emphasizing how state and federal policies shape the everyday economic and physical realities of women.
What it means: A central point is the unequal burden of higher education costs. AAUW says women hold nearly two-thirds of outstanding student loan debt in the United States, due in no small part to the persistent gender wage gap and caregiving responsibilities. Nearly 75% of student parents are women. The guide also targets K-12, adding that the expansion of state voucher programs and tax credits diverts public funds to private and religious institutions, with support programs for girls often being among the first to be cut. Students transferring to private schools via voucher systems also frequently lose federal protections against discrimination based on gender identity.
What happens next: Rather than endorsing specific candidates, the initiative provides women with direct and aggressive policy-focused questions to pose at town halls, school board debates and candidate forums. Organizers say their goal is to force candidates to publicly answer questions surrounding pay equity, reproductive access, paid leave, voting rights, the Equal Rights Amendment, pregnancy and parenting protections and classroom censorship. “When women vote, we can change the conversation,” Blackwell says. The League of Women Voters notes that in both 2022 and 2024 women turned out in higher numbers than men: Two years ago, 91.3 million women voted, compared to 82.6 million men.
