www.bindersfullofwomen.com

So, it’s that time again: election season. On November 6^th President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney will face off in what seems to be one of the most highly politicized, over the top, vote-or-perish elections to date—or maybe I’m just paying more attention to social media. Recently, the presidential debates have taken place and have brought about a wide array of issues that are really quite disconcerting—everything from malarkey to big bird. Big bird being my favorite (just kidding). What's very interesting is the way American’s have spread news about their candidates. In real time, in face time, in tweet time, information is spreading so rapidly that it’s hard to filter fact from fiction. As a Hispanic and as a female, not being able to filter through all of this information is highly problematic because these issues being discussed not only affect me but they also impact my family.

What I’m most concerned about in this upcoming election is equality. We live in a country that makes all kinds of claims about women being equal to men, yet still, we fall short in coming through with that when men are still being paid more than women, leadership roles are still dominated by men, and men are dictating what women can and cannot do with their bodies (birth control, abortion, etc...). After watching the presidential debate and reading the newspaper, I'm thinking about my role in society. Having to filter through what's just talk and rhetoric and what's actually happening is hard. Politicians say one thing and do another. Case and point: the "binders full of women" mess that Romney's fallen into. I think we need to take a closer look at our candidates. It's not just about what they say they're going to do but about what they've actually done. Here's what I'm talking about: Binder Full of Jokes and Binder Full of Women.

As Hispanic females, we need to make our voice heard. We must vote.