Attention Parents & Caregivers: Make Your Plan to Vote Today!

OutGrown Blog Attention Parents & Caregivers: Make Your Plan to Vote Today!
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Sep 23, 2020

Now, More than Ever.

Making your vote a priority is harder than ever. We’re balancing the usual act of caring for young kids with the additional stresses of life during a global pandemic. Each day we navigate new school and learning situations, working from home, and uncharted safety requirements, regulations and constraints. These added challenges are why it's critical that parents and caregivers of young children make a plan today to make sure their vote counts on November 3rd.

Why This is Important to Hike it Baby

Civic engagement and a stronger democracy benefits everyone, including non-profit organizations like Hike it Baby. Our government officials and voters directly affect policies that impact Hike it Baby financially and organizationally. There are a number of current issues that align Hike it Baby’s mission of connecting all families with young children to the outdoors by working to remove the barriers of access to nature that specific populations face. As an organization we stand for protecting and preserving our natural resources, wildlife, and public lands, creating public lands and green spaces in urban areas, and making our public lands and outdoor spaces accessible, safe, and equitable for all. Mobilizing our over 200,000 community members and encouraging you to vote is a strong voice for the shared values that we support. Issues like conservation and protecting natural spaces and resources are typically non-partisan issues that are decided at the local level. Your city/municipal, township, county, and state elected officials directly impact access to nature -- everything from state parks to sidewalks and cycling infrastructure, to the location of playgrounds and where urban trees are planted, to air quality ordinances like low-emission buses. Additionally:

Quality public education for all children
Equal access to parks and outdoor recreation areas for all families
Public transit accessibility
Equitable environmental protection standards
Accessible recycling options and collection

Lastly, we believe that every eligible voter should voice their opinion. By voting locally you can support us in our mission of getting more families outside in your community.

Make Your Plan to Vote this November

Here are four steps you can take to get a plan in place to make sure you get outside and vote on November 3rd, 2020.

Vote absentee ballot and schedule a walk to your drop-off spot or post office or playtime in the yard to make sure it goes in the mailbox.
Involve your kids in the vote (if voting in person, check COVID-19 polling place protocols before bringing them to the polls).
Work with other parents and caregivers to watch each other's kids if social distancing ordinances allow so everyone can vote. Even better, meet up at a park close to the polls or post office and take turns watching each other's kids and voting.
Make Voting Day a virtual event in your Hike it Baby branch and share how you are getting out to vote and encourage each other to do the same. Share resources like how to register to vote and where to find polling places.

Resources

There are a number of tools and resources that can aid you in making informed decisions about the candidates and issues in our upcoming national election.

Find Your State or Local Election office to register to vote, find your polling place, learn about local candidates, and more.

Vote.org — Register to vote, check your voter registration status, find your polling place, get election reminders, and more.

Early Voting by State — Find out when you can vote early or by absentee ballot in your state.

Sample Ballot Lookup

Six Ways to Check out a Candidate

National Environmental Scorecard

Protect Our Winters Election Center

American Hiking Society Vote Public Lands

Even with the best intentions, many people don’t show up at the polls. We recognize how hard it is for parents of young children to find the time and space to get out and vote, especially right now. We can help each other get out to vote by finding ways to connect and support in our individual Branches. We are over 200,000 community members strong, and that has a lot of impact. Let’s use it!

Order a Hike it Baby Get Outside & Vote + Exercise Your Right t-shirt here.

Hike it Baby works to be the most effective hub of tools, information, and community inspiring all families with babies and young children to get outside and connect with nature. Learn more about Hike it Baby's mission and how you can get involved.

About Hike it Baby

Hike it Baby is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to getting families outdoors and on trails across the U.S. and internationally, supporting, educating and inspiring families through their more than 300 communities across North America. Since its grassroots inception in 2013 in Portland, Oregon, Hike it Baby is now a growing community of 270,000 families and 500 volunteer branch ambassadors hosting more than 1,600 hikes per month. More information, as well as daily hike schedules, can be found at HikeitBaby.com, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Editors Note:

We hope you enjoyed reading this article from Hike it Baby. We’re working hard to provide our community with content and resources that inform, inspire, and entertain you.

But content is not free. It’s built on the hard work and dedication of writers, editors, and volunteers. We make an investment in developing premium content to make it easier for families with young children to connect with nature and each other. We do not ask this lightly, but if you can, please make a contribution and help us extend our reach.