Washington, D.C. — The American Association of University Women today released its Congressional Voting Record for the 110th Congress, First Session, which provides AAUW members and the public with critical information about how their members of Congress voted on equity issues affecting women and girls in 2007.
“Voters deserve to know where their elected officials stand before they head to the polls in November,” said Lisa Maatz, AAUW director of public policy and government relations. “AAUW members across the country will use the voting record in their voter education and get-out-the-vote efforts this year, ensuring that people who care about women’s equity know exactly how their members of Congress voted on key issues.”
Priority issues reflected in the voting record are education, economic security, and civil rights. This year, AAUW is pleased that more than half the representatives and senators supported AAUW’s position on at least 80 percent of the votes that were scored.
The Congressional Voting Record scores the votes on several pieces of legislation that became law, including bills that provided for an increase in the minimum wage; the largest increase in student aid since the G.I. bill; and investment in science, technology, engineering, and math education. In addition, the publication scores legislation that reflects other AAUW priorities such as improving pay discrimination law, expanding hate crimes prevention, and protecting access to reproductive health care.
“Women have already been a critical factor in the presidential primaries, and they will continue to play a pivotal role in the upcoming elections,” Maatz said. “The Congressional Voting Record is a great resource for them to use to make informed choices before casting a ballot.”
The AAUW Capitol Hill Lobby Corps, a group of AAUW members that lobbies Congress each week the legislature is in session, will deliver the voting record to members of Congress and will make a special effort to thank members who have a 100 percent rating.
The voting record is part of AAUW’s Voter Education Campaign, which includes Woman-to-Woman Voter Turnout, a program aimed at increasing female voter turnout in the 2008 election and beyond.
AAUW’s Congressional Voting Record for the 110th Congress, First Session, is available online at www.aauw.org.
For more information about AAUW’s Congressional Voting Record or to schedule an interview with AAUW Director of Public Policy and Government Relations Lisa Maatz, please contact Ashley Carr at 202/785-7745, carra@aauw.org.
Note: Legislation was selected on the basis of the AAUW Public Policy Program adopted by AAUW convention delegates in July 2007. The voting record lists only roll-call votes officially recorded on the floor of the Senate or House of Representatives. The voting record is neither an endorsement nor a condemnation of any member of Congress.
