Election Day is coming up on Tuesday, November 6, 2018, which means it’s time to decide what’s important for you, research the issues, get up off the couch, and head to the polls to cast your ballot!

But first—why is voting so important? In short, voting is our voice and gives us a say in shaping the world in which we want to live for ourselves and our progeny. At MixR, we believe that everyone has the power to impact change in their communities and in the world. You do not need to hold a fancy title or make a certain amount of money. You just need to be you. You just need to have some drive in you to make the world a little bit nicer—whatever that means to you. The generations that came before us fought hard to give us all—including women and racial and ethnic minorities—the right to use our voices to impact change. Now it is time to put that to use. It doesn’t matter how you vote, just as long as you vote.

Still feeling on the fence? In that case, why not get your friends involved? Having other people around not only keeps you accountable, but also makes an experience that much more enjoyable. If you need help rallying others around you, you can use MixR—an online women-driven community engagement network that brings people together over common interests and activities offline. MixR encourages you to get your friends together and #SquadVote, or vote together!

Our team member Angela leads her own grassroots political group on MixR called #PavementPounders, and states:

"Voting is one of our most important rights as US citizens. So why not make it a party? MixR is all about bringing people together, which is why we created #SquadVote—to share both the joy and solemnity of participating in democracy. It’s also important to get young people involved. They like to do things in posses, so #SquadVote is very appealing to them. Let’s get out and do it, y’all!"