The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) (@AACNursing) is pleased to unveil Nursing Voices, Nursing Votes, a nonpartisan initiative designed to encourage, educate, and engage nursing deans, faculty, and students as they amplify their voices during election season.
“Elections are a cornerstone of our national framework and offer important opportunities for engagement and policy change,” said Dr. Deborah Trautman, AACN President and Chief Executive Officer. “We are excited to introduce the Nursing Voices, Nursing Votes initiative so nursing schools within AACN’s membership have the framework and tools available to be active members within our electoral process.”
Nursing Voices, Nursing Votes is a comprehensive and multifaceted initiative that features social media outreach to inform AACN members on upcoming primary dates, registration deadlines, and a countdown to the 2018 Midterm Elections. Additionally, this initiative will offer AACN members the opportunity to join the conversation #NursingVoicesNursingVotes, enter and track voter registration statistics among member schools on the AACN website, and access additional state-by-state voting resources.
“Participating in the electoral process is essential,” said Dr. Ann Cary, Chair of the AACN Board of Directors. “State and federal elections are foundational to policy change. Academic nursing leaders must embrace the role they play in advocating for the profession by educating students on the need to vote and impact healthcare policy.”
Nursing students face unique challenges as they participate in the election process. These students tend to go to school at a different location than their voting address and may be unfamiliar with voter registration procedures. By working with deans, faculty, and students, Nursing Voices, Nursing Votes reinforces voter education and provides resources to AACN members as they participate in local, state, and federal elections.
AACN encourages deans and faculty to designate time during orientations or policy classes for students to register to vote and join the Nursing Voices, Nursing Votes conversation either via Twitter or online as we countdown to the 2018 Midterm Election. Together we can amplify our voices as more nurses get out the vote!
