Your Opportunity

by Kyle Hoover, Promote the Vote Coordinator

This November is full of opportunities.

An opportunity to act.

An opportunity to make your voice heard.

An opportunity to raise the amount of attention paid to HIV/AIDS related issues.

An opportunity to remind America that as a nation we need to make an investment in health.

Voting in the 2012 election is our opportunity to make positive changes in the world of HIV/AIDS when there is so much to be gained.

Voting in the upcoming election ensures that the people most affected by HIV/AIDS choose which candidates will make decisions about HIV/AIDS policy. Those elected to office at the state and federal levels will cast votes, debate policies, and move legislation that could result in increases or losses of resources for people living with and at risk for HIV/AIDS. Both in North Carolina and at the federal level, elected officials will debate:

• How the nation will move forward with implementation of health care reform
• Investments in HIV prevention, treatment, care, housing, and research, as well as critical non-HIV specific programs like Medicaid and food stamps
• Whether local authorities will be allowed to use federal funding for evidence based prevention efforts like syringe exchange
• Access to reproductive health are
• The future of comprehensive sex education

This election gives us a pivotal opportunity to raise the level of awareness on these issues and other issues that matter most to our community. We can advance policies that move us closer to ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic in North Carolina. Beyond raising awareness, we can educate poll workers and candidates about the issues we care about most and increase voter participation by fellow advocates who are part of marginalized communities.

The future is full of possibilities in the world of HIV/AIDS, and this election clearly demonstrates how many possibilities are ours for the taking.  The biggest thing we can do right now is vote.

NCAAN Votes because we believe that all North Carolina families deserve health care policies centered on fairness, equality, and access to care. Why do you vote?  Print out your own sign and send your photos or stories to be featured on our blog to kyle@ncaan.org. Your story can inspire others to register and vote!