This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Nov. 8 is just around the corner and, with many Utahns voting even earlier by mail, now is the time to make sure you're registered to vote and to find out what candidates think about issues that are important to you, your family and your community.

Here at the YWCA, we've cared about women and girls since our founding in Utah 110 years ago, and we're taking this tradition of advocacy to the next level with the Utah Women's Well-Being Initiative. One focus of this initiative is to support women's participation in the political process at all levels.

Research commissioned by YWCA Utah, and conducted by the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR) in 2014, showed that voter registration rates among women lag behind the rest of the nation (60.9 percent in Utah vs. 67 percent nationally). And while women have voted at higher rates than men in presidential elections for the past 35 years, the percent of women in Utah who vote is still lower than in the nation as a whole — and decreased between 2004-2015 (Center for American Women and Politics, 2015; IWPR, 2015).

With so many important elections this year — local, state and national — it is critical that every eligible voter in Utah registers, updates their address and casts a ballot in November. National Voter Registration Day is Tuesday, Sept. 27. It's quick and easy to register or check/update your address at vote.utah.gov. The YWCA also provides more information to ensure that your voice is heard in this election.

Being informed about how candidates think about issues is also critical to full participation in the political process. YWCA Utah believes that when all Utah women are thriving and leading the lives they choose, their strength benefits their families and communities and Utah prospers. As you consider your options on Election Day, ask candidates their opinions about issues that impact women and girls, and their ability to succeed, in our state. Some questions to consider:

• Research in Utah found that while women embark on higher education at similar rates to the national average, their progress in completing a bachelor's degree or higher lags behind the rest of the nation (IWPR, 2014). How can public officials better support women's educational success in Utah?

• One in seven new moms in Utah suffers from postpartum depression, the second leading cause of suicide for women in the first year after a child's birth (UDOH, 2015). What public health resources should be available for families during this time?

• Hispanic women in Utah are more than twice as likely as white women to live in poverty (25.9 percent compared with 11 percent), and Native American women have the highest poverty rate at 36.1 percent (IWPR, 2015). If elected, how would you address barriers to economic stability experienced by communities of color?

• What do you think are the most critical issues facing women who want or need to work outside of the home, and what should government's role be in addressing them?

These questions represent a few of the issues that may keep women and girls from flourishing across our state. If voting is your opportunity to choose the leaders who will make decisions affecting your life — and the lives of those you care about — then talking with candidates is your chance to share your experiences and priorities with those future leaders. When all Utahns are part of the political process, we create stronger communities and an even better state to call home — not just for women and girls in Utah, but for all of us.

Erin Jemison, MPA, is the director of public policy at YWCA Utah.