The 0.004% who stood have different visions but when brought together they have far more in common
By Katie McSherry
We’ve just had Elect Her’s post snap General Election wind down session for candidates we have supported to put themselves forward. It’s an intimate cross-party conversation and during it I was struck by the hugeness - of everything it takes - at every stage - to contest an election - and the scale of the emotional experience that candidates are left to process afterward.
By holding open and safe multi-partisan space for women to be authentic with themselves and each other throughout the election process, we provide a protection from the loneliness many candidates experience, and share the highs and the lows of the journey together:
From being quiet, and not wanting to stand but feeling that the state of the community and the world required it - to already having your work cut out as an elected councillor and being urged to stand in yet another role.
From being terrified of public speaking - to finding your voice, using it, and experiencing the ecstasy of nailing it, and wondering how else you might use it.
From feeling you are close to retirement - then deciding to engage high school students in your campaign to teaching you, and them, how to engage youth in politics.
From being the only woman candidate in the constituency and the only woman on every panel - to the pride of massively increasing voter turn-out and vote share
From the disappointment of not being elected but not being able to stop imagining that you might have been - to knowing you couldn’t win but still hope is enduring and being incredibly deflated by the news.
What strikes me is the hugely different circumstances beyond candidates control that alter their experiences, such as whether they are in a target seat or not, whether another candidate withdraws from the ballot, the local party, the demographics of their constituency, or boundary changes.
Then there is the candidates' personal circumstances: from their caring responsibilities, to chronic health issues or disabilities, to balancing their work, to struggling to make ends meet while also taking on the additional financial burden of running the campaign and having to take unpaid leave. Let's be clear, this is not a level playing field.
“I was the only woman, it was a struggle to get my voice heard. I have found my voice now. The next question is how do I use this new voice that I have found!”
And yet for all their differences, there is something deeply shared that bubbles up when we come together. A shared experience of being one of the 0.004% of women that put their hand up to be part of our democracy, and showed their community that “people like me and you can and need to do this”. Who learned to overcome the feeling that they didn't belong, who learned or are still learning to be with all the fears of having a public profile (yes even women in elected office still feel this). Who found the experience “totally full on” - and felt lonely or a lack of support but decided to connect with a community of women also standing.
“I didn't know where else to go. It was really tough and I needed support. I came to Elect Her.”
Acknowledging both our differences and our common humanity is what makes the space we at Elect Her hold for candidates so special. Together, we come together across party lines, to champion each other in all of our humanness.
Win or lose - it’s the being part of it that makes our democracy work.
To all the candidates who stood, we are here for you now and in the future.
Blog idea or comment piece?
Would you like to contribute to this blog series? We’d love to hear from you. Send us your ideas and let’s chat: community@elect-her.org.uk.