Aliza Sherman Interview

The Virgin Voter is a Virgin No More

By Stephanie Agresta

Here at WE Vote '08, we are very glad to see that women made a difference this election. The data is still being calculated but most pundits are suggesting that women's participation in this election was a deciding factor!  You go girls!!

It's time to check in with Aliza Sherman, our "virgin voter" and find out how the journey ended for her on  11/4/08! Check out the Q&A and between Aliza and yours truly, InternetGeekGirl:

Q: Aliza, how did you feel when you voted on last Tuesday on November 4^th 2008?

A: It was a four stage process. First fear, confusion, relief and then fear again. The initial fear was of not knowing what the process would be like.  When I got into the booth, I felt confusion because I couldn't figure out how to use the ballot. After I selected my candidates, I felt relieved. Then, truthfully, I felt a surge of fear again worried that my vote wouldn't matter and that my candidate wouldn't win.

Q: Ok - so you were scared, but you got through it.  What were the biggest lessons you learned from this experience?  How did you work through that fear?

A: The actual act of voting is an isolated, individual process. There is not a lot social about it.  I felt disconnected. I'm someone who never had a fight about politics before or even engaged in those kinds of conversations. Then here I am, participating in this election in a big way -  hosting voter registration events, talking and blogging about my ideas. I even had a fight with my husband the night before Election Day about a local candidate. The whole thing was weird for me. On the one hand I felt empowered and powerful about this right, ability and privilege, but a side of me felt helpless and small.

The good news is that I ultimately felt joy and elation with the process.  Yes, my presidential choice won and I couldn't quite believe how quickly and hugely he won.  I had never had faith in the process because I never participated in it before. Being part of this election and VOTING made me feel incredibly hopeful.

Overall, I feel smarter because of this process. Previous to Election 2008, I never voted for president because I didn't know about the issues.  I forced myself to read things that I wouldn't read, talk about things I wouldn't talk about; follow the issues (both sides) on Twitter. I invested some time and energy on learning and now I have a political literacy and intelligence. I am a more engaged citizen now and I genuinely feel our country has the potential to go in a more positive direction.

Q: As an Alaskan citizen (and a woman), can you tell us what people thought about the loss of Sarah Palin?

A: It was mixed. Many people in Alaska supported Obama and came out of the woodwork and found each other.  The 3 biggest political rallies ever held in the state of Alaska happened during this presidential election: 2 were pro-Obama, one was anti-Palin.  People were definitely talking.  Some people were angry at the Anchorage Daily News supported Obama, but still majority of Alaskans voted for McCain / Palin ticket

Q: As an Internet Marketing Expert, what did you think about Barack's social media strategy?

A: Barack surrounded himself with savvy internet experts who laid the groundwork and pushed the envelope beyond anything we've ever seen from a political candidate.  This is model for not just political campaigns, but anyone who wants to harness the power of social media. They did everything right and things I didn't expect, such as developing an iPhone app.

Q: How did you feel about networking with other women during this process? How did your Election Night party go? 

A: Everyone that was here was grateful to be together and to be a part of history and share that with people we like and respect. Being able to share this with others makes is more meaningful.  Instead of just being a hostess for an event, WE Vote '08 gave me a reason to bring women together and have an intelligent conversation about politics.  Even if we had different views, we all felt passionate about being involved in the process.

It was great to have a project like WE Vote '08 to empower women! They gave us a platform to help other women and I'm grateful for that. I definitely felt like my vote counted!

Big thanks to Aliza for all of her candor and support of the project!!