(Chicago, Ill.) - I want to vote, but I don’t have anyone to watch the kids. I can’t leave them home alone! When you're a mom, balancing your parental responsibilities with your civic duty seems more and more daunting as Election Day approaches. But not this year! TodaysMama and Sittercity.com today announced that as part of the MamaVote initiative, they will offer free and discounted babysitting on Election Day, November 4, 2008. From October 27 to November 3, all individuals who sign up for a membership at Sittercity.com with the promotional code “MamaVote08” will be eligible for 50 percent off babysitting on Election Day. In addition, the first 50 individuals to register will receive free babysitting for two hours on Election Day.
TodaysMama joined with the League of Women Voters and Sittercity.com to launch MamaVote last year, a non-partisan, education and inspiration-based initiative that encourages mothers to get involved in the political process. By offering discounted, reliable babysitting, these organizations hope to get more women to the polls.
"Mothers make up one of the most powerful voting blocks in our nation," said Rachael Herrscher, co-founder and CEO of TodaysMama. "We want to encourage all mothers to vote, and finding a babysitter can be a big road block. Mothers can and do make a difference every day, and we are excited to see the voter turnout for this historical election.”
In the current political environment, U.S. women are significantly under-represented in public office. There are 87 women serving in the Senate and House, making up just 16 percent of Congress. The U.S. ranks 66th in the world in the percentage of women in national parliaments - trailing such nations as Iraq, Cuba, South Africa and China. In the 2004 election, women voted at a 65 percent rate, compared with 62 percent of men. Most analysts believe that women constitute the vast majority of swing voters, making election cycles potentially more dynamic and less predictable.
"We are honored to partner with TodaysMama and the League of Women Voters to make it easier for women to vote in key U.S. cities by providing them with reliable election-day child care," said Genevieve Thiers, founder and CEO of Sittercity. "The nation and its children will benefit tremendously from having even more mothers involved in the process of electing public servants."
Mothers can go to www.sittercity.com and register using the discount code MamaVote08. For articles, interviews and voting information, visit
www.MamaVote.com.
About Sittercity.com Sittercity.com®, the inventor of online caregiving, is America’s largest and most trusted online source for child care, pet care, senior care, housesitting, housekeeping and tutoring. As a network of hundreds of thousands of caregivers nationwide, Sittercity helps families and individuals find the perfect in-home care provider quickly, easily and safely by using the company’s four-step screening process, which includes checking references, reading caregiver reviews, conducting interviews and utilizing free access to background checks. Sitter profiles also come with photos, experience, training, safety skills, availability calendars, reviews and more. Registration for sitters is free, and care seekers pay as little as $8 per month for a membership, which gives them unlimited ability to post jobs, and search, contact and hire sitters in their areas. A true pioneer in its field, Sittercity.com has been featured by hundreds of media outlets, from the Today Show to the Big Idea with Donny Deutsch to the Wall Street Journal. Sittercity has also received twelve national awards, including a U.S. Small Business Administration award in 2006 from President Bush, and three international awards, including first place in the prestigious UPS "Out of the Box" Small Business contest. For more information, visit the company Web site at
www.sittercity.com.
About TodaysMama
TodaysMama (www.TodaysMama.com) provides personal, professional and parenting resources designed to inform, enrich and inspire mothers. Founded in 2004, TodaysMama produces local Mama’s Handbooks and an online community where moms can explore local events and information, and tune into national content and initiatives. There are 17 local markets in the TodaysMama family, including Arizona, the Bay Area (Alameda, Contra Costa, Peninsula, Silicon Valley North, Silicon Valley South, and Solano), Green Bay, Houston, Southern Nevada, San Diego, Santa Cruz/Monterey, South Florida, Seattle, Spokane, Utah and Washington, D.C.
About MamaVote
TodaysMama has partnered with the League of Women Voters and Sittercity.com to launch the MamaVote Project (www.MamaVote.com), a non-partisan, education and inspiration-based initiative that encourages mothers to get involved in the political process. MamaVote offers a broad array of educational and practical resources to increase the role women and mothers play in the political process, from the school board to the federal level. We want to encourage women to make informed and responsible choices for their family, community and country.
