The most documented genocide in history continues as Palestinians are slaughtered everyday by Israeli forces who drop bomb after bomb on schools, refugee camps, homes, hospitals, and aid facilities with the full backing of the U.S. The Lancet, a peer-reviewed medical journal and one of the highest-impact academic journals in the world, estimates that Israel has killed more than 186,000 Palestinians since October 2023. Its July 5th study found the actual death toll is higher than 40,000 because the UNโ€™s toll doesnโ€™t count the thousands of bodies buried under rubble, nor the deaths caused by Israelโ€™s destruction of health facilities in Gaza.

So-called โ€œevacuation ordersโ€ force surviving Palestinians into tiny concentration zones where deliberate starvation and disease spread are rampant. Others face torture and sexual abuse in Israeli prisons where systemic assaults by soldiers are well-doucmented, just as they were decades earlier.  

On July 19, the ICJ ruled that Israelโ€™s occupation of Gaza and the West Bank is illegal, and its laws are โ€œtantamount to the crime of apartheid.โ€ However, that hasnโ€™t stopped pro-Israel groups like AIPAC from pumping $100 million into U.S. elections to force out anti-genocide lawmakers and install their candidates. 

As part of the genocide, Israel has also killed record numbers of aid workers and falsely accused the UN agency, UNRWA, of employing terrorists. Israel has never provided proof of its claims, and an international investigation on April 22 found no evidence of terrorism with UNRWA workers. Still, Israeli soldiers have killed at least 284 total aid workers, including 212 from UNRWA.

Please consider giving to this vital UN aid agency โ€“ especially as the U.S. funds Israelโ€™s genocide, no matter how many โ€œred linesโ€ it crosses.

Paulette Jordan

Running for Idaho governor

Idaho gubernatorial race 2018 candidates: Paulette Jordan (D) | Brad Little (R)

Idaho election day is November 6, 2018. Unsure how or where to vote in the Idaho elections? Scroll to the bottom of this page for Idaho voter information.

Quick biography on Paulette Jordan

Paulette Jordan was born in Northern Idaho and is a member of the Couer dโ€™Alene tribe, where she served as a tribal council member. She was later elected to represent 56 tribes in the Northwest before finding a place at the National Board where she served as finance chair for the National Indian Gaming Association.

Paulette Jordan is running for governor of Idaho. Source WikiMedia CommonsIn 2014, she was elected to the Idaho House of Representatives to represent her district, successfully beating an incumbent Republican. She won reelection in 2016, but now Jordan is looking to make a progressive impact on a much larger scale.  

An avid sportswoman in rural Idaho, Jordan hails from a farming and ranching family, where she grew up bareback riding and learned to treasure the gorgeous lands Idaho has to offer. Moreover, she says her rural upbringing instilled in her a strong belief to take care of the land and protect it against damage or decay.

For Paulette Jordan, deciding now is the time to run for governor is about more than timing โ€“ itโ€™s about getting the right experience. She was the youngest member of the Couer d-Alene tribe council and she says she growing up around leaders encouraged her to use her voice, too. While her supporters have wanted her to run for a long time, sheโ€™s running for governor now is because she feels experienced and qualified enough to best serve Idaho. In other words, because she comes from a rural perspective, Jordan says she wanted to better understand the issues facing southern Idahoan in urban regions before she could rightfully represent all of Idaho.

Paulette Jordan endorsements

Idaho Statesman newspaper (split decision)

Planned Parenthood Votes

Democracy for America

People for the American Way

Our Revolution

Indivisible

Add The Words

Cher (yeah, really)

Paulette Jordan platform on state & local issues in Idaho

Education & charter schools

Jordan says Idaho public schools are severely underfunded and teachers deserve a raise in pay. She supports shifting more public funds toward making college and other forms of postsecondary education more affordable for Idaho residents. Also, Jordan is a proponent of charter schools, saying they are a necessity for kids who arenโ€™t well suited to their local schools. She wants to ensure that charter schools are more accessible in addition to increased funding to public schools.

In January 2017, Jordan proposed a bill with Rep. Sally Toone that would grant student loan forgiveness to rural teachers. Despite being co-sponsored by every Democrat in the House and Senate, the bill failed to become law.

Environment

Paulette Jordan says her commitment to conservation and environmental protection stems from her familyโ€™s deep connection to the land and their generations-old belief in protecting it. For example, she favors clean energy renewables, such as solar and wind power, as well as phasing out coal, natural gas and oil. She says the toxic chemicals that come from fracking harm drinkable groundwater and worsen air pollution. When speaking about the dangers of allowing corporations to do whatever they please and harm the land, Jordan warned โ€œThereโ€™s going to be a point of no returnโ€ if the environmental status quo remains unchanged.

Public lands

Preserving public lands is an issue Jordan is particularly passionate about. While the Trump administration has taken many steps to sell public lands to private corporations, Jordan is quick to push back on fracking public land and national monuments, saying in an interview, โ€œIf there are no protections or limitations, then weโ€™re allowing corporations to ravage [our] land for their own benefit.โ€ Jordan says corporations have been permitted to take all they can from the land with little oversight. She makes the case that itโ€™s time for Idahoans to take a stand and protect the natural regions they love.  

Rural issues

Jordan says Idahoโ€™s slowed economy hurts rural towns the most. She supports a range of rural infrastructure projects, including implementing a statewide transit system to connect small towns with urban areas in an effort to revitalize rural Idaho. She also says increased investment into tourism and career training programs will bring money into the state. In addition, Jordan makes the case that these programs will help provide higher paying jobs throughout the state.

RELATED: Jackie Smith โ€“ Running for Iowa Senate District 7

Marijuana legalization

Jordan has been an outspoken advocate of legalizing marijuana. During an April debate in Boise, Jordan said she fully supports legalizing medical marijuana and CBD oil, he also would like to see marijuana possession decriminalized.  

Paulette Jordan platform on national issues

Gun control

Jordan is a gun owner and supports banning bump stocks. On the topic of confiscating guns from convicted domestic abusers, Jordan says โ€œWhile everyone has the right to own a gun, not everyone has the right to pull the trigger.โ€ Furthermore, she advocates for putting โ€œsensible lawsโ€ into effect that can help prevent future mass shootings in Idaho schools. 

That being said, Jordan does not support arming teachers in the classroom. Setting the record straight, Jordan spoke on the time she cast an affirmative vote to introduce โ€œstand your groundโ€ legislation with 13 House Republicans. During a debate on May 10, Jordan said she voted to introduce the bill because many of her constituents asked her to take a closer look at the legislation. However, she said it was difficult to do because โ€œI disagree with the legislation completely.โ€

Reproductive rights

Paulette Jordan supports Planned Parenthood, saying in a February 25 debate, โ€œFor many people in Idaho, especially women, without sufficient healthcare coverage, a Planned Parenthood physician is the only medical provider they visit each year.โ€ As conservative lawmakers work to stop taxpayer money going to Planned Parenthood, she says its services are essential in the state for womenโ€™s health.

While a representative in the Idaho House, Jordan voted against House Bill 516 which requires doctors to offer ultrasounds to women requesting an abortion 24 hours before the procedure. The bill still passed and was signed into law by Gov. Butch Otter in 2016.

Immigration

While an Idaho House representative, Jordan was the only lawmaker who voted against a 2017 Idaho immigration bill in committee that would have blocked sales tax funds from sanctuary cities. In addition, the bill would require local police departments to uphold federal immigration laws against anyone arrested for a misdemeanor of felony charge. In an interview with The Spokesman-Review, she said  โ€œI fully support sanctuary cities. My ancestors supported immigrants โ€“ I see no reason to change.โ€

Minimum wage

Idahoโ€™s minimum wage currently follows the federal rate at $7.25 per hour. Paulette Jordan supports raising the stateโ€™s minimum wage steadily over time and says she will work to raise it as governor.

LGBTQ rights

In 2014, Idaho Gov. Butch Otter took the fight to defend his stateโ€™s ban on gay marriage to the Supreme Court, which sided against him and allowed same-sex marriages to continue in the state. In a state that voted against civil rights protections for gays and lesbians on a party-line vote in 2015, Jordan says she fully supports same-sex marriage.

Moreover, Jordan says she would not challenge the Supreme Court gay marriage ruling, saying โ€œMarriage is a fundamental right for all Americans, regardless of sexual orientation or geographic location.โ€ She also says that religious liberty laws should not allow businesses or individuals to discriminate against their fellow Idahoans regarding sexual orientation.

Health care & Medicaid

Jordan says health care is a human right. She says rural clinics should be made far more accessible for people to receive care as many cannot afford their own health insurance. In addition, Paulette Jordan supports Medicaid expansion for those who donโ€™t qualify for coverage or whose income is too high for a subsidy.

Pay gap

Jordan supports introducing legislation that would require business owners to offer equal, livable wages to their employees. In the final debate before the May 15 primary election, Jordan criticized her opponent, A.J. Balukoff, for not supporting legislation to shrink the pay gap. She said, โ€œWe know that even a woman of color is paid far less than the average woman who is paid far less than men. So if youโ€™re getting three-quarters of the dollar and the woman of color in the state is getting half a dollar thatโ€™s a major problem.โ€

Religion in government

Jordan believes that any religious freedom laws should not give individuals and business owners the right to discriminate, saying โ€œI believe in the right to religious freedom, but I do not support religion as an excuse for bigotry.โ€ As a state representative, Jordan voted against Idaho Senate Bill 1342 that authorized Bibles in schools as educational references.

Net neutrality

Jordan proposed a net neutrality bill that would prevent ISPs within Idaho from blocking lawful content and services, as well as stopping ISPs from slowing traffic in favor of higher-paying users. House Bill 425 remains in committee.

 

Idaho election information

Idaho 2016 election results

In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump won Idaho by 32 points. Two counties (Latah and Blaine) voted for Hillary Clinton. In 2012, Mitt Romney carried the state by nearly 32 points.

 

Idaho absentee voting

Idaho absentee voting is open until late October. To request that an absentee ballot is mailed to your address, you must send the request to the county clerkโ€™s office by October 26th. You can also cast an absentee ballot in person until November 2 at the county clerkโ€™s office.

Idaho Votes is a tool that lets you know if you're registered to vote in the stateIdaho residents have until October 16 to register to vote. If youโ€™re unsure if youโ€™re registered with the county to vote, you can find out your status on Idaho Votes.

 

Where do I vote in Idaho

If itโ€™s Election Day and you donโ€™t know where to vote today, hereโ€™s a list of Idaho polling places based on the county you live in. Idaho Votes offers an address lookup to find your nearest polling place here. If for some reason this tool doesnโ€™t work for your address, find your polling location on the county sites below.

Find your nearest Idaho polling location

Canyon County

Kootenai County

Bonneville County

Twin Falls County

Bonner County

Nez Perce County

Latah County

General Idaho election information can be found at Idaho Votes.

 

What do I need to vote?

In order to vote in the Idaho election for governor, youโ€™ll need to bring a Photo ID or sign an affidavit swearing to your identity.

 
More ways to support Paulette Jordan

Visit her official campaign site

Donate to Paulette Jordanโ€™s campaign

Follow her on Twitter @PauletteEJordan

Follow her on Instagram

 
Examples of hashtags when talking about Paulette Jordan

#JordanforGovernor

#Nativevote18

#IdahoAlways

#idpol

#PinkWave

Shari Rose is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles. Follow her on Twitter @blurredbylines or like Blurred Bylines on Facebook. Women Running For Office Project posts โ‰  endorsements.

Copyrightยฉ 2018 Blurred Bylines

Shari Rose

Shari Rose

Owner of Blurred Bylines ๐Ÿ’–๐Ÿ’œ๐Ÿ’™

I created Blurred Bylines in an effort to bring stories from marginalized perspectives into the national conversation. As a former copy editor at the largest newspapers in Arizona and Colorado, Iโ€™ve seen first-hand the potential of accurate and accessible information to change minds and affect national policy. 

My stories focus on individuals fighting for justice and their own rights as Americans, survivors of violent crime who rebuilt their lives after tragedy, shifting political trends that seek to strip the LGBTQ+ community and other minority groups of their freedoms, and forgotten figures in U.S. history whose fights for equality persist today.

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