One Week To Go:

What I’ve Learned from the Trail

Rachel Palermo
The Democrats
2 min readNov 1, 2016

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After a few weeks on the Forward Together bus tour, I’m back at DNC Headquarters, sharing stories about the people I met along the way. With only 7 days left until Election Day, I’m fired up and ready to elect Hillary Clinton. And with chants of “I Will Vote” in every city we visited, we learned that voters across the country are fired up as well.

26 million votes have already been cast so far, and reports show an advantage for Hillary Clinton and Democrats down the ticket in key battleground states. The voters want a country with a strong and steady leader — a leader who lifts people up and doesn’t tear people down. They understand that this election is going to show to the world what kind of country we want to be and the kind of future we want for our kids.

We met many people along our journey, but meeting Jayleene in Salt Lake City reminded me of why we’re fighting this fight. Jayleene shared with us that she has learning disabilities, and without Hillary’s work getting special education into public schools, she never would have graduated high school. She said,

“Hillary is truly is an inspiration, and it’s sad that people don’t sit back and actually understand the work that she has done.

Jayleene knows we are stronger when everyone counts and when everybody plays a role in creating America’s future. And she brought up an important point: more people should know about Hillary Clinton’s record of fighting for every American.

One of Hillary’s first jobs after law school was at the Children’s Defense Fund, going door-to-door to learn why so many children were missing school. She found that many parents were not sending their children to school because schools did not accommodate disabilities. Hillary’s findings were presented to Congress, and they helped build the case for the passage of the law that ensures all children with disabilities have access to an education.

From the moment Hillary entered the workforce, she has fought for people like Jayleene.

The next 7 days are going to be tough, and we’re doing to do everything we can to get out the vote. There’s a lot at stake, and we deserve a president who understands that Americans are stronger together, not one who could destroy the values we hold dear and tear America apart. Together we can ensure the American people make a choice that will make life better for our children and our grandchildren. Because that’s what this is about.

Make sure you’re ready to vote: www.IWillVote.com

Confirm your polling place: pollingplaces.democrats.org

Volunteer: my.democrats.org/volunteer2016

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Rachel Palermo
The Democrats

National and women's press @TheDemocrats ‌• feminist ‌• Minnesotan • brunch enthusiast • @StOlaf Ole ‌• #ImWithHer