Voting is one of the most potent ways to effect large-scale change in public health, according to Michelle Williams, dean of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
In an October 16, 2020 op-ed in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Williams wrote that the stakes are significant in the 2020 U.S. presidential election amidst a global pandemic that has disproportionally affected marginalized communities.
She noted that pressure from voters in the 1960s and 1970s helped push Congress to pass important environmental laws. The results of this year’s election are poised to have a long-term impact on a wide range of social determinants of health, from racial justice and economic equity to climate change and health care, she said.
“When we vote,” Williams wrote, “the world is a healthier place.”
Read The Philadelphia Inquirer op-ed: Harvard public health dean: Voting is crucial for the physical health of our communities