Cancer Votes

Candidates around the country are speaking to voters about important issues this election season, such as the economy, federal and state budgets and health care. But what most candidates arenŠ—'t addressing is an issue that will likely touch every single American in their lifetimes: cancer. Lawmakers play a vital role in the fight against cancer, and itŠ—'s an issue they should all be discussing. To help make cancer an election issue this year, ACS CAN launched Š—“Cancer VotesŠ— (with a new interactive website at www.cancervotes.org), a program dedicated to educating the public and candidates about how elected officials can take actions to make fighting cancer a national priority. Between now and Election Day, volunteers in nearly every congressional district will talk to candidates about cancer issues and inform the public about candidatesŠ—' stances on laws and policies that help people fight cancer. Five issues are particularly important: Federal and state funding for cancer research

• Access to affordable, quality health care nationwide
• Protecting cancer coverage in Medicare
• Expanding access to health coverage for low-income Americans through Medicaid
• Investing in cancer prevention programs

ACS CAN volunteers are communicating with candidates of all political parties about the importance of these issues to cancer patients, survivors and their families by passing out voter guides, sending messages through the Cancer Votes website, posting to Facebook, handing out materials in their communities, wearing Cancer Votes t-shirts, writing letters to the editor and planning Cancer Votes events. One such event was held in Montana in July. Both candidates for U.S. Senate, Sen. Jon Tester (D) and Rep. Denny Rehberg (R), began running ads challenging each otherŠ—'s commitment to defeating breast cancer. ACS CAN staff and volunteers saw an opportunity to find out where the candidates really stood on an important national program that many uninsured and underinsured women rely on to get recommended breast and cervical cancer screenings, the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. We asked both candidates if they supported increasing funding for this program, and within 24 hours both replied Š—“yes.Š— We then held a press conference at a breast care center in Missoula, where staff and volunteers talked about the importance of the program. The fight against breast cancer became an election issue in the state of Montana.  Just a few weeks ago, staff and volunteers in West Virginia took a Cancer Votes van on a week-long tour of the state collecting stories and signatures of people who have personal experiences with cancer. From a parade in Morgantown, to the Monongalia County Fair, to a visit to Charleston and ending at the West Virginia State Fair they quickly realized how much impact the visual of the Cancer Votes Van made. They gathered about 1,000 messages and signatures. They heard so many stories, some of hope, some of sadness, but everyone was happy to hear about what Cancer Votes is and what we were doing.                        

There are many ways for you to be involved in Cancer Votes. From large events to simply sending targeted emails, the Cancer Votes website has a wealth of ideas for taking action in your state. How will you be involved in making cancer an election issue this year? Leave a comment about why you think our lawmakers should be discussing the topic of cancer this fall.