October 05, 2020
By Matthew Fitting, NKF Director of Grassroots Advocacy
Ahead of Election Day this November and with voters already casting ballots in many states, NKF continues its work to support every kidney patient as they safely make their voice heard at the ballot box, while also ensuring that candidates understand the importance of supporting a pro-kidney health agenda both on the campaign trail and once in office.
Our online Election Center empowers advocates across the country to quickly and easily find information on the voting options that their state offers and learn more about the candidates running to represent them, from Congress to the White House. It also provides key dates and deadlines for voting early, absentee, or in-person. If you will be visiting your polling place, we advise trying to go at off-peak hours– either mid-morning or mid-afternoon – and of course wearing a mask and physically distancing, just as you would in any other setting.
NKF’s CEO Kevin Longino and President Holly Mattix Kramer, MD, MPH, also recently delivered letters to both presidential campaigns, thanking the respective candidates for their continued commitment to improving the kidney health of all Americans and their respective track records of supporting kidney patients. They reaffirmed that the organization would serve as an ally and resource for whoever occupies the Oval Office, and to help inform executive policies that will promote better kidney health and mitigate the harm of kidney disease.
The impact that COVID-19 is having both on existing kidney patients and on the kidneys of those who contract the virus serves as a powerful reminder of the responsibility that the next administration and Congress will have to increase awareness around the public health crisis posed by Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD); the outsized burden of kidney disease on Medicare patients and spending; and the urgent need for an increase in federal research funding for kidney disease, among other issues.
Whether you’re voting by mail or in person, we want you to let us know that you’re a #KidneyVoter! Please consider sharing a photo of yourself after you’ve cast your ballot on social media using the hashtag #KidneyVoter. Together we can provide a powerful reminder that better kidney health for every American is on the ballot this November.
