Allyson Felix, a nine-time Olympic track and field medalist, is partnering with the non-profit Chamber of Mothers to secure childcare for women voters throughout early voting and the general election as announced Monday.
The group will be supporting mothers in the swing state of North Carolina, offering up to two hours of paid childcare through Politisit.
“You should never have to choose between your profession, your passions, and motherhood,” Felix said in a statement. “I’m honored to partner with Chamber of Mothers to tell moms that this election, you don’t have to choose between voting and motherhood. This election, you can do both.”
The organization is offering state residents the chance to submit a form for payment reimbursements and will provide a drop-in site in Wake County where mothers can leave their children when they go vote.
“Black mothers here continue to be severely under-resourced, and the horrific storm only compounded these matters, so their vote here truly matters,” Chamber of Mothers shared in their release.
Despite the state’s record turnout for early voting after Hurricane Helene, Black voter turnout is down by 10 percent compared to this time in 2020, according to reports from Axios.
The demographic could be a crucial factor in determining if Vice President Harris or former President Trump win the state. Trump won the state in 2020 and is currently leading his Democratic opponent by 1.6 percentage points according to The Hill/Decision Desk HQ’s internal polling average.
Felix is now working to ensure mothers have a chance to cast their ballots in the 2024 election.
She became a staunch advocate for mothers after Nike, her professional sponsor, threatened to cut her pay by 70 percent when she became pregnant with her daughter.
She then signed a contract with Athleta, a women-driven sports brand, before ending her track career and turning to maternal rights advocacy. This year the former athlete launched an Olympic Village nursery in Paris so mothers could have a place to nurse their children.
“Given her work advocating for better care for moms, and dispersing funds to Black maternal health organizations, and even creating the first-ever nursery at the Paris Olympics, we can’t think of anyone better suited than Allyson to come on board with us in these last critical few critical weeks to better equip and encourage moms to get out to vote,” said Erin Erenberg, CEO and founder of the Chamber of Mothers.
