About
WE SHARE VALUES,
NOT LABELS.
The Matriots is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to advancing women’s equal participation in all aspects of political life.
The Matriots was founded in 2017 by Ohio women in response to the significant underrepresentation of women in Ohio politics. It is not right that just 29% of all elected offices in Ohio are held by women.
OUR MISSION
We endorse, encourage, and advocate for women to run, win, and uplift elected office in Ohio.
OUR VISION
We envision a future where women have equality, influence, and power.
OUR BOLD GOAL
At least 50% of all elected offices in Ohio are to be held by women.
We give candidates the energy to fight the uphill battles that we must fight in order to achieve an equal voice in our democracy.
– Lorraine Hennigen, Matriots Member
A Powerful Story
The Matriots PAC is an Ohio nonpartisan political action committee founded in May of 2017 by a group of women who participated in the Women’s March on Washington. Moved by the tremendous outpouring of support that day for American women and their issues, the Ohio marchers decided to launch an effort to put more women into political leadership to ensure economic justice and advance policies impacting the lives of Ohio women.
On July 4, 2017 The Matriots launched a Founding Member campaign to raise enough funds to create a sustainable organization, hire an executive director, and make political contributions to female candidates in 2018; today those Founding Members number 509 women and men. Our full membership includes thousands more women and men across the state and across the political spectrum.
Our members come from different political parties and represent different ethnicities, races, and religions. But we all believe that we share values, not labels.
What We Value
The well-being of our families, community, and country is directly impacted by the economic independence, health, and safety of women. Key factors in ensuring the independence, health, and safety of women are equality and equity, dominion over their bodies and access to affordable healthcare services, economic independence and equal access to education, healthy, safe, and secure communities for women and their families, and political empowerment of all women.
As this country’s majority gender, chief consumers, and lead caregivers of our families, women must support legislation and public policy to control their well-being and that of their families. Political participation is key to achieving this.
Women-friendly policy and legislation are vital to good government and will provide a healthy way forward from our present political stalemate. We believe that not to act is to act.
What We Do
WE ENDORSE
We identify and endorse women candidates in Ohio who share our beliefs and principles, and who will work to achieve equality, influence, and power for all women in Ohio.
WE ADVOCATE
We strengthen women’s political voices by supporting legislation and policies, and uplifting the women who advocate for them.
WE ENCOURAGE
We demystify the political arena, its systems, processes, and roles, so that women understand — and leverage — the power of their political participation.
