Meghan Markle Opens Up About Why She Votes: I Know "What It's Like to Feel Voiceless"
Meghan Markle wants you to head to the polls this November. The Duchess of Sussex joined 99 other women—from former First Lady Michelle Obama and onetime Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to actresses Eva Longoria and Gabrielle Union—in telling Marie Claire why she votes.
"I know what it's like to have a voice, and also what it's like to feel voiceless. I also know that so many men and women have put their lives on the line for us to be heard. And that opportunity, that fundamental right, is in our ability to exercise our right to vote and to make all of our voices heard," the Duchess told the magazine. "One of my favorite quotes, and one that my husband and I have referred to often, is from Kate Sheppard, a leader in the suffragist movement in New Zealand, who said, 'Do not think your single vote does not matter much. The rain that refreshes the parched ground is made up of single drops.' That is why I vote."
It's somewhat surprising that Meghan—though still a U.S. citizen and eligible to vote—would weigh in on this democratic institution, as working royals usually do their utmost to divorce themselves from politics both at home and abroad. That includes choosing not to vote.
As the royal family's website explains, "As Head of State The Queen has to remain strictly neutral with respect to political matters, unable to vote or stand for election"; a Buckingham Palace spokesperson confirmed to Newsweek in 2017 that "'by convention,' members of the royal family 'close to the Queen' do not exercise their right to vote."
However, Meghan is no longer a working royal, and it's possible that distinction has freed her from this long-practiced "convention."
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