Meghan Markle says she plans to vote in November elections

The Duchess of Sussex will have a voice in November’s presidential election.

The duchess, also known as Meghan Markle, said she will be voting when the polls open in the United States, the duchess told Marie Claire in the magazine’s August digital edition.

The duchess told the magazine about her intentions in an article that asks 100 influential women why they will be voting, People reported. Some of the other women interviewed by Marie Claire included Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Gabrielle Union.

Meghan, a U.S. citizen who was born in Los Angeles, shared a quote from New Zealand suffragist Kate Sheppard, during her interview, according to The Hill.

“I know what it’s like to have a voice, and also what it’s like to feel voiceless,” the duchess said. “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.

“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.”

The duchess’ move is a break with tradition, as members of the British royal family do not usually vote in elections and tend to remain politically neutral, The Hill reported. There is no law in the United Kingdom forbidding the royal family from voting or giving political opinions, People reported.

“As head of state the Queen has to remain strictly neutral with respect to political matters,” the royal family’s website states. “By convention, the Queen does not vote or stand for election; however Her Majesty does have important ceremonial and formal roles in relation to the government of the U.K.”

In 2018, Meghan married Prince Harry, who is sixth in line to the British throne. Earlier this year, the couple said they would step down as working, senior members of the royal family, The Hill reported. They moved to Los Angeles and have devoted their time to several charitable causes, the website reported.

The duchess did not say who her voting preference was, but in 2016 she spoke out against then-candidate Donald Trump.

“Of course Trump is divisive -- think about female voters alone,” Meghan said on The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore. “I think it was in 2012, the Republican Party lost the female vote by 12 points. That’s a huge number and as misogynistic as Trump is -- and so vocal about it -- that’s a huge chunk of it.”

Cox Media Group