No question is off the table when it comes to empowering your vote in one of the most important elections for this generation. We compiled and answered an extensive list of questions about everything from the nuts and bolts of voting, to how our health care and immigration systems work, to just how the ballot you cast in November may impact your birth control. Consider this your all-purpose political FAQ — heck, you can even print out the most helpful parts to take to the ballot box with you.

Bustle reached out to all 529 currently seated U.S. senators and representatives to ask what they're doing to ensure men and women receive equal pay for equal work. While some of the lawmakers matched our enthusiasm on the issue, others weren’t very interested in tackling the gender pay gap. The 162 members of Congress who did get back to us had intriguing thoughts.

Part of why the 2016 election results felt so shocking to so many was that a lot of people simply weren't talking about how they truly felt before they cast their votes. So this year, we teamed up with The New York Times and invited you to share your deepest, darkest, and most private thoughts when it comes to politics. Some of you voted for the opposite party than your loved ones without telling them. And some of you sabotaged the people closest to you. What we’re holding back from those we care about most reveals an awful lot about where we stand as a country in 2018.