In August of 1920, the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. It was a long, arduous battle for women to gain the sacred right of casting a ballot. It took more than 100 years of activism to pass this amendment. Why?
Most of the arguments against suffrage focused on the “emotional” and “maternal” roles of women. Many feared that women would cast ballots based on emotion, and that their primary role of childbearing would be impeded by casting ballots. While few would admit it, there was also a great fear that women would vote in a block and bring about “socialism” in government through their emotional bent.
But the women of the era would not be denied. When World War I started, they were encouraged to drop the debate and support the war efforts. They refused. Finally, women were granted the right to vote. It is important to pause for a moment and thank the Grimke Sisters, Mary Wollstonecraft, Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Alice Paul, to name a few, for their efforts in granting all women the right to vote.
So, 89 years later, does the “women’s vote” matter? Many bloggers, analysts and media analyze voter groups, but no one has written about women.
Since I’m the primary female blogger covering the Houston Mayor’s race, I’ll rise to the challenge. Guess what? Women vote! Guess what else? They don’t vote in a block. Actually, after the first election that allowed female participation, there was a sigh of relief. Women tended to vote along economic and geographic lines, just as men did.
Over the years, the gender vote has been analyzed, and studies show that the female vote may provide a boost to a candidate. In 1990 and 1992, we coined the term “skirt tails,” referring to the fact that women on the top of the ticket pulled others along with them. Some analysts and studies indicate that there have been “gender gaps” in voting by the end of last century and into this one. There are definitely candidates that women may favor. This “bounce” can be anywhere from 5 to 10 percentage points.
We have a serious female contender for Mayor. Will the “women’s vote” make a difference for her? Maybe. It certainly helped Kathy Whitmire’s election in 1981. Can Annise Parker ignite a sense of female camaraderie and loyalty? Will it make a difference on the ballot?
If Parker can pick up 5% of female voters in addition to her core support, it will give her campaign a boost. This will be particularly true if she garners support from Republican women. The key to winning this election for each candidate is to garner support beyond their base.
Beyond its implications in the upcoming mayoral election, I wanted to post on the subject of women’s role in the political world. These days, it seems normal for women to seek office, blog on politics, and raise money. Yet, it was only 89 years ago that we were considered too “fragile and emotional” to even cast a ballot. Ladies, thank your lucky stars, and get out there and make a difference – no matter your choice!
At the recent MBA Council candidate forum, the one time the audience broke into spontaneous applause in response to a candidate’s answer was when Annise Parker affirmed that hiring more women is key to resolving problems of racism & sexism in the fire department. She spoke with conviction and, I dare say, with a fire that was missing from some of her other carefully controlled, deliberate, previously practiced answers. Women – and men – in that room were moved by her commitment to creating opportunities for women. Properly harnessed, that will turn into votes in November.
[...] endorsements give him an advantage considering it’s the #1 concern of City voters? Will women flock to Parker? What advantage does Brown gain being the first one up on TV and [...]