Reply #12: Here's a worse case...

[theHandpuppet]

As a person who has done voter registration canvassing in both NW Virginia and the panhandle of WV, I have to tell you that I have encountered more than one household where the husband DOESN'T ALLOW his wife to vote! This pathetic situation is usually accompanied by Bible verses about a woman submitting herself to her husband's will. Although these disgusting excuses are almost always delivered by the husband with the wife standing by in mute acquiescence, one woman actually did tell me this herself.

Yes, the American born-again Taliban is alive and well, and if they aren't telling their wives they can't vote, they're commanding them who they should vote for.

Yet there is another reason women don't vote. By the numbers, young single women are the least likely to vote, and many of these include single mothers. It's an issue of feeling powerless in your own society and life. We have to convince these young women that voting IS power, and a right that no one can take away from them. It's one small step in the right direction.

So I'd encourage anyone involved in voter registration to canvass neighborhoods where young single moms comprise a good portion of the demographic. For their own sake and the sake of their children's futures, they must exercise this vitally important right to vote. Keep in mind that many of these young women may lack transportation and/or babysitters, so either offer a ride or an absentee ballot if necessary. Make very effort to reach out to them and empower their vote!