A New Voting Age for Women: 26

[G_j]

http://www.villagevoice.com/print/issues/0424/hong.php

A New Voting Age for Women: 26
by Cathy Hong

Even shopping at an Urban Outfitters, a retail chain that caused a small scandal this year when it created a T-shirt with the phrase "Voting is for Old People," 25-year-old Hunter College student Judy Denby hardly fits the mold of the sheltered and indifferent slacker. To earn money for tuition, she spent two years in Kosovo, working in the U.S. Army's payroll department. She says being in the military was "not a good experience," and she strongly believes high-ranking officials have abused their power in Iraq.

But Denby has other strong beliefs. "I'm not voting," she says. "It's out of our hands. There's nothing we can do."

Women like Denby help to account for the 62 percent of females between the ages of 18 and 25 who didn't show up for the last presidential election, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. "There is a huge number of women who are on the sidelines of democracy, and young women are on the top of those bleachers," says Page Gardner, project co-director of the nonpartisan Women's Voices, Women's Vote.

Historically, younger women of all races and classes have been less likely to vote than their older counterparts, but they have at least edged out their male peers. Then a study funded in 2002 by the Pew Charitable Trust for People and Press painted a gloomier picture. It showed that only 22 percent of 20- to 25-year-old women vote regularly, versus 28 percent of men in that age group. Could it be that young women are giving up on the game?

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http://www.villagevoice.com/print/issues/0424/lerner.php

The candidates' pitiful pitch for single women

Awkward Kerry, Hopeless Bush
by Sharon Lerner

June 15th, 2004

Twenty-two-year-old Laura Schalchli doesn't know which presidential candidate she'll support in November—or whether she'll vote at all. A fresh-faced art student at Parsons, Schalchli is one of almost 38 million single women who sat out the last election. Why? "Apathetic youth, I guess," she says sheepishly, adding that, though her boyfriend has been pushing her to read The Economist, she doesn't follow news closely because "the whole thing just upsets me."

Schalchli knows enough to realize she's no fan of George W. Bush, though. "Why does he always have to talk about God?" she asks, wrinkling her nose as if she'd smelled something foul. "And then he went and started a war for no reason." But for all her disdain for the president, Schalchli knows, and cares, little about his competitor.

Dis them though she may, the candidates are drooling over single women like Schalchli. Since pollsters recently realized that never married, divorced, and widowed females make up the largest untapped voting bloc—some 22 million single women registered to vote skipped the 2000 election, and 16 million never signed up at all—both major parties have been engaged in a desperate and unseemly scuffle for their votes. From the president—or his handlers, anyway—we have the "W stands for Women" push. To which the Kerry folks have responded that "the W in George W. stands for 'wrong' on women's issues." To which Ann Wagner, co-chair of the Republican National Committee shot back that, in Kerry's case, "W stands for waffle." To which the puzzled single woman might reply, "Wait, Kerry doesn't even have a W in his name." Or more to the point, "What have either of you done for us lately?"

There's no question the candidates want single women. But do single women want the candidates? "No, none of them," says Tracy Brown, a 43-year-old lawyer at a U.N.-affiliated agency. Delicately perched on a stool at Moe's bar in Fort Greene, Brown expressed her dismay with the president. "He took us to war under false pretenses," she says, shaking her head. "We were lied to. And now, with all the money he's putting into defense, there no money for the things I care about—health care, education." Still, Brown says she doesn't know how she'll vote in November. "I don't feel like Kerry's reaching out to people like me." Not that she expects him—or other politicians—to do much to win her over. "I'm an African American, single woman," says Brown. "We're used to struggling."

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[izzie]

1. It is odd to read this about women

I recall as a child my mother saying when she was born women could not vote and it always stuck in my mind. My mother-in-law said the same thing. I always wished to vote and still do. I used to do all the work when my husband was in the service so I could vote and it was not easy. I had to fight Maine, him and then find an officer to sign the GD thing to send it in. And I always did it.

[LittleApple81]

2. I had never missed an election. NEVER. If they wanted to remove

the right to vote we would fight. And now we have it, and like idiots, don't use it? UNBELIAVABLE!!!!!

[2Design]

11. I skipped one election...when Nixon was running... felt there was

no one and didn't vote....

[hlthe2b]

5. Yes... I just don't understand women like this....

I just pray they are limited in numbers...


Although on edit, the one point I think should be underscored is that ABSOLUTELY NO ONE is addressing the needs of singles, whether male, female, old or young. Given the increasing representation of single adults, across a wide swath of age groups in this country, (many whom will remain single for much of their lives)it is true that they are invisible from a political point of view. I still think there are so many issues that cross the spectrum in terms of impact that there should be NO excuse in not voting. However, for those who have never been engaged in the political system, and who hear nothing but pandering to the religious fundamentalists and other moral conservatives, to heterosexual married couples with children, or to big business special interests, it is not exactly surprising....

[alexwcovington]

6. When you are born you still can't vote.

This goes for men too.

You still have to wait 18 years.

[G_j]

7. so sad

and the "good ole boys' keep creating the policies that effect women's lives.

[alexwcovington]

3. My comments.

Yup, I wouldn't doubt that this is the trend. What can you do though?

We've got to answer that question.

Of course, "The Economist" isn't a publication I'd recommend reading for folks trying to get involved in politics. Dry figures and right-wing comment.

[JohnLocke]

4. They have a name for these people: moron.

[redowl]

10. when you are constantly made to feel you don't have a voice-

then it seems pointless to vote for things that won't make a difference in your life.

I wouldn't call them morons. I would call them hopeless.

A moron is more like someone passing judgement on things they don't really know about or understand.

[ContinentalOp]

16. I think you're ignoring the true nature of the problem.

People who feel powerless are not morons. This is a genuine problem and the solution isn't to belittle those who are apathetic. I didn't vote in 2000 (for various reasons) although I was very politically aware and at the time I was planning on voting for Nader.

Now say what you will about people who don't vote or people who supported Nader but the ugly fact of the matter is it didn't matter one fucking bit whether I voted or not that year. My state still went to Gore and a bunch of criminals in Florida still stole the election. And for that matter my vote in this year's primary was completely irrelevant as well.

So as a person who reads DU daily and still faces this cynicism I don't know what the solution is. But denying that it's a serious problem and writing these people off is certainly not going to get our party anywhere.

[Cheswick2.0]

25. I agree

I am sick to death of the "I feel powerless" arguement. It is a cover for "I am too freaking lazy and gutless to take the power I have and use it...wouldn't be feminine doncha know".
Get you asses to the polls girls. You have power your are affraid to use it. Or maybe you are just too lazy to figure out who you should vote for and why.

[Cleita]

8. My stepdaughter feels the same way and she's forty-six.

She won't vote until they change the system and she feels if she doesn't get it for herself, no one will. Maybe she and the other woman have a point.

[Straight Shooter]

9. Never ceases to amaze me.

People bitch about a situation, I don't care if it's a woman or a man doing the griping and complaining, and then they have an opportunity to actually do something about it. And they do nothing. :shrug:

[redowl]

12. Maybe because they feel they can't change anything.

Doesn't anyone understand how hopeless and helpless many people in this country truly feel and have felt for a long time?

Not everyone is happy withthe way our gov't is run- what difference has voting made? I mean-did it get Gore elected?

[hlthe2b]

13. I think that is the basic feeling of most everyone here....

But, we are certainly atypical from the average American. What really frightens me, is that those who feel alienated from the political system (whether male or female) are also least informed. They don't read newspapers, systematically try to get news from any regular, reliable source, and have become so very self-absorbed that they just don't care... I really don't know how we turn that around...

[progressivebydesign]

14. Umm. if you DON'T vote..

..then how in the HELL can you expect them to respond to your needs? That's ridiculous. How can someone know what you want, if you don't tell them.. that's what voting IS. I've been voting since I was old enough to vote. I volunteered in elections before I was old enough to vote. I sat through my jr. high vacation watching the Watergate scandal unfold on t.v.

I NEVER felt as though my needs weren't being met (what is that all about? Sounds like a bad relationship). It's not dating, it's voting. It's choosing the leaders for your country. I don't buy the line about 'they don't speak to/for me', because if you ASK them what the candidates specifically stand for, they can't tell you. The truth is, have we created a generation that cares more about what's in it for them, and about how their hair looks, and who won on American Idol, or who's blowing who on MTV... Ask any of the young women what exactly the candidates (who don't speak to them) stand for, and you'll get a blank. They deserve the country they get.. but I resent that they're taking us down with them!

My 21 year old stepdaughter registered to vote as soon as she was able to. She has YET to vote! Oh.. she's just too busy, forgot, didn't have time to look at the issues, etc. Women fought so long to be able to vote, and the cupcakes are squandering it.

And.. Urban Outfitters.. what a bunch of morons. "Voting is for old people".

[ContinentalOp]

17. I think you're putting the blame in the wrong place.

"I don't buy the line about 'they don't speak to/for me', because if you ASK them what the candidates specifically stand for, they can't tell you"

So who's fault is it that young people (specifically in this case young women) don't know what the candidates stand for? Isn't that a complete and fundamental failure of the part of the candidates? Even considering that the media is stacked against us, the candidates HAVE TO get their message out to these people somehow. We can't expect every voter to find their way to DU and sort things out for themselves. Let me rephrase that: the candidates have to HAVE a message to begin with before they can hope to get it out to the voters!

[muriel_volestrangler]

19. It's the young people's fault

They have the same access to the candidates' policies that older people do. They can watch TV, read the newspapers and internet, listen to the radio. They understand English, don't they? MTV does things like "Choose or Lose" and "Rock the Vote", for heaven's sake.

If they feel powerless, they should at least vote for a minority candidate who tends towards the way they feel. Not voting just increases their powerlessness.

[JohnLocke]

22. Uh...

So who's fault is it that young people (specifically in this case young women) don't know what the candidates stand for?
The radio, newspapers, TV, campaign websites? :shrug: Seems to me like these people need to get off their ass. It's not the candidates' fault that some people are idiots (literally, the Greek meaning of an 'idiot' was someone uninvolved or uninterested in public affairs). I'm younger than some of them, and I'm active.

[punpirate]

15. On this subject, there's an interview with...

... Robert Reich on Buzzflash about his latest book, and some of his conclusions, about political parties and non-voters:

http://www.buzzflash.com/interviews/04/06/int04030.html

Given what the Bushies have done over just the last three and a half years, anyone who doesn't get out and vote to get these assholes out can expect a lot more than "struggling." They can expect to start losing what they now have. Four more years of Bush and his henchmen may ruin this country. They're well on the way right now.

Cheers.

[Piperay]

18. The second I was old enough

I registered and voted in the very first election that I could. :bounce: I couldn't wait to be able to vote, it was something that I had looked forward to since I was a kid. It's really hard to understand people who don't care. :shrug: :-(

[theHandpuppet]

20. Apathy or Disillusionment?

Doesn't surprise me that young women feel powerless in the face of our "democratic" political machine. Just take a look at the faces of power in this society and tell me this isn't the countenance of white male privilege. Old rich white men who pat one another on the back and snicker while passing laws against reproductive freedom, cut funding for programs that benefit education, or mothers with children. In the meanwhile, Ken Lay walks free for destroying thousands of lives while Martha Stewart goes to jail for a comparative pittance; Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld get richer and even more arrogant whilst a handful of women take the fall for their war crimes at Abu Ghraib. Then we've got an Atty Gen who, in league with his pals in the pentecostal, neocon "Southern Partisan" movement are actively working to create an American Taliban which makes "A Handmaid's Tale" look more like prescience than science fiction.

Which candidates of either party are addressing issues relevant to women? How far back can this old white boy's club deliberately turn back the clock on women's rights and claim puzzlement at the disgust and apathy of today's generation of young women? PUH-LEEZE!

Doesn't surprise me at all. And the buck doesn't stop at the doorstep of the GOP, either. All the talk of who's on Kerry's list of potential VP candidates, possible Cabinet appointees, etc and just how many women's names has anyone here heard bantered about, or is Hillary Clinton going to be the perennial token whose name is brandished about to deflect any real debate on this issue? ONE NAME does not translate into real inclusion after 150 years of struggle.

It's not just young women who are fed up, but older women such as myself who can sympathize with the plight of Sisyphus when it comes to women making real progress in the governance of this country. Come November I'm holding my nose and voting for Kerry, but there will be millions of young women behind me that won't feel so inclined come election day. If avoiding "women's issues" (or gay rights, or any other issues important to women and minorities) is the sacrificial lamb the party is willing to offer up -- again -- in order to make an appeal to the "NASCAR" vote then they have only themselves to blame for any voter apathy come November.

As for myself, I want to vote FOR someone, not just cast a vote against Bush the Moronic Prince, whom I admittedly detest with a passion. Yet I'll also admit I haven't found myself so unenthused about a Dem Presidential candidacy in some 30-odd years. I don't want to hear anymore that Kerry can just implement Bush's own policies BETTER, I want to vote for someone who offers a real choice and who will speak directly to women on issues which affect our lives.

[eyesroll]

21. My sister is 26.

She lives in Colorado.

She's still registered to vote at my parents' old address, in Illinois. She registered there when she turned 18 -- because she got extra credit in her government class for doing so.

She has not voted in a single election in her life. (For the record, I have maybe missed one or two small local elections in the 10+ years I've been eligible, but never a major election.)

She will be heading to the polls this year, though, because she can't stand Dubya. There's hope for her yet.

[cally]

24. Why don't you send her a Colorado registration form

to make sure she's registered. It's probably online. I'm glad she's voting.

[TNOE]

23. Its up to us

Personally through my ranting and raving - I finally got my 21 year old daughter to register, her fiance, my SO's daughter and her boyfried, as well as their many very good friends who hung out at the house - and they in turn have told their friends how important this election is. They came to me actually full of pride that they had registered and since they have - they are constantly asking me what my opinion was of this person or that. Within a group of 12 of us (me being the only older person) some of them liked Wes Clark the best, some Dennis Kucinich, and some John Edwards - they had paid attention to what was being said by who so they could responsibly cast their vote - and they went through the heartbreak of seeing their chosen candidate fall out of the race - but they've paid attention enough to know they must vote for Kerry. So as only ONE person, I've seen to it that at least 12 young voters registered and I suspect they will get more of their friends to register before the November election.

There was a really cute young guy playing the piano on the Today Show today (forgot his name) but on his shirt it said 'VOTE'. MTV goes a long way too to get young people to vote - as well as does Saturday Night Live and the Daily Show. I don't know that the scene is as glum as this paints it. Those who care will vote. And make no mistake, many young people actually do care - they are the ones who will be drafted or see their friends drafted and the young women know it is up to them to save their reproductive rights.

[G_j]

31. that is an inspiring story

!! keep up the good work. No doubt this simple act will have a lasting effect on these people's futures and the way they view thier parts in it.
"power to the people!"

[cally]

26. Candidates cater to retired folks because

THEY VOTE! There is no excuse for not voting. By voting, you help to ensure that your issues are addressed.

During the 2000 election, all the rhetoric seemed to be directed to 'family issues' and 'soccer moms.' Singles were excluded from the debate. This time much of the debate is about 'terra' and war and many women dislike this. I think Kerry is making a mistake to try to seem tougher than * because it does not appeal to women. The base of the Democratic Party is women.

[TNOE]

28. That picture is so powerful

Cally, everytime I see it - it really moves me. Granted the politicians definitely cater to middle aged and senior voters - but it has always been the younger generations who have changed things. This is the first "war" these young people have seen - and they've seen enough of it that they want no part of it - for themselves or their friends. My belief is that even Republican women will NEVER give up their right to choose, I seriously doubt Bush* will get the middle or younger women's vote.

[cally]

29. The pic gives me hope, too.

These past weeks have been so horrible with all the torture info and all the lies. I think about all those who march and speak out and it gives me hope again.

We may lose the right to choose but women will fight back.

[G_j]

30. a truely hopeful picture

it's a shame the march didn't get the coverage it deserved. Most American women were probably not even aware that it happened.

[Massacure]

27. I remember my history teacher saying something along the lines off

Women tend to lean toward the Democratic party, and that men tend to lean toward the Republican party.

If that is true, it's no wonder the republicans are in control so much.