The Badger Herald

OPINION & EDITORIAL

Single women count, too

by Grace Helms

Wednesday, September 15, 2004

Are you a single woman?

If you are, then there are two critically important current events you need to know about: the 2004 election and Domestic Violence Awareness Month. No doubt you’re familiar with these events, but do you really know the significance they hold for you?

You, as a single woman, may hold the fate of this year’s election in your hands. Single women, according to Alternet.org, make up 24 percent of the electorate and 42 percent of all registered women voters. And, as a study conducted through Women’s Voices Women’s Vote reveals, although single women as a group are the most dissatisfied with the direction the country is taking, single women are also the largest single demographic group of non-voters in the United States! As reported by Concerned Women for America, in this particular election, 20 percent of the vote remains undecided: 65 percent of these undecided voters are women. You, the single woman, have real power to effect change in this election, but only if you show up at the polls.

Remember the 2000 election? Had single women in Florida shown up at the polls at the same rate as married women, we would have a different president today, says spokesperson Janice Crouse with Concerned Women for America. This is the power of the single woman’s vote. In November’s election, you will have enormous political clout, and it is in your hands to make a difference.

So what kind of difference do you want to make? You will be voting on candidates who have the power to greatly affect issues that matter to you. Inform yourself. Go to www.vote-smart.org for a non-partisan description of the candidates and issues. It only takes a few minutes of your time. Think about the valuable minutes you spend every day doing simple things to ensure your future happiness: you brush, floss, exercise, and study for your courses. You spend time doing all of these things because they are important for your future. Voting is just as significant to your future. Take a few minutes on Nov. 2 to fill out a ballot that will determine the public policies in place for the next four years or more.

Think of the issues: what is important to you as a single woman? Policy changes for issues like education, civil rights, reproductive rights, equal pay, health care reform, affordable child care (keep thinking about the future!) are all dependent on the outcome of this year’s election. Many programs that specifically support single women (such as WIC, TANF-Welfare and educational programs) are facing massive cutbacks, according to the National Network to End Domestic Violence. How can the government get away with this?

It can’t if we vote.

Among the key issues facing women this election year is domestic violence. As a single woman, you are a member of the demographic group most affected by domestic violence. The Family Violence Prevention Fund reports that one in three women in America will be victims of intimate partner violence — domestic violence — in her lifetime. And women ages 16-24 experience the highest rate of intimate violence in the U.S., as the Wisconsin Council Against Domestic Violence reports. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and is your opportunity to become informed about the issue. According to WCADV, “women are more often victims of domestic violence than victims of burglary, mugging, or other physical crimes combined.” Statistical reports from WCADV also show that domestic violence is impartial: it affects women of every background, regardless of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, etc. Learn about these issues and use your vote to protect yourself and other women from being victimized by domestic abuse. For more information on domestic violence events during the month of October, visit www.abuseintervention.org.

So stand up for yourself. Voting empowers you as a citizen and as a woman. Your voice is your vote. Who do you expect will stand up for your rights if you don’t? Vote on Nov. 2.

(And since you live in Wisconsin, it is even easier for you to vote: you can register at the polls on Election Day, November 2. Just go to www.mypollingsite.com to find out where you vote. To get more information on voting, the issues, and the candidates in Wisconsin, go to http://elections.state.wi.us/. For information and support about intimate partner violence, call 251-4445, available 24/7.

Grace Helms (gphelms@wisc.edu) is a senior majoring in Child Development and an intern at Domestic Abuse Intervention Services.