Dee: IL women voters continue to outpace male counterparts

Summary

The historic matchup between a female Democratic presidential candidate and a male Republican former president has political analysts wondering if women voters will rally behind Kamala Harris. Eligible Illinois women voters age 18 and older outnumber eligible male voters. A new survey says women appear to be undecided.

Illinois News Connection
September 3, 2024
Terri Dee

A Democratic woman of color is vying against an embattled former Republican president in this year’s historic Nov. 5 election and political analysts are watching to see if Kamala Harris’ name on the ballot means more women will vote.

new survey polled 801 female registered voters and the results did not produce a definite answer. The U.S. Census Bureau said in Illinois’ November 2022 primary election, there were slightly more than 132,000 registered voters and nearly 53% were women.

Celinda Lake, president of Lake Research Partners, said clear policies about abortion and the economy, two hot-button issues among women, are not exclusive to one political party.

“In our latest research, there is a real opportunity among unmarried women under 55,” Lake reported. “This is a constituency that looks very Democratic but often feels like the campaigns don’t speak to them, that they’re not in touch with their lives.”

According to the study, an “enthusiasm” gap still exists compared with previous elections. Only 59% of those surveyed feel very motivated to vote based on their belief their voices and votes do not matter.

The survey included the battleground states of Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada, Montana and Wisconsin. But their concerns are universal: affordable housing, rising taxes, and the costly burden of health care. Lake noted whoever is elected should understand the soaring costs of medications.

“The price-gouging issue is very, very salient,” Lake asserted. “Having someone fight for them to get price gouging down, fight for lower prescription drug prices, the insulin issue.”

Black unmarried women younger than age 55 represent large numbers of active voters, the poll maintained, while unmarried white women younger than 55 are a key persuasion target. According to the data-gathering organization KFF, in November 2022 a little more than 52% of Illinois women voted, compared with 52% of men.

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