Women predominate among the most disengaged nonvoters

The disproportionate number of women who gave non-responses when the Knight survey asked for their perspective on policy issues and governing ties into this exclusion narrative, she continued.

“Given that so much of the discussion the last couple of weeks have been whether a woman can win the presidency, this idea that a lot of women don’t actually feel comfortable giving their opinion suggests an interesting relationship between gender and politics,” said Krupnikov.

Kira Sanbonmatsu, a Rutgers University political science professor who works with the Center for American Women and Politics, said women are more reluctant than men to make a decision that they feel is not properly informed.

“There is a theory of gender discussions on knowledge: Men may be more likely to hazard a guess while women are more hesitant,” Sanbonmatsu said. “Women have a tendency to instead say, ‘I don’t know.’”

This lack of certainty can hold some women back from voting. Angela Legasti, a 54-year-old nonvoter from Orange County, California, who participated in the Knight study, said in an interview that she finds it difficult to locate reliable information.

“Because of all the different media platforms we have available, it’s hard to choose,” she said. “It’s hard to know what’s true and not true without meeting someone personally.”

Still, Legasti said, she doesn’t have enough time to sort through the news and reach enough of a comfort level with the candidates to vote. Between being with her family — a husband and adult daughters — and a work week that includes 40 hours as a workers’ compensation claims consultant plus overtime plus two nights of teaching dance, politics is not a priority.

“I suppose if I was truly interested, I would make the time,” Legasti said. “Though right now it’s hard to know what to believe.”

Like many voters and nonvoters surveyed, Legasti said she is intrigued by this election cycle. Her ideal candidate is someone who speaks “for the people, for the day-to-day concerns,” rather than focusing on partisan battles. She’s not a Donald Trump fan.

Ahead of November, voting advocates and activists are trying to get more women comfortable with politics, regardless of their party preferences. For example, the Action Fund’s Voter Participation Center walks people through the registration process and sends women research on two or three targeted issues to kickstart their interest. The National Organization for Women uses public access television shows and town halls to “reach women where they are” and get them involved in a dialogue about policy, Van Pelt — the NOW president — said.

Part of the strategy has been starting local, getting more voting-eligible female adults to think about how choosing school board officials, mayors or judges can directly impact their families.

“Women can’t absorb the ‘who shot John’ dialogue; they don’t want to hear ‘this guy is bad, that guy is bad,’” said Gardner, the Action Fund’s founder. “They want to have information they can make decisions upon.”

Advocates are also deliberately talking to potential voters about the strides women of diverse backgrounds have made, especially as officeholders. They hope that this increase in role models will inspire female participation at the polls and in campaigns.

“Women who have more money and may understand how the government works better, yes they’ve been participating,” Van Pelt said. “But I also think that more women who are in poverty, women of color, women who have sat out — they will speak up. Because this election affects their personal life, and they know it.”

Source: politico.com
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