Women Voting As women voters head to the polls this fall, domestic workers’ rights, reproductive rights, gun control and violence against officeholder and election official women are forefront concerns. Abuse in office This violence is a pervasive threat for those on the ballots — and a national Brennan Center for Justice report found that abuse of local elected officials and election workers disproportionately impacts women. Among over 350 state legislators surveyed, over 40% had experienced threats or attacks in the past several years, while nearly 20% of local officeholders had. Furthermore, 8% of state legislators said they were explicitly intimidated by a member of the public carrying a weapon — which is allowed in legislative chambers in many states. “When you take into account less severe forms of abuse, like harassment, assaults, and stalking, almost 90% of state legislators and over half of local officeholders had experienced some form of abuse,” said Maya Kornberg, research fellow on the Elections and Government Program at the Brennan Center at a Friday, March 8 Ethnic Media Services briefing on issues guiding women at the polls. Maya Kornberg, Research Fellow on the Elections and Government Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, explains the impact violence and threats of violence have on political leadership and ultimately our democracy. Women and people of color not only experienced more abuse than their male and white counterparts, but different kinds. “They were likely to tell us that they were subjected to identity-based abusive language about their children and their families, romantic life, appearance, age, race or gender,” continued Kornberg. “Women serving in state legislatures were nearly four times as likely as men to experience abuse of a sexual nature.” “This is not only a threat to the safety of our officeholders, but also to our democracy,” she said. 40% of local and 20% of state officeholders said this abuse made them “more reluctant to engage with their constituents, either online or in public … Half of women in local office said it was deterring them from running for reelection.” The threat extends behind the polls, as a previous Brennan Center report found that one in three U.S. election officials — of which over 80% are women — were being harassed, threatened or abused because of their job. To curb this abuse, Kornberg recommended extending to the state level already-existent federal measures like campaign security, Reproductive rights Another issue ever-more urgent to women’s concerns is reproductive rights, especially since the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and eliminate the constitutional right to abortion. “Reproductive justice includes the human right to have the children that we want; raise our children in safe communities; to be able to prevent or have pregnancies without shame and with dignity; and our human right to make our own decisions about our bodies, our families and our futures,” said Monica Simpson, executive director at Sister Song. Monica Simpson, Executive Director, Sister Song, 39
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