WOMEN VOTE!

This election cycle there was a lot of talk about women voters.

But here at EMILY’s List, we did a lot more than just talk about women voters. We talked to them, we learned from them, and we mobilized them -- because we knew that women voters are often the deciding factor in the outcome of elections. Women voters tend to favor Democratic candidates, so when women vote, Democrats win. But when they stay home, as they did in 1994, Republicans win.

So, to harness the power of women voters, in 1995 EMILY's List launched WOMEN VOTE! -- our nationwide voter mobilization program that integrates sophisticated research, advanced information technology, and old-fashioned grassroots organizing to turn out women voters for pro-choice Democratic women candidates and the entire Democratic ticket.

And in this election, like every election, we add to our growing data bank of knowledge about women voters.

2008 WOMEN VOTE! Projects

Persuading Swing Voters in New Hampshire

  • Through a massive micro-targeting project, EMILY’s List targeted the 38 percent of voters who are undeclared -- neither Democrats nor Republicans -- in the key battleground state of New Hampshire. We worked to identify those who were the true "swing” voters in this election -- voters who are disproportionately older, non-college educated women. We targeted them with mail that addresses economic issues and the Republican culpability for the skyrocketing cost of fuel and health care.
  • EMILY’s List also targeted individuals who were not registered to vote, but were likely to show up at the polls on election day so we could reach beyond the traditional voters to talk to the unregistered persons who were essential to making the winning difference for Obama, Shaheen, Shea-Porter, and other races up and down the ticket.
  • WOMEN VOTE! program also launched a massive get-out-the-vote effort with volunteers, interns, and staff members to elect Barack Obama, U.S. Senate candidate Jeanne Shaheen, Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter, and Democratic Gov. John Lynch.
  • WOMEN VOTE! helped educate and mobilize more than 94,000 voters in New Hampshire -- creating a groundswell of support among women for Shaheen, Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter, and Gov. John Lynch -- as well as helping to put New Hampshire in Obama's column.

Click here to learn more about WOMEN VOTE! in New Hampshire.

“Don’t Stop at the Top” Campaign in North Carolina

  • In North Carolina, 356,000 newly registered Democratic voters since January put the state in play for Barack Obama -- and we needed to make sure those voters didn’t stop at the top of the ticket, but also voted for our EMILY’s List candidates Kay Hagan for the U.S. Senate, and Bev Perdue for governor.
  • We created an Internet-based voter education campaign designed to help those first-time voters in particular understand what’s at stake and why it’s important to vote for Democrats at every level.
  • In North Carolina, WOMEN VOTE! designed a voter education campaign using social networking sites and radio ads to mobilize the young voters who put Hagan and Governor-elect Bev Perdue over the top, and helped secure Barack Obama's victory.

Click here to learn more about "Don't Stop at the Top."

2008 WOMEN VOTE! Research

“From 18 to 80: Women on Politics and Society”

  • In August, EMILY's List released the 2008 Women’s Monitor Study -- “From 18 to 80: Women on Politics and Society.” This national study commissioned by EMILY's List and executed by Garin-Hart-Yang Research, talked to more than 1,400 women voters in four distinct generational groups; Gen Y, Gen X, Boomers, and Seniors. A fascinating look at the gaps and bridges between generations and what they mean for the next president of the United States, the study banished myths about women voters and revealed key opportunities and challenges for the candidates in the presidential race.

Click here to learn more about “From 18 to 80: Women on Politics and Society”

National Polling on Women and the McCain-Palin Ticket

  • On behalf of EMILY's List, Garin-Hart-Yang Research Group conducted a national survey in early September among 800 women voters to assess their reactions to and perceptions of Sarah Palin as John McCain's running mate.
  • The results of this poll for EMILY's List among women voters clearly demonstrated that John McCain's selection of Governor Palin as his running mate created more of a drag than a lift on the Republican ticket.

    • Click here to learn more about polling on the McCain-Palin ticket.



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