Seventy Percent of Women Oppose Donald Trump S Campaign

Women Voters in the 2016 Elections

As regards the 2016 presidential election and women's role in this critical campaign, it should be understood that according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau (2014), there are 162 million females and 157 million males. And during the last national election 43% of female citizens over 18 voted while 40.8% of males over 18 voted. It is not rocket science to discover that women vote more consistently than men do. When it comes to women voters, the biggest story this whole presidential election cycle involves Hillary Clinton, but another big election story hitting the airwaves and on the front pages of newspapers is the high percentage of women who do not like the Republican frontrunner, Donald Trump. This paper will highlight the advantages and disadvantages for women voters, how polls show women's preferences and the future of women voters. Clearly women are a very big part of the political process, and women are having an enormous impact on the 2016 election.

Hillary Clinton -- The Big Story for Women in 2016

Meantime, the most recent Monmouth poll shows Clinton leading Senator Bernie Sanders 52-39 in Pennsylvania; the Quinnipiac Poll shows Clinton over Sanders 51-42 in Connecticut; and the Gravis Poll has Clinton over Sanders 45-38 in California. Those states are the next stop in this 2016 presidential primary race, and after Clinton defeated Sanders in New York State Tuesday night April 19 (57.9% to 42.1%) the exit polls showed that while Sanders won "comfortably with under-40s and white men, Clinton was ahead with older voters, women, and black and Latino supporters" (Roberts, et al., 2016).

Pundits and other observers predict that women and Latinos are very likely to be the deciding factors in this year's presidential race, and regarding women, according to an article in the Washington Post, women have shown in the recent past that they exercise their right of citizenship (voting) more than men do. First, women deal with government " ... in their day-to-day lives more than men do"; and women are more dependent on "safety-net services such as food stamps and childcare subsidies than men are" (Rampell, 2014).

For women that are not in the low income category, they still are "more likely than men to be primary caregivers," and that means women as a rule spend more time with "teachers, eldercare workers, health-care providers and other folks who are employed, reimbursed or tightly regulated by the government" (Rampell, p. 1).

The Advantages for Women Voters in 2016

One advantage for women voters in the 2016 presidential primary campaign amounts to a huge positive because the media is paying such close attention to women's attitudes, women's issues, and women's preferences. For example, the Gallup Poll in April, 2016, points to the fact that over 70% of women nationwide having an "unfavorable" view of Republican frontrunner, Donald Trump. It is revealing as to women's impact on elections that so much publicity has been pointed to how women feel about candidates.

In July 2015, when Trump first announced his candidacy, he had an unfavorable rating among women of 58%. That went up to 62% unfavorable as Trump launched attacks against women (including Fox News reporter Megyn Kelly) in the summer; and the negative polling from women continued to rise to as he tweeted that Jeb Bush " ... must like Mexican illegals because of his wife." And he also stirred the ire of females in the U.S. after he released a photo of his beautiful wife juxtaposed next to a very unflattering photo of Ted Cruz's wife Heidi.

Moreover, Trump was involved in a live Republican debate when he attacked fellow GOP candidate Carly Florina; "Look at that face," he said during the debate; "Would anyone vote for that?" These attacks by Trump have solidified his negative image among women and meanwhile Clinton's net favorable rating among women has been 21 points higher among women than among men. Hence, as mentioned earlier, women have found themselves in the media spotlight because of the rantings and bullying against women by Trump.

The Disadvantages for Women in 2016

Voter suppression legislation and rules in the United States has become a big anti-democratic issue over the last few election cycles. Voter suppression is done by states with Republican governors and Republican-controlled houses of legislature. The laws passed in 34 states are designed especially for districts " ... where likely Democratic voters are concentrated" (NOW.org). The laws: a) require voters to show a government-issued identification card (in some cases, a passport, a military I.D. or a driver's license, which many poor minority women have found difficult to get); b) limit early voting days (often on weekends), which low-income working class women had found convenient because weekdays are work days (NOW.org).