American Political Strategist Speaks on the Role of Women in U.S. Elections

November 06, 2012

On November 2, 2012, V-Radio’s Inge Lestari interviewed Celinda Lake, President Lake Research Partners and Political Strategist to discuss the role of women in U.S. elections.  Below is an annotated transcript of the interview.

C = Celinda Lake

I = Inge Lestari, V-Radio

I: Hi, Celinda.

C: Hi. Thank you so much for having me.

I: What is early voting? How crucial it is?

C: It’s really an important phenomenon here.  A lot of people don’t turn out to vote.  Early voting helps to have a longer voting period.  In some states, you can vote by email or walk in directly to the city government, for example in my city.  It makes it easier for working people.  It really helps for people to vote over a period of time and also on the weekend and not just on one day.

I: When it comes to politics and presidential elections, what are the key issues for American women?

C: The election is really important this time for everyone and it will be women voters who will determine who the president is.  They’re the one who are deciding.  They’ve been very thoughtful.  What is interesting is that both candidates are targeting women voters.  They are talking to them.  The three major issues are: 1. The economy, the recovery, the jobs, the equal pay; 2. Social security and Medicare for senior citizens.  Women are much more dependent on those programs.  Women are also the ones who really drive healthcare in this country.  Romney and Ryan have talked about very substantial changes on social security and Medicare.  President Obama and Joe Biden want to protect social security and Medicare and strengthen them.  That’s a big issue particularly for older women; 3.  Women’s issues.  We have had a lot of debates about funding Planned Parenthood, which provides reproductive healthcare and family planning to 1 of 3 women in the United States.  About birth control, the right to get an abortion and so on.  We didn’t expect women’s issues to play such a major role, but there is a sharp difference between the two candidates on these issues.

I: The demography of women voters.  They are very crucial, right?

C: Everybody is fighting over undecided voters because 2/3 of them are women.  The rate is about even.  So women will be the ones who really determine what happens.  Women don’t always turn out to vote.  Two key groups of women did not turn out in the 2010 election when the Republicans won: younger women and unmarried women.  60% of women are now unmarried, but they don’t vote as much as married women do.  So we are working very hard to get younger women and unmarried women to vote.  Combined, younger women and unmarried women make up 17 million women who voted in 2008 for President Obama, but did not vote in 2010.

I: How you can raise awareness about the important role of women in the election?

C: For a long time, both political parties ignored women and didn’t think they needed to speak to women.  They only spoke to the husbands, but women vote differently from their husbands.  73% of married men said they voted the same way as their spouses, and 49% of women said they voted the same way as their spouses.  So women are making up their own minds.  Campaigns have now realized that if you don’t talk to women voters, you are not maximizing your support.  Both campaigns are now running a lot of ads targeted to women voters, talking about family, equal pay, whether the economy is suitable for working women or not, family planning, showing women in the ads, so really telling their messages to women.  When women hear the messages and see women in the commercials, they are more likely to listen to what the candidates have to say.

I: What pushes women to get out and vote based on your research?

C: 1. The candidates talk to them about something that affects their lives.  How a policy will affect their families and their lives. 2. Make it easier to vote.  Women are swamped.  They have to pick up their kids. Make it more flexible for women to vote.  3. Tell other women that they are voting.

I: Any observations about the First Lady and Mrs. Romney?

C: Both are more popular than their husbands!  Michelle Obama is one of the most popular first ladies.  People love the way she represents the United States.  They love her campaigns to help kids.  Voters admire Ann Romney for having raised their family with five children.  Both are very influential in their husbands’ thinking.  Women voters believe that they know the characters of the candidates from their spouses.

I: Do you still find many undecided voters? How many? How can the candidates win these votes?

C: There aren’t too many left anymore; only about 4-5%.  Candidates are concentrating as much on getting their voters out to vote.  They are running negative ads about each other, really trying to draw the contrast in the remaining few days.  They are also seeking newspapers endorsements which can carry weight in the last few days.  They are campaigning in person particularly in the states that remain the most up for grab.

I: We will have an election in 2014.  Any advice for Indonesian women voters?

C: I think your women voters are great.  For a true democracy, we need to have women participating in our democracy and equal voices, in our countries and every country.  I hope many of your women would run for office.  We need to see more women in office.  Secondly, we need to make sure that they turn out to vote.  They need to ask the candidates where they stand.  Don’t let the candidates or the parties get away without speaking to women.  Women are the ones who build the country and build families.  And we need to be heard.

I: Celinda, thanks so much.

C: Thank you so much.  It’s been a wonderful interview.  I cannot wait to visit Indonesia some time.