While this year's elections present many opportunities for women, competition is fierce and tactics of both parties highly cynical. After President Clinton's speech Aug. 17, feminists are also fighting possible depression of the women's vote resulting from disillusionment and cynicism about the ability to make progressive change through the political process. As the dust settles from bruising primaries across the nation, the 1998 election themes are becoming clear. With 11 seats controlling who sits in the speaker's chair in the U.S. House , a ferocious battle is being waged for the hearts and minds of those constituencies whose presence in the voting booths can make the difference. Voter turnout for the primary season has been abysmally low, and each party is making unprecedented efforts to turn out its faithful.
Most political pundits see women as the most crucial voting block.
By not turning out to vote, women put their hard-won rights in jeopardy. Feminists have been battling since then to clean up the mess and elect a Congress that women can trust to protect our rights and advance equality. We know from experience that women vote on issues, and unless our issues are at stake many women will not make time to show up at the polls. The Republican right believes that with inflammatory and graphic language they can outrage women about specific abortion procedures. They believe that parents want more control over their children's lives and education and will thus support strict parental notification laws for both abortion and reproductive services as well as vouchers for private schools.