Wooing women voters

Check out this story in the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, headlined "Women's vote is a big factor in 2008."

The reporter hones in on the crucial demographic findings affecting upcoming elections, including:

Women make up more than half the U.S. population.
More women register and vote than men.
Married women living in suburbs are historically more likely to vote than are younger, single, urban women.
Most women voters don't select their candidate until close to election day.
Healthcare and education are typically at the top of women's policy priorities.
Since 9/11, a large segment labeled by strategists as "security moms" are also very concerned about policy affecting the safety of their children and families.

There's a lot of power to be leveraged! According to Rebeca Deen of the political science faculty at the University of Texas at Arlington, quoted in the story, "Women could be the deciding vote in the 2008 election."

However, anyone paying attention knows that "the women's vote" is hardly monolithic. Look at issues like reproductive politics and you realize that there is no one "women's platform." That means no one woman can take for granted the power and importance of her vote - and of joining with like-minded others to be heard.