I was surprised, after reading "Bridging the Gender Gap" in the Oct.
14 News-Press, to learn that the chairwoman of the city's Commission
on the Status of Women is critical of women's voting habits.
In announcing a voter registration drive "aimed at galvanizing
Glendale's female voters for the Nov. 2 presidential election," Maria
Rochart, the commission's chairwoman, stated that "Very few women
vote. Mostly males vote, not the female population. We are here to
encourage women to get out there and have their voice heard." Lana
Haddad Lott, an administrative analyst for the city and the staff
liaison to the commission, added that 22 million women who were
eligible to vote did not cast ballots in the 2000 presidential
election. Lott had nothing to say about the number of non-voting men.
Ms. Rochart appears to be living in the past. While it is true
that, once upon a time, men did vote in higher percentages than
women, that time is long gone. For the past two decades, a larger
fraction of women has voted than men. For example, according to the
U.S. Census Bureau, 60.7% of eligible women voted in the 2000
presidential election, compared with 58.1% of men. Other groups
report differing statistics because actual voters can be compared to
the voting age population, U.S. citizens, or registered voters. But,
no matter how you slice it, more women vote than men.
Perhaps the Glendale's Commission on the Status of Women should
focus on today's problems rather than trying to solve yesterday's.
ALAN KLEINSASSER
Glendale
