With the upcoming 2012 presidential election, I decided to take a look at some of the "hot-button issues" from a female viewpoint. It is very important for college-aged citizens to become informed voters. The decisions our politicians make now will ultimately affect the world we will be entering upon graduation. Furthermore, our nation's leaders can have a huge impact on women's issues. So let's take a look at some important issues in our country and compare them to the views of our 2012 presidential candidates.
Five female college students provided their viewpoints on four crucial election topics. These five young ladies were Becky Maust (Indiana University of Pennsylvania), Christine DelloStritto (Frostburg State University), Jenny Mercer (University of Maryland, Baltimore County), Cat McGregor (Frostburg State University), and Devon Mcdaniel (University of Southern Maryland). They were asked which party they identify with (if any) and their opinions on the four following topics: abortion, same sex marriage, legalization of marijuana, and capital punishment. Here are the results:
-Four out of five identified as being a Democrat (the other answered independent but identifies more with the Democratic party).
-All five stated that they are pro-choice on the topic of abortion.
-All five stated that they are for same sex marriage.
-Four out of five stated that they are for the legalization of marijuana (the other stated that she didn't really care either way).
-Three stated that they are for capital punishment and two stated that they are against it.
Even though the sampling was fairly small, most of the data collected is quite similar when we look at the average female opinions on these issues (not to mention in alignment with many college-aged students). Of course, it is important to remember that this is not how all females think, the information is simply a stratified average of opinions. Abortion and same sex marriage, although they effect all genders, are especially hot issues for women. The other issues simply show an average female opinion, which is important to think about when studying women's issues. So which 2012 presidential candidates appeal most to these opinions? Let's take a look at some of the most popular politicians...
Barack Obama, Democrat - Pro-choice; same sex marriage should be decided by the states; for the legalization of medical marijuana; supports capital punishment, but not how it is administered.
Randall Terry, Democrat - Pro-life activist; strongly opposes same sex marriage; strongly favors the legalization of marijuana; strongly supports capital punishment and believes that executions should be public and required for young men in trouble with the law.
Newt Gingrich, Republican - Pro-life; against same sex marriage and also against benefits in domestic partnerships; against the legalization of marijuana; supports capital punishment.
Mitt Romney, Republican - Pro-life (originally identified as pro-choice); against same sex marriage and even against some gay rights (such as overturning "Don't ask, don't tell"); strongly opposes legalization of marijuana, even medical; supports capital punishment but only with strict regulation.
R. Lee Wrights, Libertarian - Pro-choice; supports same sex marriage and stated that the government must "stop the war on alternative lifestyles"; supports the legalization of marijuana and opposes any regulation restricting the use of marijuana; no data given on capital punishment.
It is obvious that for the most part, with the exception of Randall Terry, the 2012 presidential candidates basically follow the general form of their parties. I would say that the views of R. Lee Wrights fall most in line with the female interviewees. Many of the Republican candidates that I was most interested about (such as Michele Bachmann) had no statement when it came to the above mentioned topics but rather focused on the nation's debt and creating jobs. This could be a sign that during times of great national crisis, the focus on civil liberties lessens. In conclusion, it is important for female voters (and voters in general) to inform themselves on the issues that will affect them most or the issues that they have the most passion about. Simply because a candidate is a Democrat or a woman, does not mean that they will have women's issues in mind. So become informed, stay informed, and vote! Check out the below link if you would like to read up on more of the 2012 presidential candidate viewpoints -- http://tinyurl.com/4dcpcpl
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