The Week in Women Voters (July 1, 2024)
In the wake of some pretty significant Supreme Court decisions and an… eventful… first presidential debate, this edition will focus, as we always do, around what it means for young women voters.
About That Debate:
Last week, two old white men who want to be the next president took to the debate stage for the first time this election cycle. I won’t sugar coat it… it was bad. Both performances were particularly worrisome for young women and communities of color. While the moderators asked a number of questions on critical issues—climate change, support for caregiving, abortion access, and how to address rising costs—neither candidate was able to present a robust and clear plan.
In fact, the clearest debate all night centered around their golf games and who should be dubbed the “worst president of all time” rather than anything of substance. Former President Donald Trump’s answers were riddled with misleading statements and a number of blatant lies, which neither the moderators nor his opponent adequately called out in real time. Online fact checking during the debate highlighted how far from the truth Trump was, but that didn’t help viewers watching live nor did it correct the record for young women catching snippets (and so many jokes) after the fact. What’s more, Trump failed to unequivocally say he would accept the outcome of the election nor did he denounce the Jan. 6 insurrectionists.
President Joe Biden appeared feeble, lacking focus and clarity in his answers. Questions he should have been readily able to answer, particularly around protecting abortion access, his commitment to make childcare affordable, and his administration’s work to tackle corporate greed seemed to trip up the president. His voice was hoarse, and more than once he sort of trailed off rather than finishing his thought. Analysis in the days following the poor showing went so far as to call for Biden to drop out of the race. Most notably, The New York Times Editorial Board urged the president to serve his country and leave the campaign. Others raised alarm bells about the potential of a contested convention. And there was plenty of scenario planning about who should replace Biden if he dropped out of the race.
On Friday, Biden hit the campaign trail to do some damage control. During a speech in North Carolina, he made clear he had no plans to step aside and staffers were called into all-hands meetings to address concerns. But the real work will be to engage voters who have long expressed their discontent with both candidates. Those who have been following along here will know those include a significant number of young women as well as communities of color.
TL;DR is that, for those not already politically engaged, the debate did nothing to draw them in.
On This Season of SCOTUS:
June wrapped up with a number of significant Supreme Court decisions, particularly for women in America. While there were some small wins on issues women care about, by and large the court ruled against freedoms we hold dear.
First, the good. Last month, the Court delivered three decisions that offer a modicum of solace for women voters. The first decision ruled that the medication abortion drug mifepristone will remain legal for now, but it went far from protecting access to the widely used abortion drug. The second decision determined that doctors can provide emergency abortion care for pregnant people whose lives are at risk even in states where the procedure is banned. But this was far from a win—the decision returned the case to a lower court, enabling a number of lawsuits in other states to continue. It also let state abortion bans stand. Finally, the Supreme Court ruled that a commonsense federal gun law that prohibits individuals facing domestic violence charges from owning guns can stand.
In the two years since the Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion, more than a dozen states have enacted extreme bans and dangerous laws that put pregnant people’s lives at risk, others have threatened in vitro fertilization procedures, and some politicians now have set their sights on contraception access. June’s small wins do little to offer relief for young women.
And on Friday, the Supreme Court handed down a number of losses, one significant enough it could severely restrict the federal government from doing its job of protecting people in America. In what can only be described as a power grab, the Supreme Court ruled that federal agencies cannot use their expertise to answer policy questions. Only the Court has that authority. This overturned decades of precedent and will have disastrous effects—restricting the EPA from protecting our environment by holding big polluters accountable. But the decision is even more far-reaching, potentially hindering the FDA from approving lifesaving drugs and vaccines, limiting the patent office’s ability to enforce copyrights on new technology, preventing agencies from holding big corporations accountable for price gouging—and so much more.
On the same day, the Court ruled that prosecutors hadn’t done enough to charge the Jan. 6 insurrectionists with obstruction and also that cities could enact extreme laws that punish unhoused populations, even when they have nowhere else to go—making the use of blankets and pillows outside a crime under anti-camping laws. And decisions on charges against Former President Trump are expected to come soon, which will determine whether the president has immunity from prosecution for his crimes.
Want more like this from us in your inbox? Join the Supermajority Ed Fund community today.
Written by Jess Herrera. Jess is Supermajority Ed Fund’s senior director of communications, creative, and digital. She leads the organization’s work to shift the narrative about women and build women’s power using strong, movement-wide messaging strategies.