美国国家公共电台 NPR--More women are registering to vote. How could that affect midterms?

More women are registering to vote. How could that affect midterms?

Transcript¹

NPR's A Martinez talks to Ronnye Stidvent, head of the Center for Women in Law in Texas, about voter registration² rising among women after the Supreme³ Court decision to roll back abortion⁴ rights.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

On May 2, a draft of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn half a century of federal abortion rights was leaked, and public reaction was swift.

(SOUNDBITE OF PROTEST)

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: (Chanting) Bans off our bodies. Bans off our bodies. Bans off our bodies.

MARTIN: Then on June 24, the court released the final decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization case, and there were more protests. In the months that followed, women have been registering to vote in high numbers. So what kind of difference could that make in this year's midterm elections? With us now to discuss is Ronnye Stidvent. She's the director of the Center for Women in Law at the University of Texas, Austin. Thank you so much for being with us this morning.

RONNYE STIDVENT: Thanks, Rachel. Thanks for having me.

MARTIN: Some of the biggest registration increases among women are happening in conservative states - Kansas, Idaho, Louisiana, to name a few. There are also surges in battleground states like Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin. The list goes on. Are we seeing this happening within the Democratic Party and the Republican Party?

STIDVENT: I think we are. And I think one of the things to kind of put this in context is maybe this is a ripple⁵ on the surface of the water, for sure, but I think sometimes we can look at that movement and say, oh, is this a wave or a tsunami⁶? And I don't think we're there yet. So when we look at the numbers, the biggest surge in women voter registrations⁷ really happened in Kansas and Pennsylvania, and then there was a pretty steep drop-off in some of the other states you mentioned. And this is not a phenomenon in a lot of other states, including here in Texas. So we want to be careful we're not reading too much into it, but trying to decide if this is something that is perhaps a leading indicator⁸ of other things to come.

MARTIN: So let's talk about Pennsylvania and Kansas. I mean, Kansas is notable - right? - because there was a constitutional amendment⁹ on the ballot¹⁰ as to whether or not to curtail¹¹ or dramatically ban abortion rights there. So the issue was front and center.

STIDVENT: It was absolutely in front and center, and it was pretty close in time, I mean, when you think about the Dobbs decision coming down in June and then not very long after in August, when you had the election in Kansas. And so there was a lot of highly motivated people registering to vote, particularly in Kansas. And so I think that temporal element was really important. And the question going forward is, is that enough to sustain the enthusiasm as we head into the midterms? Are we going to continue to see that enthusiasm? Because it wasn't just voter registration that was happening in Kansas; they had a really high voter turnout in that election, especially for a primary election.

MARTIN: And registering to vote isn't the same as casting a ballot, right? So how reliably can the Democratic Party count on this renewed animation¹² over this issue in states where there aren't these very focused amendments¹³ or ballot measures?

STIDVENT: I think that's the million-dollar question - is going into the midterms this fall, how much is abortion really enough to rally the base for the Democratic Party? And I think a lot of - there's been a lot of analysis and commentary. I think people are right that this cuts more in favor of Democrats¹⁴ than Republicans. For Republicans, it's a little bit like the dog who finally caught the car. So how do you get people enthusiastic and motivated? Because the changes happen, and the status quo has shifted, and so I think that is really an advantage for Democrats. The question is - the decision came down in June. Elections are in November. Can you continue to motivate people on that issue? Is that enough to overcome some of the other headwinds that Democrats are facing?

MARTIN: Let me ask. Voters have grown more supportive of legalizing abortion since the Dobbs decision. I mean, the majority of Americans already supported some abortion rights before the decision. That sentiment has grown. According to a new survey by The Wall Street Journal, 60% of voters said abortion should be legal in all or most cases, up 55% in March. This comes as conservative candidates have removed anti-abortion statements from their stump¹⁵ speeches. They've seemed to moderate. Are you seeing more of this?

STIDVENT: Yes, and I think we're going to continue to see it because, again, it's really easy to make blanket statements when you don't have to defend it, and you don't have to imagine the consequences of that policy. So, for example, if you look at pro-life candidates, it was really easy to say you wanted a total abortion ban because that wasn't constitutional. It would never pass. Now that that has entered the realm of possibility, I think we're going to see more people be more thoughtful about exactly what kind of policies they're promoting, what kind of exceptions to those bans they would be willing to accept or promote and those types of things that we haven't seen before because it wasn't necessary for those candidates to have to be detailed¹⁶ about exactly what it was they were suggesting and promoting.

MARTIN: What states are you looking at closely, as the midterms approach, on this issue when it comes to, like, women registering?

STIDVENT: I think - you know, I'm here in Texas, right? So we're in Texas, so I look a lot about it here and to see if that changes. So, for example, in 2020, you had a lot more women candidates come in. There were some shifts. And you see that in instances where, for example, women voters, particularly Democratic women voters, might feel like their rights are threatened or might be more motivated to not only come out and vote but to also run for office. So it would be interesting to see how much of that is affected¹⁷ by the Dobbs decision. So looking at states across the board to see if there's a surge in not only women voters but women candidates on both sides of the aisle¹⁸ to see how they come out after this decision. So I think that's really important to look at.

I think the other things that are important to look at are not only this issue but, as you said, how people moderate their tone and how people address the changing ideas about what is acceptable and what is the status quo going forward.

MARTIN: Ronnye Stidvent is the director of the Center for Women in Law at the University of Texas in Austin.

We so appreciate your perspective on this. Thank you very much.

STIDVENT: Thank you, Rachel.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

3 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

4 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

5 ripple   

n.涟波，涟漪，波纹，粗钢梳；vt.使...起涟漪，使起波纹； vi.呈波浪状，起伏前进

参考例句：

• The pebble made a ripple on the surface of the lake.石子在湖面上激起一个涟漪。
• The small ripple split upon the beach.小小的涟漪卷来，碎在沙滩上。

6 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

7 registrations   

n.登记( registration的名词复数 )；登记项目；登记（或注册、挂号）人数；（管风琴）音栓配合（法）

参考例句：

• In addition to the check-in procedures, the room clerks are customarily responsible for recording advance registrations. 除了办理住宿手续外，客房登记员按惯例还负责预约登记。 来自辞典例句
• Be the Elekta expert for products registrations in China. 成为在中国注册产品的医科达公司专家。 来自互联网

8 indicator   

n.指标；指示物，指示者；指示器

参考例句：

• Gold prices are often seen as an indicator of inflation.黃金价格常常被看作是通货膨胀的指标。
• His left-hand indicator is flashing.他左手边的转向灯正在闪亮。

9 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

10 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

11 curtail   

vt.截短，缩短；削减

参考例句：

• The government hopes to curtail public spending.政府希望缩减公共事业开支。
• The minister had to curtail his visit.部长不得不缩短访问日期。

12 animation   

n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作

参考例句：

• They are full of animation as they talked about their childhood.当他们谈及童年的往事时都非常兴奋。
• The animation of China made a great progress.中国的卡通片制作取得很大发展。

13 amendments   

（法律、文件的）改动( amendment的名词复数 )； 修正案； 修改； （美国宪法的）修正案

参考例句：

• The committee does not adequately consult others when drafting amendments. 委员会在起草修正案时没有充分征求他人的意见。
• Please propose amendments and addenda to the first draft of the document. 请对这个文件的初稿提出修改和补充意见。

14 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 stump   

n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走

参考例句：

• He went on the stump in his home state.他到故乡所在的州去发表演说。
• He used the stump as a table.他把树桩用作桌子。

16 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

17 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

18 aisle   

n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道

参考例句：

• The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
• The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。