INDIANAPOLIS — Interest in the nonpartisan Indiana advocacy group Women4Change is generally low during most midterm elections, when far fewer Hoosiers cast ballots compared to presidential elections.
But not this year, according to the organization’s CEO, Rima Shahid.
Women4Change, which advocates on a slew of women’s issues, has seen a groundswell of new volunteers working to register more Hoosier women to vote, Shahid said. The group receives multiple phone calls and emails a day from people asking how they can help.
“Generally, the energy dips in midterms compared to a presidential election,” she explained. “But what we’re seeing, as far as our volunteers are concerned, is some of that same level of energy that we saw in 2020 in regards to getting out the vote.”
That rare midterm excitement, Shahid explained, is generated by just one thing: the state’s near-total abortion ban following the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade.
“People are fired up,” she said of the increased interest in the midterms. “… This is all very new and it’s very exciting.”
Vanessa Cruz Nichols, a political science professor and researcher at Indiana University, agrees that the abortion issue has led many voters to not only pay close attention to state races this year, but to actually get involved in the political process.
“If you’re angry about something, you’re oftentimes very much motivated to do something about it,” she said. “People are angry and upset about how reversing Roe v. Wade has affected their communities and women’s rights and reproductive rights, and so it’s ignited the Democratic base.”
That was evidenced by the deluge of condemnation coming from Democratic legislators immediately following Gov. Eric Holcomb signing the new abortion legislation into law last month.
State Rep. Vanessa Summers, D-Indianapolis, argued Senate Bill 1 will have “deadly consequences” for women and encouraged residents to engage and educate themselves about the issues being debated at the statehouse.
“Today is a sad day in our state’s history, but with enough Hoosiers banding together to fight for what’s right, we can undo the damage done by Senate Bill 1 and create a more equitable, safe state for all Hoosiers,” she said.
State Rep. Maureen Bauer, D-South Bend, said the abortion ban should serve as a wake-up call to residents to pay attention to state legislative races and the lasting impact winning candidates will have on the state’s laws and policies.
“Less focus is given to state legislative races,” she said. “But our state legislature decides on issues that impact your daily life. … Today, I call Hoosiers to action, that it be the day that we rebuild our state’s culture of civic engagement.”
Linda Hanson, co-president of the League of Women Voters of Indiana, said that call has been answered by women, men and especially young voters from all around the state. Significantly more people have been reaching out, she said, and expressing interest in the century-old advocacy group since the Supreme Court decision and the state’s abortion ban.
“We’ve seen more people trying to register or helping register others to vote,” she said. “… I think there will be more attention to state legislative races, and I just hope we will some of the pressure that legislators are going to feel for having made this decision.”
Shahid of Women4Change said she believes GOP lawmakers will feel that pressure on Election Day, when, she anticipates, an upsurge of voters will express their discontent for the state’s abortion ban.
“We want to make sure that women are out there, and we’re voting for our values, and we’re voting for our rights, and we’re voting for our daughters,” she said.
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