Midterm Gender Gap
Critical Analysis
According to the data above, in the 2018 midterm elections, 59 percent of women — and only 47 percent of men — voted Democratic. What was the gender gap in 2018?
According to the data above, in what year was the gender gap - the difference in the percentage of women and the percentage of men voting for a given candidate or supporting a particular party - the lowest?
A higher share of women than men have voted for Democrats in every midterm election since 1980, and in the past two midterm cycles the gap has been even bigger. Why do you think women are more likely to vote Democratic than Republican?
Presidential elections happen every four year. in 2020, Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump. What is a midterm election and why are they important?
The conventional wisdom is that women are more motivated to vote this election season thanks to the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization — which overturned Roe v. Wade and ended the constitutional right to abortion. Based on the data from the visual above, the visual below*, and your knowledge of American government and politics, what do you predict the gender gap will be in the 2022 midterm elections?
Besides reproductive rights, there are all the other factors that influence how people vote. Inflation and the economy are other issues that still consistently show up at the top of voters’ priority lists, and that’s not good for Democrats. Even though the economic outlook has improved in some respects over the past few months, a recent NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist College poll found that only 26 percent of Americans said that Democrats would do a better job handling the economy, while 39 percent said Republicans would do a better job. (An additional 20 percent said that neither party would do a better job, and 12 percent said they’d do an equally good job.) Make a claim about what will be the most important issue in the 2022 election.
What are some other factors apart from issues and events that can impact who wins an election?
Based on all the polling data above and below and your knowledge of the American political process, which party will win control of the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate in the 2022 midterm?
Turnout in midterm elections tends to be lower than in presidential elections. Why do you think that is?
Some Republican candidates across the country are scrambling to moderate their position on abortion. Supporting the recent Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson might be a winner in a Republican primary election, but early signs are that it makes it harder to win a general election. Why do politicians often moderate their positions in general elections?
Learning Extension
Check out the FiveThirtyEight analysis of the 2022 midterm elections.
Action Extension
If you will be 18 years old by Tuesday, November 8 then take two minutes and register to vote online. If you are too young to vote this year then find someone who is old enough and convince them to register.
