Ohio Female Voters Are Skeptical Their Vote Will Count: Survey

Jeff Arnold
Updated ·2 min read

OHIO – A new survey released by a not-for-profit organization that aims to eliminate racism and empower women shows that while the majority of women across Ohio are likely to vote in next week's general election, nearly 40 percent of those women believe that their vote will not be counted properly.

The study, conducted by YWCA USA, surveyed more than 3,000 women across states like Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. The survey showed that more than 33 percent of women polled in those states are not certain whether they will vote in the election. The reasons, the group said, range from news of possible election interference, voter intimidation and efforts to suppress voting rights, YWCA said in a news release releasing the results of the survey.

The online poll was conducted between Sept. 25 and Oct. 11. While the number of women who say they are either likely not to vote or believe that their vote won’t be counted properly is spread across five key states, the results produced interesting results especially in Ohio and Florida, the group said.

The group discovered in Ohio, the following to be true:

  • Nearly 7 in 10 Ohio women (69%) say they are almost certain to vote or have already voted. Just 44% of Gen Z (18-23) women in Ohio are likely voters.

  • Black women reported the highest likelihood to vote among all racial and ethnic categories at 84%.

  • Compared to other states, women in Ohio are more skeptical their vote will count: Nearly 4 in 10 Ohio women (37%) are not sure if their vote will be counted accurately.

  • A majority of Ohio women under 30 (54%) are not sure if their vote will be counted accurately.

The survey also found that healthcare and economic issues top their list of concerns and priorities, often with 70% or more of any one key subgroup of women saying each of these two issues as important to them, a news release about the survey results said. Across all five states, a majority of Democratic, Republican and independent women, white women, women of color, rural and suburban women say it is important to end police violence against color.

"This has been a defining year for women," Alejandra Y. Castillo, CEO, YWCA USA said in the news release. "The COVID-19 pandemic and the female-driven ‘shecession’ have intensified women’s concerns about affordable healthcare and economic security. Even though there are doubts about the electoral process, women remain motivated to have our voices heard in this election."

This article originally appeared on the Cleveland Patch