As early voting opens in Indiana, will abortion drive more women to polls?
CHICAGO (WLS) -- There are 11 early voting sites that opened Wednesday in Lake County, Indiana. Many predict women and issues affecting them will make a difference this year.
Voting in every election since she turned 18, Princesa Baltazar thinks of it as a privilege. The Hammond resident made sure she cast her ballot on the first day of early voting in Indiana.
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"I know a lot of people don't take voting very seriously it seems now days, but a vote to me means I stand up for something," Baltazar said.
While Baltazar is a consistent voter, this year's election is possibly attracting several new female voters.
"I'm a precinct committee person and I've talked to a lot of people on their reasons to come out and vote and the one that resonates most with women is the idea they have autonomy over their health decisions," Indiana voter Karen Kroczek said.
Kroczek believes the abortion issue in Indiana will drive more women to the polls. After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, some states saw a surge of women registering to vote. Indiana passed an abortion ban until a judge put the new law on hold.
"Most people are, they're on fire about it, no matter which position you take and I think it's really going to push women, especially younger women," said Barbara Shilling, co-president of the League of Women Voters Indiana.
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Shilling said she has seen a bigger interest than in years past from young, first-time female voters.
"We've been doing numerous registrations out throughout the whole state colleges, universities and high school students," Shilling said.
And on the first day of early voting in Cook County, data shows more women registered to vote than men in the last 21 and 90 days.
While more women are registering to vote, the next challenge for the League of Women voters is make sure they come out to vote. So far at this Lake County site, numbers have been steady.
