Male Politicians Miss Opportunity

* Aug. 26 marked the 75th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Don’t worry if you have forgotten which one that was, you are not alone. Apparently many others in Orange County have also forgotten the significance of the amendment that gave women the right to vote after a 70-year struggle for the franchise. Chief among the absent-minded were male politicians representing Orange County citizens at the national, state and local levels.

Despite the 75 years since gaining the right to vote, women continue to struggle for political equality. Nothing could have made this more apparent than the absence of any male elected officials at an event commemorating women’s voting rights at the Orange County Civic Center. Altruistic considerations aside, political motivations alone seem sufficient to have brought at least some male officeholders to the event; women now outnumber men among the voting-age population, voter registration and election turnout. The presence of reporters from television, radio and print also made an ideal setting to find politicians gearing up for the 1996 election. Yet none were found.

The absence of all male political figures from the event seems to symbolize their lack of respect for women in politics and in the voting booth. Maybe on the 100th anniversary of the establishment of women’s right to vote, male politicians will decide to attend celebrations like the one [at the Civic Center] . . . if there are any men still in elected office.

JAMES E. PETERSON

Executive director

American Voter Coalition

Huntington Beach