Infuriating prominent conservatives and generating a heated debate that emphasizes the crucial role of gender in this year’s election, a campaign film reminded women that they may vote for Vice President Kamala Harris without notifying their husbands.
The video, which started making the rounds last week, starts with a woman glancing anxiously back at her husband as she prepares to follow him into the polling booth before making her decision. As she fills out her ballot for Harris, she looks directly at another woman.
In reference to the continuing partisan struggle over reproductive rights, actress Julia Roberts narrates, “You can vote any way you want and no one will ever know in the one place in America where women still have a right to choose.”
After leaving the polling station, the women go to meet their husbands, who most likely vote for former President Donald Trump.
One of the spouses inquires, “Did you make the right decision?”
His wife smiles and exchanges a knowing look with the woman next to her. “Sure did, honey,” she replies.
The film emphasizes the gender difference that has grown between Harris and Trump, despite Harris’s lack of discussion about her chances of becoming the first female president. Recent polls show that Harris leads among women while Trump leads among males.
Throughout her campaign, Harris’s opponents have questioned her qualifications by pointing to her gender. Trump said in July that international leaders would treat Harris “like a play toy” because of her beauty, and his supporters have implied that diversity, equity, and inclusion policies are responsible for Harris’ electoral success.
In the meantime, Trump’s team has deliberately pursued comedians and personalities who are well-liked by young men, embracing an image of conventional masculinity.
Many of the contentious topics influencing voters’ decisions this election cycle, such as transgender rights, abortion, in vitro fertilization, and child care, are also influenced by gender.
Trump and some of his supporters were incensed by the campaign ad, which was made by Vote Common Good, a progressive nonprofit organization that aims to inspire religious voters.
The organization’s executive director, Doug Pagitt, stated that the attention the movie received online indicates that it capitalized on a common family experience, even though it never paid to advertise or broadcast the film.
According to Pagitt, a social activist and preacher, “so many people in that world that I come from, and the subsequent political world around it, believe that women’s responsibility in voting is not to have their own voice.” “The purpose is to mimic what their spouse says to them.”
Trump said in a Saturday phone call with Fox News that he was “so disappointed at Julia Roberts” and that she would eventually “cringe” when she saw the advertisement. He went on to label the video “ridiculous,” adding that he doesn’t think it depicted a genuine marriage relationship.
“After all, what if a wife didn’t tell her husband who she was voting for?” Trump stated. “You will tell your husband even if you have a terrible relationship or had a bad one.”
Last week, Fox News personality Jesse Watters stated on-air that it would be a violation of “the sanctity of our marriage” if his wife followed the ladies in the advertisement.
Many people on the internet criticized Watters for his marital infidelity, which he acknowledged in 2018. Watters stated, “If I found out Emma was going into the voting booth and pulling the lever for Harris, that’s the same thing as having an affair.”
The lady was accused of lying to “her sweet husband who probably works his tail off to make sure that she can go and have a nice life and provide for the family,” according to conservative podcast presenter Charlie Kirk, creator of Turning Point USA, who branded the advertisement “nauseating.”
The accusation was echoed Thursday by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., who told Fox News that Democrats are encouraging women to fabricate lies to their husbands: “What sort of sick, corrupt, and utterly amoral system have the Democrats created?”
Many conservative men shared their experiences with women who covertly support Democrats in Republican households, expressing their disbelief and disapproval. They also said that they are concerned for the welfare of women whose husbands insist on controlling or monitoring their votes.
Sticky notes telling women that no one can see if they vote for Harris have also appeared covertly on tampon boxes and in public restrooms around the nation in recent months.
According to NBC News, a number of women who participated in the grassroots movement in more conservative areas said that joining the sticky notes campaign allowed them to be politically active without having to deal with criticism from their Republican-dominated communities.
Online users have compared Margaret Atwood’s famous novel “The Handmaid’s Tale,” which portrays a dystopian theocratic state that forcefully categorizes women and deprives them of their personal freedoms, to the debate surrounding the advertisement. Following the discussion, Atwood posted a political cartoon depicting women wearing handmaids’ clothing entering a voting booth and then removing their red uniforms as they leave.
According to Pagitt, some men’s indignant online comments highlight the importance of the video’s message.
“They twisted the sanctity of a person’s vote into a discussion about men taking responsibility for the actions of the women in their lives,” Pagitt stated. Furthermore, I didn’t expect you would clarify our point for us. We appreciate you doing it very much.
