Susan Carroll, Political Science Professor at Rutgers University, speaks at the League of Women’s Voters conference in Washington D.C. on the history of female voters and their influence in the 2008 Presidential election.

Discussion Questions

1. What is women’s suffrage? When did women obtain the right to vote? Which amendment to the Constitution reflects this?
2. Ms. Carroll states that women voters have “the potential to decide the outcome of the 2008 election.” What two reasons does she give to support this statement?
3. What is the “gender gap”? When does Ms. Carroll suggest that it was first evident? What political and social developments caused these differences?