Encouraging 'Principled Voting' Without Worrying About Husband or Family
With the U.S. presidential election just two days away and the race remaining tight until the end, handwritten post-it notes urging women to "vote for Harris without your husband's knowledge" are spreading in women's restrooms and beauty salons across the United States, sparking a reaction.
On the 3rd (local time), The Washington Post (WP) reported that handwritten post-it notes reminding women that voting is secret?saying things like "Vote according to your will. No one will know who you voted for"?are spreading across the country. WP noted that these notes have been found in women's restrooms and beauty salons in battleground states attracting voter attention, Republican strongholds, college campuses, and sports stadiums.
Post-it notes appeared in women's restrooms ahead of the U.S. presidential election. They contained messages such as "Your husband or boyfriend doesn't need to know who you voted for." [Photo by X (formerly Twitter) capture]
The post-it notes revealed by WP included phrases such as "Your boyfriend or husband does not need to know who you voted for," "You are the only one entering the voting booth," and "Remember, your vote is yours." Although the handwriting and wording vary, the core message of these notes is to remind women that voting is confidential.
It is unclear where or who first started putting up these notes, but the grassroots group supporting Harris, "Women for Harris-Walz," told WP that their members began posting such notes several months ago. As this election takes on a gender conflict dimension, the campaign encourages women not to feel pressured by husbands or family members who support the conservative Republican candidate Trump, but to confidently cast their votes for Democratic candidate Harris.
Earlier, the Harris campaign released election videos appealing to married white women to "vote regardless of your husband's political leanings." Hollywood star Julia Roberts lent her voice to the video, urging women to vote for Harris by saying, "What happens in the voting booth stays outside." With analyses showing that white women's votes are leaning toward Harris amid key issues like abortion rights, the campaign is also appealing to women who date or are married to men supporting Trump.
The Republican Party and conservative circles have reacted strongly to this campaign. Fox News host Jesse Waters, known for his pro-Trump stance, criticized Julia Roberts' ad as "tantamount to committing adultery," while Charlie Kirk, head of the pro-Trump group Turning Point USA, said it showed "the collapse of the American family."
Meanwhile, a survey released last week by polling firm YouGov found that among American female voters, one in eight voted for a different candidate than their spouse without informing them. A similar ratio was found among male voters as well.
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