Ellen Malcolm of Emily’s List points out the obvious need for women’s participation in the upcoming elections. The more women who vote, the more likely we will have a Democratic outcome. From the Op-Ed in today’s New York Times:

What Women Want

IN 1994, 16 million women who had voted in the 1992 presidential election stayed home. The campaigning was nasty and negative, and these “drop-off� women — women with jobs, children, aging parents, busy lives — found no compelling reason to cast ballots.

The unanswered question for 2006 is whether such drop-off women will vote. Since women disproportionately vote for Democrats, their decision could determine which party will control the next Congress.

Getting women to the polls won’t be easy. The demands on their time and the pressures on their families can overwhelm any interest in politics. But we can convince them to vote by talking about issues that directly affect their families and showing them how voting for Democrats — especially women candidates — can make a difference. They’ll be receptive to Democratic policies like protecting Social Security, making college affordable and finding an end to the morass in Iraq.

If Democrats — party leaders, candidates and progressive allies — communicate with enough women, we can counter negative Republican campaigns that aim to get women to stay home. Women will find a reason to vote. And when women vote, Democrats win.

— ELLEN R. MALCOLM, president of Emily’s List.