Data from the Louisiana Secretary of State's Office shows that women outpaced men in voter registration by 64 percent in July.
According to that data, 5,287 women put their names on the rolls last month compared to only 3,365 men. These statistics mirror voter registration numbers in other states, which have also seen an uptick in women voters since Vice President Kamala Harris replaced President Joe Biden on the Democratic ticket for the presidency.
University of Louisiana at Monroe political science professor Pearson Cross says we could see the number of women voters in the state continue to grow ahead of election day.
"I would expect to see a similar pace and, perhaps, a picked-up pace," Cross said. "We see this across all the states where women are, in fact, registering to vote in greater numbers compared to previous elections."
Cross says Harris's candidacy has motivated young voters--especially women voters--to put themselves on the voter rolls.
"Harris's entry into the race seems to have energized young voters in particular," Cross said. "One would think that many of these young women voters registering to vote for the first time are, in fact, African Americans who are energized by the thought of having a Black woman in the White House."
Cross says the gender gap in voter registrations also represents a political chasm between the sexes.
"This gender gap is as about as high as it's ever been. It's at historic levels. So it would be reasonable suppose that many of the young men registering to vote for the first time will cast their votes for Trump, whereas many of the young women registering for the first time are going to cast their votes for Harris."
Despite the influx of women voters, Cross says he doubts that it will push Harris to victory in Louisiana.
"Louisiana remains a red state. It's very unlikely that in a presidential election that (Louisiana) is going to support a Democrat, particularly a Black woman like Harris," Cross said, adding that he projects Republican nominee Donald Trump to win the state by a 60 to 40 margin.
The deadline to register to vote online at geauxvote.com is October 15. The deadline to register in person at your local registrar of voters office or by mail is October 7.
