Read the original article at VMI Central.

A large proportion of Arizona's single women are not exercising their right to vote, according to the Arizona Advocacy Network Foundation, a non-profit group that focuses on electoral justice and full civic participation.

Surveys of the 2004 election showed that 60 percent of married women went to the polls compared with only 37 percent of unmarried women. In the 2006 Arizona general election, 52.5 percent of married women voted while only 28.2 percent of unmarried women cast a ballot, a rate nearly half that of married women.

AzANF is aiming to change that through a voter registration drive that will register more than 5,000 unmarried women, primarily in rural Arizona. They are currently hiring people to help register these voters by the Oct. 6 deadline.

The national organization Women's Voices Women Vote has identified several reasons unmarried women don't vote. Many still don't see themselves or people that look like them engaged in politics or holding elected office. Women tend to be cynical towards politicians and politics, believing their government is run by an elite few that do not represent their interests or concerns.

Single women don't have the same social networks and may not be as politically engaged as married couples. Single mothers in particular may be too harried to register or go to the polls. Many women are hindered in general by a high degree of instability; 40 percent of young women move every three to four years and need to re-register.

According to Linda Brown, executive director of the Arizona Advocacy Network Foundation, "Women have a need to feel confident that they are fully educated on the issues and candidates before they cast a vote, and they need to be sure they are getting non-biased, non-partisan information from sources they trust. To encourage them to register, we are offering them tools they can use to become informed, including our non-partisan Guide to the Ballot Measures as well as suggestions on where they can find out the views and voting records of candidates."

Brown added that victims of domestic violence living in shelters or other temporary residences can be hindered from voting by fears of an abuser finding their address on public voter rolls. "Because of the emotional and psychological affects of domestic violence, many survivors don't believe their voices matter," Brown said.

"Unmarried women care about quality of life issues like clean air, water and land, energy independence and quality, affordable health care for all," Project Director Alexis Nordvold-Young said. "But too many are giving up their voices by sitting out elections. They could make such an impact of they voted, and that's what we're encouraging them to do."

The organization is currently recruiting canvassers to register single women to vote at public events, through partnerships with civic and community organizations and through door-to-door canvassing. In order to vote in the general election Arizonans must be registered by Oct. 6.

Those interested in working on this project are encouraged to e-mail the Advocacy Network at alexis@azadvocacy.org or call (602) 297-4100.