TRENTON, NJ – A new statewide poll released today by Independent Women’s Voice reveals widespread concern among New Jersey swing voters over the threat to women’s rights and the erosion of single-sex spaces and opportunities. Polling data shows that voters surveyed recoiled when informed about policies and votes taken to allow for men to access women’s spaces, proving a significant awareness gap in voter sentiment versus candidates voting records and policies implemented in the state.
The New Jersey Statewide Survey was conducted by Wick Insights using online panel interviews from May 24–28 among a sample of 600 likely 2025 voters who identify as moderate, somewhat conservative or somewhat liberal.
According to the survey, seventy-five percent (75%) of New Jersey voters and seventy-three percent (73%) of women voters expressed concern about men accessing women’s private spaces, like locker rooms, prisons, rape-crisis shelters, and sports.
More detailed poll results can be found here.
When testing gubernatorial hopeful Mikie Sherrill’s congressional voting record, a mere 18% of voters were aware that Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill voted twice to allow men to compete in women’s sports. Nearly seventy-four percent (74%) of voters said they had never heard about these votes.
When informed about Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill’s voting record allowing men to compete in women’s sports, more than half (53%) those surveyed said they were less supportive of her bid for governor.
“The vast majority of New Jersey voters, like the vast majority of American voters, are pro-common sense and do not want men in women’s spaces,” said Neeraja Deshpande, policy analyst for Independent Women. “Their voices must be represented in their government.”
“Female-only spaces—locker rooms, prisons, sports, and other private, sex-specific areas—exist for a reason: safety, fairness and dignity. These spaces must remain exclusively for females, anything less is regressive and dangerous,” said Beth Parlato, Independent Women’s Law Center senior legal advisor. “Mikie Sherill, despite being a woman herself, has repeatedly failed to protect these fundamental female rights. Her voting record and public positions show a consistent disregard for the privacy and safety women deserve. That’s not leadership, that’s betrayal. New Jersey women and girls deserve a governor who will protect their rights, not erase them.”
“Even among Democrats, and certainly among independents, radical gender ideology is unpopular,” Inez Stepman, Independent Women senior policy and legal analyst. ”Americans of all political perspectives overwhelmingly do not buy the central thesis: that men and women are biologically interchangeable. Nor do they appreciate the consequences to the opportunities, dignity, and safety of women and girls.”
View poll results here.
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Independent Women’s Voice fights for women by expanding support for policy solutions that aren’t just well-intended, but actually enhance freedom, opportunities, and well-being.
