By ksssann

Election Day is still months away, but the hunt for votes is on, and one demographic that is emerging as an important ‘swing’ group is single, working moms. These are the ‘everyday heroines’ who balance the family budget, nurture their children, hold down a job, and now a growing number are adding college courses to their already jammed schedules. Why? Because in today’s economy, many of these women find themselves stuck in low-paying, dead-end jobs that offer little opportunity for advancement. Getting a college degree, or earning certification in a field such as healthcare or technology can make the difference between just getting by, and earning a competitive salary in a growth industry. So more and more single moms are heading back to school…and these moms vote.

“Unmarried women with children are probably the most progressive voters in the country,” says the president of the Women’s Voices Women Vote Action Fund, “and so their values are progressive and they will have an increasing influence on the kinds of candidates that get elected. Given their numbers among unmarried women, we are very much focused on single moms.”

Recently this group got a high profile shout-out from POTUS himself. As the graduation speaker at the Barnard College, President Obama invoked his own upbringing, telling the crowd that he “grew up as the son of a single mom,” and reminding the assembled graduates at the elite women’s college that his mother “…struggled to put herself through school and make ends meet.”

To continue reading this article, please visit the All Voices website here.