Sacramento State’s library is posting a new exhibit this month designed to encourage more single women and students to vote in the upcoming presidential election.

According to a survey conducted by One Vote, a video included in the exhibit, 22 million single women between the ages of 18-24 who were registered to vote in the 2000 presidential election did not vote.

Rhonda Rios Kravitz, access services librarian and interim director of the Serna Center, said she set up the exhibit because she believes the disproportionate number of single women and students who don’t vote is because of the lack of access to information about voting.

“I wanted to make it as easy as possible for students to vote,” Kravitz said.The exhibit, which can be found on the first floor in the library, targets young women in particular and includes a board of voting statistics for the 2000 election, along with three video tapes and a television that speaks to students about how and why single women votes will be critical in the upcoming election.

The exhibit also includes voter registration forms, which are available to students year around, along with a drop box and access to the Internet giving students the opportunity to vote online.

“Some people think they don’t have enough time, or they think their vote won’t count, but we want to argue that their vote does count and their vote is meaningful,” Kravitz said.

Patricia K. Grady, coordinator of the women’s resource center, said they hosted the viewing of a free film titled “Iron Jawed Angels” at noon on Tuesday in the Hinde Auditorium in support of single women voters.

She said the number of women who didn’t vote in the preceding election could have heavily influenced the race.

Grady said the film highlights the women’s suffrage movement of the 1920s.

“We want to give them the sense of the terrible trials women had to go through to take advantage of this privilege,” Grady said.

Kravitz said she believes that more single women need to have a voice in the issues affecting them such as childcare, health care and equity.

“I would like to see voting made more accessible, and one way we can do that is to bring polling places to campus,” Kravitz said.

“There are a significant number of single women on campus and we need to mobilize them,” Grady said.

James Shoch, assistant professor of government history, said the disproportionate number of predominantly unmarried women with children who don’t vote is unfortunate because it simply means that they are disproportionately represented.

“In terms of a citizenry that’s more engaged in general, the voter turnout rate in this country is depressingly low in national presidential elections, compared to 80 percent in European countries,” Shoch said.

He said single women with kids are usually in the lower income bracket and who need services the most.

Shoch said he believes that it’s “circumstances of the times” that is most important when it comes to getting people motivated about voting, and the interest is extremely high for the upcoming election.

“Single women with kids particularly are usually so overwhelmed with their daily lives that they have too little time to engage in the political process, so obviously extra steps need to be taken,” Shoch said.

Although Oct. 18 is the last day to register to vote, Kravitz said the exhibit will remain open to the public until the Nov. 2 election.