Why Kathie Elliott won

Kathie Elliott, the Shepherd Village Council member who won the Republican nomination for an open seat on the Isabella County Road Commission, did a lot of things right.

For one thing, she's a very articulate and hard-working candidate. She knocked on doors, explained her positions well, and generally left a good impression with a lot of people.
The other two candidates, Mark Recker and Tom Courser, also were good candidates. So why did Elliott dominate?

They key is in her campaign signs and logo. In big letters, it said "Kathie," in smaller letters, it said "Elliott." Kathie for road commission. Kathie is a woman's name, so without having to say, "Hey, I'm female," she told voters "Hey, I'm female."

Wouldn't that be a disadvantage in this male-dominated, sexist society? Heck, no. It's an advantage. Here's why: Women also feel as if they are treated as second-class citizens. Members of groups that feel like second-class citizens will vote for other members of their group in solidarity.

That's true of women, blacks, Native Americans, Hispanics, born-again Christians, you name it.

And women, in general, are more likely to vote than men are.