The importance of the women vote will be the focus of a voter forum at the Ames Public Library tomorrow.

A low female turnout at the last election prompted the Ames Voter Coalition to create the forum. The coalition includes the American Association of University Women (AAUW), the League of Women Voters and the Story County Woman’s Political Caucus.

In addition to several displays from each of the coalition members, the 9:30 a.m.- noon forum will host two speakers as well as voter registration and absentee ballot booths.

Judy Dolphin, YWCA, said that targeting women voters is the focus of the coalition. “Women’s participation is less than it had been,” Dolphin said.

“I think it is very important that women vote,” added Betty Elliott, co-chair of the event.

Women ages 18-24 are the least likely to vote. “That’s amazing to me [that] it is the least involved population,” she said.

Dolphin said she is shocked by this lack of participation. “When I registered to vote, in my state you had to be 21. I was so excited to be able to cast my ballot and to be an adult.”

But that was the 1960s. Since then, there has been an alienation of young voters, Dolphin said. “People say they don’t know the issues” or their vote doesn’t count.

Dolphin said democracy means that “each and every one of us in society can participate.”

Although some of the local candidates focus on issues of student interest, Dolphin said, most students get their information by watching television, especially media advertising. This can be a problem, she said, because ads often focus on getting the audience’s attention, not the issues of the campaign.

“The coalition has compiled a voter information guide to help understand where the candidates stand on social issues. This guide will be available Saturday and copies are at the YWCA office in Alumni Hall, city hall and the Ames Public Library until election day.

Those giving presentations include Dr. Dianne Bystrom from the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics and Ms. Kappie Spencer, founder and director of the National Gender Balance Project.

Bystrom will focus on campaign advertising styles of male and female candidates. Bystrom, who has a Ph.D. in political communication wrote a thesis on the verbal, non-verbal and production techniques used in the campaign ads in 20 different U.S. Senate races in 1990 and 1992. The races were only between men and women candidates.

These advertisements are especially interesting, Bystrom said, because it is the “venue they [the candidates] have the most control over.”

Bystrom’s study was the first of its kind.

“My whole premise … is this is a source of control in the campaign,” she said.

Also speaking is Spencer, who attended the recent women’s conference in Beijing where she lead a workshop on women and policy-making government decisions.

Those attending the forum will be able to practice the new Story County voting system. County Auditor Judy Emmons will be in attendance and will have sample ballots. Practice voters can mark the ballots and put them in a feeder that automatically counts the votes.