When Associate Justice Clarence Thomas was confirmed to the Supreme Court in 1991, the result was an explosive reaction by voters to elect more women to office than ever before. 

Today, the United States potentially finds itself in a very similar situation. With an accuser coming forward against Judge Brett Kavanaugh at the end of his hearings, the entire confirmation process has been upset. Ironically, like a previous Supreme Court case, the current scenario has a precedent.

On Oct. 11, 1991, Anita Hill testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about her allegations of sexual misconduct against the Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas.

In her testimony, she claimed while she was working under him, he repeatedly made sexual comments toward and around her. Like many politicized sexual assault situations, some chose to believe her and others decided the contrary. In terms of the nomination, not much changed in the end and Thomas was confirmed with somewhat bipartisan support.

The importance of Anita Hill’s testimony, however, is not the result of Thomas’ nomination. The real impact of her testimony was seen in the following elections in what is known as “The Year of the Woman.” More women were elected to office than ever before in American history.

“It incentivized people to vote for female candidates,” said Dianne Bystrom, director emerita of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics.

Bystrom said even though it was too late for women to start running for office in 1991, it didn’t stop people from voting for female candidates. This is true today, as more female candidates are running for federal office than at any time in history.

The effects of that election are still evident today as one of the women who was elected that year was Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. In September, Feinstein brought forward a charge of sexual assault against Brett Kavanaugh by one of his former high school classmates, Christine Blasey Ford.

This ground the confirmation process to a halt, and the Senate is now undergoing much of the same process it did when Anita Hill made her accusations. Hearings have been called and investigations initiated all while politicians on both sides of the aisle are competing for the graces of public opinion.

One question still looms large: What are the consequences of Kavanaugh’s confirmation for the upcoming midterms? Assistant Professor of political science Tessa Ditonto said a second “year of the woman” may be coming.

“We’re already in a moment where we’re seeing record numbers of women running for office and not only running but winning their primaries,” Ditonto said.

This is true as more than 185 women from all parties have been nominated to the House of Representatives, beating the 2016 record of 167 nominees. Twenty-two women have also been nominated by their parties for Senate seats.

The issue still remains about whether or not people are going to vote for these candidates. Bystrom said that they undoubtedly will. Not only does she think that women are going to do well on the national stage, she said that female candidates are going to be elected locally, going as far as to say, “There will be a record number of women in the Iowa House.”

Ditonto does not claim to know whether or not women will turn out to vote but indicates that if they do, they will be a large force of voters that will carry significant influence in the upcoming election.

Kavanaugh’s confirmation, or lack thereof, may be a driving force in this motivation. Just like Anita Hill, voters could see a mishandling of Christine Blasey Ford’s allegations as the Republican party not taking the proper concerns for sexual assault, Ditonto said.

Another point Ditonto reiterated was how midterm elections customarily elect candidates from the party in opposition to the current president. This could mean a very strong performance from the Democratic party in 2018.

“With the allegations against Judge Kavanaugh … that has sparked a pretty intense response from a lot of women who were already primed to be politically active,” Ditonto said. “I think it’s hit a nerve with a lot of women.”