A group of Bartholomew County women have created "The Nasty Women of Bartholomew County" and have volunteered to serve as poll watchers for the Democrats for the election.
But who, exactly, qualifies as a "nasty woman"?
The Nasty Women of Bartholomew County Indiana Facebook page defines the term as: "1. A strong informed woman who terrifies weak, ignorant males. 2. A woman who does her part to rescue her country in 2020."
“ ‘Nasty’ isn’t an insult. It really is a battle cry," said Cindy Allen-Stuckey, who is "county captain" for the Bartholomew County chapter.
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At the end of August, the "Nasty Women of Indiana" only had 39 members, but now has close to 50,000 members. The county chapter was formed Sept. 11 and has almost 500 members.
"Many are asking for our ‘secret sauce,’ " she said. "I think it probably was just the right time, with the right message appealing to the needs of the moment. Because of the state of our country, lots of Indiana women were wanting or needing a place to come ‘out’ and come together.”
On Oct. 19, 2016, then-candidate (and now President) Donald Trump called his opponent, Hillary Clinton, a "nasty woman" in their third and final debate. The moment was brief and the phrase short, but it was something feminists and Democrats would latch on to, an insult that was quickly reclaimed as a rallying cry.
Even now, four years after Clinton’s defeat, the phrase "nasty woman" still holds meaning for many people. On Aug. 14, the "Nasty Woman" Facebook group was created as a space for women to find solidarity and band together in hopes of forming a "blue wave" as the 2020 election nears. To date, the "mother" group has amassed more than 18,000 members and spawned both state and county chapters.
The group is for a place for anyone who identifies as a woman, including nonbinary individuals, to collaborate and share information about "opportunities" and events connected to the elections, Allen-Stuckey said.
One of the group’s screening questions asks if the applicant is going to vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the upcoming election.
Sarah Franklin, who is one of the county Facebook group’s moderators and part of Allen-Stuckey’s support team, said, "We’re definitely not pro-Trump. But if someone who considers themselves independent or maybe blue-leaning, sure. We definitely want to have those conversations in a civil and safe space.”
Allen-Stuckey said that the focus of the county group is "turning the votes blue" in the upcoming local, state and national elections.
A major part of this, she said, is spreading information and educating voters about candidates. Sometimes, that information comes from literature drops.
At other times, it’s more direct. For instance, in October the group will host a "virtual house party" over Zoom with candidate Jeannine Lee Lake (D). Lake is running against incumbent Rep. Greg Pence, R-Ind., to represent Indiana’s sixth congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Franklin said that other candidates have also spoken to the group via Zoom or through information videos, including Democratic gubernatorial candidate Woody Myers, who created a 15-minute video for the group to watch.
She said that the county group has also been working on gathering and presenting information about candidates and their beliefs, so that voters can be more informed before voting.
“The easiest way to make sure people take action is to make it easy for them," Franklin said. "… Put all the information in one place and say, ‘Hey, talk to three people that you know. Make sure they’re registered to vote and talk to them about who they’re voting for. Give them information about the different candidates if they’re unsure, and then have them do the same thing.’"
Another piece of preparing for elections, Allen-Stuckey said, is taking the practical step of making sure voters are registered.
The third piece, she said, is "logistics," or making sure people are prepared for the voting process and have a way to get to the polls. Franklin said that the group has been discussing the idea of forming a team of volunteers to drive anyone in need of transportation, though they’re still working out the specific details of how this could work.
Franklin said that ultimately, the group’s goal is to get people to vote blue or vote for blue "values."
“No matter what side of the aisle that you stand on, I think that we actually have a lot in common," she said. "You know, we start talking about empathy and compassion and how you want people to be treated, and I think that sometimes we just differ on how.”
She added that the Facebook group is an important "support system" for members to have conversations about politics, which is sometimes a taboo subject due to "Hoosier values."
"I think what that has led to, over the years, is the inability to have civil conversations about those things," Franklin said. "So breaking that stigma, having that conversation in a calm, rational and informed way. And even if it’s not informed, as long as you’re coming to it with good intent. … That’s how we come together as a country. That’s how we support each other.”
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More information about the Nasty Women of Bartholomew County Indiana can be found on the group’s Facebook page.
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