Don’t be too sure that women will keep the right to vote
Pete Hegseth reposting his pastor’s video may only be the tip of the iceberg
Something we know won’t happen is that the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote, will not be repealed, at least under our constitutional oligarchy[1] because three quarters of the states will not vote to repeal it.
The trouble is that the constitutional oligarchy is being replaced by an aconstitutional broligarchy.[2] It all dovetails neatly with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reposting a video of his pastor, Doug Wilson, saying that ideally, women would not have the right to vote and, then, when asked if he supported this view, Hegseth ducking the question. It’s all part of an idea that there should be one vote per household, where the male head of household casts that vote, after supposedly consulting with the rest of his family.[3]
Women are more likely to vote for Democrats than men and men are more likely to vote for Republicans than women,[4] so it’s fairly obvious how that would work out, with Democrats (who so clearly prefer to sit in opposition anyway) never ever winning another election.
I can’t rule this out. The whole mid-census redistricting battle,[5] following the coup attempt on January 6, 2021, makes clear that white Christian nationalists are by no means done seeking to undermine the constitutional oligarchy. With Donald Trump’s poll numbers cratering,[6] Republicans have a lot to fear in the 2026 midterm elections, so they need their competitive authoritarian regime project, in which elections might still be held and courts might still hold trials, but the outcomes are rigged heavily in favor of the ruling party, to reach culmination. The Constitution would be worth little more than the paper it’s written on.
And the 19th Amendment will be construed so narrowly as to be devoid of meaning.
[1] James Madison, “Federalist No. 10,” in The Federalist Papers, ed. Garry Wills (1982; repr., New York: Bantam, 2003).
[2] Gil Duran, “How the 'Broligarchs' plan to use Trump,” Nerd Reich, November 25, 2024, https://www.thenerdreich.com/how-thebroligarchs-plan-to-use-trump/; Brooke Harrington, “What the Broligarchs Want From Trump,” Atlantic, November 24, 2024, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/11/broligarchy-elon-musk-trump/680788/; Lynn Parramore, “How to Disguise Racism and Oligarchy: Use Economics,” Evonomics, n.d., https://evonomics.com/how-to-disguise-racism-and-oligarchy-use-the-language-of-economics/
[3] Molly Olmstead, “We Asked Pete Hegseth if Women Should Have the Right to Vote. The Answer Was … Unsettling,” Slate, August 12, 2025, https://apple.news/AIl98UGWXRxivDJB05hFgkg; Mariel Padilla, Grace Panetta, and Mel Leonor Barclay, “Who’s questioning women’s right to vote?” 19th, August 12, 2025, https://19thnews.org/2025/08/pete-hegseth-doug-wilson-women-voting/
[4] Center for American Women and Politics, “Gender Gap: Voting Choices in Presidential Elections,” n.d., https://cawp.rutgers.edu/gender-gap-voting-choices-presidential-elections
[5] Charlie Hunt, “3 reasons Republicans’ redistricting power grab might backfire,” Conversation, August 8, 2025, https://theconversation.com/3-reasons-republicans-redistricting-power-grab-might-backfire-262553; Jen Rice, “Two Democrats Allow Texas Senate to Pass Redistricting Map as House Holds Out,” Democracy Docket, August 12, 2025, https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/two-democrats-allow-texas-senate-to-pass-redistricting-map-as-house-holds-out/
[6] Megan Brenan, “Independents Drive Trump's Approval to 37% Second-Term Low,” Gallup, July 24, 2025, https://news.gallup.com/poll/692879/independents-drive-trump-approval-second-term-low.aspx