EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN - NOVEMBER 03: Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris addresses a campaign rally at Jenison Field House on the Michigan State University campus on November 03, 2024 in Lansing, Michigan. With just two days left before Election Day, Harris continues to rally with supporters in the crucial swing state of Michigan, campaigning against Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump. Scott Olson/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by SCOTT OLSON / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)

In a recent ad for Kamala Harris, a woman casts her ballot for the Democratic candidate while her husband mistakenly believes she is voting for Republican Donald Trump: "What happens in the booth, stays in the booth," a voiceover states. The 30-second clip, narrated by actress Julia Roberts, depicts the couple arriving at a polling station wearing baseball caps adorned with the American flag, a symbol frequently worn by Trump supporters. The ad, funded by a religious nonprofit, has sparked outrage within the Trump camp, with the former president labeling it "stupid" and questioning, "Can you imagine a wife not telling her husband who she's voting for?" In the ad, the wife exchanges knowing glances with another female voter before marking her choice for Harris. "You can vote any way you want, and no one will ever know," the voiceover continues, before the husband inquires, "Did you make the right choice?" "Sure did, honey," the woman responds.

On conservative Fox News, a host recently compared his wife secretly voting for Harris to "having an affair," while former Republican House speaker Newt Gingrich accused the Harris campaign of deep-seated "corruption." The Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump political group, aired a similar ad featuring two upper-middle class men assuring each other their wives are voting for Trump. The women—along with other females at the voting precinct—then cast their ballots for Harris. These videos and the furious reactions from Trump supporters highlight two critical aspects of the US presidential campaign. One is that Trump and Harris are fiercely competing for every last vote in what may be the most closely contested presidential race in modern US history. The other is that Harris is heavily relying on mobilizing women in this ultra-tight race, which is expected to see an unprecedented gender gap in voting. According to a recent NBC poll, there is a 34-percentage point difference between male and female intended voters. Harris leads by 16 points among women, while Trump leads by 18 points among men. This unprecedented gap is partly due to Harris's campaign focusing heavily on reproductive and abortion rights following the Supreme Court's 2022 decision to overturn the federal right to the procedure. More broadly, the election represents a clash between Trump's "traditional and patriarchal masculinity" and Harris's policies, which are less aligned with stereotypical gender roles, according to Rutgers University political science professor Kelly Dittmar. Former Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney, who has campaigned for Harris, openly anticipates "secret" votes for the Democrat. "I think you're going to have, frankly, a lot of men and women who will go into the voting booth and will vote their conscience and will vote for Vice President Harris," said Cheney, the daughter of former vice president Dick Cheney. "They may not ever say anything publicly, but the results will speak for themselves," she added. Former first lady Michelle Obama recently emphasized this point, reminding female voters: "If you are a woman living in a household of men who don't listen to you or value your opinion, just remember that your vote is a private matter." The Harris campaign's pursuit of "secret" voters extends beyond women. The group that funded the Julia Roberts-narrated ad, Vote Common Good, recently released a second spot featuring two male voters casting their ballots for Harris without informing their Trump-supporting friends. The ad is narrated by another celebrity, George Clooney.

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