Here's a fact: Americans aren’t that enthusiastic about voting in midterm elections. And the numbers prove it. When compared with presidential elections—which can feel more high-profile and dramatic—midterm election turnout is pretty, well, lousy.

Almost 74 million women and 64 million men voted in the 2016 presidential election, according to data crunched by the Center for American Women and Politics. That came out to about 63 percent of eligible female voters, versus just over 59 percent of males. In comparison, only 43 percent of eligible women and barely 41 percent of men reported voting in the 2014 midterms, per CAWP. It was the worst turnout in decades—remarkably weak even in a country whose off-year voting is typically low.

But will this year’s midterms be different? Everyone seems to be pulling out all the stops to get voters to the polls on November 6. And women are at the center of attention this election season—not just because they clinched a historic number of nominations for the House, Senate, and governorships. As Page Gardner of the nonprofit Voter Participation Center tells Glamour, “If Democrats win the House, women will bring them there,” and specifically, “unmarried women will have a big, big, big, piece of that story.” (Married women, as NPR has noted, have been shown to vote Republican more than singles.)

Women are also the group to watch because they have voted more than men for decades. And there are certain groups of women who are traditionally reliable voters. Older women vote more than younger, for example. Black women have notably shown their clout at the polls: Democratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez personally thanked them for their role in 2017 wins in special elections in Alabama and Virginia.

But what makes would-be voters (yes, even women) stay away from the polls? The political climate and the players seem to matter: A Pew analysis of the 2016 election found that, overall, 25 percent of people who didn’t vote said they didn't like the candidates or issues. Another 15 percent lacked interest or felt their vote wouldn't matter. Nearly as many, 14 percent, said they were too busy with work or school to cast a ballot. (One apparent issue: A 2016 study found younger voters three to four times likelier to have to wait in line to vote than baby boomers; the likelihood was higher for African Americans and Latinos.)

"The sad reality is, in midterm elections, you typically see a depressed turnout—especially among groups that are sort of stretched and less likely to turn out anyway."

As that lousy turnout in 2014 indicates, “The sad reality is, in midterm elections, you typically see a depressed turnout—especially among groups that are sort of stretched and less likely to turn out anyway," says Marissa McBride, VPC’s executive director. Notably, McBride pointed out that whether single, separated, divorced, or widowed, “unmarried women [are now] the majority of heads of households. A lot of them work two or three jobs, so the idea they're going to stand in line for two hours or miss work or are not going to be able to pick their kid up on time [in order] to vote—it's just not a reality in their lives.”

So, for a lot of women, it's not just a lack of enthusiasm or interest. Life can get in the way.

Christy McCormick, vice chairwoman of the federal Election Assistance Commission, told Glamour in an interview earlier this year how single women can see voting as critical in theory but burdensome in practice: “When you are the single person [that's] responsible for everything and you don't have backup, as married people do, it's just another thing to add to the list…which is a shame, because it really is important for all of us to have a voice in our government.”

But the tide may turn this election cycle. There's titanic effort going into overcoming some of those obstacles that make it hard to vote—especially in low-profile races that don't garner as much attention as salacious presidential elections—from coast to coast. Here are a few examples of that effort (and how you can get involved):