Women's Representation in the Judiciary

Released: August 2016

In 2016, RepresentWomen (then known as Representation 2020) studied the impact of single-winner ranked choice voting in the California Bay Area (Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco, and San Leandro), a "hotbed of RCV implementation," where over 100 ranked choice elections had taken place between 2004 and 2014 to decide local leadership in 53 offices. The study found that more women (42%) and people of color (60%) ran in and won these elections since ranked choice voting was introduced. By the start of 2016, women held 59% and people of color held 60% of these offices.

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Want to know more about our Gender Parity Index and other research? Looking for more resources? Are you a community leader or elected official hoping to connect? Call us at (240) 641-8864 or reach out via this form. For media inquiries, please contact [email protected]

Welcome to Represent Women!

Candidate training organizations are active in advancing women’s representation at all levels by motivating, recruiting, training, and connecting potential candidates to a network of women in politics. In light of the “twin track” approach, these organizations make up the empowerment track.

RepresentWomen can provide candidate training organizations with tailored resources and tools, collaboration on research projects, access to RepresentWomen’s networks and media outlets, collaboration on trainings, etc. 

Training sessions, InstaLives, webinars, etc.

Trainings are tailored to the specific context and needs of the organization. Can be regularly scheduled or be a one-off.

• Teach your alum all about the systems strategies they can support to help get more women in office. This is especially great for women who decide not to run, but still want to be involved in getting more women in office. This is also very useful for women who want to run on a representation-oriented policy platform.
• Help prepare women who might run in a ranked choice voting election by providing an orientation to ranked choice voting to ensure candidates fully understand the system they’re running in, including how to maximize its benefits during the campaign season.
• Train your staff on the various systems strategies and policy tools that are proven to remove barriers to women's political power so that they are better prepared to talk about these topics in their work.

Network and community building

• Help create linkages and build partnerships between candidate training organizations and democracy reform organizations, which is especially relevant for women who decide not to run but would still like to be engaged politically. 
• Providing connections to donors and PACs who specifically fund ‘pro-democracy’ candidates, who run on platforms that include reforms such as ranked choice voting.

Research and resources

• As much as possible, we can help with state and/or city-specific research requests. 
  • E.g., “Could you please dig into the San Bernardino, CA data for what type of gender gap there is for women and women of color elected to office in San Bernardino?” 
• To support pro-democracy candidates, RepresentWomen has curated a list of evidence-based policy solutions for gender balanced representation to make it easy for candidates to construct their pro-democracy platforms.
• Provide full access to our Equip Toolkit, which includes key resources and graphics about ranked choice voting and representation, as well as tips for running in a ranked choice voting election.

Communications and outreach

• Co-authoring or amplifying op-eds, blogs, and other published pieces.
• Collaborate on production of print, online, and other content that explains the connection between democracy reform (e.g., RCV, fair representation voting, gender balanced PAC funding targets, legislative rules changes, etc.) and improved representation of women and women of color.
• Use our data to design and create tailored outreach materials (e.g., data visualizations, 1-pagers, data-based social media graphics, etc. ) for your state context.
• Seek out opportunities to speak in forums and mention/uplift/promote participation in your activities.
• Seek opportunities for you to join in panels, events, discussion, etc. related to women’s representation and democracy reform.

Contact us about collaborating

Partners can be distinguished from Allies in that Partners are seeking a deeper, more formal partnership (e.g., an MOU) with RepresentWomen. Partners are organizations or individuals who are active in improving representation and advancing democracy reform, particularly ranked choice voting and/or Fair Representation Voting, in their localities.

RepresentWomen can provide Partners with tailored resources and tools, collaboration on research projects, access to RepresentWomen’s networks and media outlets, collaboration on events, etc. 

Research and Resources

• As much as possible, we can help with state and/or city-specific research requests 
  • E.g., “Could you please dig into the San Bernardino, CA data for what type of gender gap there is for women and women of color elected to office in San Bernardino?”
• Provide full access to our Toolkits, which include key resources and graphics related to our Signature Solutions and representation (e.g., RCV, gender-balanced PAC funding targets, legislative rules changes, etc.)
• Use our data to design and create tailored resources (e.g., data visualizations, 1-pagers, data-based social media graphics, etc. ) for your state context 

Communications Strategies

• Op-eds, blogs, and other published pieces:
  • Co-authoring
  • Publishing your pieces through our publication networks (e.g., Ms. Magazine, The Fulcrum, DemocracySOS, Bridge Alliance media partnerships, etc.)
• Collaborate on production of print, online, and other content that explains the connection between democracy reform (e.g., RCV, gender balanced PAC funding targets, legislative rules changes, etc.) and improved representation of women and women of color 

Informing Decision-makers

• Provide expert testimony in legislation hearings
• Provide policy briefs
• Provide legislative or rule language
• Speak at webinars, meetings, trainings, etc. for legislators, election officials, committees, etc. 

Outreach and Relationship-building

• Help create linkages and build partnerships between democracy reform organizations and the women’s representation community to increase support and strengthen impact
• Seek out opportunities to speak in forums and mention/uplift/promote participation in your activities
• Seek opportunities for you to join in panels, events, discussion, etc.
• Participate in your webinars or events on how your reform affects representation of women

Contact Us About Forming a Partnership 

Allies can be distinguished from Partners in that allies are not seeking an MOU with RepresentWomen and aren’t necessarily working on one of RepresentWomen's Signature Solutions. Allies are organizations or individuals who are active in improving representation and/or advancing democracy reform in their localities. 

RepresentWomen can provide Allies with resources and tools, access to RepresentWomen’s networks, and with expert testimony for legislation hearings. 

Outreach and Relationship-building

• Speak at your events or meetings to share our research on the need for systems strategies to build women's political power and how your reform affects representation of women
• Co-host events to raise awareness of the research-backed strategies to remove barriers to women's political power
• Help create linkages and build partnerships between democracy organizations and the women’s representation community
• Seek out opportunities to mention/uplift/promote participation in your activities

Research and Resources

• Provide full access to our Toolkits, which include key resources and graphics related to our Signature Solutions for representation (e.g. RCV, multi-member districts, gender-balanced PAC funding targets, legislative rules changes, etc.)

Communications Strategies

• Op-eds, blogs, and other published pieces: providing data for your publications, elevating your published pieces within our networks and social media
• Elevating your work in our Weekend Reading publication in Ms. magazine

Informing Decision-makers

• Provide expert testimony in legislation hearings
• Provide policy briefs
• Provide legislative or rule language

Contact Us About Being an Ally 

We imagine a democracy that moves past the old boys' club and embraces the value of diversity in party leadership. To achieve this, parties must commit to rules that ensure diverse appointments to executive cabinets, commissions and vacancies.

RepresentWomen is working with a team to advance the Rankin-Chisholm Rule. Among the top congressional staffer positions, women and people of color continue to be underrepresented. The Rankin-Chisholm Rule is a policy initiative designed to correct this systemic problem and increase racial and gender diversity in legislative offices, particularly in leadership roles.

The Rankin-Chisholm Rule

The Rankin-Chisholm Rule states: “The decision-maker for top staff positions in personal offices, on committees, and in caucus leadership offices should conduct an in-person interview with a slate of candidates from diverse perspectives and backgrounds on the basis of gender, race and other factors, including multiple women and people of color.”

The Rankin-Chisholm Rule is modeled after the Rooney Rule, which requires National Football League owners to interview at least one candidate of color for each head coach or general manager vacancy. The initiative is named after pioneering Congresswomen Jeannette Rankin and Shirley Chisholm.

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Replacement Mandates and Gender Balanced Appointments

Elected officials have a profound power to increase the gender and racial diversity in leadership positions through gender balanced appointments and replacement mandates. Committing to diverse appointments to executive cabinets, commissions and vacancies is the fastest way to increase the diversity of our decision-making leaders. 

Presidential and gubernatorial candidates should commit to naming gender balanced and diverse executive cabinets. Fifteen countries, including the United States have nominated gender balanced cabinets; many in a concerted effort to include women's voices at the leadership level. 

As vacancies in elected and appointed positions occur, officials should commit to and uphold replacement mandates, taking gender diversity into consideration when making appointments to fill vacant positions.

Our Research

The President's Cabinet

After the President and Vice President, members of the President's Cabinet constitute some of the most powerful leaders in the United States. But since Cabinet positions are appointed and not elected, it is up to the President to ensure that their Cabinet is diverse and representative. While 15 countries currently meet or exceed gender parity on their Executive Cabinets, the United States is still far from achieving this goal. Appointing a gender-balanced cabinet is one of the fastest ways that the United States can achieve greater gender-based representation. 

Download the 2020 President's Cabinets Report

State Cabinets

After the governor, members of the governor's cabinet constitute some of the most powerful leaders at the state level in the United States. In nearly all states, the vast majority, if not all, of the cabinet members are appointed by the governor. In these states, the average state cabinet has a membership of less than 40% women. While 10 states currently meet or exceed gender parity on their cabinets, most states are still far from achieving this goal. Appointing a gender-balanced cabinet is one of the fastest ways that the states can achieve greater gender-based representation.

Download the 2022 State Cabinet Report 

Read Next: Best Practices for Advancing Gender Balanced Appointments

Go to our Resources page for more information, tools, and resources on gender balanced appointments and hiring rules.

RepresentWomen imagines a modern governmental workplace where more women office holders can thrive. To achieve this, legislative bodies should enact the following internal process reforms:

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Fairer Legislative Practices

RepresentWomen calls on city, state, and national legislators to reform their internal practices and culture so that women legislators can serve and lead effectively. Erratic work schedules, low pay rates, geographic distance, and unfair leadership selection processes make serving a challenge for many women - especially those caring for children and managing households. Although these reforms would benefit men and women, these issues disproportionately affect women.

Read our 2021 case studies on women serve practices in Nevada and Maryland state legislatures.

Download 

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Go to our Resources page for more information, tools, and resources on fairer legislative practices.

Women's Caucuses

RepresentWomen is building relationships with state legislative women’s caucuses to:

• learn about best practices
• strategize about opportunities for reform
• implement systemic solutions to the under-representation of women

Approximately 20 states have either partisan or bipartisan caucuses which promote legislation that will improve the status of women in their state. They also serve as important networking channels for female legislators and as vehicles for reform that make legislative bodies more women-friendly and representative.

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