In the News
January 11, 2022
In this article, it discusses the ripple effect of Gov. Kathy Hochul announced her support for term limits for statewide offices, including her job. The term limit may have an added benefit: increasing women’s political representation, quoting Cynthia and highlighting RepresentWomen's homepage. Read an excerpt below:
The effect of term limits on statewide offices is less understood in part because there are fewer women in those roles compared to a statehouse, according to Pettey. Hochul is one of only nine women governors in the country — and one of four who first reached the position through succession rather than election.
It also may not take into account the evolution of women’s recruitment groups, which have prepared candidates when an elective seat opens up. Cynthia Richie Terrell is founder and executive director of RepresentWomen, which advocates for structural changes to help elect more women. She said more intentional organizing by such groups could be shifting what’s understood about what term limits could do for women’s representation.
“I see it as a reform whose time has come, in the sense that there are now groups that are ready to take advantage of those openings,” she said.
In New York City, where the new 51-member city council is women-majority for the first time ever, organizations like 21 in ‘21 intentionally focused their attention on races without incumbents. More than 30 council seats were open because of term limits.
Read the full article here.
