RepresentWomen founder and Executive Director Cynthia Richie Terrell joins host Lorissa Rinehart on The Female Body Politic for a conversation on what's really ailing American democracy — and what it will take to fix it.
Cynthia makes the case that the crisis facing our democracy isn't rooted in any one administration, but in the systemic rules that determine who runs, who wins, and who leads. Drawing on Jeannette Rankin's enduring belief that "the cure for the ills of democracy is more democracy," she and Lorissa dig into how partisan gerrymandering has eroded voter power, why electing more women is essential to democratic health, and what concrete reforms — from ranked choice voting to proportional representation — can open the doors to a more representative government.
Cynthia brings decades of experience to this conversation, having co-founded FairVote and led RepresentWomen's work on electoral reform and global women's representation. She was named one of Washington, D.C.'s top policy experts in 2024 and received a Generational Impact Award for her work on voting system reform.
Listen now to hear Cynthia’s powerful diagnosis—and her potent prescriptions for a stronger, more representative democracy.
