Op-Eds
October 23, 2024
Excerpted from Voter Guide: Ranked-Choice Voting Ballot Measures in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, D.C., Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada and Oregon:
Those of us advocating for gender parity in elected offices often face a dilemma: acknowledging the significant lack of equal representation in the United States and recognizing our progress.
Advances in women’s representation in public office have occurred despite discriminatory laws, practices and systems designed to favor wealthy men. As our country lags behind other modern democracies in achieving a gender-balanced government, we must change our approach to see more women elected to office.
This year brings renewed optimism about moving closer to achieving gender parity by reforming systems to remove barriers so more women can run for office.
Ranked-choice voting (RCV) offers a promising solution.
RCV has proven effective in increasing women’s representation at all levels of government according to research from RepresentWomen. RCV is the fastest-growing electoral reform, receiving support from editorial boards nationwide, including a strong endorsement from The Washington Post. Women hold 53 percent of seats in jurisdictions with RCV. As RCV appears on ballots nationwide this November, it’s a critical opportunity for reform.
Read the full voter guide here.
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