There was a great piece in The Salt Lake City Tribune that reports on exactly the type of rule change that enables women to run & serve more effectively - RepresentWomen is working to broadcast examples of rules changes like this widely:

Dear all,

There has been a flurry of interest in Ranked Choice Voting this week including:

• the NYC Charter Commission has included RCV in their list of recommendations - please contact the Commission directly if you are a New Yorker and would like to let them know why you support RCV - see this story in the Gotham Gazette
• legislators in New Hampshire are considering using RCV for their presidential primary according to this story in AP
• Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is testing the waters to run as an independent candidate for president - prompting a blizzard of commentary on social media pointing out the need for ranked choice voting and a number of good articles including this one by Rachel Kleinfield in The Hill and this one in The Economist

Dear fans of women's representation,

There are now four women running for the democratic presidential nomination along with a number of male hopefuls - multiple candidates who appeal to the same constituencies are a recipe for split votes and 'winners' who get a tiny percentage of the vote in key early contests. A number of state party chairs are open to the possibility of using a ranked ballot to ensure that candidates emerge with broad support. My husband Rob Richie and my friend Rep Jamie Raskin write about the crowded presidential primary field and the ranked choice voting today in The Hill:

Dear friends,

If you live in the area or are coming to Washington, DC next week please join an exciting conversation about women in politics hosted by Pantsuit Politics & Swanee Hunt. Here are the details:

• Friday, January 18
• 4-7pm
• Frederick Douglass Hall of the Metropolitan AME Church
• 1518 M St NW, Washington, DC 20005

The program will feature a terrific lineup of speakers who bring diverse perspectives to this important work. Please use this Eventbrite invite to RSVP and email me with any questions! I hope to see many of you there!

Dear women's representation allies,

To the left of the dais — the Democratic side — the typical sea of men’s suit jackets was balanced by pops of green, blue and white worn by women. Bald heads alternated with bobbed haircuts. Scanning the rows, the record number of women and lawmakers of Hispanic, Asian and African American heritage who will serve this term was clear.

To the right of the dais — the Republican side — older white men occupied nearly every seat. Visually, granddaughters provided most of the contrast.

Hello friends,

It has been quite a year. It has been quite a year of challenges to democratic processes in the United States. It has been quite a year for women candidates and the individuals and organizations who have supported them. And it has been quite a year for women around the globe who are getting elected at higher rates than women in the US because rules & systems are in place in those nations that create more opportunities for women to run, win, serve, and lead.

Dear friends,

Nevada became the first state to have a majority female state legislature after Beatrice Duran was appointed to fill a vacant position according to this story in The New York Times:

As a single mother, Beatrice Duran never imagined that she would get involved in politics. When she moved to Las Vegas in 1985, her focus was on keeping “a solid job” as a food server to provide for her young daughter and, later, her son.

Opportunities to become involved in public life felt out of reach.

(Representative Elise Stefanik)

Hello friends,

There was a very interesting story from Roll Call that covers Rep Elise Stefanik's focus on supporting republican women in primaries and securing early contributions from PACs to make their races viable:

New York Rep. Elise Stefanik recruited more than 100 women as the first female head of recruitment at the National Republican Congressional Committee. But only one of them prevailed, with many failing to make it through their primaries.