RepresentWomen’s mid-year briefing covered new findings from the 2024 Gender Parity Index (GPI), the Women’s Power Collaborative, international election insights, Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) ballot measures, state legislative modernization, and our ongoing series on Black women in politics. Communications Director Ashley Thurston moderated; Founder & Executive Director Cynthia Richie Terrell opened the program.
Why systems change still matters
Cynthia traced RepresentWomen’s origin story (born as a FairVote project in 2013). She underscored a core belief: durable progress for women in politics comes from changing systems, not just hearts and minds. Think suffrage, Title IX, the Voting Rights Act, and the ADA — landmark policies that re-engineered opportunity. Our research-driven approach focuses on three key levers: building knowledge, setting the agenda, and activating partnerships.
Partnerships powering reform
What we offer campaigns & coalitions (Katie Usalis, Partnerships Director)
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Message tools & validators: Campaign-ready assets, women validators, and endorsements tailored to the state/local context.
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Woman power: We convene and connect women leaders — Secretaries of State, mayors, and national experts — so reforms like RCV are advocated by trusted messengers.
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On-the-record expertise: Written and live testimony for hearings, task forces, and legislative briefings to keep women’s representation centered in reform narratives.
Women’s Power Collaborative (Victoria Pelletier, National Partnerships Manager)
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The only national network that unites women’s representation advocates and democracy reformers — with over 150 members across ~90 organizations.
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Member benefits: monthly Lunch & Learns, regional working groups, and a shared library of research, curricula, and templates to avoid reinventing the wheel.
Women Experts in Democracy (WED) Directory
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A public, filterable directory of women experts in reform — by location, language, and specialty — to diversify stages, panels, and press quotes.
Seneca Falls 2024 Project
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A modern, intersectional Declaration of Sentiments (e-signable by partners) and a pre-election virtual town hall rally for systems change, so more women can run, win, serve—and lead the nation.
Research highlights
2024 Gender Parity Index (GPI)
(lead: Courtney LaChapelle Lamola, Research Director)
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What it measures: Women’s representation across four arenas — Congress (30 pts), statewide executives (30), state legislatures (30), and local executives (10) — for a 100-point score. Parity = 50 (grade A).
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This year’s results:
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2 states earned an A (again): Maine and Oregon.
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12 states earned a B, 10 a C, 26 a D, and no F’s for the first time.
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Trendline: Progress is real but nonlinear — states can surge and slip. Sustainable gains require structural fixes, not only candidate pipelines.
Modernizing state legislatures: Pay & retention
(lead: Steph Gaglia)
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Why pay matters: Compensation influences who can afford to serve and how long they can stay — key for retaining women.
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Focus on compensation commissions: Often overlooked, these bodies can depoliticize salary decisions.
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Case studies: Pennsylvania, Kansas, New Mexico show how commission design, automatic implementation, and voter education determine success.
Breaking Barriers for Black Women in Politics
(lead: Marvelous Msando)
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Top systemic barriers: party recruitment gaps, traditional funding norms, and plurality (winner-take-all) rules.
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Evidence-based fixes:
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Early party recruitment targets + mentorship,
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Race/gender-balanced donor practices,
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Public financing to amplify small donors,
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RCV to end “spoiler” dynamics,
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Proportional RCV to translate community strength into seats.
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What’s next: Research on safety (harassment/online abuse), socioeconomic barriers, loss analysis, funding flows, and party placement of candidates.
International lens: What works abroad
(lead: Fatma Fetik)
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Best-in-class combo: Proportional representation + gender quotas — 72 countries using both average ~32% women vs ~17% in first-past-the-post systems.
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Ongoing work: Regional briefs; monthly global dashboards; election orbits (e.g., Mexico’s parity mandate and first woman president; India); and interviews with global leaders.
RCV in 2024: Measures & momentum
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Statewide ballots:
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Oregon (RCV statewide + local option),
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Nevada (final approval of a constitutional amendment),
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Idaho (Alaska-style open primary + RCV general),
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Colorado (statewide exploration).
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Local ballots: Multiple cities across CA, CO, DC, IL, MN, and more.
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Alaska: A repeal effort is on the ballot—despite strong early evidence: more choices for voters, healthier competition, and more women stepping forward.
Philanthropy spotlight
Pivotal Ventures (remarks by Carla Bernal) supports RepresentWomen’s long-horizon strategy because electing more women requires fixing systems: voting methods, legislative workplaces, and the rules that gatekeep power. We’re grateful to Pivotal and fellow funders, including Democracy Fund and Crimsonbridge, whose partnership fuels this work.
The moment we’re in
With a historic presidential race reshaping civic energy, we’re leaning into the same north star: a healthy democracy needs equal representation. That means stronger pipelines and the structural reforms that make women’s leadership viable, sustainable, and safe—across parties, regions, and identities.
How you can plug in
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Use the WED Directory to book women experts for events, media, and training.
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Join the Women’s Power Collaborative to co-create strategies and share resources.
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Back RCV campaigns in your state or city; amplify women validators and data.
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Champion legislative modernization (pay, benefits, schedules, childcare) to retain women in office.
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Share the 2024 GPI findings to keep states accountable for progress.
Stay connected
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Website & research library: RepresentWomen.org
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Follow us: @RepresentWomen
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Partnerships & media: [email protected]
Thank you to our speakers, partners, donors, and the hundreds who joined live. Together, we’re building the systems that build women’s power.