RepresentWomen is the bridge between the democracy reform movement and the women’s representation movement. In 2026, we brought the evidence, the messengers, and the women’s constituency to ranked choice voting (RCV) and proportional representation (PR) efforts in legislatures, city halls, party rules, and ballot campaigns across the country.
2026 ScorecardJan – Sep
From state capitols to Capitol Hill, here is what RepresentWomen delivered from January through September 2026.
actions during legislative sessions
Our work reaches legislative bodies as well as campaigns. We put the women’s case for reform in front of the people who write the rules, in city councils, state legislatures, and Congress.
Briefing elected officials and their staff on how RCV and PR help more women win.
16 op-eds and 25 original articles and explainers on RCV and women’s representation.
Published weekly in Ms. magazine, with timely updates on RCV nationally and globally.
Including 21 virtual webinars (one for RCV Day) and 6 in-person convenings with core stakeholders and reform allies.
With expanded partnerships in 5 states and 9 cities.
With Members of Congress. 3 Members joined our SAVE Act webinar and 4 joined our 2026 Solutions Summit.
12 written, 4 virtual, and 3 in person.
2 original studies and 4 custom analyses for campaigns.
Reform partners tell us every campaign we join is stronger because of RepresentWomen. Here’s why they call on us.
of city council seats in RCV cities are held by women
Women hold 55 percent of city council seats in cities that use RCV, significantly higher than in cities that don’t. Reform partners cite our research with policymakers, the press, and the public to show how RCV and PR remove barriers for women and BIPOC communities.
expert testimonies in 2026
We mobilize our network of women advocates and policymakers, equipped with RepresentWomen’s analysis, to testify alongside us in local and state efforts, so trusted messengers deliver the data that matters.
organizations on the Fair Representation Roundtable steering committee
We help lead the national movement for PR on the Fair Representation Roundtable, lead panels at the National Association of Nonpartisan Reformers Summit, and convene women leaders at our Democracy Solutions Summit, where RCV is featured.
federal bills we help shape strategy for
Executive Director Cynthia Richie Terrell sits on Unite America’s CEO partner calls, regularly teaches RCV classes for national political leaders, including Donna Brazile, and supports strategy for the Fair Representation Act, the RCV Act, and the Voter Choice Act.
We testified from Boston to Denver, worked on implementation planning in Seattle, led on the RCV defense measure in Alaska, and are working with women leaders in Honolulu and Irvine ahead of November’s RCV ballot measures. Here are six efforts where we made a direct, measurable difference.
Proposed ban on RCV
Worked alongside FairVote beginning in December 2025. Joined FairVote and Rank The Vote on the ground in Austin, TX to help shape messaging and strategy, and published a timely op-ed in RealClearPolitics.
The impact: The ban was stopped, and we educated hundreds of DNC members and delegates on RCV.
PRCV in the Vermont Voting Rights Act
Joined every coalition call alongside FairVote to guide strategy and messaging. Gave a closed-door presentation to a Senate committee on how PRCV benefits women, as one of three invited presenters and the only reform partner. Briefed the Secretary of State.
The impact: The Secretary of State kept the bill from being halted and helped move it forward.
PRCV for city elections
Testified with Salem’s own election results, showing how winner-take-all elections keep a majority-women city from electing a majority-women government. Salem offers a potential breakthrough for local RCV and PR wins.
The impact: The executive director of RCV for Massachusetts called our testimony a major factor in the decision to move PRCV forward.
RCV and PRCV with council expansion
Testified repeatedly before the Charter Commission and City Council, mobilized Women’s Power Collaborative members to testify, hand-delivered memos to council members on how the reform would benefit women, and connected LA leaders with peers who have used RCV.
The impact: Charter Commission and City Council members heard the women’s case for RCV and PRCV in chambers and in their own offices.
First use of RCV in DC
Met with community groups ahead of the first use of RCV in June, submitted testimony to the DC Council in favor of funding RCV implementation, and mobilized allies to educate their networks.
The impact: Helped Grow Democracy DC prepare voters to rank their ballots at the polls.
PRCV ballot measure
Partnering with the campaign’s digital ad team on social content targeted to Longmont, engaging continually with Courageous Colorado, and supporting educational programming in the city’s schools.
The impact: Today’s voters and tomorrow’s voters are learning how RCV and PRCV work before they decide.
These are our 2026 target jurisdictions for advancing RCV and PR. Select a state to see where we’re working.
The scholars who study election outcomes validate the case for reform. In 2026, our work reached them directly, and they are partnering with us on new research for 2027.
Our research, including the North America Brief, is now on SSRN, building momentum for RCV within academia and a stronger evidence base for reform.
At the American Political Science Association Annual Meeting, we led a white paper briefing and roundtable, bringing an often unprioritized gender lens to reform research.
At the Carter Center in Atlanta, we showed scholars at the Problems of Democracy and Possible Solutions (PoDS) Workshop how RCV and PR remove barriers for women.
Reform needs current evidence to win.
Invest in our research →“One of the most important things people should understand about RCV is that it can help elect more women and people of color, and there is no better messenger in that story than RepresentWomen. Their support at the DNC in Austin was a great example of that, helping make the case for RCV in a setting where trusted voices and good evidence really matter.”
“RepresentWomen is an extraordinary partner to us and a critical national leader in the fight for representation. Their expertise, research, and leadership have proved time and time again to be invaluable resources for our team and network of state partners.”
Help us break through the representation ceiling.