Weekend Reading

This Friday marks the 249th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and we reflect on how far women's equality still has to go to fulfill democracy's founding promise. This week's roundup covers New York City's landmark ranked choice voting primary and more.

New York City's ranked choice voting primary delivered a stunning upset — and women are poised to maintain their supermajority on the City Council — while a charter commission threatens to dismantle the very system making it possible.

As the summer solstice approaches, RepresentWomen celebrates Opal Lee's legacy on Juneteenth, Virginia's historic all-woman gubernatorial race, and new research confirming that women in office govern differently and prioritize issues that matter most to their communities.

With over 70,000 nonpartisan seats on the ballot in 2025, RepresentWomen highlights a wave of women's wins — from Mikie Sherrill's New Jersey gubernatorial nomination to Gina Ortiz Jones' upset mayoral victory in San Antonio and Amanda Clinton's landslide in Oklahoma.

Australia's historic election delivers a surge in women's representation, with 69 women now serving in its House of Representatives, while Canada's numbers stall — illustrating how electoral systems like ranked choice voting and proportional representation shape women's political power.

Australia makes history with its first-ever majority-women cabinet, powered by ranked choice voting and the Labor Party's gender quotas, while South Korea's presidential election sees women completely absent from the ballot — a stark reminder of how much electoral systems shape women's political power.

Fresh from the American Democracy Summit in Phoenix, RepresentWomen reflects on the urgent need for local community-building and a strong pipeline of women candidates, especially as Congress passes a sweeping budget bill slashing programs that millions of women depend on. All this and more in this week's edition!

RepresentWomen took center stage at the American Democracy Summit in Phoenix, hosting a fishbowl discussion on women's representation and a reception celebrating women leaders in democracy reform. This week's roundup also covers CAWP's sobering report on stalled progress for women in Congress.

Women surge to a possible majority in Australia's parliament powered by ranked choice voting, while the U.S. marks Public Service Recognition Week by honoring the 80% of election officials who are women, many of whom are leaving their jobs due to threats and harassment.

This week's roundup also covers the Supreme Court's threat to gut the Voting Rights Act in Louisiana v. Callais, a record number of Latinas in state legislatures, FairVote's findings that 84% of House races are noncompetitive, and a preview of Australia's May 3rd elections with ranked choice voting.

This week's roundup also covers Adrienne Adams shaking up the New York City mayoral race, a rare Illinois Senate open seat opportunity for women, the all-male Ukraine peace talks, and Portland's proportional ranked choice voting system delivering 50% women on its city council.

This week's roundup also covers the SAVE Act's threat to married women voters, Elise Stefanik's return to House leadership, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds' surprise retirement announcement, and the ongoing fight to protect Justice Allison Riggs' North Carolina Supreme Court victory.

As Trump's tariffs hit women hardest through the 'pink tax,' we examine how economic uncertainty creates additional barriers for women running for office. This week's roundup covers Virginia's historic all-women gubernatorial race, three sobering global reports showing women's political progress stalling worldwide, and more.

On the anniversary of Abigail Adams' famous plea to 'Remember the Ladies,' RepresentWomen covers Susan Crawford's landmark Wisconsin Supreme Court victory, a bipartisan fight for proxy voting in Congress, and ranked choice voting's latest win in Skokie, Illinois.

In the final week of Women's History Month, RepresentWomen looks ahead to women's prospects for the 2028 presidency, possible woman governors in Alaska and Maine, and the fight for state Voting Rights Acts, while sounding the alarm on how the SAVE Act and Trump's pink tariffs would disproportionately burden women.

As spring arrives, RepresentWomen shares recordings from the 2025 Democracy Solutions Summit and marks the anniversary of the Equal Rights Amendment — while highlighting alarming global rollbacks on women's rights and a new UN report linking democratic erosion to attacks on gender equality.

RepresentWomen releases a new brief showing how Mexico's proportional voting system and gender quotas have delivered 50% women in Congress — a blueprint the U.S. and Canada have yet to follow — while previewing the 2025 Democracy Solutions Summit.

On the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration, a new UN report reveals one in four countries saw backlash on women's rights in 2024 — a sobering backdrop as RepresentWomen wraps up its Democracy Solutions Summit and looks ahead to 2026.