Parity starts with participation — are you ready for Voter Registration Day?
Access Is the Foundation of Representation
At RepresentWomen, our mission is to pass systems reforms that help more women run, win, serve, and lead. But for those reforms to succeed — and for women leaders to be elected — women must first be able to fully participate as voters.
That’s why National Voter Registration Day next Tuesday, September 16th, is about more than checking a box — it’s about ensuring women’s voices can shape the future of our democracy.
Why Voter Registration Matters for Women
As we reflected in a recent Ms. Magazine piece marking Women’s Equality Day, the fight for women’s equality has always been about more than securing the right to vote. The suffragists understood that while the 19th Amendment was a milestone, it was not the finish line. Full enfranchisement for many women of color came only with the Voting Rights Act decades later, and even today, the promise of equality remains unfinished.
RepresentWomen’s 2025 Gender Parity Index shows just how far we still have to go: women make up only 28% of Congress, 24% of governors, 34% of state legislators, and 25% of mayors in major cities. Half of U.S. states still earn a “D” grade for women’s representation.
The lesson is clear: access to the ballot is the foundation of representation. When women can fully participate, they not only elect more women leaders but also advance systematic reforms like ranked choice voting (RCV). With equitable access, RCV delivers: more women run, more women win. Washington, D.C.’s 2024 RCV victory shows that momentum is building, and in New York City, the reform has already reshaped leadership. As our Women in Power analysis shows, RCV helped elect the most representative City Council in NYC history — today, 61% of seats are held by women. This is what progress looks like when access drives systems change.
But we cannot take this progress for granted. That’s why in our Weekend Reading, we called the SAVE Act what it is: a women’s representation issue. The legislation creates new hurdles for registration that disproportionately affect women who change their names after marriage or divorce. For millions of women, this is not just a bureaucratic inconvenience: it is a direct threat to our political voice. These barriers don’t just suppress votes — they stall progress toward parity.
Systemic Barriers to Women’s Political Power
Voter registration is more than a procedural step — it’s the gateway to representation. When women face obstacles to registering and voting, those barriers ripple outward: fewer women voters mean fewer women elected, fewer reforms advanced, and slower progress toward gender parity.
Here are some of the most pressing barriers that undermine women’s full political power:
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Women vote at higher rates than men — but with diversity. Since 1980, women have registered and turned out at higher rates than men in every presidential election (CAWP). Yet, as research from the Center for American Women and Politics reminds us, women voters are not a monolith. The gender gap interacts with race, education, religion, and marital status — with Black women and Latinas emerging as some of the most reliable Democratic voters. In contrast, white women remain more divided in their vote choice. Recognizing this diversity is essential: equitable access to registration ensures all women voters can shape the future of our democracy.
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Mothers face disproportionate challenges. Research from allies like Bipartisan Policy Center Action and Pivotal Ventures shows that more than a quarter of voters are also caregivers — and caregiving responsibilities often make it harder to find the time to register or cast a ballot. For mothers, especially single mothers, these burdens create significant barriers to full participation.
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Name changes create roadblocks. Nearly 90% of women change their surname after marriage, compared to only about 5% of men. A Pew Research Center survey confirms that most women in opposite-sex marriages (79%) take their spouse’s last name, compared with just 5% of men — leaving women far more vulnerable to registration mismatches under strict ID requirements or the SAVE Act.
- Reforms depend on participation. Ranked choice voting and other systemic reforms only succeed if women can fully access the ballot box. Analyses from Ms. Magazine and Political Parity show that women’s turnout is pivotal for advancing both women candidates and democracy reforms. Without equitable participation, progress toward parity stalls.
The Virtuous Circle of Change Starts Here
When women are fully represented in the electorate, they are better positioned to:
- Elect women leaders at every level of government.
- Push for caregiving policies that address real needs.
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Advance democracy reforms like ranked choice voting that level the playing field.
Take Action: Check and Share
National Voter Registration Day is one week away. Don’t wait until it’s too late:
- Take 2 minutes today to check your voter registration.
- Share this link with three women in your life.
Because parity starts with participation — and participation begins with you.