Kansas led the nation in the overall number of women elected to government offices in 1993, according a report by Representation 2020. Since then, the state’s rank has fallen to 24th in the nation. Kansas received a gender parity score of 18.6 out of 100 in the report. A score of 50 would indicate gender parity, which is “the point at which women and men are equally likely to hold elected office in the state.”

According to national rankings, Arizona places fifth in the country for gender parity. Last Monday, Representation 2020 assigned all 50 U.S. states a Gender Parity Score, which was evaluated on the balance of male­ and female elected officials. The score intends to measure the electoral success of female candidates running for positions in all levels of government on a scale of zero to 100. A score of 50 would indicate that both men and women are represented equally in government positions.

But that may mistakenly lead folks to conclude women have made more progress in politics than they actually have. According to FairVote’s Representation 2020 project, it will take 500 years for women to reach parity with men in elected office in America. Some states have never elected a woman to Congress or the governor’s mansion. And that’s the tip of the iceberg.

Radio interview with Cynthia Terrell

Women in Elected Office Cynthia Terrell talked about Representation 2020's report, The State of Women’s Representation 2015-2016: A Blueprint for Reaching Gender Parity, which shows women are underrepresented in national, state, and local-level elected offices. She also examined possible solutions to achieve parity. She responded to telephone calls and electronic communications, including a telephone line reserved for female legislators.

Women make up 50.8% of the population in the United States, but only 19% of Congress. Do we still live in a representative democracy if women are not being equally represented? It is easy to advertise these statistics and demand change, but if you have no actual plan to achieve gender parity, then your quest may be in vain. Representation 2020 seeks to present a plan...

Electoral success for female politicians in the state of Georgia is rare, a recent study found. Georgia received the second lowest score out of 50 states for its lack of female success in local, state and national elections, according to a study conducted by Representation2020 on the ratio of men to women in elected positions.

Once a leader in the number of women elected to office, Kansas is now in the middle of the pack for gender parity, according to a recent report. Representation2020, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, gives a gender parity score to each state. Kansas received 18.6 this year, placing it 24th overall nationwide. Last year, it was ranked 14th nationwide.

At Sue Minter’s gubernatorial campaign kickoff earlier this week, former Gov. Madeleine Kunin – an early supporter of Minter’s and the only woman to hold the post – gestured with her hand as if she was holding a torch.