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Pages tagged "Topic:Ranked Choice Voting"

Voting Systems and Women's Representation

 

Women’s political representation is vital to sustaining good governance worldwide. But while women comprise over half of the world’s population, men still hold the majority of seats in almost every legislature. Research has shown that diversity in political representation leads to more inclusive and effective lawmaking. Women, in particular, bring different forms of consensus building and attention to various policy issues, including but not limited to “women’s issues” such as healthcare, childcare, and education. This means that political processes and outcomes suffer when women are excluded from office.

RepresentWomen has been studying the relationship between voting systems and women’s political representation for the last five years. Through our research, we have found that voting systems shape opportunities for women to enter politics. In both the United States and around the world, cases like New York City, South Africa, and New Zealand further demonstrate the viability of major system changes and the potential impact of adopting a new voting system.

The following memo presents an update to our analysis of voting systems globally, their impact on women’s representation, and the case for proportional ranked choice voting in the United States. Where appropriate, we also discuss the role of complementary candidate-focused strategies and initiatives, such as gender quotas and candidate recruitment groups.

Download Memo


Ranked Choice Voting and Women's Representation

The following memo presents an update to our 2020 analysis of voting systems in the U.S. and their impact on women’s representation. 

Overall, we have found that women continue to fare better in jurisdictions that use ranked choice voting than in cities with plurality voting systems. Of the 30 cities that use ranked choice voting to elect their executives (mayors), 12 (40%) are currently represented by women. In the 41 cities that use ranked choice voting to elect their legislatures (councils, boards), almost half of all electeds (137 of 282, or 49%) are women.

RCV remains one of the most promising tools for advancing women’s representation in the United States.

For more information about our work and the resources we provide, please contact our team at [email protected].

Released: January 23, 2023

View the Memo 


RCV Day 2023

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RCV Cities Snapshot (Mayors)

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Women's Representation in RCV Cities Snapshot - Councils

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Ranked Choice Voting Interactive Dashboard

In 2022, we released an interactive dashboard to present the latest data on women's representation in ranked choice cities. In addition to providing summary data on where ranked choice voting (RCV) is used and its impact on local representation, the RCV Dashboard includes updated case studies on the impact of ranked voting on women's representation in Cambridge, New York City, the Bay Area, and Utah.

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Updated: January 2023

 


The Twin-Track Ecosystem in the 100 Largest Cities Report

Released: October 2022

In 2022, we released a follow-up to our report on women's representation in New York City, “Why Women Won in 2021.” In the report, we expand upon and re-evaluate our findings by researching 1) women’s representation in the next-largest cities in the U.S., and 2) which of the factors we observed in NYC are also present in these cities. The report concludes with a list of guiding takeaways,  aimed at changemakers interested in bringing the best practices and strategies that worked in New York City to other major cities. 

View the Report 


Why Women Won in 2021

Released: September 2022

In 2022, we released a report on the outcome of the 2021 elections in New York City. RepresentWomen partnered with The New Majority NYC (formerly 21 in '21) to study 1) the impact of term limits, matching funds, ranked choice voting, and candidate-focused strategies on women's representation, 2) how these factors worked together to bring NYC a majority-women council for the first time in history, and 3) what it will take to maintain and build upon this success story in the future. 

View the Report Executive Summary


RCV Equip Toolkit

Based on a survey of about 40 allies and partners in 2021, we found that allies and RCV advocates are most interested in:

  • 2 and 1-pager Summaries
  • Data Visualization
  • Full-length research reports
  • Best practices guides for advancing and adopting RCV: Coming Soon!

The target audience for this Equip Toolkit are individuals and organizations who are active in advancing RCV in their localities.

The aim is that this Equip Toolkit will equip you to speak more fluently and confidently to the benefits RCV has specifically on representation in your lobby and advocacy work.

Download the RCV Equip Toolkit 

 

 


Policy Solutions for Gender Balanced Representation

Electing more women to government will strengthen our democracy by making it more representative, improving policy outcomes, encouraging a new style of leadership, and cultivating trust in our elected bodies. 

To advance women's representation and leadership in the United States, we must adopt proven policy solutions that address the structural barriers women face as candidates & as elected officials. These institutional strategies are a natural complement to individual candidate training programs.

 

Download the Policy Solutions 2-pager


Gender balanced funding and recruitment targets so more women RUN

Establish or join a Women’s Caucus that oversees the following:

  • Developing targets for the recruitment of women candidates.
  • Evaluating the best practices to encourage more women to run.
  • Preparing an annual report on the status of women's representation in: party leadership, elected offices, and appointed positions.

Support legislation that allows candidates to use campaign funds to pay for childcare expenses.


Ranked choice voting so more women WIN

Upgrade the voting system to use ranked choice voting (also known as instant run-off voting) for both single and multi-winner elections. Maine and Alaska are the only US states who have used RCV in statewide elections - Alaska's first use being in 2022. Maine is ranked second in RepresentWomen’s 2022 Gender Parity Index.

Policy language examples:

Example: FairVote's Model Statute 

Example: Statewide Maine


Legislative rules changes so more women can SERVE

Modernize the governmental workplace so that all legislators can serve effectively once elected with the following rules changes:

  • On-site childcare
  • Paid leave for legislators
  • Telecommuting Proxy voting
  • Family-friendly schedules
  • Living wages for legislators

Policy language examples:

Example: Santa Fe Living Wage Ordinance 

Example: Family Friendly Workplace Ordinance, San Francisco 

Example of On-site Childcare in Practice 


Gender balanced appointment targets so more women LEAD

Recruitment for top staff and leadership positions must engage diverse slates of candidates to ensure gender balanced representation.

Adopt rules for gender balanced appointments. Commit to diverse appointments to cabinets, commissions and vacancies, establishing or maintaining gender balance as the norm.

Policy language examples:

Example: 2009 Iowa Gender Balanced Boards and Commissions 

Example: Illinois Gender Balanced Appointments Act 

Example: North Dakota Century Code