Women’s Representation: Trump Drives Away Women Voters in “Historic” Numbers

Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation.

This week: RepresentWomen’s Gender Parity Index map tracks women’s progress state by state; how Trump and his allies are driving away women voters; the 21 in ’21 initiative to get more women elected to the NYC Council; a historic number of women are running for Parliament in Egypt; the growing call for gender quotas in Somalia; ranked-choice voting is on the ballot; honoring witches—past and present; must-read feminist thrillers; and more.

Democracy is Worth Waiting For

We are going to go to bed on election night, not knowing the results of the presidential election or the dozens of down-ballot races in every state.

And we will be fine. This year, we are going to have to wait for democracy to run its course.

Asian Americans in the 2020 Election: Our Survival is Political

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and a national reckoning with racism, Sarah Min argues, “Now is the time for Asian Americans to come together to fight for racial, economic and social justice.”

In Min’s home state of Pennsylvania, there are over 230,000 Asian Americans in Pennsylvania who are eligible to vote but have not registered. Therefore, she is calling on Asian Americans to “become more civically engaged for the liberation of all people.”

Indian Country is Riding to the Polls

Navajo Nation resident and activist Allie Young—who has been leading voter registration and other voting and census efforts throughout Indian Country through her organization Protect the Sacred—has been organizing “Ride to the Polls,” to encourage Navajo Nation voters to cast their ballots in the 2020 election.

A Record Number of Voters Will Decide on Ranked-Choice Voting Ballot Measures This November

Ranked-choice voting (RCV) is a non-partisan reform which gives voters more voice and more choice in our elections. RCV benefits voters more than any one political party because it promotes majority support and creates incentives for candidates to reach out to a larger audience of voters.

In this year’s elections, the largest number of jurisdictions in American history will have RCV measures on their ballots.