Impact Report: Female Political Representation

In August of 2016, the Utah Women and Leadership Project along with the YWCA of Utah brought a group of experts together to identify current resources/strengths, challenges, and potential interventions that would help increase Utah's female political representation.  What follows are their recommendations organized by category. To view the full impact recommendations report please click here.

Financial Incentives and Support

• Create PACs for female candidates - how to promote, encourage, etc.
• Offer training and education on self-promotion and unconscious bias.
• Have strategic conversations with major donors/decision-makers in Utah politics, including current elected officials.
• Bring fundraising training into everything RWR, WLI, and UWLP does.

Capability Building

• Reach out to PTA (Sheryl).
• Create a media campaign and press outreach regarding why we need women in politics at all levels.
• Design consistent messaging with/from all of us. (Pat to develop one-pager).
• Have networking conversations and do outreach with elected officials and those who have worked on campaigns and been engaged in the community in various ways.
• Encourage and empower women more generally; identify and reach out to civically engaged women, educate them on personal benefits of running, and provide tools on moving forward.
• RWR is moving statewide this year (spring 2017). Explore potential of WLI and UWLP collaboration with this expansion.
• UWLP and WLI in partnership for more general women's leadership evening events in rural areas - touching on women in politics.

Advocacy and Shaping Attitudes

• Create consistent messaging. This way, more people will see the importance of women in political leadership positions.
• Find ways to include men and bring them in on the efforts. We must educate, raise awareness, and challenge assumptions.
• Connect with LDS  church on what messaging might be helpful for women.

Laws, Policies, and Regulations

• Explore agricultural extension services for women.
• Continue exploring more options for women. For example, SB 54 even with a challenging start has potential and provides options.
• Continue to offer training through Real Women Run and WLI on "how to" with SB 54 path to ballot.
• Assist WIEC in becoming a robust body to contribute, including a possible path to info on SB 54 and how/why women utilize it or not.

Research and Data

• Consider options for adding gender to the filing form; the form is in statute so understanding if it needs legislation to add gender is important.
• Look at other states and sources of data (Erin).
• Add special service districts, expand database, and add photo and bio/statement for the public and make gender data available at back office level only.
• Provide incentives or strategies for county clerks to actually submit information; consider highlighting candidates and elected officials who are missing.
• Explore the data that is already available through the Lt. Governor’s Office.

Clearly, there are actions any citizen can take regardless of professional position, education level or socio-economic status. If we utilized these recommendations, it is possible to change the way women in Utah are represented politically. To learn more about female political representation in Utah read the original research brief or full list of recommendations.