Women and minorites underrepresented in government
Women and minorities are under-represented by leadership, regardless of a state’s partisan leanings, according to the National Representation Index (NRI), a state-by-state analysis of the race and gender of 42,000 elected officials from the county to the federal level.
Released by the Reflective Democracy Campaign of the Women Donors Network, the NRI found that 71 percent of elected officials are men, 90 percent are white and 65 percent are white males. White males make up 31 percent of the population, but hold four times the political power of women and people of color.
The Women Donors Network says ideally, representation in America should be more equal, but this shift must begin at the local level.
“Our first goal is to catalyze a crucial national conversation about who leads our nation, and the NRI provides a perfect spark,” Donna Hall, president and CEO of the Women Donors Network, said in a statement. “The NRI shows clearly that the conversational about political representation is not just about Congress, but must focus on states and local government as well.”
At the state level, representation in New Hampshire most accurately reflected the state’s population, while Georgia’s representation was most skewed.
See how your state ranked using the tool below:
Who Leads Us?
For more information on local representation, watch the video – and for more inspiration to get out and vote, click here.
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This article makes the
This article makes the assumption that each group would only represent the interests of its own population. I find that offensive. The author seems to want to fan the flames of division. I’m so tired of that. Please tell me that American City & County has more to offer than this.
men <60%
men <60%