Washington, DC – In a crucial assessment one year ahead of the pivotal 2024 elections, the nonprofit She Should Run has issued a clarion call for a paradigm shift in political representation, citing a serious plateau in the advancement of women to elected roles. The just-published “State of Women: 2023 Multiplier Report and Roadmap” spotlights the need for an intensified effort to bolster female participation in the electoral process moving forward.
Gleaned from a broad spectrum of female voices across the country and backed by research from 2020 to 2023, the report pinpoints a significant finding: women of diverse backgrounds and beliefs require sustained and varied encouragement to contemplate public office candidacy.
Erin Loos Cutraro, the Founder and CEO of She Should Run, emphasized the issue’s deep roots, noting the rarity of women’s representation surges like that seen in 2018 and the necessity for long-term strategies to cultivate candidates. “The journey to the ballot box begins long before any campaign,” Cutraro stated. “For more women to emerge as political contenders, we must fundamentally alter our approach to candidate development.”
The organization’s investigation reveals that women who are now seeking office in 2024 were likely motivated years prior. Thus, the report advocates for a departure from old-guard recruitment tactics and the elite narrative, urging a more inclusive and community-rooted engagement approach.
Outlined within the report are four pivotal steps to enhance female electoral participation:
- Normalize and amplify the call to political service among women with untapped leadership capacities, bypassing conventional recruitment filters.
- Simplify the entry into politics, debunking myths about the prerequisites for office by providing straightforward resources and guidance.
- Cater resources to women’s varied interests and life experiences, emphasizing leadership growth over standard candidate training.
- Foster inspiration and widespread advocacy, enlisting dedicated leaders to expand the network of women considering public office.
She Should Run has already inspired nearly 5 million instances of contemplation about political leadership among women and has encouraged over 128,000 to take initial steps toward potential candidacies. The organization is committed to utilizing the report’s insights to further inspire women to realize their leadership potential, with an ultimate goal of achieving a government that mirrors its constituency.
The full report offers a deeper dive into how to become an agent of change for women’s representation.
She Should Run operates as a nonpartisan entity dedicated to significantly raising the number of women from varied backgrounds who are eyeing elected positions, awakening women to their leadership potential. Further information can be found at sheshouldrun.org.
