Colorado women continue leading the way in achieving elected office
by Erin Hotterstein
Fort Collins - New research from Colorado 50-50 shows that women won 54.5% of school board seats in 2019, higher than the national average.
From August through November 2019, a total of 479 people participated in the process - they filed as candidates, ran for office, and/or were appointed. Out of those, 314 people took seats on 129 different school boards.
Across the nation, school boards are remarkable for their gender parity compared with other elected offices. This was also true in Colorado where women both ran in higher numbers and won at higher rates. Of all the Coloradans who participated in the school board selection process, 255 were women and 224 were men. If you look only at the pool of contest winners, women won 124 seats and men won 97.
One interesting finding was that at least 91 people (46 women and 45 men) “won by acclamation.” That means that there were either just enough candidates or not enough, and so the school board cancelled the election.
“Some women looking to get more involved in their communities might find lower barriers to getting elected to the school board,” said Colorado 50-50 Founder Erin Hottenstein.
The research also showed an eight-point difference between urban and rural districts. Front Range women won almost 62% of the seats, while rural women won about 54% of seats. In rural areas, there are many more districts and board seats.
“There is a tremendous opportunity for rural Colorado women to step up to leadership and make a difference in their communities,” Hottenstein said. “We hope that women from across Colorado will begin thinking now about running for school board in 2021 and contact us so that we can support them.”
The research can be found here: http://www.colorado5050.org/2020/08/29/colorado-women-continue-leading-the-way-in-achieving-elected-office/
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