1. Women’s Participation in Politics in the United States & Iowa
As voters
As political candidates
As elected officials

2. How women won the right to vote in the united states

3. League of women voters
Founded by Carrie Chapman Catt – who was raised in Charles City, IA, and graduated from Iowa State in 1880 – on Feb. 14, 1920 at the annual convention of the National American Woman Suffrage Association – 6 months before ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
League of Women Voters replaced NAWSA after amendment ratified
League of Women Voters still active today at local, state & national levels – non-partisan; open to women & men
In her presidential speech at the 1920 convention, Catt outlined her vision for an organization that would work within parties, but across party lines:
“In the League of Women Voters we have this anomaly: We are going to be a semi-political organization. We want to do political things. We want legislation. We are going to educate for citizenship. In that body we must be non-partisan and all partisan. Democrats from Alabama and Republicans from New Hampshire must be friends and work together for the same things and without doubt of each other's sincerity.”

4. The history and influence of women as voters in U.S.
1920s – Immigrant and uneducated women most hesitant to vote; women living in Western U.S. more likely to vote at rates similar to men in other areas of country
– Number of women voters in presidential elections larger than the number of men voters
1964 – 1.7 million more women than men voted
2016 – 9.9 million more women than men voted
– Number of women voters in mid-term elections larger than the number of men voters
1966 – 1.1. million more women than men voted
2018 – 8.4 million more women than men voted

5. The history and influence of women as voters in u.s.
– Proportion of women voting in presidential elections larger than the proportion of men voting
1980 – 61.9% of women vs 61.5% of men voted (+.4%)
2016 – 63.3% of women vs 59.3% of men voted (+4%)
– Proportion of women voting in mid-term elections larger than the proportion of men voting
1986 – 48.4% of women vs 48.2% of men voted (+.2%)
2018 –  55% of women vs 52% of men voted (+3%)
– More women than men are registered to vote
1980 – 6.4 million more women than men (55.7 million vs million)
2018 – 9.6 million more women than men (81.3 million vs million)

6. The History and influence of women as voters in U.S.
“Gender Gap” – The difference in the percentage of women and the percentage of men voting for a given candidate
In every presidential election since 1980 – 47% women vs 55% of men (8-point gap) voted for President Reagan
Ranges from 4 points (1992) to 11 points (1996 & 2016) for winning candidate
55% of women vs 44% of men voted for President Clinton in 1996
41% of women vs 52% of men voted for President Trump in 2016
54% of women vs 41% of men voted for Hillary Clinton in (+13 points)
10-point gender gap in 2000 and 2012
44% of women vs 54% of men voted for President G.W. Bush in
55% of women vs 45% of men voted for President Obama in 2012

7. Gender Gap differs by race, ethnicity & Marital Status

8. Women Voters in Iowa
Iowa ranks 9th for women’s political participation
5th in women’s voter turn-out (60.2% average)
8th in women’s voter registration (73.3% average)

9. History of women as political candidates in U.S.
Late 1860s to 1920 – Some 3,500 women campaigned for and/or were elected to more than 60 different political offices
U.S. Senate – 215 women major party candidates from 1970 to 2018
135 Democrats (63%) & 80 Republicans (37%)
Record 23 women candidates in 2018 (15D, 8R)
U.S. House – 2,543 women major party candidates from 1970 to 2018
1,666 Democrats (66%) & 877 Republicans (34%)
Record 235 women candidates in 2018 (183D, 52R)

10. History of women as Political candidates in u.S.
Governor – 125 women major party candidates from to 2018
83 Democrats (66%) & 42 Republicans (34%)
Record 16 women candidates in 2018 (12D, 4R)
Lt. Governor – 273 women major party candidates from to 2018
155 Democrats (57%) & 118 Republicans (43%)
Record 28 women candidates in 2018 (17D, 11R)
State Legislature – 48,621 women have run from 1974 to
Record 3,418 women candidates in 2018
2,402 Democrats (70%); 993 Republicans (29%); 23 non-partisan & other party (1%)

11. History of women political candidates in iowa
11 Iowa women (3 Democrats, 1 Republican, 7 other party) have run in 8 general elections as their party’s nominee for the U.S. Senate between
28 Iowa women (15 Democrats, 3 Republicans, 10 other party) have run in 19 general elections as their party’s nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives between 1962 and 2018
10 Iowa women (2 Democrats, 1 Republican, 7 other party) have run in 7 general elections as their party’s nominee for governor from to 2018
21 women (5 Democrats, 5 Republicans, 11 other party) have appeared on 9 general election ballots as lieutenant governor from to 2018

12. History of women political candidates in iowa
12 women (4 Democrats, 4 Republicans, 4 other party) have run in 11 general elections for secretary of state from 1932 to 2018
4 women (1 Democrat, 1 Republican, 2 other party) have run in 6 general elections for state auditor from 1982 to 2018
4 women (3 Democrats, 1 other party) have run in 5 general elections for secretary of agriculture from 1994 to 2014
3 women (1 Democrat, 1 Republican, 1 other party) have run for attorney general in 1990, 1998 & 2010
2 women (1 Republican, 1 other party) have run for state treasurer in & 1998

13. History of women political candidates in IOwa

14. History & Influence of Women as Elected Officials
3,415 women ran in 4,654 campaigns for local, state and federal office before the 19th Amendment was ratified
1853 – Olive Rose elected register of deeds by the men of Lincoln County, ME
1855 – Teachers Lydia Hall and Marietta Patrick elected to the Ashfield, MA, school board
1869 – Julia Addington elected Mitchell County superintendent of schools in Iowa
1887 – Susanna Salter elected mayor of Argonia, KS
1892 – Laura Eisenhuth elected state superintendent of schools in ND
1894 – 3 Republican women elected to the Colorado general assembly
1896 – Dr. Martha Hughes Cannon elected to Utah state senate

15. History & Influence of Women as Elected Officials
1916 – Jeannette Rankin (Republican-MT) elected to the U.S. House of Representatives
1925 – Democrat Nellie Tayloe Ross won a special election to replace her deceased husband as governor of Wyoming
1932 – Hattie Wyatt Caraway (D-AK) elected to U.S. Senate following death of her husband
1964 – Patsy Mink (Democrat-HI) first Asian American woman elected to Congress
1968 – Shirley Chisholm (Democrat-NY) first African American woman elected to Congress

16. History & Influence of Women as Elected Officials
1992 – “Year of the Woman” – number of women serving in the U.S. Congress jumped from 32 to 54 (4 to 7 in the U.S. Senate & 28 to 47 in the House)
2007 – Nancy Pelosi (Democrat-CA) first woman elected speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
Re-elected in 2009 & 2019
2018 – Record numbers of women elected to U.S. Senate (14), U.S. House (102), state governor (9/tie 2004, 2007) & state legislatures (1,834)
Record 25 women now serve in U.S. Senate, 102 in U.S. House, 9 governors and 2,131 in state legislatures

17. History and influence of women as elected officials in IOwa
2014 – Republican U.S. Senator Joni Ernst becomes 1st woman elected to U.S. Congress from Iowa
2018 – Democrats Cindy Axne (3rd Congressional District) & Abby Finkenauer (1st Congressional District) become 1st women elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa
2018 – Republican Kim Reynolds becomes 1st woman elected governor of Iowa
As Lt. Governor, Reynolds became governor in 2017 to fill vacancy created when Gov. Branstad appointed ambassador to China
A woman has served as Iowa’s lieutenant governor from May 2017
Jo Ann Zimmerman (D ); Joy Corning (R ); Sally Pederson (D ); Patty Judge (D ); Kim Reynolds (R )

18. History and influence of women as elected officials in IOwa
2011 – State Representative Linda Upmeyer (R) begins her term as 1st woman elected House majority leader in Iowa
3 women – Ola Babcock Miller (D ), Mary Jane Odell (R ) & Elaine Baxter (D ) – have served as Iowa secretary of state
Democrat Bonnie Campbell elected Iowa’s 1st (and only) woman attorney general to serve from
Democrat Patty Judge elected Iowa’s 1st (and only) woman secretary of agriculture to serve from
Republican Mary Mosiman appointed in 2013 & elected in to serve as Iowa’s 1st (and only) woman state auditor from

19. History of women serving in the iowa state legislature

20. Women in elected office in 2019
Women now comprise:
23.7% of women in U.S. Congress (25 in Senate, 102 in House)
Ranks 76th in world (up from 100th in 2018; 104th in 2017)
27.6% of women in statewide executive office
9 women governors – Iowa’s Kim Reynolds
28.9% of women in state legislatures
Iowa ranks 23rd (up from 31st in 2018) with 45 women (11 Senate, 34 House) = 30%
20.9% of women mayors of cities 30,000+
27% of women mayors of 100 largest cities

21. Does women’s representation matter?
Research shows that women in elected state and federal office are:
More likely to introduce legislation of particular importance to women (children, families, women’s rights)
More likely to view government as a tool to serve underrepresented or minority groups
More likely to work across party lines, even in highly partisan environments
Perceived as more honest and collaborative, more likely than men to work to improve the quality of life for Americans & more likely to stand up for their beliefs even under political pressure

22. Sources
Bystrom, Dianne G., and Barbara Burrell (Editors) Women in the American Political System: An Encyclopedia of Women as Voters, Candidates, and Office Holders. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics Women in Iowa Politics Database. Center for American Women and Politics Facts.

23. 2014 U.S. Senate campaign ad: joni Ernst “squeal”

24. 2018 U.S. House campaign ad: Cindy Axne “start”

25. 2018 Iowa governor’s race ad: Kim Reynolds “Training”

26. 2018 U.S. House campaign ad: Abby finkenauer “Dinner Table”

27. Questions for class discussion
What about your woman’s background qualifies her most for elected office?
What are some of the issues your woman campaigned upon and/or advocates for in elected office?
How has your woman elected official impacted public policy at the state or federal level, for example through legislation introduced, supported or enacted?