When January hit, the internet flooded with stories about women around the country vying for political offices — some looking to return and many others looking to dive right in.
In April 2018, 472 women entered House races. More than 50 women looked to enter their respective Senate races. Nearly 70 women threw their hat into their individual gubernatorial races, according to The New Yorker.
Of that original total, a record 256 women will be on general election ballots for Congress this November, according to The Seattle Times.
However, these names on upcoming ballots won’t just represent females. They will represent women of color, members of the LGBTQA community, mothers and first-time politicians.
These attributes show women in office most often means diversity in office. Time and time again, we know that with diverse representation, constituents are more likely to voice their opinions and vote.
Of the 100 members of the United States Senate, just 23 women hold seats. Of the 435 members of the House, just 84 women hold seats.
Hailey Stewart | Argonaut
Idaho’s four national leaders in both the House and the Senate are all male, and it has been that way for years.
While a majority of the women running for political office nationally are running on democratic tickets, it can feel nearly impossible to elect female voices into leadership roles in deeply-Republican states like Idaho.
However, change can be made on multiple levels.
Even if our state lacks chance in electing a female representative in Congress or to the governor’s seat, we can help elsewhere.
Support candidates that bring diverse views and backgrounds from other states. Share their information on social media and help campaign in the last month from afar.
Not all support has to begin with top representatives. Engaging women at the ultra-local level — city council, school boards and town programming — opens a door early on for young women looking to get involved.
Women are not just mothers, sisters, daughters and friends — they are leaders, decision makers, politicians and voices for those often unheard.
During last week’s National Voter Registration Day, a record 800,000 people registered, according to CNN. That makes another 800,000 people gearing up to elect new ideas and change this upcoming midterm.
We have just over a month to make individual female voices count so that future female leaders can succeed. It’s not enough to say change is occuring simply because we have seen a wave of females running for office. Until their campaign efforts come to fruition, that won’t be enough.
No matter what your political affiliation might be, the leadership of the country has been largely male and white for too long, stifling diversity and opinion.
Think female Nov. 6 for a more diverse, more hopeful and more influential political landscape in 2019.
Hailey Stewart can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @Hailey_ann97