Yesterday, journalist Jessica Valenti wrote about “The Niceness Trap” we’ve seen on display this week. She wrote: When 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg spoke at the United Nations yesterday, she was not cute or pleasing… She was powerful and most definitely not “nice.” There is a reason men resort to calling women “nasty” or …

  Interested in electoral reform and electing more women, but overwhelmed by the prospect of abolishing the Electoral College? You may want to learn about ranked choice voting (RCV).  What is Ranked Choice Voting? RCV is an electoral system where instead of choosing just one favorite, voters rank as many candidates as they want in …

  As we celebrate National Voter Registration Day, here’s a reminder: Women have voted at higher rates than men in every presidential election since 1964. The Women & Politics Institute at American University did a deep dive right after the 2018 midterm elections into what women voters are prioritizing, and here are four things to …

  Happy Friday! Welcome to our Media Round Up. Each week we’re collecting and sharing our favorite gender + politics stories. Here’s what caught our eye this week: Record Number of Female Candidates Prompting New Debate Approach By Jim Lokay, Fox 5 DC’s “The Final 5” In case you missed it, our own Amanda Hunter …

  With the record number of women seeking the White House in 2020, talk of their “electability” has bubbled up again. So what does that mean? And what lessons did voters learn from last week’s debate? Amanda Hunter from the Barbara Lee Family Foundation joined Jim on “The Final 5” to talk about its new …

  Seeing a woman run for President is no longer a novelty thanks to Hillary Clinton’s 2008 and 2016 campaigns. What is new in 2020 is women candidates’ willingness to run as women without apology.  In the wake of 2016, many have finally embraced a new willingness to talk about the experience of navigating the …

  In case you couldn’t make it, you can watch the full panel here: Captions available under video settings   On September 18th at American University, experts gathered for a panel discussion about Gender on the Ballot’s latest research: “What Does Electability Mean to Voters?” Betsy Fischer Martin from American University’s Women & Politics Institute …