Why Local Government Is the Key to a Feminist Future

I miss her so much. Every single day when I wake up, I wish it were her I saw - and not him. I want so badly to go back in time to do that one thing, whatever it is, that would have enabled me, and all of us, to wake up every morning to a safe, sane United States of America with President Harris in the Oval Office.

But there isn’t one thing that would have changed everything, and there is no going back. There is only going forward, and the only way to get there is together.

But how do we even start?

Like any journey, it begins with the first step.

“Cringe!” you might be saying. “I subscribed to The Female Body Politic for stories about women’s participation in American democracy. Not cheesy self-help!””

But hear me out.

To achieve gender parity at the highest levels of government, we must start with local government.

Here’s why:

According to the latest research by the Center for American Women and Politics, women represent:

• 32.3% of municipal offices

• 26.8% of mayors of cities of 30k

• 32.3% statewide elective executive officeholders

• 24% of Governors

These local and state levels of women’s representation are almost an exact mirror of national representation.

There’s a reason for this.

Most experts will tell you local government is a pipeline to national politics. A run for the Senate often begins with a seat on the City Council.

Don’t believe me?

Former California Congresswoman now LA Mayor Karen Bass started as a Community organizer and founder of the Community Coalition in South Los Angeles and was later elected to the California State Assembly.

Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth was Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs and Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs before she ran for Congress and then the Senate.

Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto served as the Clark County Assistant County Manager before becoming Nevada Attorney General and went on to become the first Latina U.S. Senator in American history.

Municipal governments are also a testing ground for national policies that can be implemented on a local level are adopted nationwide.

Unsurprisingly, Black, Brown, Indigenous, LGBTQ+, working-class, and immigrant women elected officials are leading this charge by implementing transformative feminist policies in their communities.

Take, for instance, Former Compton Mayor Aja Brown, who used conflict resolution management rather than policing to significantly decrease gang violence in the community. During her time in office from 2013 to 2021, violent crime was reduced by about 65 percent compared to its all-time high.

She also oversaw the distribution of monthly universal basic income payments to “pre-verified” low-income residents in a two-year donor-funded program that can serve as a model for other local, state, and federal programs.

Then there’s the case of Kshama Sawant, an economist and member of the Socialist Alternative Party who served on the Seattle City Council from 2014 to 2023, where she made a significant impact by championing progressive and worker-centered policies. Best known for leading the successful campaign to make Seattle the first major U.S. city to adopt a $15 minimum wage, Sawant consistently prioritized the needs of working-class residents.

During her tenure, she also fought for rent control and tenants’ rights and increased taxes on large corporations, such as Amazon, to fund affordable housing and social services. Sawant’s grassroots approach and unwavering commitment to democratic socialism helped shift Seattle’s political landscape and inspired similar movements nationwide.

To create true representation in the federal legislature, the federal judiciary, and the Oval Office, we must begin by electing more women to local government.

While this process will take time, in a lot of ways, it’s great news because the barriers of entry to local government are much lower.

But how do we take that first step?

Great question. There are three main answers.

1. Get involved in local politics.

You don’t have to run for office to make change in your community. For those interested in learning how to pull the levers of power in municipal government as a citizen, I recommend consulting Dr. Nancy Pearson, a local government evangelical. With over two decades of experience serving in, working with, and studying local government, Nancy is one of America’s foremost experts on this bedrock of our nation’s democracy.

To get a taste of all the changes you can effect on the local level, check out her Civics & Coffee series, listen to my recent interview with her, or visit her website. If you’ve got little ones, check out her children’s book, Smalltown City and the Spirit of City Hall all about how kids can influence local policy and change their communities for good.

You can also take a look at her Civic Engagement Pyramid, a brilliant graphic and guide on how to get involved with your community.

Finally, if you’re ready to take the plunge, check out her Local Impact Lab Course, which allows you to unlock your power as a civic leader and start shaping your world, one local issue at a time.

2. Support women candidates for local office.

Find out who is running for Mayor, City Council, County Supervisor, Sheriff, District Attorney, and Assessor in your city. Give money if you can. Volunteer, put up a lawn sign, post to your social media, and talk to your neighbors.

By doing even one of these things, you can sway a local election. According to the National Civic League, 15 to 27 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot in their local election. What’s more, affluent voters have 30-50 percent higher turnout in local elections than low-income voters, and those who are 65+ are seven times more likely to vote in local elections than voters aged 18 to 34.

If you can organize your church, neighborhood, or even apartment building, you can potentially change the outcome of a local election and start building gender parity in government from the ground up.

3. RUN

As Women In Politics author Mary Hayashi points out, more often than men, women don’t believe they are qualified to run for office - even when their actual qualifications are parallel.

Yet, according to RepresentWomen, when female elected officials win, they reduce polarization by engaging in strategies of compromise, working towards consensus, and negotiating across party lines. They are also more likely to prioritize the needs of minorities, adopt rehabilitative approaches to crime, and focus on family and healthcare. Finally, and perhaps most importantly in our current history, women in government increase the public’s trust in government.

Women are more likely to bring this approach to government simply because they have a different life experience than men. It is this life experience - and the fact that, as an American citizen, it is your literal birthright—that qualifies you to run.

If you find yourself asking, “Should I run for office?” I highly recommend checking out Emerge America’s Steps Forward. This one-hour program helps participants lay the foundation for their path to political leadership by teaching them how to navigate the political landscape, grow their networks, and determine their goals.

So what are you waiting for? The next session is on Wednesday, June 11th. Sign up and start building a feminist future the only way we can - from the ground up.