Political Representation, Boards and Commissions, & Civic Engagement/Advocacy                                                                                     

Within the Community Engagement category of the Bolder Way Forward is the “Political Representation, Boards and Commissions, & Civic Engagement/Advocacy” spoke. This area of focus includes three working groups. First, political representation focuses on electing women for public office at the municipal, district, county, state, and national levels. Second, civic representation centers on increasing the number and percentages of women on state and local boards, commissions, and committees. And third, the work in this spoke will also focus on expanding civic education and increasing engagement and advocacy among the women of Utah. To learn more, listen to the spoke leaders discuss the work on this 15-minute podcast.

Spoke Leaders

Bold Vision & Goals

To make Utah a place where more girls and women can thrive, the Political Representation, Boards and Commissions, & Civic Engagement/Advocacy spoke leaders and partners have crafted the vision and goals below. Spoke leadership and UWLP team members are currently working to collect baseline data that will assist in adding numbers to the changes we want to see by 2026 and 2030.

Vision: Have equal representation of women and men in political roles, boards and commissions, and as advocates in all spaces.

Goals: 

1. Increase female candidates and elected officials in Utah.
   
   1. Increase female candidate representation in municipal elections 12% by 2026 and 25% by 2030. [Metric Forthcoming]
   2. Increase female elected officials in municipal and county elections, including mayors (by 25 women in 2030), city/town council seats (by 118 women in 2030), and county commissioners/council members (by 11 women by 2030). [Metrics]
   3. Maintain parity of school district boards. [Metric]
   4. Increase female elected officials in state-level positions, including state senate seats (increase by 3 women in 2030), house of representatives (increase by 7-8 women by 2030), and executive roles (2 of 5 seats by 2030). [Metrics]
   5. Maintain parity of the State Board of Education elected seats. [Metric]
2. Increase women appointed to Utah state boards and commissions from by 10% in 2030 (a total increase of about 300 women). [Metric]
3. Foster a 15% increase in women engagement and membership rates within advocacy and civic engagement organizations by 2030. [Metric Forthcoming]
4. Build the pipeline of future female leaders and advocates by increasing youth engagement. [Metric Forthcoming]
5. Change Utahns’ agreement (understanding and perceptions) in the following areas: [Metric Dashboard]
   1. If a woman were to serve in a political role, it would negatively impact her family. [Decrease agreement by 10% by 2026 and 20% by 2030]
   2. Women are well suited for elected political positions. [Increase agreement by 10% by 2026 and 20% by 2030]
   3. I understand how to get involved in civic activities. [Increase women’s agreement by 10% by 2026 and 20% by 2030]
   4. I engage in efforts important to the wellbeing of my community. [Increase women’s agreement by 10% by 2026 and 20% by 2030]

Thriving Statement: Women and girls thrive when they can live in a society where the views, priorities, and needs of women, girls, and families are equally represented and valued.

Partners

Working Group Leaders

• Boards/Commissions: Brooke Scheffler (Director of Boards and Commissions, Office of the Governor, State of Utah) & Ann Mackin (Founder and President, Springboard Utah)
• Civic Engagement/Advocacy: Kelleen Potter (Executive Director, Utah Ranked Choice Voting) & Gina Timmerman (Board Member, Utah Women Run & Women’s Work Utah)
• Communications: Jennifer Weaver & Annie Studer
• Political Representation: Bettina Smith Edmondson (City Councilwoman, Layton City)
• Research: TBD