It’s no secret that Utah’s government is dominated by men. However, a new report card scores the Beehive State as one of the worst in the country when it comes to electing women to political office.
Representation2020, which advocates for more women in politics, ranks Utah #46 out of 50 for electing women. Utah is one of four states to receive an “F” grade in the report, joining Mississippi, Louisiana, and Georgia.
The report is broken down into four categories, with a total of 100 points possible. 50 points equal total parity.
- Women in Congress, which is worth a total of 30 points on the scale. Utah gets just 3.3 points for Rep. Mia Love occupying one of the state’s four seats in Congress.
- Women in the statewide executive office, worth 30 points total. Utah gets 0 points as no women hold one of these offices.
- State Legislature is worth another 30 points. Utah scores 5.5 because just 19% of seats on Utah’s Capitol Hill are held by women.
- Political office in cities and counties make up the final 10 points. Utah scores a paltry 0.7 points as only 3 of Utah’s 27 cities have women mayors.
Utah’s total score out of 100 is just 9.5. That score is up from 8.9 last year but down from a high of 10.2 in 2015.
New Hampshire ranks first in the report with a score of 55. New Hampshire is the only state in the union with an all-female Congressional delegation.
Mississippi ranks dead last in the report. The Magnolia State has never elected a woman governor or a woman to U.S. Congress.
