Oregon has the third highest percent of women in city government, according to a new report from Rutgers University.
It may be proof of the success of organizations working to support and encourage women to run.
Groups like Emerge Oregon and Vote Run Lead Action train women and nonbinary people to run for office - and win.
Emerge Oregon alums currently hold more than 100 elected positions on city councils, school boards and in the legislature.
Beyond campaigning and fundraising, women receive support to overcome gender-based barriers.
The group's outgoing director, Annie Ellison, noted that the political system wasn't designed with women - particularly women of color - in mind.
"This is a system that was built - like, pretty immaculately - to keep women and women of color out, even if it's not the intention now," said Ellison. "When do we have city council meetings? You know, most of these city council meetings are unpaid, and they're at 7:00 at night. If you're a caregiver, that's bedtime."
But research shows that female elected officials bring more money back to their districts, pass more bipartisan legislation, and get more done overall.
State Director of Vote Run Lead Action, Becca Phelps, said the challenge isn't just getting more women into office - it's keeping them there.
She said in the past few years, several women in the Oregon Legislature have had to leave prematurely or not run again, citing the low pay and added responsibilities of daily life.
This is where organizations can step in to fill these gaps - advocating for higher pay, helping with childcare and transportation costs, even providing emotional support.
"Sometimes," said Phelps, "it's that personal care of having a friend check in on you to see how you're doing when you're an elected leader."
After Tuesday's election, 15 graduates of Emerge Oregon programs may be in the Oregon House and four may hold seats in the Senate.
Ellison added that the biggest barrier women face in running for office is confidence.
"If he can do it, you can do it," said Ellison. "And here's how you're going to do it, and we're going to help you."
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The gender gap in Ohio politics persists, and President Donald Trump's new executive order eliminating federal diversity programs is expected to create more challenges for women and other underrepresented groups in public service.
Ohio Women in Government is among the organizations working to bridge this gap by offering scholarships to students who take unpaid internships in state government. The group's vice president-elect, Andrea Harless, said the $1,500 awards are designed to alleviate financial burdens, especially for those from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds.
"There are young women that just do not have the financial means to come to Columbus for a summer and pay to have an unpaid internship, and that does create barriers," she said. "It's very real for a lot of people."
Applications for the current round of scholarships will close today with another round planned for later in the year. More information on the scholarships is online at OhioWomenInGovernment.com.
The elimination of diversity programs has drawn criticism from organizations advocating for equitable representation. Catherine Turcer, executive director of Common Cause Ohio, argued that women continue to face systemic obstacles in entering and advancing in government, including disparities in campaign funding and policy influence.
"Diversity doesn't mean that we're not inviting people who are very qualified to the table," she said. "It means we're trying to have a diversity of opinions so that, in fact, we can create good public policy that we can address the needs for all the people in the country."
She added that eliminating these initiatives weakens government institutions by limiting diverse perspectives in policymaking.
Ohio Women in Government president-elect Julia Wynn encouraged young women to pursue public service.
"It starts with making sure that young women have faith in themselves to be the decisionmaker for their communities," she said.
Wynn said the more women who rise up and understand the legislative process, the more that can be accomplished.
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A long-time New Mexico community organizer is one of several women who have put the state on the map this year for having the largest percentage of women serving as lawmakers.
State Rep. Sarah Silva, a Democrat who represents Doña Ana County and a portion of Otero County, wants lawmakers to address infrastructure in Chaparral, the state's largest unincorporated community, where she said there are long waits for an ambulance, limited fire fighting capabilities and no animal control agency.
"It has anywhere between 20,000 and 26,000 people, it's been growing significantly since 2020 and there's no local government," she said. "So, I've been working with local officials to try and secure $10 million for a public safety facility."
Chaparral is officially part of the Las Cruces metro area, but the 60-square mile region is primarily a bedroom community for the neighboring city of El Paso, Texas.
During President Donald Trump's first term, Silva said, he expressed an appetite for going after immigrants - and she thinks he now has more tools to make that happen. She said she thinks New Mexico's advocacy groups are doing a good job of educating immigrants about their rights, but added that more people need to resist what she called "obeying in advance."
"We need more school administrators, we need more sheriffs, we need more neighbors, we need more churches and congregations standing up for the immigrant community," she said. "Many, many more of us need to start caring and then putting that care into action."
Silva also wants lawmakers to update New Mexico's shield law that protects news reporters - which she said hasn't been revised since 1978.
"So, the definition of a journalist is very outdated," she said, "as is the definition of mediums of communication - that doesn't include anything involving the internet or electronic communication."
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Women surveyed about why they stayed in an abusive relationship often said they did not have the money to leave.
Now, a bill introduced in the New Mexico Legislature is aimed to help them.
Rep. Pamelya Herndon, D-Albuquerque, sponsor of House Bill 57, said it would have the court determine whether an abuse survivor is indigent and cannot pay for legal help. If so, the court would assign a lawyer to represent them.
When she's not at the Roundhouse, Herndon runs a nonprofit law center.
"I come in contact with far too many individuals who are facing situations where they are trying to get custody of their children, they're trying to make sure there's funds for their children or housing, for that matter," Herndon reported. "I see it too many times on a regular basis."
Relationship abuse, which is estimated to affect one in three American women, often includes being stripped of financial resources. Herndon noted those without money for an attorney are often forced to represent themselves in court, which she added is rarely successful if the partner in the abusive relationship can afford professional services.
Herndon said her bill is modeled after similar legislation in New York state.
"I know New Mexico is not New York but we have some of the highest rates of domestic violence in the entire country," Herndon stressed. "Too many people are not represented who should be, to make sure they have access to justice."
Data from Women Against Abuse shows Oklahoma had the highest rate of violence against women in 2024, followed by Kentucky, Missouri, Nevada and Alaska. And a United Nations report from last year showed 140 women and girls each day were killed by an intimate partner or family member.
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