Lone Star Parity Project: State of Texas Women 2023
Lone Star Parity Project (LSPP) was established in 2017 to answer a simple question: How many women+ run for all levels of office in Texas? Answering this question proved to be more difficult than expected.
At the LSPP, women+ is defined as any person who identifies as a woman. This definition is inclusive and not limited to transitioning, transgender, questioning, non-binary, gender fluid, and gender non-conforming persons. This expanded definition is represented by the plus sign.”.
Over the past six years, LSPP has conducted research and discovered new trends in Texas that were largely going undetected. For example, in Texas, Republican women+ win at a higher percentage than their Democratic counterparts. However, Democratic women+ are closer to parity than Republican women+. LSPP also discovered that in Texas women+ win at higher rates than their male counterparts. Yet, even with all of this data, it is still difficult to know exactly how many women+ run for all levels of office in Texas.
LSPP now presents its third report, State of the Texas Woman 2023.
State of Texas Women 2023:
For the first time in Texas history, LSPP are ecstatic to share that Texas is near parity! Meaning Texas is closer than ever to equal representation for men and women+.
In LSPP’s report, you’ll find new facts and stats outlining where Texas has made gains and where more progress is possible. The report looks at parity across counties, offices, and party affiliation.
Some key findings:
In 2022, 2,133 women+ filed to run for office in Texas. Of those 1,264 women+ won elected office.
While rural counties are more likely to be at parity than exurban or urban areas, only 3.4 million people out of 29.1 million Texans live in a parity county.
Women+ dominate operational positions like Treasurer, Clerk, and Tax Assessor-Collector with above 80% representation.
County commissioners are far below parity at 6.8% and higher-level policymaking positions barely break 30% representation.
More Republican women+ won seats in Texas reaching near parity for the first time, while Democratic women+ exceeded parity for the first time.
Check out the report for more findings on women+ in Texas politics. Happy reading!
About Lone Star Parity Project
Lone Star Parity Project is advancing women+ in Texas politics by amplifying voices and magnifying research. No one knows exactly how many women and femmes make up the thousands of countywide, judicial, and municipal seats across 254 counties in Texas. By shedding light on all levels of government, we elevate the power of grassroots organizing to push women+ higher in their political careers and encourage others to step in. Starting in the largest and most diverse battleground state, we are building a grassroots coalition and creating a blueprint for other states to follow.
Latinas Represent is the national, nonpartisan home for Latinas seeking public service
opportunities.
We aim to track Latina elected officials at all levels of government. If you are a current elected official
who identifies as Latina and are not currently listed on our map, please submit your information below. Your
submission will be reviewed prior to being added to the map.
The word Hispanic is closely tied to the U.S. government and its efforts to identify groups of people, which defines it as “Americans of Spanish origin or descent.” Under this definition, Hispanic only refers to people who are originally from Spanish-speaking countries. This term includes people from Spain but excludes people from Brazil. Although this term is widely used to describe a pan-ethnic Spanish-speaking group of people, it is not universally embraced by the communities who have been labeled as such. Due to its connection to Spanish colonization, some view the term Hispanic as a Eurocentric label that erases the Indigenous and Afro-Latino heritage of people from Latin America.
The terms Latino, Latina, Latin@, Latine, and Latinx refer to a person or group of people of Latin American or Caribbean origin or descent; this includes people from all countries in Latin America and the Caribbean but excludes Spain. When used in the singular form, Latino refers specifically to a man or boy, which is why it is necessary to use the term Latina when referring to women or girls of Latin American origin. The term “Latino” applies to a broader group of people in Spanish because the language is gendered and the masculine forms of words may also be considered gender-neutral, which means that the language itself sets a baseline that is both heterosexual and masculine and by default exclusionary. The term “Latinx” arose out of a desire to have a gender-neutral term and is used to refer to people of Latin American or Caribbean origins and is inclusive of those who identify along a gender spectrum and diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. Latinx term began appearing on the Internet in queer communities in the United States; however, it is not always considered the perfect response to the search for a postcolonial word because it requires an understanding of the English language and tends to highlight people of mestizo identity while erasing Indigenous and Afro-Latino identities. Some also have used the term “Latin@” to be inclusive, using the @ symbol to represent both an O and an A. More recently, “Latine” has emerged as an alternative to Latinx as a gender-neutral term rooted in the Spanish language. It is starting to be used in some parts of Latin America and the Caribbean and is also starting to gain some recognition in the United States.