Absent Voices – Women Under 40
April 26, 2011
By Kathy Groob – Women aged 40 and younger are nearly absent from elected office and their voices are needed to help shape policy and offer the perspective as working professionals, mothers, caretakers and community activists.
WUFPAC (Women Under Forty Political Action Committee) was started in January 1999 by a group of young women, representing diverse political and geographic backgrounds, gathered together in Washington, DC to discuss the role of young women in politics. Recognizing that political capital is built by political tenure and frustrated by the low percentage of women currently holding political office, they created WUFPAC to support the efforts of young women running for Congress and statewide offices. The organization has been active in political cycles, recruiting and supporting women under 40, since 2002.
WUFPAC’s mission is to “To help elect more young women to elected office so that young women have an equal voice in shaping public policy,” according to their website. WUFPAC ‘s nonpartisan political action committee that supports women forty years of age and younger running for state and federal public office is shining the spotlight on the dearth of younger women entering politics.
WUFPAC’s engagement with future candidates will be focused a lot more on “younger women running at the state and local levels,” said Board President Katie Vlietstra. “It is still unknown what the impact 2010 will have on getting more young women to run in the future. It’s not happening fast enough, but our goal is to work with candidates at the local and state level in a more supportive way, and when there is a vacancy or a congressional seat opening, WUFPAC women will be ready to run.”
“The more that women see female candidates in elected roles, it will have its own kind of avalanche effect of inspiring others to run; to run for school board, city council, board of supervisors,” said Vlietstra.
For 2012, WUFPAC will be looking to protect their endorsed incumbent women, raising money and building the pipeline to broaden their network at the state and local level. “We will work to identify women who want to serve, and then build on their success when vacancies occur, WUFPAC will be the ones to find women under 40 to run,” said Katie Vlietstra.
Women who are interested in receiving support from WUFPAC go through an application process that begins by completing a written application.
To read about WUFPAC President, Katie Vlietstra, click here.