Do we live in a reflective democracy? Does our elected leadership reflect the people they serve?
No. Of course not. As liberals, we already ?know that. But when you break out the numbers and put them into a visual? It’s ugly.
From the Who Leads Us website:
Who Leads Us is a project of Women Donors Network. Our goal is to provide the American people with a way to measure our progress toward a democracy where our leaders reflect the people they serve. The data you see presented on this website comes from a first-of-its kind exploration of the race and gender composition of more than 42,000 American elected officials, conducted in the Summer of 2014. This data was analyzed in comparison to Census data, confirming that the face of America’s leadership bears little resemblance to our country’s population.
Some of the ugly highlights
- Out of 42,000 elected officials, 90 percent are white.
- 71 percent are men.
- 65 percent are white men.
- Men have three times as much power as women.
- White Americans have three times as much power as people of color.
- White men have eight times as much power as women of color.
- 31 percent of the population (white men) controls 65 percent of the population.
Our democracy is broken.
What can we do about it? Vote, of course. When will we get motivated enough to demand a reflective democracy?
Watch the shocking video below.
Their methodology (two of these are download links and are noted, just so that you’re aware before clicking).
Methodology And Key Findings Of The Elected Official Demographic Research
NOI Reflective Democracy Methodology Summary (PDF FILE)
Reflective Democracy Dataset (CSV FILE)
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Tiffany Willis is a fifth-generation Texan and the founder and editor-in-chief of Liberal America. An unapologetic member of the Christian Left, she has spent most of her career actively working with ?the least of these? and disadvantaged and oppressed populations. She’s passionate about their struggles. To stay on top of topics she discusses,?like her?Facebook page,?follow her on Twitter, or?connect with her via LinkedIn. She also has?a?grossly neglected personal blog?and a?literary quotes blog that is a labor of love. Find her somewhere and join the discussion.
