A Look At How States Compare On Women In Elected Office

Women comprise half of the U.S. population, yet they are underrepresented at various levels of elected office. Here is a closer look at how states compare when it comes to women in elected office:

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STATES WITH THE MOST FEMALE STATE LAWMAKERS, 2016:

— COLORADO, 42 percent.

— VERMONT, 41 percent.

— ARIZONA, 38 percent.

— WASHINGTON, 34 percent.

— MINNESOTA, 33 percent.

— NEVADA, 33 percent.

— ILLINOIS, 32 percent.

— MARYLAND, 31 percent.

— MONTANA, 31 percent.

— OREGON, 31 percent.

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STATES WITH THE FEWEST FEMALE STATE LAWMAKERS, 2016:

— KENTUCKY, 17 percent.

— TENNESSEE, 17 percent.

— UTAH, 15 percent.

— LOUISIANA, 15 percent.

— MISSISSIPPI, 14 percent.

— ALABAMA, 14 percent.

— WEST VIRGINIA, 14 percent.

— OKLAHOMA, 14 percent.

— SOUTH CAROLINA, 14 percent.

— WYOMING, 13 percent.

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STATES THAT HAVE NEVER ELECTED OR APPOINTED A FEMALE TO THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:

— ALASKA

— DELAWARE

— IOWA

— MISSISSIPPI

— NORTH DAKOTA

— VERMONT

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STATES THAT HAVE NEVER ELECTED OR APPOINTED A FEMALE TO THE U.S. SENATE:

— ARIZONA

— COLORADO

— CONNECTICUT

— DELAWARE

— IDAHO

— INDIANA

— KENTUCKY

— MISSISSIPPI

— MONTANA

— NEVADA

— NEW JERSEY

— NEW MEXICO

— OHIO

— OKLAHOMA

— PENNSYLVANIA

— RHODE ISLAND

— SOUTH CAROLINA

— TENNESSEE

— UTAH

— VERMONT

— VIRGINIA

— WYOMING

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STATES THAT HAVE NEVER ELECTED OR APPOINTED A FEMALE GOVERNOR:

— ARKANSAS

— CALIFORNIA

— COLORADO

— FLORIDA

— GEORGIA

— IDAHO

— ILLINOIS

— INDIANA

— IOWA

— MAINE

— MARYLAND

— MINNESOTA

— MISSISSIPPI

— MISSOURI

— NEVADA

— NEW YORK

— NORTH DAKOTA

— PENNSYLVANIA

— SOUTH DAKOTA

— TENNESSEE

— VIRGINIA

— WEST VIRGINIA

— WISCONSIN

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STATES WITH FEWER FEMALE STATE LAWMAKERS IN 2016 THAN IN 2005:

— CALIFORNIA

— CONNECTICUT

— DELAWARE

— HAWAII

— KANSAS

— LOUISIANA

— MARYLAND

— NEBRASKA

— NEW HAMPSHIRE

— NEW MEXICO

— NORTH CAROLINA

— OKLAHOMA

— UTAH

— WEST VIRGINIA

— WISCONSIN

— WYOMING

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STATES WITH THE SAME NUMBER OF FEMALE LAWMAKERS IN 2016 AS IN 2005:

— MICHIGAN

— MISSISSIPPI

— NEVADA

— TENNESSEE

— TEXAS

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Sources: National Conference of State Legislatures, Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.

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