Over the past decade, we have seen the first female U.S. attorney general, the first female presidential nominee for a major party, the first two Native American women to be elected to Congress, the first female vice president and a mountain of other significant milestones for women in politics. One student group is committed to ensuring that this progress does not slow down any time soon.
The University of Denver is home to its own chapter of a national organization known as IGNITE, whose mission is, “To build the largest, most diverse movement of young women who are ready and eager to own their political power.”
“On campus, we channel this by having important political conversations, standing up for what we believe in, learning how to reach out to local politicians, stressing the importance of voting and engaging in the greater political climate both on and off campus,” Teagan Weindel, one of the secretaries of IGNITE DU, said.
IGNITE seeks to encourage those with gender identities who have been traditionally underrepresented in politics to use their voice to create the change that they want to see in the world. The organization seeks to further this goal by welcoming, “all non-binary individuals who feel comfortable in a space that centers young women,” according to Weindel, as well as cisgender and transgender women.
DU already provides the community with a host of resources to aid in the voting process, including the DU Votes Initiative. So, why does our campus need a group focused specifically on women’s political engagement?
Since Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic Party’s nominee for the 2024 presidential election, the topic of women in politics has been widely and heatedly discussed. However, recent data shows that despite this historic point of progress, women’s advancement in the political sphere has begun to stagnate as a whole.
The United States population is over 50% female, and yet women still comprise less than one-third of elected officials in the United States. Additionally, the Senate and House of Representatives have both seen decreases in female representation of at least 20% over the past year.
Globally, only 14.12% of countries have legislative bodies comprised of 40-50% female representatives. Only three countries have legislative bodies with 50% or more female representatives, namely Cuba, Nicaragua and Rwanda.
The fight for increased female political representation, both domestically and abroad, is clearly unfinished. Organizations like IGNITE work to advance this goal by mobilizing young women across the nation.
“Our members and e-board are committed to improving the political world for women and I see that every day in the effort they put into this chapter,” Weindel said.
IGNITE has several events planned in the near future to kick off the start of the quarter and to begin gearing up for the approaching election.
This Wednesday, beginning at 6 p.m., IGNITE will facilitate a vision board-making activity with both individual and collaborative elements.
“Together, we will make our own vision boards of what we want both our individual and political futures to look like in addition to making a community vision board for the upcoming year,” Weindel said.
Week four will feature an elevator pitch workshop, Weindel said, “to formulate pitches to convey our stances on certain issues and policies that we can use in the real world.”
As the election approaches, the organization will host a voter registration event in collaboration with New Era Colorado during week five.
For more information on upcoming IGNITE events and news, be sure to visit the group’s Crimson Connect and Instagram pages.
For more information on voting procedures in Colorado, see the following webpage for the Office of the Colorado Secretary of State.
