Building on the recommendations from our previous report, and keeping recommendations that remain evergreen, CAWP urges the following efforts to help ensure long-term sustainability of this data project:
- Mandating demographic data collection by the state: The legislature should pass updated legislation specifically mandating the collection of this demographic information about candidates and officeholders directly through the state and requiring the demographic data be made publicly available. For efficiency’s sake, this information could be part of the candidate filing process, in the same way name and address are required, as is done on notice of candidacy forms in the state of Louisiana.
- Administrative effort: Parallel to legislative efforts to mandate demographic data collection of candidates and elected officials, state government administrators must create mechanisms for official contact information and demographic data to be collected and transmitted to a secure database that is user-friendly and publicly available. Funding should be allocated to the department(s) responsible for the data collection and maintenance. Specifically, the state should invest in its technical capacity to house the collected demographic data in a public-facing database that is updated regularly.
- Utilize expertise: Outside organizations with data expertise should be contracted by the state to consult on the database structure, functionality, and security. In addition, organizations with data collection and research expertise, such as CAWP, should be tasked with providing context and analysis of the data, including releasing an annual report on the demographic status of New Jersey’s elected officials. The analysis will be significantly easier if a sustainable model for data collection is established through internal state processes as noted above.
Practical interventions will be necessary for long-term success in diversifying the state’s elected leadership. To that end, CAWP recommends:
- Top-down candidate recruitment by stakeholders: Having data about representation is the first step to the intentional work of recruiting, running, or nominating members of underrepresented groups for elective office. Stakeholders in candidate recruitment, including party leaders and current elected officials, should make a conscious effort to recruit diverse pools of candidates to run. A deeper understanding of the demographics of those who already serve will give stakeholders perspective on shortfalls in representation and help them adjust their recruitment strategies to broaden the field of potential candidates.
- Grassroots effort to flood the pipeline: While party and other political leaders must make a concerted effort to recruit diverse pools of candidates, community and grassroots efforts to flood the pipeline of potential candidates would help shift the status quo and place pressure on party leaders to pay attention to candidates outside the political fold.
- Advocates for democratic processes should press for continued transparency on data about the state’s elected representation. The data must be regularly updated as new people are elected and those serving step down or lose elections. Without continual tracking, there is no way to measure progress or to flag backsliding.