Event Planner of PAWPAC encourages women in Arkansas to run for office

Running for public office can feel like a formidable task for anyone, but one group is seeking to make the process easier for one of the nation’s most underrepresented groups: women.

Women remain far from parity and significantly underrepresented in the United States. Currently, just nine out of 50 governors are women and less than a quarter of the Arkansas Senate and House of Representatives. One Arkansas-based group, however, is hoping to change that picture.

Holly Payne is the events planner for the Progressive Arkansas Women’s Political Action Committee, also known as PAWPAC. She described the group’s foundation in 2016 as a way to encourage more women to run for office and provide them assistance along the way.

PAWPAC has helped elect over two dozen women to offices in Arkansas. They include council members, justices of the peace and state representatives. Payne said PAWPAC is willing to help candidates running for any office, from school board to the highest levels in state government.

Payne stressed that PAWPAC can help women navigate any part of the election process. However, she singled out one election detail that’s vital for anyone seeking office next year: the 2024 filing period is actually this year. The state filing period will be Nov. 6-14.

Payne, who along with her family operates Porch Swing Farms in Perry County, said there’s one piece of agricultural wisdom she would share with any women thinking about running for office.

While it’s not a statewide election year, PAWPAC is nonetheless actively recruiting women now to run for future office.

For more information on PAWPAC – including the resources it can offer, filing information and a list of candidates who the organization has aided – visit www.progressivearwomen.org.