Organizing Across the Divide: Local Feminist Activism, Everyday Life, and the Election of Women to Public Office

Objectives. A disciplinary division of labor has discouraged research into the intersections between social movements and electoral participation. To address this gap, this study investigates the efforts of local women activists who organize around electing feminists to public office. Methods. Data was collected through participant observation and in–depth, unstructured interviews with 22 women active with a local chapter of the National Women's Political Caucus (NWPC). Results. The study found that local Caucus women (1) experience everyday life politics in connection with electoral activity, (2) organize through both their own formal structure and a vast informal community–based organizational network, and (3) influence electoral activity in a seemingly candidate–centered environment. Conclusions. Local Caucus activists play a critical albeit less visible role in organizing feminist electoral influence. These findings suggest the importance of research that transcends disciplinary boundaries to investigate the interactions between nonparty grassroots activism and electoral activity.