The changing face of state legislatures.

• Author: Cullen, Morgan
• Position: Cover story

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There are more women, African Americans and Hispanics serving in state legislatures now than at any other time in our nation's history, according to a recent NCSL survey.

The number of women serving in legislatures has increased substantially in the past 30 years, from several hundred to 1,792--or 24.3 per cent of state legislative seats nationwide. African Americans now hold approximately 9 percent of all seats, and Latinos a little more than 3 percent.

Asian Americans and Native Americans each hold slightly more than 1 percent of all legislative seats.

More than any other minority group, African Americans have seen the greatest increases over the past four decades. In 1970, there were only 169 African-American lawmakers; today there are 628. "The greatest gains for African Americans came in the early to mid-1990s as a result of redistricting," says David Bositis, a senior political analyst for the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. "We are also seeing a growing number of African Americans elected to majority-white districts, and that is encouraging for the future."

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