On the heels of the election, Iowa State University’s Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics has announced plans to offer another session of Ready to Run, a program designed to train women to campaign for elected or appointed political office.

The 2017 workshops will be held on Feb. 17, March 31 and April 28 in the Memorial Union at Iowa State University in Ames. Registration will open one month prior to each workshop date. All workshops will be held on Fridays with one workshop from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and a second from 2 to 5 p.m.

Each workshop is $20, which includes all materials, light refreshments and parking in the MU garage. People can register separately for as many workshops as they wish to attend.

The Catt Center has offered the Ready to Run Iowa program every other year since 2007. This nonpartisan program prepares women to run for elected office, serve in appointed office or become more involved in community leadership by teaching them about Iowa politics, fundraising, communicating with voters and working with the media.

Based on the results of the 2016 election on Nov. 8, there is still work to be done to increase the representation of Iowa women at the local, state and national levels, according to the Catt Center’s website.

“The number of women serving in the 2017-2019 Iowa Legislature will decrease by one, and the number of women in the U.S. Congress will remain the same,” Kelly Winfrey, an assistant professor of journalism who coordinates Ready to Run Iowa for the Catt Center, said on the center’s website. “Women are underrepresented in every level of politics in Iowa and nationally, and the primary reason is that women simply do not run in as high of numbers as men.”

On Feb. 17, the Ready to Run workshop will focus on how to start in Iowa politics and how to launch a campaign. The March 31 workshop will discuss fundraising, campaign messaging and working with the media. Strategies for communicating with voters through door-knocking, speeches, on camera and online will be covered April 28.

“The program is not just for women seeking elected office, as workshop topics include getting appointed to state, county and local boards and commissions, which is a great starting point for public service,” Dianne Bystrom, Catt Center director, said on the center’s website. Ready to Run Iowa is also open to men who wish to attend. “Although the program addresses topics unique to women as they seek greater participation in the political process, it is open to anyone wishing to learn more.”

The 2017 program will also feature many new topics and new speakers. To learn more about the program, visit the Catt Center’s website.