The state will hold a daylong conference next week to get more women interested in entering politics and help budding female politicians learn from the pros.

The "Ready to Run" conference Wednesday will feature a host of Hawai'i lawmakers, appointed officials and insiders who will offer tips on everything from campaign financing to the legislative process. The event is sponsored by the state Commission on the Status of Women, which got $14,000 from the state Legislature to put on the conference.

"Women who attend this conference can start to see that these women who are doing extraordinary things in their communities are just like them," said Sharon Ferguson-Quick, commission executive director. The event, she added, will also stress that any participation of women in politics is positive.

"You don't have to run for governor," she joked.

Gov. Linda Lingle will give the keynote address at the event.

U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono will also speak.

Ferguson-Quick said the event is modeled after a national program designed to get more women involved in the political process, whether through running or just joining a campaign.

Compared to other states, Hawai'i ranks favorably for the number of women in politics, advocates pointed out. Not only does the state have a female governor and U.S. representative, but just under one-third of Hawai'i's state lawmakers are women. That puts Hawai'i seventh in the nation for the percentage of women in legislative seats. Vermont (at 37.8 percent) has the highest percentage of women in its legislature, according to the Center for American Women in Politics.

Still, Ferguson-Quick said, the state should continue to improve.

She added that the conference is a chance to show the unique perspective women bring to political seats. Commission on the Status of Women volunteer Margaret Mann agreed, saying that the event will be a chance for women leaders to talk about all the opportunities and barriers they have encountered.

"We have an amazing lineup of women in politics" at the conference, she said.

If the event goes well, the commission plans to hold it annually.