Few studies consider the effect of selection procedures on women's attainment of mayoral office. This article begins to fill this gap through analysis of more than 100 cities in California. The results show that selection method of mayor by popular vote exerts a substantial negative effect on whether a woman holds the office of mayor. The study then explores the negative effect of popular vote on women's attainment of mayoral office. There are two possibilities for exploring this effect: (1) popular vote creates more opportunity for the negative influence of stereotyping and role socialization on women's recruitment and election to mayoral office or (2) alternatively, popular vote increases the negative influence of sex differences in political motivation on women's attainment of mayoral office. The analyses support the second interpretation of the negative effect of popular vote on women's mayoral office-holding