League of Women Voters

By Jamie Lund
Contributing Writer

As a U.S. citizen, we have the right to vote. Sadly, voting numbers have been decreasing over the years, with young people toward the bottom of the list. The League of Women Voters is an organization that began nationally in the 1920’s. It has been a part of the Red River Valley for the last 40 years. It is simply a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in the government, and works hard to increase understanding of the major public policy issues. It also influences public policy through education and advocacy. The LWV hopes to provide knowledge to young people alike to encourage confident voting in any situation. Not only can females be a part of this group, men can also join.

The League of Women Voters strives to serve two counties, four cities, and two states. This fall, they have been hosting Candidates Forums for the Moorhead City Council, by distributing Voters Guides (without endorsing or opposing candidates) and working on Minnesota’s Congressional Redistricting with Draw the Line-Minnesota.

Membership for this organization has actually been open to men for many years, and they have had men actively involved as well. They encourage anyone and everyone to help volunteer at events, as well as participate in studies, discussions, and planning. Naturally, as a non-partisan organization whose primary goal is to promote citizen participation in government, they welcome a diverse group of ideas to their membership profile.

According to Mary Tintes, a 35+ year member of LWV, “No one does it better than the League of Women Voters when it comes to voter education and access to information about the important issues facing our communities. The non-partisan high standards that we hold true to are the perfect counter to today’s often toxic political dialogue.” Through the LWV’s candidate forums, legislative forums and issues forums, they highly encourage voters to ask questions as well as make an informed decision at the ballot box. As one young person said after a candidate forum held in Fargo, “I will never vote again without attending the LWV candidate forums first. It helped me to know what I was really voting for.” Tintes also stated that “that’s the kind of citizen- driven democracy we can all believe in.”

In all, The League of Women Voters started at a national level over 90 years ago, in hopes of obtaining the right to vote. Men and women alike worked toward this effort, and have also both become acting members of the Red River Valleys LWV. This nonpartisan political organization hopes to encourage informed and active participation in the government. It also works to increase the basic understanding of major public policy issues. By influencing public policy through education and advocacy, the League of Women Voters has encouraged more confident voters in our area. For more information on this organization please visit http://tiny.cc/lwv or check out the local chapter of the Red River Valley at http://www.lwvnd.org/lwvrrv .

Questions and comments: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)