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“We want every legal vote to count.” Holly Monsos, President of the League of Women Voters of Toledo-Lucas County
When our Founding Fathers were working out how to run a new country, they didn’t give much thought to their respective mothers, sisters and daughters. In fact, it took almost another 150 years for women to finally get the right to vote across the nation. (Trivia Time: the first state to give women the vote was Wyoming, in 1869.)
The beginning
Shortly before the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was passed and women across the country could vote, the League of Women Voters was founded in Chicago. Their goal? To help women fulfill their new duties as voters.
Toledo has been proudly at the forefront of this movement. The Toledo Equal Suffrage Association began in 1869, with support from famous suffragettes Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. This group eventually grew into the Toledo League of Women Voters in 1921.
Current objectives
Since then, the LWV has driven engagement and fostered participation in many ways we now take for granted. From sponsoring televised presidential debates, to the Motor-Voter Bill (officially known as the National Voter Registration Act), the LWV has been working to make participation in politics more effective for all voters in a non-partisan way. They are still leading the way on election reform, especially in the area of ending gerrymandering.
RELATED: Democracy Watch
Local leaders
The League of Women Voters of Toledo-Lucas County is also moving forward. There are currently just over 100 members in this chapter. And yes, men are just as welcome as women.
The members sponsor issue and candidate forums, as well as publishing a general election voters’ guide (the candidates answer a standard set of questions, so voters don’t have to wade through any external “spin”). The League has also historically attended naturalization ceremonies in order to provide new citizens with voter registration information and materials. They attend community events, fairs and work to register graduating seniors at local high schools.
Let’s go!
You’re convinced. You want to join and help promote these ideals. Now what? The easiest way is to go online and sign up (there is also a printable form for offline members). Signing up gets you membership not only at the local level, but also at the state and national levels.
The League of Women Voters has a long and storied past, but they aren’t resting on their laurels. They continue to drive passionately into the future, working to keep all voters informed and making their voices heard.
Website: www.lwvtoledo-lucascounty.org/
Dues: Suggested dues are $65 per year, but members can choose their own amount, to a minimum of $20 per year. Members who pay more than the suggested amount help subsidize others who can’t afford the full amount. Dues pay for some salaries at the national level and state levels (the LWV of Toledo-Lucas County has no paid staff) as well as voter education measures.
