The League of Women Voters of the NEK will be meeting next Sunday, September 10th from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the Parlor of the United Community Church North in St. Johnsbury (the big grey stone church across from the Fairbanks Museum). If you are interested in finding out more about what the LWVNEK does, then this would be a great way for you to get to know us--and jump in to help if you feel inspired-- since we will be setting our agenda for activities for the coming year.
The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan, national volunteer organization which works to educate and engage citizens in order to help our democracy to work better. Its mission is "to encourage informed and active participation in government, work to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influence public policy through education and advocacy." It is a great place for thoughtful people of any age to apply their energies in a nonpartisan way to build a better democracy. Even though it started out in 1920 as a women's group (to educate and engage the millions of women who were just receiving the right to vote) it has been open to men, too, for a very long time-- and there are men who are members!
You may have previously seen our FPF postings for educational evening programs or candidate forums, or defining the responsibilities for which which we "hire" state and local officials when we elect them, or reminding voters of voting registration deadlines or upcoming election dates. The members of the LWVNEK are also working to improve civics education in our schools and to investigate and possibly advocate for alternative methods of voting (yes, there are different ways to structure elections so that voters feel that their vote has actually made a difference!) and we intend to present more candidate forums and other nonpartisan opportunities for citizens to become better informed about candidates running for local public offices and about local issues. If this work seems important to you, then please consider coming to our meeting.