As the national League of Women Voters organization turns 100 this year, the Park Forest Chapter is celebrating with business as usual — discussion of national issues, especially those relating to elections and democracy.
Members of the local chapter gathered last weekend to sort out a stance on issues such as the electoral college and climate change in advance of the group’s national convention, which takes place every two years.
But before the convention in June each local chapter must provide its input on what the national chapter should focus on in years to come.
The 10 members who gathered Feb. 2 at the Park Forest Library voted unanimously to support the national chapter’s current positions and advocacy focus in its Making Democracy Work campaign.
Those positions include work and studies in the areas of campaign financing, gerrymandered districts and voting rights.
“We need to make sure this election is fair and not imposed upon by people who don’t want everyone’s vote to count,” said Diane Hodges, president of the Park Forest chapter.
She told members that the Illinois chapter of League of Women Voters also would like to add another focus to the national campaign — work to abolish the electoral college.
“Abolishing the electoral college could certainly be viewed as making democracy work,” said member Barbara Sturges.
More Top Picks At T Cl82207
President Donald Trump won the election in 2016 through the electoral college but lost the popular vote by about three million ballots.
Barbara Moore, vice president of the Park Forest LWV, said the national chapter currently supports the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, in which each state promises that all its delegates would support the winner of the popular vote.
“They believe the use of a national compact is one acceptable way to achieve that goal,” she said.
By the end of last weekend’s meeting, Park Forest chapter members voted to support adding abolishing the electoral college to the League’s national platform.
Moore said the California chapter of the LWV also wanted to add a call to action to deal with the climate crisis to the national campaign.
“I guess I wonder if that fits with making democracy work based on its focus,” Hodges said.
Moore said the California chapter’s position is the climate falls in the general framework of making democracy work because the unchecked crisis could have a devastating effect on the economy and government.
Sturges also wondered if focusing on the climate crisis should be put in another national chapter advocacy program other than the Making Democracy Work campaign.
Member Ellen Gallagher said she thinks the climate crisis is the most important issue in the country.
Hodges said she wondered if the climate crisis would get the attention it deserves if it was placed in another program of the national chapter other than the Making Democracy Work campaign.
In the end, the members voted unanimously to include adding the language related to climate change to the national campaign.
The Park Forest chapter also reported to the national chapter all the work they’ve done in the past two years, including holding candidate forums, voter registrations and passing petitions about redistricting.
The next meeting of the Park Forest chapter is Feb. 19 with a program discussing higher education debt and funding.
The March 11 meeting will focus on Gov. JB Pritzker’s Fair Tax proposal and updates on the work of the 2020 U.S. Census.
The chapter currently has 67 members, a number that has remained about the same in the last 10 years, according to Hodges.
“With regard to the community, LWV monitor local governmental board, including school boards, councils and committees by observing meetings,” she said. “Membership provides a network for individuals who are committed to making to a difference in their communities.”
Frank Vaisvilas is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.