“Democracy is not a spectator sport,” says the League of Women Voters of Martha’s Vineyard’s website homepage. Many have heard of the League of Women Voters, but how many know the broad expanse of what they do besides sign people up to vote? The league does an impressive amount of really important work. The symbol on their webpage sports the words “Empower, Educate, Engage,” announcing the organization’s approach.
First and foremost, the League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government. The league influences public policy through education and advocacy, while never supporting or opposing any specific political party or candidate.
The league sees itself as having two distinct roles. It is a voter service that educates citizens by presenting unbiased and nonpartisan information about elections, the voting process, and public issues. Additionally, it is an action and advocacy group that, after careful study and consideration through a nonpartisan lens, advocates for or against particular policies in the public interest.
In a recent email, longtime league member Deborah Medders explains that the archives at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum contain traces of the group’s presence on the Island dating back to the 1930s. The first local league, originally called the League of Women Voters of Tisbury, was chartered in 1956, becoming the League of Women Voters of Martha’s Vineyard in 1966.
Medders writes, “We have a history of and have taken formal positions that advocate for local environmental issues including recycling and land use, affordable housing, streamlining costs of our public schools, and climate change initiatives, along with our annual Black history collaboration with local chapters of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History and the NAACP.” It likewise conducts yearly voter registration at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School and Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School. Medders adds, “In recent years, the local league has collaborated with our schools in civics education and getting out the vote during election seasons.”
Member Kathy Laskowski says, “I think that our most important and time-consuming work is to plan and present candidate forums every spring for local elections. They used to be in-person in each town, but we moved to a Zoom format during COVID. That was quite a change for us.” The Zoom forums were shown live on MVTV, and made available again later. The in-person forums were recorded and shown later on MVTV as well.
Laskowski adds, “We also ran a forum for the sheriff’s primary this August, and we promoted and shared forums by other local leagues this fall for ballot questions. We are hoping and excited to get back to in-person forums this spring. Likewise, the league uses local media, social media, and its website to provide information to Vineyarders about the dates for upcoming elections, town meetings, voter registration, and voting deadlines.”
Currently, there are 34 members, five of whom are men. It is an active membership. Positions include treasurer, archivist, and secretary. Then there are those in charge of or working on legislative matters, voter registration, keeping an active presence on social media and the website, collaborative participation in Black History Month, and fundraising for various expenses, including the academic scholarship fund for a high school student.
Member Irene Ziebarth, in addition to being the archivist, helps fundraising by selling the used inkjet printer cartridges that the libraries and town halls collect to a recycler. She says, “It keeps them out of the landfill, and we make about $1,000 a year.”
Another member effort was undertaken by Doug West and Laskowski. West says, “We helped organize a town-by-town inventory identifying which elected offices were open, so people would know well in advance what the potential positions would be. We were also trying to encourage people to be involved by giving them information about how one gets an appointed position. It was a lot of work, but it was interesting.” They shared the accumulated information on the website, and placed it in the Martha’s Vineyard Times.
Members meet regularly, with an annual meeting, about eight monthly ones, and smaller committee meetings in between. The monthly meetings always start with a reading of a statement honoring the Wampanoag, generally followed by reports from those who are working on projects or initiatives, and then planning for next steps. Anyone interested in joining the league is welcome to contact them about attending a meeting to hear firsthand what it is doing.
The league’s website has a wealth of useful information, including links to upcoming ballot questions and dates; the League of Women Voters’ online guide; basic government information and contacts for the six towns; how you can register to vote or change your party affiliation, address, or name; and how you can obtain an absentee ballot at your town clerk’s office.
The “action and “advocacy” page of the league’s website identifies supported legislation and positions. Given that it is nonpartisan, the league is careful about how it goes about this. The website states, “Positions result from a process of study. Any given study, whether it be national, state, or local, is thorough in its pursuit of facts and details.”
Additional discussion about pros and cons takes place as members (not part of the study committee) learn the scope of the study. After the members reach a consensus, the board forms positions based on that consensus. Currently, the webpage provides information about the VOTES Act, as well as information about two priorities — addressing the climate emergency, and advocating for affordable housing.
Whether you join the league or avail yourself of any of its useful information, it’s important to keep in mind what appears in the league’s annual appeal letter: ”We believe democracy only works when we all vote.”
For more information visit leagueofwomenvotersmv.org, or contact the League of Women Voters of Martha’s Vineyard at info@leagueofwomenvotersmv.org.