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Local group works to inform voters

Gayle Klam said the Jackson County League of Women Voters' slogan, "Democracy is not a spectator sport," says it all.

"I like the slogan," Klam said. "That's basically what the nuts and bolts are."

League President Sylvia Frank said it is one thing to register to vote, but people need to make sure they receive factual information about the issues and the candidates' stance on them.

"We do voter registrations," Frank said. "But it would be even better if we could encourage people to be informed and to be intelligent voters and not just listen to the commercials on TV."

Frank said voters should read as much as they can about candidates and political issues to make sure they are receiving accurate information.

"So many people do not read newspapers or news magazines," Frank said. "We really need to participate, study and learn."

Larry Reinhardt, Jackson county clerk, has worked closely with the league to help promote voter registration and education. He said he will rely heavily on their help in the future to inform voters of the new voting procedure taking place for the 2006 election.

"Any organization like that is an asset as far as my job is concerned," Reinhardt said. "They have more grassroots contacts as far as helping educate voters on issues that affect their voting decisions."

The League of Women Voters of Jackson County is part of a national league that began in 1920 to help inform women, who were newly granted the right to vote, about the voting process.

Gayle Klam, Jackson county leagues' treasurer, said the theory during the early 1900s was that women should not be allowed to vote because they would make inappropriate choices because of a lack of knowledge about issues.

"The league started as a way to help women make informed choices about what issues were going on," Klam said.

Klam said the Jackson County league began in 1927 and was an offshoot of one of the suffragette movements in the area. After women were allowed the right to vote in 1920, a large number of followers decided to join the League of Women Voters.

She said the Jackson County league, is one of the oldest leagues in Illinois and currently has 77 members. It was known as the Carbondale League of Women Voters, until the 1980s.

Frank said locally, the league helps with voter registration, sponsors candidates' forums and provides information on the voting process.

"The league is nonpartisan, but it is political in that we're interested in government and studying issues and then trying to influence government on those issues," Frank said.

Frank said the league sometimes holds public information meetings, which inform the community about the pros and cons of a particular issue.

Klam said after intense study of an issue, the league sometimes decides to support or oppose an issue. In such cases, it attempts to influence government through lobbying, letter writing and collaborations with other groups.

Although the league currently does not have a large number of college-aged members, Klam said she would like to see a student chapter developed.

While some people only become involved with government issues when they are opposed to something, it is important to always be involved, she said.

"Most people only write when they are against something..." Klam said. "You have to get involved."

 

 

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