Spring 2012 - Clarion University

WE end where we began in 1992 – raising our voices, having our say – connected
locally and to the world. We hold to Carie Chapman Catt’s “mighty political experiment,”
the League of Women Voters and we continue to rock the vote!
Photography © The Clarion News
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Donna Poljanec
retired Faculty, education and lWv member
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The League of Women Voters, (LWV) formed in 1920 to educate the newly franchised women on effective use of the vote.
Founder Carrie Chapman Catt and members of the National American Woman Suffrage Association urged the new organization to
“finish the fight” and to work to end discrimination against women.
The LWV is non-partisan and thus, never supports or opposes candidates or parties, but it is a political body and takes
stands on issues. These stands are the result of intensive study, discussion of the pros and cons, and, eventually, member consensus,
all at the grassroots level.
Initially, the LWV was primarily concerned with the status and rights of women and women’s issues, but interests were
gradually expanded to include issues affecting men. Many men supported the suffragists in the early days of the fight to pass the
19th Amendment. In 1973, the LWV invited men to join the organization, and their numbers continue to increase.
Today, the LWV works to effect change on a wide variety of issues in the areas of Representative Government, International
Relations, Natural Resources and Social Policy on three levels – national, state, and local. The national organization has
headquarters in Washington, D.C. Fifty state leagues are mostly headquartered in state capitols. The LWV of Clarion County is one
of more than 800 local leagues in cities and towns all over the United States.
The Clarion County chapter of the League was formed in1968. Since then, they have come to be known for candidate
forums, voters guides, and voter registration events. In addition, the chapter presents public forums on issues of interest locally, such
as Marcellus shale. Members also study and take action on governmental issues, and work with other local organizations on such
issues as clean water and air, civil liberties, and services for county residents.
Many of the founders of the Clarion University Commission on the Status of Women were already activists in the League
of Women Voters. They partnered with women on campus to hold annual women’s conferences that were open to the public and
encouraged women of all ages and backgrounds to come together to celebrate their strengths and acknowledge their needs.
They joined hands with the WGS Program in the celebration of 75 years of women’s suffrage and supported various programming
over the program’s 20-year history.
For nine decades, the league has worked to ensure our democracy is transparent, effective, and truly representative. The
LWV continues to work toward meaningful citizen participation in governmental processes. These challenges are as real today as
they were for our suffragist foremothers who struggled for their right to vote so many years ago.
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