With the presidential election fast approaching, the League of Women Voters of Lee County is gearing up to help citizens stay informed.
The LWV is a non-partisan, nonprofit political organization with over 700 chapters like the Lee County office across the U.S. The organization was founded in 1920 and strives to protect and expand voting rights. The LWV does not support or oppose candidates and political parties but does have positions on issues.
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Among the local league’s initiatives are programs specific to the upcoming general election.
The organization is holding a voter registration initiative where volunteers register people to vote and help set up mail-in ballots. The league has recently been at Florida Gulf Coast University assisting students with their voting needs.
“I'm finding that most students are registered to vote, but I would say that a lot of students don't understand that when they go to vote, and they're not in this county, they aren't going to be able to vote,” Nancy Leverenz, a LWV organizer, said. “So, I don't think they understand how important it is to get a mail-in ballot sent here so they can vote.”
Lee County had a 23% participation rate in the primary election. The league hopes its post-primary election efforts will help the voting turnout in the upcoming election.
“We really need to get those numbers up,” Dorothy Browning, a LWV organizer, said. “People need to understand that primaries lead to general elections, and you just can't ignore one and have the other one be like the outcome you wanted.”
The league has an online voter guide called Vote 411. It was launched by the LWV Education Fund, and it asked local, state and national candidates to answer a series of questions in their own words, which can be viewed in the guide.
The league is hosting a series of forums to educate voters on various amendments that will be on the ballot.
“If people are going to vote, they should understand what they're voting for, and they should understand what the candidates stand for, what their interest and philosophy is, how they plan to implement those,” Sandy Frank, president of the LWV of Lee County, said. “And through the variety of forums, they can get more information and also see what other people are interested in and help to form their own decisions of how they will vote.”
Although the league is trying to educate as many people as it can before the general election, the group's relevance in the community is unclear.
FGCU senior Holly Syllaba likes to volunteer in her free time and found the LWV on a whim. Before she started volunteering for the league, she did not know what it was.
“It was on the Eagle Service Network where you could find service-learning opportunities,” Syllaba said. “I think it's a good way to get people to vote, especially when they're not part of Lee County.”
The LWV of Lee County has around 50 active volunteers with a narrow age range.
“Our membership is available to anyone 16 of age or older who supports the policies and programs of the league. We do not have as many young people as we would like to,” Frank said.
For social media, the Lee chapter has an active Facebook page with over 850 followers.
“When I first heard the name, I thought it was [an outdated organization] because it sounded really antiquated, but when I heard about what they're doing I think it's pretty helpful,” local citizen, Connor Hay, said.
The last day to register to vote in Florida for the upcoming election is Oct. 7.
“Our government plays a very important role, and everyone should understand what it is, and elected officials make decisions that affect all of our lives,” LWV Lee County President Frank said. “So, I think every voter should exercise their right to make their voice heard, and the election is one way to do that.”
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you. Tori Foltz is an intern in the WGCU News Path program.