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Article published Sep 14, 2008 It's official: Blount League of Women Voters receives full status
By Linda Braden Albert of The Daily Times Staff
The League of Women Voters of Blount County celebrated its new status as a fully functioning local league Sept. 8 with a ceremonial presentation of its certificate by Judy Poulson, president of the League of Women Voters of Tennessee. The event was held at the Proffitt Dining Room on the Maryville College campus.
The Blount County group is the first league in 20 years to be organized and approved in the state of Tennessee. It had been operating as a member-at-large state unit for the previous three years, said LWVBC President Susan Ambler.
Poulson was quite complimentary of the Blount County league.
"They've done a really good job of recruiting and being active, coming up with projects," she said. "I'm impressed with how many things they've been involved with. It was a real joy to get a new local league."
Poulson said the presidential election is generating a lot of interest.
"I think this election is going to be very interesting," she said. "In the Knoxville chapter that I'm in, we've been doing some voter registration. It's obviously going to be a historic election, no matter which way it goes. Of course, we're nonpartisan so we don't take sides either way. Our main mission is to help people get as much information as possible and to help them understand the election system, how to register and that kind of stuff."
Local activities
LWVBC is involved in several projects, all aimed at increasing voter participation and sharing knowledge about the candidates and the voting process in general. It was formed in 2003 as a project of Vandy Kemp, a member of that year's Leadership Blount class. A previous league had ceased operating in Blount County years before and Kemp felt it was important that another league should take its place. She served as LWVBC's first president.
The Blount league has about 17 members, but its small number hasn't hindered its activities. Some of the projects include holding informational programs, including a community forum and panel discussion at 7 p.m. Sept. 22 in Maryville College's Alumni Gym. The topic will be "Listening to the Experiences of Latin Americans in East Tennessee." The forum, panel and a reception are free and open to the public. For more information, call 273-8894.
Currently, LWVBC and the American Association of University Women Maryville Branch are collaborating on the Woman-to-Woman Voter Turnout Project. The three components of the project include registration events for new voters, voter education and a person-to-person telephone campaign encouraging drop-off voters -- women who have voted before, but do not vote regularly -- to return to the process. For more information, call Vandy Kemp at 363-8110. Volunteers are needed for the phonathon set for Monday and Tuesday. If interested, call Kemp. Volunteers are also needed to register new voters in Blount County high schools. E-mail Nancy Neintz at rlhcom@chartertn.net.
LWVBC is also publishing a Voters' Guide, which includes information on issues, candidate positions, voter registration and voting procedures and locations. It should be available within the next two weeks.
Stephanie Smith, a Maryville College student, said this year's election will be the fourth in which she has voted.
"The first time I ever wanted to get registered, I asked my mom, 'What do I do?' and she said 'You need to call the League of Women Voters. They will tell you everything you need to know.'" Smith said she plans to join the LWVBC after receiving more information.
Sharon Hannum, a league member and community volunteer, said she is passionate about women's issues and anything concerning the well-being of women. "I'm really passionate about the elections this year," Hannum said. "I feel like it's really our time, it's really our season for women to step up and lead."
Open to all
The League of Women Voters is open to all United States citizens, 18 and older, male and female.
Ambler said, "One of the things I learned when I went to the national convention in June is the huge number of local leagues all across the country, the number of women involved and men, as well. In fact, it was interesting, at the convention, that the first man was elected to the national board of directors. That was a milestone."
The League of Women Voters was founded by Carrie Chapman Catt in 1920 during the convention of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. The convention was held just six months before the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, giving women the right to vote after a 72-year struggle which began with the first women's rights convention in Seneca Falls, N.Y., in 1848.
According to the LWVBC Web site at www.discoveret.org/lwvbc, the League of Women Voters, at the national, state and local levels, is a nonpartisan political organization which encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues and influences public policy through education and advocacy. The League of Women Voters of Blount County is a nonpartisan group of women and men who seek to organize and foster open conversation, education and voter registration so that people are empowered to engage fully in the political process.