The League of Women Voters turns 100 years old Friday, and the La Plata County branch is holding community events throughout the week to mark the occasion.
The league, established Feb. 14, 1920, is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government. Months after the league was established, the U.S. Congress approved the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, on Aug. 18, 1920.
“That first year the league came about because they thought, all these women are going to have this opportunity to vote, we want them to vote from a position of knowledge,” said Jean Aaro, president of the LWV of La Plata County.
Not only do the week’s events celebrate women’s suffrage, they also offer community members educational opportunities to learn about elections.
On Monday, the group unveiled its new artwork for the local brand, which emphasizes inclusivity, a woman’s voice and the American flag.
On Tuesday, La Plata County issued a proclamation recognizing Feb. 14 as the League of Women Voters Day. The county joined the city of Durango, which issued the same proclamation earlier in February.
On Thursday, “The Women Wore White” event will include a presentation and suffragette re-enactment. The event will start at 7 p.m. in Noble Hall, Room 130, at Fort Lewis College, 1000 Rim Drive.
Two events will take place Friday. During the “100 Year Birthday of the League of Women Voters” event, residents can tour the new County Clerk and Recorder’s Office to see how ballots are processed. The event will be held from noon to 3 p.m. Snacks will be served.
Then, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Friday, the group will hold a ribbon-cutting for a new ballot box at Center of Southwest Studies on the FLC campus. County Clerk Tiffany Parker will speak at the event, called the “Fall in Love with Voting Fair,” and community members can visit booths and win prizes.
Aaro said the fair will engage students in the voting process and offer voting registration.
Ross Park, webmaster for the county LWV, said men are an important part of the league’s efforts.
“We can be vocal, as men, about the importance for everybody to vote, not just men, but women,” Park said. “I think that’s important for us to do.”
The number of female voters has exceeded the number of male voters in every presidential election since 1964, according to the Center for American Women and Politics.
Since suffrage, women have made significant changes in federal policy, especially on issues like equal pay, Aaro said.
“There were women that worked for a very long time to try to win the right to vote,” Aaro said. Now, “women are getting involved and are serving.”
smullane@durangoherald.com
