On Nov. 5 and the weeks leading up to Election Day, La Plata County voters participated in our democracy making their voices heard through their vote – one method of participatory democracy.
While certainly there are voters who envisioned a different outcome in any one of the national, state or local offices, what’s true is that here in La Plata County our system of voting worked.
We had the highest voter turnout in recent history with over 80% of eligible voter engagement! To us, that signals those voters care, and care deeply, about issues that matter to them and felt free to use their ballot as their voice.
Of course, it is people who helped make the election a success. We want to thank voters for turning out to make sure their voices were heard. We owe huge gratitude to the people making our elections run: the poll workers, election officials, election observers, postal workers and volunteers. Thank you for all your dedicated work to power our elections this year.
Over the past year, the League of Women Voters of La Plata County has worked in partnership with an array of organizations to ensure that voters had what they needed to fully participate in our democracy through their vote.
We are proud of the work of our member volunteers in reaching out to our community whether through tables at farmers markets and food distribution days, film screenings, candidate forums and voter registration events across the county, including the La Plata County Fair.
At every one of the more than 30 participatory democracy events we sponsored or co-sponsored this year, one thing stood out – irrespective of political affiliation, La Plata County residents, while holding strong opinions, still value the fact that we are all neighbors and that a democracy that works for all of us is in the best interests of all of us.
As we move forward over the next 75 days until Inauguration Day, and beyond, as a new administration takes office in Washington, D.C., and as our newly elected or reelected officials take office here in Colorado, it is our hope that we will continue to work together through participatory democracy.
Working together as a community that values our diversity, makes room for dissenting opinions and points of view and remembers our shared humanity and values is a fundamental strength of democracy.
There are myriad ways for citizens to be engaged, and LWV encourages active citizen participation; reach out to local organizations, governmental bodies and agencies to see how you might participate in community decision-making.
As citizens, we have a responsibility to engage not just in voting, but in all the ways that shape our collective future. By embracing participative democracy, we can build a more vibrant, just, and responsive political system – one that reflects the diverse voices and aspirations of all its people.
Laurie Meininger is president of the League of Women Voters La Plata County board of directors. She is a retired U.S. diplomat and has served as an international election observer in Iraq, Democratic Republic of Congo, Romania and Cameroon. She is a Durango resident, an unaffiliated voter and a grandmother.
