From registering thousands of young Ann Arbor area residents to vote to informing the community about absentee ballots and other important election issues, the League of Women Voters of the Ann Arbor Area has been working diligently to ensure democracy, especially during this past important political year. Lisa Barry talks with local league president Joan Sampieri about those efforts and the league's plans to stay active in the new year.
The League of Women Voters of the Ann Arbor Area president Joan Sampieri says, although always actively involved in politics since its inception 100 years ago, the league saw more members and even more involvement this year. The Ann Arbor area league put in almost 5,000 volunteer hours during the election with some 400 local league members contributing to the election process.
2020 was also the 100-year anniversary of the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote. The league had planned a number of local celebrations, which had to be moved online due to the pandemic.
Sampieri says the league will continue working on voter rights and voter education moving forward and plans to participate with the state's League of Women Voters on a study of the lame duck session and instituting something called "the Observer Corps." That will mean sending members to watch local municipalities and county meetings to see what critical issues being discussed that fit with the league's focus.
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— Lisa Barry is the host of All Things Considered on WEMU. You can contact Lisa at 734.487.3363, on Twitter @LisaWEMU, or email her at lbarryma@emich.edu
