League of Women voters keeps a watchful eye on democracy
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Mar. 30, 2022) — With the Ukrainians’ courageous battle against the Russians for their people and their democracy, we are reminded of how critical it is to keep our democracy healthy with factual information and a fundamental belief in the rule of law and representative government.
We are also learning how critical local journalism is as a foundation of informed and active participation in local government.
The League of Women Voters of Diablo Valley (LWVDV) protects the right to vote by providing opportunities to build community participation in the democratic process. In sharing our activities, our advocacy and our voter services volunteering opportunities, we invite you to participate with us in Central, South and East Contra Costa County.
The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.
You may already know of our all-volunteer voter services supporting voter registration, facilitating candidate forums and informing voters through pros & cons explanations of state ballot measures. Our online Voter’s Edge (in English and Spanish) is particularly useful to help voters learn about local candidates and measures. Voter’s Edge is a free service for all candidates to submit information about their priorities, education, experience, endorsements and more.
Voter participation is critical
In this critical local election year, we are intent on promoting and facilitating strong, informed voter participation.
LWVDV partners with the Contra Costa County Elections Department, the League of Women Voters West Contra Costa and Contra Costa Television to provide candidate roundtables, where voters can learn about candidates in a moderated setting.
We are non-partisan and do not support political candidates nor political parties. Issues are not partisan. The league’s advocacy work is issue-based. We arrive at our positions based on careful study and input from our members in communities across the country. We never derive our positions from politicians, and even when candidates or parties support the same issue, we never endorse candidates or parties.
Issues may evolve over the years, but our responsibility will always be first and foremost to the voters.
Our league is fully committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in principle and in practice. We engage communities in promoting positive solutions to public policy issues through education and advocacy. We have an active Action/Advocacy Committee, which meets monthly to discuss local issues. When the league has a position, we may advocate for or in opposition to an issue.
We watch to see that democratic governmental bodies protect the citizens’ right to know by giving adequate notice of proposed actions, holding open meetings and making public records accessible.
Education activities include our Community Conversations events, with YouTube videos available afterward on the LWVDV and Contra Costa County Library websites. Recent topics have been racism as a public health crisis, accessing mental health services, homelessness and the first year of the Measure X sales tax.
We are 102 years old. LWV was formed to educate and support millions of new voters. Join us as we begin our second century.
Check the LWVDV website to become a member, donate or learn more about what we have been doing and our advocacy opportunities. Check out the LWVDV YouTube Channel for recordings of recent Community Conversations.