WHITESBORO – About 60 women gathered Sept. 11 at the Martin Luther King Center to hear about the effort to revitalize the Cape May County chapter of the League of Women Voters.
Melissa Marks, manager of mission impact with the League of Women Voters of New Jersey, was the keynote speaker at the meeting, which was aimed at reactivating the county group, which for many years hosted candidate forums in the county.
The group fell apart, however, after the national organization condemned the so-called insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, which was seen as an attempt to overturn the 2020 election.
A mass exodus of members of the county chapter that occurred after that condemnation reportedly happened because the traditionally nonpartisan group had aligned themselves with the Democratic Party in the statement about the events of Jan. 6.
In 2022, the CapeGOP declined to participate in a candidate forum that the remaining members of the county chapter tried to hold.
The chapter wishes to reestablish itself as a nonpartisan political organization that does not endorse candidates, but does advocate for specific issues.
Marks gave a brief history of the League, which began in Newark in 1920, the year women were legally given the right to vote in the United States. She said the organization quickly organized get-out-the-vote campaigns to encourage neighbors to exercise their voting rights.
“I don’t think they ever thought we would be doing the same work,” Marks said.
She said there are 28 League chapters in the state, with a presence in every county. She also noted that individuals are able to join the state organization without joining a county organization. She said local organizations may ask the state League to administer the local chapter, which would free up the local staff.
The state organization, she said, would still assist the “members on the ground” in doing the work of registering people to vote and educating the public on political issues.
Part of the groundwork includes registering new citizens and encouraging young people to vote. The work might include registering the formerly incarcerated who are reentering society.
The League might be seen manning tables at local events or in local schools. Currently, it is attempting to register 1 million new voters across the land.
Eventually, Marks said, the county chapter might want to host candidate forums, The state League continues to provide moderators from outside the area for local forums.
The League also provides services and information on its site, vote411.org, where citizens can go to find out who is running in each election or the questions on the ballot.
The League also supports and promotes the idea of transparency in government.
Marks was asked how the organization could be both political and nonpartisan. She said the League provides information of a political nature but does not endorse candidates or questions. Asked about the members who previously abandoned the Cape May County chapter, she said members are free to disagree with the League and may do as they please.
Marks said to get the ball rolling, the local chapter would need to have three people step up to say they would be leaders. Terry Hemphill, one of the four organizers of the Sept. 11 event, said there was enough interest in being a leader to resurrect the organization.
Contact the reporter, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or call 609-886-8600, ext. 128.
