League of Women Voters of Livingston has a busy Fall season

The League of Women Voters of Livingston is already in full swing with the upcoming general election on November 4th when we have the race for Governor and our entire NJ Assembly up for reelection. We have visited senior living facilities in our area to make sure seniors are up to date with their voter registration, including the option to vote by mail. The League has been on the NJIT (New Jersey Institute for Technology) campus twice and also Caldwell University. If you have already signed up to vote by mail, those ballots are on their way. Everyone has until October 14 to register to vote.
Two interesting facts include that NJ is one of only two states having a Governor’s election this year, the other is Virginia. By constitution the NJ Governorship is one of the most powerful in the country so your voice and participation matter. Every vote counts!

Mark your calendars for upcoming programs sponsored by the League:
October 8th, 7 PM at the Senior/Recreation Center we will hold a meet and greet for our incumbent Board of Education candidates, Seth Cohen and Parul Khemka. These seats are uncontested so there will be no formal debate but the public is invited to get to know them and ask questions.
November 12th: NJ Food and Water Watch with updates on Superfund sites in NJ, featuring Paula Rogovin, Board member and fellow LWV of Teaneck member and Charlie Kratovil, Senior organizer.
December 3rd: our Assemblywoman Rosy Bagolie will discuss the important work going on in our state Legislature.

The League regularly conducts studies of issues of public concerns. Two studies this year included a national study of ethics in the Federal Judiciary and Reparations in New Jersey. Issues are voted on and studied by volunteer committees and then shared with local leagues who vote to take a position through consensus questions. At our convention this past June, the League of Women Voters in New Jersey was the first in the nation to approve a position in support of reparations.

The League of Women Voters is a national organization with state and local chapters. It is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization that works to both protect and expand voting rights and ensure that everyone is represented in our democracy. The LWV empowers voters to defend democracy through advocacy, education and litigation at the local, state and national levels.
The League was officially founded in 1920, just six months before the 19th amendment was ratified giving American women the right to vote. It was formed by the suffragists of the National American Woman Suffrage Association designed to help 20 million women carry out their responsibilities as brand new voters. The New Jersey State League collaborates with approximately 60 coalition partners in NJ to become informed about issues and legislation to better advocate with our legislators for new laws that benefit our citizens.

Livingston is very fortunate to have a local chapter of the League of Women Voters and a high school chapter. The League of Women Voters has been part of the fabric of Livingston for over 60 years. It was formed by a group of civic-minded women in town wishing to promote voter education and involvement and have an outlet for political discussion. The early chapter met in peoples’ homes in the afternoons and baby-sitting was provided as nearly all of the members did not work outside of the home. Later some meetings were also held at night to accommodate the changing schedules of the women. Early activities included studying local and national issues and submitting statements on them to the State and National League of Women Voters, publishing a “Know Your Town” booklet, observing various township meetings and holding candidates forums. Several local government leaders started out as local league members. There were over 150 members. As more women worked outside of the home, involvement in all civic organizations declined. League membership numbers also declined and there was some talk about dissolution or merging with other local leagues, as was the fate of several other local leagues in the state However, our league continued, and, since 2016, interest in government and political issues has increased along with League membership. In 2020 League membership was at 19 and currently stands at 53. Four years ago Livingston High School student Nishna Makala founded the high school chapter of the League. Current Co-Presidents are Shona Kumar and Vignatha Daggala.
We are welcoming new members. Please visit our website for membership information. livingstonlwv.org Both men and women are welcome to join and we would love to have you join us! There are many ways to keep in touch and find out what we are doing; our Instagram page is LWV of Livingston, our Facebook page is League of Women Voters of Livingston NJ and our email address for any inquiries is livingstonlwv@gmail.com. Local officers are Amy Ipp and Robin Weiss as co-presidents, Judith Friedman as Voter Service Chair, Debra Schein as Treasurer, Andy Babij membership committee and Laurie Babij as Secretary. Feel free to contact us with questions at our email address.
We have many opportunities for involvement, from one-time tasks such as registering voters at an event, to ongoing leadership roles. Please join us!