THE RIGHT to VOTE
and Carrie Catt, but my mother and grandmother were both strong women who have been very inspirational.” She is then quick to point out, “While the Centennial celebration is fun, the League of Women Voters works year-round on a variety of projects and initiatives.” One such project is the forming of Position Statements. The LWV selects different issues currently affecting the community, forms a committee, does research and develops a decision or Position, explaining the opinion of League of Women Voters of Moore County. A position they are firm about is their support of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which seeks to end distinctions between women and men in matters of divorce, property and employment among other things. The passage of the ERA would guarantee equal legal rights to all American citizens regardless of sex. There are other issues currently on the docket to receive an official position as well. The League of Women Voters of Moore County is forming a committee to develop a position on school vouchers, as well as an environmental committee to study water quality and the impact of growth as Moore County rapidly expands. Voter registration drives are an ongoing push for the League. An exciting project is the population of the website vote411.org, which allows users to input their ZIP code and see
ballot samples for upcoming elections. The site also allows political candidates to answer a variety of questions and have their unedited responses easily accessible to voters on a totally nonpartisan forum. The LWV annually awards civic leadership scholarships to outstanding students from all three major high schools in Moore County. These scholarships are entirely funded by a yearly event called the Lunch with Legends; this year’s event takes place March 10, 2020, at the Pinehurst Country Club. The famous suffragist Alice Stokes Paul said, “I always feel the movement is a sort of mosaic.” While the main demographic of the League of Women Voters of Moore County isn’t very diverse, Emery strives to develop that inclusive sentiment. “We know right now we are just a group of old white ladies. We’d love to have more young women and women of color join the League. We understand, though, that younger women are busy with careers and children and extracurriculars. Our hope is that they learn about our organization and are teed up for when they have more time on their hands!” With their roots firmly in the past and their sights on the future, the LWV has a lot of work ahead of them. During a time when politics are often as contentious as they are polarizing, it is rare to see a group of women from varying backgrounds and political affiliations working closely together, harmoniously, for the equality of everyone. The League of Women Voters of Moore County is, in the spirit of Alice Paul, creating a beautiful and necessary mosaic in the Sandhills. PL
16 ASOUTHERNSOPHISTICATION