Opinion

LWV nonpartisan, not neutral

Posted February 18, 2011 12:00 am

A recent letter questioned the neutrality of the League of Women Voters which wrote in support of Illinois’s recent tax increase. This question does not recognize the difference between being “neutral” and being “nonpartisan.”

It is important to recognize that the League of Women Voters plays two separate and distinct roles as a nonpartisan political organization. The nonpartisan nature of the League has been a hallmark in both roles. As a nonpartisan political organization, the League does not support or oppose any political party or any candidate.

Most visible to the public is voter service. In this role, the League sponsors voter registration drives and candidate forums and educates voters about the election process. In all of its voter service activities, the League does not support or oppose any political party or any candidate.

An equally important role is the League’s advocacy on important political issues. The decision to advocate for a particular issue is reached only after the issue has been carefully studied by League members and those members reach a consensus to take a position. Again, the League does not support or oppose any political party or any candidate while advocating for these issues.

The League has had a strong history of advocating for those who often have not or do not have a voice in the political process: women, children, disabled persons, minorities and the elderly, to name a few. The perilous state of Illinois’s financial crisis is jeopardizing our most vulnerable populations through severe cuts to and elimination of education and human resource programs. To reduce the damage done by Illinois’s financial crisis, the League advocates for a change in Illinois’s income tax structure. The recent tax increase is a component of the change the League has supported.

These voter service and advocacy roles are compatible but distinct. The League has always been — and will always be — nonpartisan in both of these roles.

Susan S. Russo, President

League of Women Voters of Central Kane County

Batavia

Sigi Psimenos, President

League of Women Voters of the Elgin Area

Elgin

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