Page 4 - Power the Vote Program Compiled v3

A Letter from Allyson E. Haut, LWVIL President

Welcome to Power the Vote! I am grateful that you all have taken this opportunity to gather in celebration of one of
the nation’s longest standing nonpartisan civic engines.

I was five years old when I went to my first League of Women Voters meeting. Playing on the kitchen floor, I was on
the sidelines while my mother and her friends planned to bring voting machines to their state. Here I am decades
later, no longer on the sidelines. I stand on my mother’s shoulders, just as all of us stand on the shoulders of our
founders - and we continue the work - because as the League (and as women) we know that we are in it for
the long game.

Today, just 39 days away from Election Day, our work is immediate and clear:
 we are activating voters
 we are providing nonpartisan candidate information
 we are protecting election integrity

The question is, what is the long game?

Voters. Voters are the long game. Engaged and activated voters are the heart of our democracy. Current voters and
those waiting in the wings until they are old enough - there will always be voters seeking to make informed deci-
sions. And so, the work continues. By powering the vote today, we power the civic engine that works to:
 activate and engage voters
 increase informed and active civic engagement
 influence public policy through education and advocacy

As Leaguers, we are at the forefront of empowering voters and defending the ideals of democracy. Bolstered by the
idea that perseverance works, we are determined to shape the future.

Your generosity and participation today make you a part of our history. And as we step off into the second century
together, let us model for the five year olds playing on the kitchen floor how one turns belief and passion into a
world that is just and equitable.

Let us each make a plan to vote. And vote.
Let’s make sure everyone we know makes a plan to vote – and votes.
Let’s make sure that everyone we do not know makes a plan to vote – and votes.
It is our right and our responsibility.
It is the path to change.
It is our future.

With much gratitude,

Allyson Haut, Ph.D.
President
Board of Directors
League of Women Voters of Illinois