| The CAMC
Seminar |
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| Council for America My
Country |
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"To Empower to Practise Good
Citizenship" |
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| 965 Clover Court, Blue Bell, PA 19422 |
T: (610) 277-0149 |
F: (610) 277-3992 |
E:camc@camcinc.org |
Jerry Boucher
Im Ja P. Choi
Steve S. Choi
Mary Etezady
Don Kim
Il Hwan Kim
Sang Joo Kim
|
Director for Systems Management
Director for Community Relations
Deputy Director for Voter Registration
Advisor
Secretary
Director for Outreach
Chairman |
Tae Shik Kwon
Jae Jin Ma
Willie Pai
Choon Ki Yoo
Ae Sook Yoon
Il Joong Yoon |
Director for Community Relations
Treasurer
Deputy Secretary
Deputy Director for Outreach
Director for Ageing & Elder Care
Director for Voter Registration |
Citizen's Voice: One Vote At A Time
Barbara Dietrich
League of Women Voters
It was a day in July just about one hundred and fifty-two years ago in 1848
when a small group of women met to prepare a notice to be printed in the July
14th edition of the Seneca County, New York newspaper, which invited women
to come to the Wesleyan Chapel in Seneca Falls on July 19th for a convention --
where they would discuss the social, civil, and religious conditions and rights
of women. The general public was invited to attend on July 20th.
The initiators of this convention were Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott,
a visitor from Philadelphia who was a Quaker, her sister Martha Wright, and two
local women -- a total of five people.
More than 200 women and 40 men from the area attended the convention on five
days' notice. Lucretia Mott was the moving spirit of the occasion. James Mott
presided.
Now two days earlier, the women met to prepare an agenda for the convention.
They decided that a document was needed listing their grievances and proposing
resolutions to address them. The result was the Declaration of Sentiments,
principally authored by Elizabeth Cady Stanton. The opening lines of the
second paragraph might seem somewhat familiar to you. They say: "We hold
these truths to be self-evident; that all men AND WOMEN (my emphasis) are created
equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that
among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these
rights, governments are instituted, deriving their just powers from the
consent of the governed."
One hundred people (68 women and 32 men) signed the document. The complete
text was a bold claim for full citizenship -- including the right of suffrage.
And so the women's rights movement was born.
It took 72 years from that day in July 1848 to August 28, 1920 when the 19th
amendment to the Constitution of the United States was ratified, giving women
the right to vote. The ratification came about in an unexpected way.
The Tennessee Senate had ratified the amendment promptly, but the House had a
Speaker who was strongly opposed to woman suffrage.
The first vote taken was to table the motion. The vote was tied, so this
allowed the motion to go forward where it was sure to be defeated. However, a
young man, Harry Burn, who was newly-elected to the House, received a note
from his mother. Mrs. Burn, a strong suffragist, had written to him "I
have been watching to see how you stood, but have not noticed anything yet.
Don't forget to be a good boy and help Mrs. Catt put the 'rat' in ratification."
Harry Burn then reversed his vote and gave the amendment a winning majority.
ONE VOTE MADE THE DIFFERENCE!
This year the League of Women Voters celebrates its 80th anniversary,
which means that it came into being in the same year in which women received
the right to vote. How did this happen?
The National American Woman Suffrage Association, which had been the organization
to bring women together to campaign for the right of women to vote, held its
national convention in 1919 in St. Louis, Missouri. Its call to convention
contained the following words: "As a fitting memorial to a half century
of progress, the association invites the women voters of the fifteen full
suffrage states to attend this anniversary and there to join forces in a
League of Women Voters, one of whose objects shall be to speed the suffrage
campaign in our own and other countries."
The following year at the Chicago, Illinois convention, the League of Women
Voters was given a formal birth certificate and became a nonpartisan, political
organization with the responsibility of encouraging women to use their right
to vote and educating them in the way politics worked.
You may have noticed I mentioned that in 1919 there were states who granted
full suffrage to women. Among them were Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Idaho,
Washington, California, Kansas, Oregon, Arizona, Montana, Nevada, and the
territory of Alaska. As you can tell, these are areas in the western United
States.
In the east, the situation was different. Change came more slowly, I believe,
because men had a more established power base which they were less willing to
share. The passage of a federal amendment which applied to all states was needed.
In May of 1919, the House of Representatives in Washington, DC passed a
suffrage bill by a huge majority, and on June 4, a Senate vote of 66 to 30
finally sent the 19th amendment to the states for ratification. In August
1920, as I said earlier, the state of Tennessee became the thirty-sixth state
to act, and the state whose action made the amendment binding.
On August 26, 1920, the State Department Secretary signed the Proclamation of
the 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which reads:
"The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied
or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex. Congress
shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."
These words were identical to the first proposal made by Susan B. Anthony,
forty-five years earlier.
Now, the League of Women Voters undertook its mission to get involved in the
political process. The League is structured along the same lines as the
government. Members join the League in their local area and are linked to the
State League and to the National League.
Members get involved in the work of the League on a local level and also
support the work of the State League and the National League. Annual dues are
paid to the local league, which keeps approximately one-third of the money,
and sends one-third each to the state and national leagues for their operations.
Because the League lobbies for legislation through its members, dues are not
tax-deductible. However, the League has an Education Fund, which can accept
tax-deductible gifts for its work in bringing nonpartisan information to the
community. For example, the Legislative Reference Directory which many Leagues
publish with the names and addresses of legislators comes from money contributed
to the Education Fund. Copies are distributed free of charge.
Why is it important for Pennsylvanians to know the names of people who serve
in Washington, Harrisburg, and in our local community? It is important because
they should be serving us, not themselves!
And how did they become our representatives? By election, of course! Does our
vote count? You can be sure it does!
Let's take a look at some times in this country and around the world when one
vote made the difference in the life of its citizens. For example: One vote
made Texas part of the United States in 1845, the same is true for the states
of California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho; one vote kept Aaron Burr, who
was later charged with treason, from becoming president and that one vote
elected Thomas Jefferson president in 1800. One vote changed France from a
monarchy to a republic in 1875, and one vote made Adolph Hitler head of the
Nazi Party in 1923.
Why is it important for us to know about these circumstances? The only election
that I mentioned which took place in the 20th century concerned Adolph
Hitler. I think you'll agree that his rise to power affected many people in
the first half of the 20th century and beyond.
Let's look at our opportunities to make a difference and to be a citizen who
takes seriously the responsibilities of citizenship.
Each year in the spring on primary election day , a Pennsylvania citizen who
is registered in either the Democratic or Republican party may take the opportunity
to nominate people to run for office in November from those parties.
Most everyone knows about the candidates this year who wish to be President of
the United States. However, we are also casting ballots for a Senator to serve
in the U.S. Congress, and for all of our Representatives in Congress. In
addition, we will vote for a Senator from the odd-numbered districts in
Pennsylvania to serve in the General Assembly in Harrisburg and for all of our
Representatives who also serve in Harrisburg.
There are three positions in state government for whom we will choose candidates:
Attorney General, Auditor General, and Treasurer.
Democratic and Republican party members will also be able to vote for delegates
and alternate delegates to their respective national conventions this summer. Republicans will choose a person to serve as a member of the Republican State Committee.
In Philadelphia, one member of the Libertarian Executive Committee will be
elected from each legislative district.
Perhaps you thought that this was an election only for president! How do we
decide for whom to vote? We can listen to the candidates themselves as they
are interviewed and as they participate in debates. We can read articles in
the newspapers and can review the information in the Voters Guide of the
Philadelphia Inquirer which was published in the March 29 edition of the
newspaper. For anyone who may not be familiar with the Voters Guide, it is a
listing of all the candidates running for office.
The League of Women Voters contacts each candidate by mail and asks for some
basic information regarding their current occupation, their education, and
other qualifications. A question is also asked which pertains to the office
for which the candidate is seeking election.
In addition, there are news articles on the first three pages of the Guide by
Inquirer reporters regarding the candidates for the different offices. The
League is not involved in their preparation, but recommends that you read them.
I also recommend that you read any weekly community newspapers which may have
articles on the candidates and their activities. Personally, when I am ready
to decided on the candidates for whom I want to vote, I use the paper which
was given to you this evening listing the offices open for election and write
down my choice next to them. I then take the paper with me into the voting
booth on election day. A voter is entitled to take any information they choose
into the polling place and into the booth.
I mentioned earlier that candidate debates are another source of information.
The League of Women Voters is known for sponsoring debates on television and,
when possible, for assisting with local community forums. In fact, the debate
among the six Democratic candidates for the U. S. Senate was aired on Saturday,
April 1 at 7 p.m. Television air time is donated by the station; but it takes
the cooperation of many people to put it together. Another debate is likely
to be aired in the fall before the general election.
If you are not registered to vote, you may do so immediately after the
primary election, so you are eligible to vote in the general election on
Tuesday, November 7. The deadline for registration is always 30 days before
an election takes place. For this fall, a completed registration form must be
postmarked by Tuesday, October 10. Your vote is your right to choose who will
run our government.
Your vote counts in another way. After the election is over, and the
legislators take office, it is NOT time to sit back and say we did our duty.
If our officials are to represent us, they need to know what we think about
the issues which they will consider. A polite telephone call or letter stating
your opinion is of great value. Perhaps you know how effective a telephone call
can be. Just one example.
Almost two years ago, one of our Philadelphia members who has the responsibility
of keeping current on the issue of gambling expansion, particularly the
possibility that riverboats could be approved for the waterfront of Philadelphia,
was told that a committee of the Pennsylvania legislature was going to add an
amendment on any bill that was available to approve additional gambling opportunities
in the state.
The League called as many of our members as we could reach on a Sunday and
asked them to call their legislator on Monday morning to advise them that they
should not vote in favor of any legislation that had a gambling amendment
attached to it. The legislators were baffled by our calls because they were
unaware of such a committee maneuver. However, due to our action, the
committee never introduced the amendment which they were considering.
It takes vigilance to know when to get in touch with an elected official, but
our daily TV newscasts usually help to keep us informed.
Your vote gives you the right to criticize or applaud the work of our elected
officials. It is important to remember that when you are pleased with an
action, that you take the time to thank the official for making the right
choice.
I hope that you cherish the right to vote in every election as I do. It is a
right which is not granted to all people around the world and which took much
dedication and many resources to win. I hope you agree that the responsibilities
which we have as citizens are important, that you know that every vote counts,
and that you DO make a difference.
USE YOUR VOICE AS A CITIZEN -- ONE VOTE AT A TIME !
CAMC is a not-for-profit,
nonpartisan, civic and educational organisation. It promotes ways to enhance
good citizenship and its practice. It is solely supported by voluntary
contributions.CAMC
strives to provide public service pro bono publico in the public interest.
All staff members are non-paid volunteers.
This page last updated 7/5/2001 jdb
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