By the League of Women Voters of the San Juans
On Jan. 20, Inauguration Day, President Donald Trump was sworn into office in front of the U.S. Capitol Building. As part of the peaceful transfer of power, he recited the Oath of Office, swearing to protect and defend the U.S. Constitution and to faithfully enact his duties.
As the League of Women Voters anticipates unprecedented challenges to our democracy during the next four years and beyond, we have our own pledge to protect and preserve democracy. As stated by LWV CEO Celina Stewart, “LWV is proudly a nonpartisan organization that is focused on issues that matter to communities. We believe in a strong democracy by and for all people. We stand for the rights and representation of all voters, no matter their political party, not to mention their race, gender, primary language, and more.”
As such, this is the League of Women Voter’s Pledge to Defend Democracy:
We do solemnly swear or affirm that we will empower voters and defend our democracy;
We will faithfully execute our civic responsibility as nonpartisan advocates;
We do this fearlessly, reflectively, and collectively;
We act from a place of hope and collective power;
We affirm that we will work to provide democracy education and election administration support, restore and defend voting rights protections, abolish the Electoral College, protect democracy organizations and fight for reproductive freedoms.
We strive to protect bodily autonomy and defend communities that are targeted based on parts of their identities, such as gender, race, political party, ability, immigration status and financial status. We will not be deterred from these tasks.
If you agree with our pledge, please join the League of Women Voters of the San Juans to protect life, liberty, freedom, and justice in our republic. Upcoming meetings will be focusing on issues that matter to our community. Our February meeting is on Elder Care in Washington, discussing a recently issued LWV of Washington report on the topic (https://lwvwa.org/eldercare). March’s meeting focuses on the integration of immigrants in Washington State, which is the topic of another report recently issued by the league (https://lwvwa.org/immigration). We meet at the Library in Friday Harbor, at noon on the second Monday of the month.
