[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17214]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



  HONORING THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE JACKSON COUNTY LEAGUE OF WOMEN 
                                 VOTERS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JERRY F. COSTELLO

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 6, 2000

  Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join 
me in honoring the 75th anniversary of the Jackson County League of 
Women Voters.
  The League of Women Voters of the United States was formed in 1920 by 
suffragettes who wanted to ensure that the newly enfranchised women 
would be informed about the voting process and about how to vote. Five 
years later, a group of women in Jackson County began a league locally.
  For 75 years the Jackson County League of Women Voters has helped all 
voters, men and women, to prepare for elections. The League has held 
demonstrations on how to vote, sponsored forums for candidates to 
explain their views and published election guides. For several decades, 
League members have served in Jackson County as deputy registrars, 
registering voters at local events and stores.
  The League believes in open and accountable government. Locally, it 
promoted the City Manager form of government for the City of Carbondale 
and has studied the professionalization of and the various forms of 
both city and county government. For many years before the advent of 
the Open Meetings Act which requires that public bodies post agendas 
and hold open meetings, the League sent observers to many public 
meetings as a reminder to public officials about the citizens whom they 
serve.
  The Jackson County League of Women Voters has also helped to 
desegregate the schools, integrate the neighborhoods, develop recycling 
and other environmental programs, create standards for large scale 
livestock farms and ensure the safety of the drinking water. The League 
has also published a guide to mental health services in the County and 
a booklet about county offices. Nationally, the League has studied 
issues as wide-ranging as national security, urban transportation and 
health care.
  Currently, the League of Jackson County is working to break the cycle 
of violence in children by ending aggressive behavior in schools, a 
project through the local health department. It is examining the forms 
of election of Illinois State legislators and promoting campaign 
finance reform. The League sponsors a series of talks by local county 
officials on local issues. It is studying the need for a new County 
Courthouse and other facilities. The League is also encouraging voters 
to take a friend to vote, as a means to encourage citizens to vote. The 
League of Women Voters adheres to the belief that democracy is not a 
spectator sport.
  The League of Women Voters is open to men and women, at least 18 
years of age. The League is non-partisan, but involved in many efforts 
in our communities. Always, the focus of the League is encouraging 
active citizen involvement and participation in the community and in 
the government.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the men and 
women of Jackson County on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the 
Jackson County League of Women Voters.

                          ____________________