By Julia Boyle
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

As election season nears, the League of Women Voters kicks into high gear.

“Our main mission is to educate voters, because without information, you’re just flipping a coin,” says Phyllis Lansing, who chairs one of Baltimore County’s three league units. Her unit serves the southwest side of the county. Its base is at Charlestown in Catonsville, Md., where Lansing and 15 of the 25 league members live.

In November, Lansing’s unit will focus its efforts on voter registration in preparation for the presidential primary elections on February 12. They will host a voter registration drive at Charlestown, where residents, staff, and people from the surrounding community can register.

Civic duty
Americans age 65-plus consistently lead the population in percentage of votes. They led the 2000 presidential election with 67.7% and in 2004, 71% of registered voters 65 and over reported voting.

“The fact that this is a retirement community does not mean that we’re retired  as citizens,” Lansing says. “We have experienced a lot of ups and downs in the past several years and know that the quality of the leadership makes a big difference in how our society functions.”

Oak Crest in Parkville also has a strong voting population. Though Oak Crest only has two league representatives, the community as a whole joins together to support voting and elections.

“It’s an important thing, and we encourage people to take part in our government,” says Jean Foster, who helps run elections and voter registration drives at the community.

Community involvement
Both Charlestown and Oak Crest hold voter registration drives, but as their own precincts they also hold elections on-site. “We are delighted to have our own poll here. It makes it so easy for people to vote,” Foster says. Perhaps that’s why she estimates Oak Crest has nearly a 70% voter turnout.