HJ447: Commending the League of Women Voters of the Prince William Area.


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 447
Offered March 2, 2020
Commending the League of Women Voters of the Prince William Area.
Patron-- Subramanyam

WHEREAS, the League of Women Voters of the Prince William Area is a nonpartisan organization that promotes informed and active participation in government and influences public policy through education and advocacy, without supporting or opposing any political party or candidate; and

WHEREAS, the League of Women Voters of the Prince William Area has members from Prince William County and Fauquier County and is a chapter of the League of Women Voters of the United States, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2020; and

WHEREAS, the League of Women Voters of the Prince William Area presents unbiased information about elections, the voting process, and key issues and has developed two brochures that are distributed free of charge at many libraries, public offices, schools, and other public and private venues, along with voter information cards in English, Arabic, Spanish, Vietnamese, Mandarin, and Korean; and

WHEREAS, the first brochure, the “Top Ten,” is updated and provided before an election, giving the hours and places of voting, along with information about all candidates and links to other pertinent nonpartisan information; and

WHEREAS, the second brochure, “They Represent You (TRY),” is updated yearly and lists the elected officials who represent Prince William County, from town mayors and elected board members to the president of the United States, along with contact information; and

WHEREAS, the League of Women Voters of the Prince William Area registers voters at 12 Prince William County public high schools and offers students history and civic education, including ways to contact legislators, awareness of laws for 18-year-olds, a review of germane Constitutional Amendments, and samples of a 1963 literacy test; in Fauquier County, the League has registered voters at the county’s three high schools and Lord Fairfax Community College, as well as reaching out to voters and potential voters with educational materials at First Fridays in Warrenton; and

WHEREAS, the League of Women Voters of the Prince William Area registers voters at senior centers, churches, and civic events such as the Latino Festival, Haymarket Day, and Manassas Jubilee, as well as at naturalization ceremonies several times a year; and

WHEREAS, the League of Women Voters of the Prince William Area, in cooperation with the Greater Prince William Re-Entry Council, visits the Adult Detention Center to explain absentee voting, voting rights, and the process of restoration of rights to those incarcerated; and

WHEREAS, the League of Women Voters of the Prince William Area sponsored or was a co-sponsor of debates related to seven races for seats in the Virginia House of Delegates in 2019; the league has sponsored community forums on opioid addiction and prevention and on historic and present-day voter suppression; and

WHEREAS, each year, the League of Women Voters of the Prince William Area acquires new nonprofit, public, and private partners that share its goal of extending outreach to underserved communities to make voter participation possible and accessible to all; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the League of Women Voters of the Prince William Area for its work to register and educate voters; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the League of Women Voters of the Prince William Area as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the organization’s efforts to empower residents of Prince William County, Fauquier County, and the entire Commonwealth.