Bringing the League of Women Voters to Mankato

What does it take to start a new League of Women Voters chapter in Southern Minnesota? In these conversations we talk with members of the Mankato Area League of Women Voters.

One member spent six years with the St. Peter League and came to see that Mankato deserved a chapter of its own. Along the way she learned one thing again and again: the vote drives everything. It drives the issues, it drives the legislation, and who we vote for matters. That led to a mission of helping people learn how to register, how to vote, and how elections work.

We also talk about why Minnesota's elections and voter registration are secure, what it is like to serve as an election judge, and why fighting misinformation matters. The Mankato League partnered with St. Peter League president Colleen Jacks to build two "sister leagues" that support each other.

The group grew from 3 members to more than 55 in under a year, turning a two-year plan into nine months. Its leaders include former educators and healthcare workers, and they use skills from speech, language and logic to help people think critically about what they hear. High school students and spouses who call themselves "League Intrigued" are joining too.

In another clip, members of the League explain how citizen observers watch election audits, from the balanced party boards to the hand counts after an election, and how their reports go to county commissioners.

The League of Women Voters is nonpartisan. Learn more at the Mankato Area League of Women Voters.

Watch the clips: Bringing the League of Women Voters to Mankato, Fighting Disinformation Before It's Too Late and Citizens Go Behind Closed Doors to Audit Elections.

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