 You have you have a couple of big titles. Oh, I know. I know I'm always a bit embarrassed by all that Well, you're both the president of the League of Women Voters of Vermont and the director of the Vermont sub-rich Centennial Alliance That's so why don't we just start with the League of Women Voters in Vermont and and tell us a little bit about what you have been Up to in the last several months given so much discussion about the safety and integrity of elections Yes, so I've been I've been president of the League of Women Voters for just about a year This month actually and it has been really really hectic for us because we've had a lot of stuff related to voting going on as You're very familiar right now. We are currently working with the Secretary of State To get information out to the public about absentee ballots and mail-in voting for November We are working with groups like the ACLU and VPurg Just getting word out the League itself is trying to get an education component going Where we can inform people of some of the mistakes that might be made with absentee ballot like for getting to sign it Or putting it in the right Envelopes and sending it in so there's a lot of work to be done there and we're just gearing up for all of that right now We have a committee working on So mail-in voting is just actually another word for absentee ballots. Is that right? That's correct. So we've been doing this for years and years Yeah, why is there a concern that this is not a good way for people to vote? Really because of COVID-19 and social distancing and fears that people might not go out and vote because they don't want to be in Among crowds with no distance between them. So we are trying to tell everyone that there's an alternative that's always been here but Mark is a leader in voting rights and One of the best states a model state for just having the every access for citizens to vote So we want to make sure that people understand that absentee ballot is an option a very valuable and Valid option instead of going to the polls you can do it in your home and Get it done that way. So why do you think the president is saying this isn't a good way to vote? I'm not really sure why he's promoting that particular line, but it's not true at all He himself actually voted absentee and so it's kind of ironic that he should promote that point of view probably just Scourge people or put fear into them that something might be wrong or that there's a potential for fraud and It shows studies have shown that that's really not quite the case and in Vermont the Secretary of State's office really Pays great heat to the incidents of fraud happening and it's not it's not enough to make a difference Well, it's interesting But there's this debate Given that you're also the director of the Vermont suffrage centennial alliance which celebrates the women getting the vote among other things and Maybe you could talk a little bit about first before we go deeply into this suffrage The suffrage centennial alliance Why the right to vote is so precious and why you do the work you do with the league the right to vote in the United States I I am not from the United States. I moved here. I grew up in East Africa and then I moved to India and came to the United States after that and I've been in countries where voting Was very difficult Was a very difficult proposition in East Africa where I grew up We were not citizens of the state and so we could not vote and there was a lot of Problems there. It was only a one party system and when I went to India I found out that the voting was very much encouraged and people really took their right very seriously When I came over here, I Wasn't a citizen right away. I became a citizen later on And I know how important it is to vote and it it was very surprising to me That over here people really didn't vote as much Or as often as they should and and took the that right very likely to me. It's a very important right. I voted every election And I read up on the issues and that is how I came to know about the League of Women Voters They were a non-partisan group. I lived in San Diego at the time and every time I had A question about an issue they would put out this was a manual that we'd get in the mail And I would read up on it and I'd see the pros and the cons And they never really said which way you would go but the case was made for whatever issue was at hand And so I knew of them long before I joined them And I would always rely on their advice for guiding me in the direction I should go into and and voting has always been important to me and one day when I was over here at the naturalization ceremony I talked to myself that the reason why people in the united states don't take voting as Seriously as I do or as others might do is because they have the luxury not to And I felt that was a very important point and In Australia, for example, voting is a must. We have to vote and here you don't if you don't want to and a lot of people question The things won't change if they if they don't if they vote or they vote does not make a difference and I don't know whether that's the case or not, but I think your vote does make a difference I was At the I think it was Ashley Hill and then Francis I forget his last name the senator that they were running for the senate and the difference in that vote in that particular race was by one vote and So I think your vote does make a difference Absolutely. Well look at mayor Bernie Sanders right 12 votes 10 votes. Yes change the course of history Yeah, and actually voting. I think what people fail to realize is that voting is more than just Voting you're voting for state issues. You're voting for local issues. You're voting for your school board you're voting for your road to your infrastructure There's all these other cases that need to be made as to why you vote because it's just not who's running for president Or who's running for the senate You're voting for local issues that mean a lot So has it been a hundred years since women got the vote? It will be a hundred years on august 26 2020 and what changed When women got the vote In initially when women got well one of the very first things that happened in Vermont when women got the vote was that they voted the governor out and It was governor possible clements and he did not allow vermont to ratify He did not allow vermont to be the 36th state to ratify the 19th amendment And so the power of the women's vote was they voted him out and edna beard was also the first woman elected to the vermont legislature in 1920 so So those are big things that happened but nationally The whole lot that happened and the power of women's voting got stronger and stronger as the years went by And I think there was a big difference made in 2016. I believe The women's vote Well, and I think it might be useful for us just to Lead up to the vote also But the kind of women that were engaged in this civic activism the kind of violence that accompanied this You know the real sea change in our country That accompanied this Change in representation. Maybe you could talk a little bit about the history that led to The suffrage for women Well with the the suffrage for women began in the 1800s The fight for suffrage for women and at that time We're very familiar with leaders like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton and We're not as familiar with people in vermont or women in vermont. They did what they did But it was a hard fought battle. They were ridiculed. They were heckled. They were imprisoned And Uh, the fight went on for almost three quarters of a century seventy two years Before women got the vibe Susan B. Anthony did not live to see that She herself did go and vote for the first vote of encounters. Um, there was a big disparity between The difference with the women group. There was a split when they decided that they uh, would not support african-american Women in their fight for the vote Because they did not want to muddy the waters the the suffragists were upset when the Negro man got the right to vote with the 15th amendment but women didn't But it was a lot of tension and and they were not taken very seriously Men did not men and other women also did not feel for some women did not feel that women really needed The right to vote their husband to care of everything And uh, the history is long and varied and in vermont, we've had suffragists such as marina howard nickles Annette primarily lucy b lucy daniels from grafting and They fought over here as well for for the right to vote and did not get the vermont legislature to change their mind at all at the time But because of federal legislation that vermont women voted in 1920 But vermont did not ratify the 19th amendment till February of 1921 So if there were a centennial to celebrate Um, what there is but it's hard to celebrate. So a little bit about Yeah, because of the covet. Um, tell us what the suffrage vermont suffrage centennial alliance is planning Or hoping to spread the word and educate this generation Of vermoners about this incredibly important accomplishment So we've got several things going on. We were supposed to have a big parade and suffrage fest on august 22nd, but that of course is now postponed till next year in the meantime, we have We have an exhibit called because of women like her and it's a traveling exhibit that will be taken to schools in vermont And it's part of a grant that we received from the champagne valley national heritage partnership As well as the vermont humanities council and we have five banners that depict the history of suffrage Vermonters and nationally and that is going to be going to six schools from october to december We also are actually going to be launching a comic book On august in august for the for the centennial and it will also be a mix of Vermonters and national suffragists it's in In design right now if we speak and going to all of the research and all and historians like Lynn blackwell and rachel onuf and pristine smith have all been very helpful in putting both the exhibit and And the comic book together We also have a play in the works and sanny duly has been involved with that It's the suffragists reenactment Society that was supposed to come out in the fall But we believe we're going to have to postpone that The thinking of having a major celebration In 2021 but haven't yet decided on what that will look like We might work with another group or do it on our own. We just haven't yet decided So i'm sure you're awake The nuances Of representation and inclusion Given what's happening in the country right now And I wonder if you have some thoughts about that What is going on right now is uh, really terrible police the death of The african-american man and the riots that have followed are absolutely painful to watch It appears to be almost Resentment and anger that is deep deeply felt that's just spilling out into the street And I am really sad and by it and it affects me a lot to listen to the news and watch the news and See how it will play out Uh, I I just don't you it's like it's it's it's More than terrible. It's painful and I'm not sure What can be done unless things are addressed properly and it's Not a problem that can be fixed easily It's a problem That's deep threat deep embedded and then we look at the suffrage history I can almost track things all the way to Way back when but things have just been boiling but kind of settling for the time Boiling up again and then settling again and I I I don't know or don't have That's the idea how we should proceed In times like this It's very difficult Do you see connections between The enfranchisement of women And the enfranchisement of all people in the country I see connections. Yes, and I see that the battle was fought in some ways And then the battle was forgotten and then the voting rights act in 1965 um People received the right to vote. I think what horrifies me the most is how Difficult sometimes it is for people to vote and When you go and look in first in the history of voting You see that there's always been Things put in the way which I find very difficult to understand. Why would you have polls? Why would you have literacy capital today suppression of the vote polling places being closed down voter identification All this stuff to me the right to vote is a given right And you should be able to go to the polls to be easy for you to go to the polls And just say your piece at the polls So I'm I'm I'm amazed at some of the Some of the things that come into play that prevent people from voting I believe it's your choice whether you want to vote or not But the right to vote should be available to everybody and the ability to vote to be given to everyone And the intent to vote should be available to all and that I think is kind of Painful when it doesn't happen or when untruths are put out into play to discourage you from voting That's Your own right and you should have the the privacy to make your own decisions about it and vote the way you want Without the influences of others Just be yourself, but that's in an ideal world. I guess. Oh, yeah, it's not quite that way Well at the time just not quite that way, but I'm really encouraged that young people are very Getting very active right now about voting and understanding what it's all about and why they should be voting so It sounds like the good voters And the suffrage centennial alliance may be outdated, but it doesn't sound to me that that's true at all No, it isn't Because the League of Women Voters is a non-partisan group and the Vermont Suffrage Centennial Alliance pays him to that as well and I think It's very important to be the voice of reason There's so much happening with social media with fake news and news. That's untrue and truthful news And when you are able to just be strong to your course You might sound outdated because the values and ideas you're promoting may not have all the Bells and whistles that go on but the ideas are solid ideas and they're based on honesty I think that's what makes the League relevant always So in addition to the centennial activities that you're planning What are some of the other accomplishments of the alliance the suffrage centennial alliance? We are very pleased to have had All kinds of groups joining us in this effort We have about 60 individuals and organizations all together They are as varied as historical societies art organizations peace and justice The bar association and all of them are strongly commemorating The centennial and they have all been At our meetings very very regularly right now we meet by zoom which makes it a bit challenging We have the department of libraries So we have a lot of groups that understand the importance and the significance of this particular event And have come together in Vermont really well to help us get to where we wanted to get but unfortunately right now with covid 19 We've got a bit of a monkey wrench But things will come together Well, it's Right to vote came to the nation in in 1920 but came to Vermont in 1921 So it sounds like 19 Celebrations next year in 2021 are still timely Yes, and actually the the women in Vermont could vote in 1920 because it was a federal law that made it but 1921 was in Vermont ratified it. So we are looking at something possibly in February or the being in winter It could be challenging being outdoors doing stuff depending on weather So we'll see how that goes. We'll have better plans as we go along. Yeah Well, Sue, I really appreciate your time And thank you for all of your work and the work that the league does for all of us in Vermont And for really standing up this important anniversary of suffrage Which gives us an opportunity to talk about inclusion 100 years later Yes, thank you very much I appreciate being here and I hope That will talk to you again sometimes Absolutely. Thank you. Thank you