League of Women Voters

This summer I worked on a city council campaign and was responsible for filling out candidate questionnaires from various groups. I was able to find the questionnaire I filled out for the League of Women Voters, and I was surprised that none of questions addressed what we think of as being "women's issues." This seems to reflect what Weiss said at the end of her book about the League serving as a nonpartisan organization focused voter engagement and education rather than serving as a group that prepared women to become politicians. While the League serves an important role in helping voters understand candidates' issue positions, it seems like the focus on informed voting leaves women in the position of responding to policy rather than shaping it themselves.

In case anyone is curious, these are the questions on the League of Women Voters questionnaire for Seattle City Council: What experiences have you had that qualify you for this position? How would you describe your vision for your city? What are the obstacles in the path of achieving your vision? What do you think is your city/town's role in dealing with issues surrounding the environment? What are the issues surrounding your city/town's infrastructure? How do you think your city/town could best respond to homelessness? How do you think your city/town should approach legal and illegal immigration issues? How would you propose the council communicate with the citizens of your city or town?