On January 20, Inauguration Day, the next president and vice president of the United States will be sworn into office in front of the US Capitol Building. As part of the peaceful transfer of power, the two men will recite their Oaths of Office, swearing to protect and defend the US Constitution and to enact their duties faithfully. 

As our democracy anticipates unprecedented challenges, there could be no better time to pledge our own oath to protect and preserve democracy. Here’s ours. 

Over a century after our founding — and the passage of the 19^th amendment that granted many women the right to vote — some people question why the League of Women Voters keeps the word ‘women’ in our name. 

To me, now more than ever, it’s clear that “women” is an essential part of our name — and always will be.