Type:
NewsBy Jean Weston, LWVBC Member
(as published in the February/March issue of the Bucks County Women's Journal)
Beginning with the Suffrage Movement, women in Bucks County have worked to have a voice in the civic sphere. And two local organizations have made a significant impact in amplifying women’s voices in our community: the League of Women Voters and the Women’s Political Network of Pennsylvania.
Following the passage of the 19th amendment in 1920, the League of Women Voters (LWV) was created to give newly enfranchised women the desire, the right, the knowledge, and the confidence to participate in our democracy. That year, the first local Bucks County League chapter was formed in Newtown. Other League chapters were formed in New Hope and Yardley in 1944 and in Doylestown in 1955. Another League was formed in Warminster-Upper Southampton. In 1995, all these local Leagues combined in 1995 to form the League of Women Voters of Bucks County.
Over the years, the League in Bucks County has undertaken a number of significant activities. For example, in the early 1980’s, Shirley Hart (New Hope) encouraged the Bucks County ILO to create and produce a TV program on the newly-offered cable Public Access Channel. Tam St.Claire (Furlong) was actively involved in producing this program which was called At Issue. In the 1990’s, after producing over 30 in-the-field programs, At Issue evolved into an in-studio program called Let’s Talk, hosted by Jane Grim (Perkasie). Also, from 1997 thru 2007, Shirley Hart and Kathleen Horwatt (Langhorne) produced over a dozen award winning environmental programs involving FDR middle school students (Bristol Twp).As more women became knowledgeable about state and local government issues, several of them ran for office, and won! In the early 1980’s, nearly ten percent of elected officials in Pennsylvania were women, and they were working hard to encourage more women to run for office. To this end, they formed the Pennsylvania Elected Women’s Association (PEWA).
By the end of the ‘80’s, PEWA and the MWC (More Women Candidates) combined to form the Women’s Political Network of Pennsylvania (WPNP). Kathleen Horwatt (Langhorne) was elected the Founding President and Isabel Godwin (Newtown) served as Second Vice President.
The WPNP was a group of women with a vision and a mission to encourage women to seek public office. Members provided training seminars and mentoring for women to acquire the skills and information necessary to become successful public officials.
The WPNP provided a forum for the professional growth of elected or appointed women in government. The mission of this group was to provide a clearinghouse for information about women’s participation in the public life of Pennsylvania via newsletters, seminars and joint efforts with the Eagleton Institute of Rutgers University. It was designed to facilitate cooperation and communication among its members.
Over the years, Kathleen Horwatt developed the training materials for local seminars on “How to Run for Local Office.” Working with the Bucks County chapters of League of Women Voters and the American Association of University Women, Kathleen presented free seminars to anyone considering running for office.
In 2024, the Board of the Women’s Political Network, Kathleen Horwatt (Langhorne), Mary Smithson (New Hope) and Isabel Godwin (Newtown) voted to disband the WPNP and to turn their funds, nearly $4500, over to Andrea Kircher (Doylestown) of the League of Women Voters of Bucks County with the knowledge that the funds will continue to benefit the voters of Bucks County.The LWV of Bucks County is now the largest League in Pennsylvania. Our Voter Services activities are the most well-known of our works. Over the past year, we have held registration events across the county, visiting local high schools, college campuses, local prisons, and naturalization ceremonies. We also provide registration materials and information about voting by mail to senior residences across the county.
We also prepare the online Voters Guide, Vote411.org, where voters can learn about the candidates. It also provides information about mail-in voting, polling place locations, and other information necessary to voters.
Throughout the year, the League presents a wide range of programs on topics of interest to voters such as the decline of reliable local news coverage, gun safety, the federal judiciary, teaching media literacy in schools and how to disagree better. They also attend community events where information about voting and elections is provided to county residents.
Efforts by both the LWV and the WPNP to increase women’s participation in civic life has paid off. By 2024, the number of women elected to state and federal elected positions in Pennsylvania had risen to 31%. More women continue to run for office in county and local elections. And women consistently register and vote in higher numbers than men.
To join the League of Women Voters, go to www.lwvbucks.org
League to which this content belongs:
Bucks County
