This post was contributed by LWVJ members, Pat Watt
Public participation is the glue that holds democracy together. Democracy is not just about voting – getting registered, learning about what’s on the ballot, and then turning out to cast your ballot. It’s about paying attention to policy matters, issues decided by those we elected, issues that affect our day-to-day existence. It’s about understanding those policy issues. It’s about making our voices heard. Its about Public Participation.
A lot goes on at the local level that affects our lives. Often, more immediately than what happens at the state or national level. Several years ago, the Juneau LWV had a regular program of members monitoring the meetings of the Assembly and School Board, but that program is no longer active in an organized way. Nonetheless, many LWVJ members are interested in action at the local level and do get involved on local issues. They attend Assembly and School Board meeting as individuals, and testify on issues that matter to them.
If you haven’t done gone to one, it is informative and educational (and, yes, sometimes tedious) to watch what happens at the meetings of our elected officials.
If you are interested in doing this, you can find the Assembly Calendar here, and the School Board Calendar here. The Assembly meeting packets and minutes are also available on the CBJ website here.
We will keep posting information about how to be most effective in making your voice heard.