Thanks to the league

November’s general election is going to be dizzying for voters.

In addition to state races and the very polarizing presidential contest, the ballot includes 17 statewide propositions, such as the controversial Prop. 64, an initiative to legalize the recreational use of marijuana for adults. The description of that proposed law alone, including its summary and analysis, would take the average voter hours to wade through. Forget about reading the actual text; it’s written in legalese.

In other words, you’d better start doing your homework. Speaking of reading up, voters soon will receive their official Voter Information Guide. This year, it’s a whopping 224 pages. No kidding.

Then there are our local races. Voters in Butte County have a lot of candidates and ballot measures to research before they hit the polls.

Thankfully, Butte County is home to a local chapter of the national League of Women Voters, an extremely active and organized one to boot. That group is holding eight events comprising 17 local candidates races. It also is holding 11 presentations—seven to social and civic groups and four open to the public—covering the pros and cons of ballot measures. Additionally, the league’s members are doing outreach to get citizens registered to vote.

The group does all of this, and more, without a political agenda (see “Voting and vigilance,” Newslines, page 8). It is nonpartisan, does not endorse candidates or parties, and rarely takes a stance on specific issues. Moreover, everyone is a volunteer.

A way to thank the league is to take advantage of its upcoming events. Some will be televised, but we’d like to encourage voters to attend in person. Citizens can also support the group by giving it a tax-deductible donation and attending annual fundraisers.

A lot of energy from a lot of people makes these upcoming events possible. Let’s make the efforts worth their while, and get informed in the process.