The year 2020 presented a remarkable quantity of huge challenges. Most recently, they included President Trump’s refusal to accept the verified results of the November election. His words and actions culminated in the January 6, 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol and demonstrations at the Oregon Capitol, too.
The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization. We believe in Empowering Voters and Defending Democracy. In supporting free and fair elections with information, we empower voters. In all of our work at the local, state and national levels, we defend democracy.
Our national leadership wrote: “The League condemns the attack for what it was: domestic terrorism” and issued the statement posted below on this website.
Despite the violent and frightening interruption to Congress’s mandated task of certifying the electors’ votes for president and vice president, our elected representatives returned to their constitutional duty, completing their task in the middle of the night. The rule of law prevailed. We thank them.
There will be many opinions about the consequences of those events, and many possible responses. We may feel fear, anger and deep concern for the future of our democracy. These worries, while very jarring, can also cause us to recognize the value of our democratic institutions and work even more diligently to protect them. The League has done this work for the last 100 years. We will persist in our mission, standing resolutely together with all who treasure democracy.
League of Women Voters of Portland President Debbie Kaye