WESTCHESTER WOMEN’S BAR ASSOCIATION Helps Register New Voters Before October 14 Deadline

Earlier this year, the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York (“WBASNY”) launched a statewide 2016 Voter Registration Drive asking each of its nineteen chapters to register voters. Its local chapter, Westchester Women’s Bar Association (“WWBA”) responded to the call and formed a committee, chaired by members Joelle Burton, Esq. and Alayne Katz, Esq., to spearhead local voter registration efforts.

Citing the fact that voting was one of the original women’s issues, WWBA President, Susan Edwards Colson of White Plains, noted that “Voting is such an important issue, and it starts with local citizens promoting registration. I am so proud that WWBA has tackled this project with such focus and energy.” Westchester is a particularly apt location for this project because the women’s effort to gain the right to the vote started locally in New Rochelle with Carrie Chapman Catt, founder of the Woman's Suffrage Party, which became known as the New York State League of Women Voters. The first president of the New York State League of Women Voters resided in Scarborough.

The recent WWBA initiative began with a September 7 panel presentation for WWBA membership. Panel participants included Louise Kuklis, League of Women Voters of New Rochelle; Adam Gitlan, Counsel, Democracy Program, Brennan Center for Justice; and Hon. Lewis Lubell, a New York State Supreme Court Justice. Ms. Kuklis discussed the history of women and voting; Mr. Gitlan presented information about recent cases nationally, and Justice Lubell lead a discussion of local election issues.

The meeting concluded with sign-ups for local registration drives lead by the League of Women Voters. Many local events were held on September 27, which was “National Voter Registration Day.” With more than 140 registered, the WWBA is continuing its efforts to register voters in advance of the October 14 deadline, and will also be participating in efforts to get out the vote.

Founded in 1975, the Westchester Women’s Bar Association (WWBA) includes more than 500 women and men who are engaged in all facets of the legal profession. These members support the WWBA’s mission to promote justice for all, regardless of gender; to advance the social, economic and legal status for women through the law; to expand opportunities for women, and to raise the level of competence and integrity in the legal profession. We also believe that the individual and collective achievements of women lawyers should be noted, recognized, and celebrated.