I started working with the Davis Area League to help them create a video that would encourage people to register and vote, particularly the 18-25 year olds. Working directly with the LWVDA Voter Registration Chair, Judy Higgerson, was an amazing experience as we brainstormed and created ideas for the video.

LWV on all levels; local, state and nationally, and the Girl Scouts have a lot in common. Both promote girls, and women, to lead nonpartisan projects. It was very inspiring to see two organizations that encouraged female leadership working together to create an informal video.

After the video was created and posted on social media sites, I started interviewing members of the League to add onto my gold award. I got the chance to interview three women that were active or restarting to become more active once again in LWV Davis Area chapter. It was interesting hearing about their stories about the League, and also about their personal life.

NOTE: Jaeli Williams’ Gold Award project dovetailed with the 2020 Girl Scouts of USA ( GSUSA) National Civic Action, Promote the Vote. While most girls are too young to vote themselves, GSUSA launched this call to action to teach young people why voting is essential, the power they have to increase access to voting, and how they can encourage others to vote. In 2020 when voting procedures were modified to prevent the spread of Covid-19, there was an urgent need to educate voters about these new procedures. Jaeli’s specific project targeted younger adults  who typically are less likely to vote than older adults. She led a team of other youth to decide on the messages and develop videos that could be disseminated online to the target audience. Jaeli’s work demonstrates the benefits of a partnership between the League of Women Voters and GSUSA in meeting community needs.  Voting access is critical to democracy, and, motivating young adults to vote can have a lasting effect on this generation of voters.