Originally published to the Free-Lance Star December 1 2020

On behalf of the League of Women Voters of the Fredericksburg area, I extend our gratitude and appreciation to the registrars, electoral boards, volunteers and poll workers who devoted countless hours of their time and effort to assure that voters in our region were able to cast their votes in a fair and secure way.

While the past four years made many citizens feel that America’s institutions were broken, our voting system once again clearly worked.

Election officials were undeterred in carrying out their legal responsibilities, shutting out the intimidations, the false rumors, the social media “noise” and the fears of catching the coronavirus. Combined with a staggering turnout of votes either by mail or at the polls, and under intense scrutiny that was sometimes over-the-top, they worked nonstop until all the votes were accurately counted.

At the same time that voters were inundating their offices with questions and concerns, the registrars and their staffs were helpful and willing to explain to callers how the process works.

When revisions to state voting laws seemed to be changing nearly every month, they also devoted their limited time to assist the league with our questions to ensure that we had the correct information to distribute to voters.

All citizens owe them an enormous debt of recognition for their service to our democracy.

Diane S. Shea

President,

League of Women Voters of the Fredericksburg Area