Eight out of ten newly naturalized U.S. citizens in the Houston area accessed their right to vote during 2019, the League of Women Voters of Houston announced today.
League volunteers, acting as Deputy Voter Registrars for Harris County, attended all sixteen naturalization ceremonies to welcome 36,562 new Americans. Of those, 85 percent, or 31,011, registered to vote after taking their oath of citizenship. “Voting is a fundamental and important right that comes with being a citizen of the United States,” said Dr. Annie Johnson Benifield, VP of Voter Services, LWV-Houston. “Our organization was founded on the belief that every eligible American deserves a say in our Democracy. By registering to vote, these new citizens are saying, ‘I am an American.’”
The League of Women Voters was founded on February 14, 1920, a mere six months before the 19th Amendment was ratified, guaranteeing women access to the ballot box. There are more than seven hundred local leagues in the U.S., the District of Columbia and the U.S Virgin Islands. Proudly nonpartisan, the League continues working on vital issues of concern to members and the public.
Ahead of local, state, and federal elections, the League of Women Voters publishes localized Voters Guides to educate voters about candidates and issues on the ballot. In Houston, the League publishes its version in four languages: English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Chinese (Mandarin). Local voting information can also be found online at www.vote411.org.
To join the League of Women Voters of Houston, visit www.lwvhouston.org.
