New leaders for League of Women Voters

Deborah H. Travis, Vice President, and Peggy Layne, Vice President -Voter Services, will work together to lead the League as it continues its role to provide non-partisan information to voters. The change is happening because current President, Elizabeth Obenshain, following the League’s guidelines, is resigning because a family member is planning to seek local elected office. She plans to continue as an active member in the League’s important work of registering voters and educating voters on civic issues.

Travis, in addition to her work with the League, is President of the Montgomery County- Radford City- Floyd County Branch of the NAACP. The League has partnered with the NAACP Branch for many projects for several years. Travis is also active in several organizations throughout the New River Valley and is a Senior Financial Representative in Insurance and Investments in Blacksburg.

Layne retired in 2019 from the Office of Executive Vice President and Provost at Virginia Tech after 16 years of service. She also was director of the AdvanceVT program, a National Science Foundation sponsored program to increase the number and success of women faculty in science and engineering. She is active in several community organizations including the Blacksburg Master Chorale.

Together they will work to lead the up-coming projects. The League will be involved in events during the March Women’s History Month
and participate in statewide events including League Day at the Virginia General Assembly.
League members are planning local programs to help the community know about the issues, especially the role of voting which has been receiving national attention.

It will continue its work on Equity in Public School Financing in Virginia, a statewide study that the Montgomery County League started with the League in Washington County. Candidate Forums and Voter Guides will be prepared and distributed. The booklet, FACTS, a guide that lists contact information for all the local government administrators will be published. It is a resource for residents who are starting a new project as well as newcomers. The libraries help to make them available to everyone.

Both Travis and Layne agree that the most visible efforts of the League are the Voter Registration efforts and the Vote Tuesday signs. League members are at many events such as the Farmers Market and register voters. The signs are placed in public spots the week before an election to remind citizens of their opportunity to participate in an election. The League also provides voter information that compares candidates that voters can read online at VOTE411.org.