Mary Gay Scanlon: “I thank Representative Lawrence for bringing us together for this Special Order hour. In honor of Women's History Month…”

“I thank Representative Lawrence for bringing us together for this Special Order hour. In honor of Women's History Month, I rise to celebrate the League of Women Voters nonpartisan work to encourage active and informed participation in our democracy since 1920. Founded shortly before the ratification of the 19th amendment, the League has always believed in women's power to help create a more perfect democracy. In recent years, the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania has worked to combat 21st century voter suppression tactics, including strict voter ID laws and extreme gerrymandering. In 2018, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued a decision in the League of Women Voters v. Pennsylvania that declared our congressional districts had been so extremely gerrymandered that they violated our State constitution. In doing so, that decision created districts, including mine, that are more compact, contiguous, and constitutional. The League of Women Voters' decision paved the way for the election of four women, myself included, to serve in our State's congressional delegation at a time when there were none. From the first suffragists through the present day, I want to applaud the League of Women Voters for its ongoing work to empower voters and defend our democracy.”