Sense of history guides a local champion of voters’ rights

by Jill Huber
NJJN Bureau Chief/Monmouth

In an age of angry partisanship and seeming voter apathy, the name “League of Women Voters” sounds almost quaint, even anachronistic.

But for activists like Barbara Goldstein, the group’s message of protecting and encouraging the most basic right of democratic citizenship is timelier than ever.

“We’re a nonpartisan political organization that encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government,” said Goldstein, who is copresident of the League of Women Voters of Greater Red Bank. “We work to increase understanding of major policy issues and influence public policy through education and advocacy. This kind of approach isn’t always easy, but it is always an effective tool against voter apathy.”

Eighty-six years after its founding, the league moderates candidate debates and community forums, provides leadership training conferences and workshops, and publishes citizen guides to government and the voting process. While nonpartisan, it nevertheless takes stands on hot-button issues like campaign finance reform, voter fraud, and redistricting.

During the 40 years she has been a league member, having served on the board and as vice president, Goldstein has seen political corruption, along with a host of other factors, result in a negative influence on voter participation and civic engagement, a trend she is working hard to reverse.

Planning is under way, for example, for “Running and Winning,” a program which will be offered free of charge to 11th- grade girls in nine public high schools in the greater Red Bank vicinity. Students will have the chance to network, develop decision-making skills, and be mentored by female elected officials in the hope that they will imagine futures for themselves as candidates and lawmakers, Goldstein explained.

The workshop is cosponsored by the Red Bank chapter of Hadassah, the Northern Monmouth branch of the American Association of University Women, the Junior League of Monmouth County, and the State Public Affairs Committee of the Junior League of New Jersey.

“It’s our hope that those who are part of this program will leave with changed attitudes about politics and may even consider running for office some day,” said Goldstein. “It’s never too soon to inspire interest in government and the voting process — they are the hallmarks of democracy.”

Goldstein, who grew up in Red Bank and now lives in Tinton Falls, has a long history of community involvement. She retired in the early 1990s after 18 years as program administrator in the community services department of Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, where she also founded the school’s educational exchange center, which develops in-service training for teachers and other educators.

In 1959, she and her husband, Al, a semi-retired chemical consultant, were among the founding members of Monmouth Reform Temple in Tinton Falls, where she has been a board member, sisterhood president, and founding member and past chair of the temple’s annual Monmouth Festival of the Arts committee (she still serves on the festival committee). She is also a member of the Red Bank chapter of Hadassah.

After attending the league’s national convention in Minneapolis last June, Goldstein returned home with a renewed sense of purpose and energy to fulfill the league’s mission.

Fostering a sense of empowerment plays a key role in that mission, she said. Conducting voter registration drives, defending voting rights, and working to open the doors of government to citizens go a long way toward encouraging people to vote and take action in the governmental process, Goldstein said.

Three years ago, the league in the greater Red Bank area began an outreach program to local high school students. Letters about the voting process, voter registration dates, and absentee ballots were sent to those approaching graduation. Program expansion is on this year’s agenda, according to Goldstein.

Among other league activities: A voter registration booth will be set up at Monmouth Mall in Eatontown from Oct. 9 to 14, and a Monmouth County Candidates Forum is scheduled at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 25, at the Monmouth County Library in Manalapan.

For all of her focus on the future, Goldstein remains deeply committed to the league’s history. She reminds a visitor that Aug. 26 marked the 86th anniversary of the day the United States Constitution was amended to grant women the right to vote.

“The anniversary of the 19th amendment, Women’s Equality Day, provides us with an opportunity to reflect with pride on the progress made on voting rights in the past 86 years, including our very recent success in renewing the Voting Rights Act,” she said. “But it’s also a time to acknowledge that there is a great deal of work that still needs to be done.”

Additional information on the League of Women Voters is available by calling 1-800-792-VOTE or by logging on to the league’s Web site.