May 13, 2018 3 min read

The eyes of the world were upon the 18th Congressional District special election this past March, but the contest lacked one staple: a candidates’ forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Washington County.

The same could be said for the special election Tuesday to fill the 48th District legislative seat that has been vacant since Brandon Neuman became a Washington County judge last January.

And if you’ve been paging through the newspaper wondering when a League of Women Voters’ Guide will be published, you can stop checking.

There isn’t one for Tuesday’s primary.

Death, illness, old age and members moving away have depleted the ranks of the League of Women Voters of Washington County, which was founded 56 years ago.

Margaret Jennings of Washington, who took over as president of the Washington County League of Women Voters less than a year ago, said in an interview, “People don’t seem to have the time or the motivation.

“We have so few active members.”

A core group of 10 to 15 has dwindled to “about five,” Jennings said. The Washington County league’s website, which bills itself as a nonpartisan organization, lists three vacant positions: vice president, secretary and director.

The absence of voters’ guides for the special election and this Tuesday’s primary was attributed to the death in January of long-time member Nancy Weiss of East Washington, who contacted local candidates and campaigns to gather information, coordinated it with data compiled by the statewide organization, and prepared the format for publication, the last of which, running 12 tabloid-sized pages, appeared in advance of the Nov. 7, 2017, election.

Jennings’ predecessor, Judy Hughes, relocated to Mt. Lebanon last year.

“It was hard to lose dear Nancy and Judy moving,” Jennings said of the volunteers.

The possibility of merging the Washington County league with its counterpart in Pittsburgh didn’t seem to gain much traction.

Melanie Ostrander, assistant director of the Washington County elections office, said she’s received inquiries about a 2018 pamphlet known as “Facts for Citizens” that lists how to contact everyone from the President of the United States to township supervisor. The league tailored the pamphlets to each school district in Washington County and the municipalities within them.

The information is being updated online, and Jennings said whether to continue producing the paper pamphlets hasn’t yet been decided. The website, www.washingtoncountypalwv.org has instructions on how to print copies so individuals or groups can generate pamphlets.

Jennings said the league is going to try to compile a voters’ guide in advance of the November election, and members of the organization will be meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday at the TRIPL office, 59 E. Beau St., to discuss its future. Despite the word “women” in its name, the group is not limited to females.

“I’m hoping we’ll regroup,” Jennings said. “The membership will ultimately decide.”