Raise a Glass to Jan Dorner

For decades, Elmhurst resident Jan Dorner has attended school board meetings, registered voters and led campaigns for the League of Women Voters. This month, Dorner steps down as president of the LWV of Illinois.

The League of Women Voters of Elmhurst invites all to a celebration in her honor at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 10. A Toast to Jan will be held at Flight 112 Wine House, 112 W. Park Ave., and will offer wine tastings, appetizers and a silent auction. Proceeds from the $30 suggested donation will go to the Elmhurst and Illinois League of Women Voters Education Fund.

Quite a List of Accomplishments

Within DuPage County, Dorner has registered thousands of voters at local high schools and public libraries. She also advocated informed voting by organizing debates of local candidates.

In 2011, she was elected state president.

Under her leadership, the League took on campaign finance reform, gun ownership and state partisan politics.

During her first year as state president, Dorner sought to improve methods of financing political campaigns. Such measures ensure the public's right to know, combat corruption and undue influence, enable candidates to compete more equitably for public office and promote citizen participation in the political process.

By December 2011, the League testified in front of the Illinois Campaign Finance Reform Task Force. 

“It is the League’s position that the methods of financing political campaigns should ensure the public’s right to know the source of the money, combat corruption and deter undue influence, make competing for public office more equitable, and ensure open and honest elections,” states testimony by Dorner and former state president Paula Lawson. “The League’s campaign finance reform strategy is to achieve incremental reforms where possible in the short term with the ultimate goal of public financing as the best long-term solution. This would level the playing field and allow for maximum citizen participation in the political process.”

In 2011, Democrats controlled both chambers in the General Assembly as well as the governor’s office. Every 10 years, electoral districts are redistricted to ensure fluctuating population rates are properly represented. They used their power to draw maps to allow their party to maintain control of the General Assembly and win more seats for Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

The league filed a lawsuit calling the remap unconstitutional.

"The General Assembly and governor have unlawfully selected residents to speak, debate, assemble and vote in these districts based upon their political viewpoints and opinions, without safeguards against the misuse of such criteria to regulate or abridge First Amendment rights for partisan ends," the lawsuit stated.

Though Gov. Pat Quinn defended the maps drawn by Democrats, Dorner called for an end to party politics. 

"Both parties have been gerrymandering districts in Illinois and throughout the United States for many decades, maybe even centuries, and it needs to stop."

The League lawsuit asked that future maps be drawn without consideration of constituents’ voting history.

For the 2012 election, the League partnered with ABC 7 Chicago in hosting two half-hour debates with the candidates of the 10th and 11th Congressional districts.

At a time of record gun violence, the League, under Dorner’s leadership, took up the issue of gun ownership.

The LWV, a coalition partner of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence, pressured legislators to restrict access to automatic and semi-automatic assault type weapons. Two years ago, the 94th General Assembly passed Senate Bill 1333, a bill that requires background checks for transfer or sales conducted at gun shows. Because of that law, the Illinois State Police estimate that hundreds of prohibited transfers are prevented each year.

Though Dorner is stepping down as president, she leaves a strong professional and personal legacy.

“Jan is a mother, an activist, and a role model for younger members,” said Sue Whitworth, president of League of Women of Elmhurst.