The Center for Rural Affairs and the League of Women Voters of Ames & Story County will host a forum with local leaders 8:30 a.m. Saturday at the Ames City Hall.

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan organization dating back to 1920 to help women engage in civic roles after winning the right to vote that year with the nineteenth amendment.

Members of the public are encouraged to come prepared with questions for the panelists, which will include Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell and Rep. Lisa Heddens as well as Sen. Herman Quirmbach. All three legislators are Democrats who represent the Story county area.

Wessel-Kroeschell has represented the Ames area in the Iowa House since the 2004 elections and has deep roots in the area. Her father was a professor of political science at Iowa State, and she graduated high school in Ames and completed her master of public administration degree at Iowa State.

Heddens has served in the Iowa House since the 2002 elections and served as assistant majority leader when Democrats were in the majority. She has lived in the Ames area for more than 30 years and attended Iowa State.

Quirmbach previously served on the Ames City Council and has served in the Iowa Senate since the 2002 elections. He is an associate professor of economics at Iowa State.

Other Iowa legislators have been invited to the event, but they have not confirmed their attendance. Policy professionals have also been invited.

The event was originally scheduled for Feb. 23; however it was rescheduled to Saturday due to weather.