One international Iowa State student is getting involved and making a difference in the United States.

Ana Carr, a graduate student in agricultural education and studies who is a native of Mexico, serves as the Web master and VOTER newsletter editor for the Ames League of Women Voters (LWV).

“Being a member has been a very good learning experience, especially for an international student,” Carr said.

The league works to build citizen participation in the democratic process. They study key community issues at all government levels — local, state and national.

Through this study, they formulate a statement that reflects their findings, according to their Web site.

Carr said being a member of the LWV has helped her better understand the political process in the United States, and she recommended involvement in the league to other students who want to play a more active role in democracy.

“Initially, women were just working for the right to vote,” Carr said. “Now, we are working for something way beyond that.”

Two local issues with which the LWV has worked are affordable housing and parking.

The league supports creating new affordable housing in both the city and university communities. It also promotes the use of concentrated commercial areas in the downtown and Campustown areas, which they say can be accomplished by providing high-turnover, long-term and leased parking spaces.

“The League of Women Voters is a wonderful training ground for people to become involved in their communities and the political process,” said Beverly Kruempel, president of the Ames LWV.

The league sponsors open-to-the-public candidate forums to give citizens an opportunity to ask candidates questions that are important to them.

The next forum will be held Feb. 28 at 8 a.m. in the Ames City Hall, and the public is welcome to attend, Kruempel said.

Carr said LWV “invites people to challenge candidates, and this is a very good thing.”

Carr is not the only ISU student involved with the Ames LWV.

Ann Schultz, graduate student in professional studies in education, has also made an impact on government through her work with the league.

“As a student, I chaired a campus movement to pass the Equal Rights Amendment for the state of Iowa,” Schultz said.

Schultz and her colleagues’ work resulted in Story County being one of only a few counties in the state of Iowa to pass the amendment. The campaign she headed sent out publicity to residence halls and greek houses about the Equal Rights Amendment.

“We saw the students as a good group to focus on because their votes can make a strong impact,” Schultz said.

Education and registration of voters is the main goal of the LWV, according to Schultz, who has been a member of the league since 1990.

“They don’t care if you agree or disagree; they just want you to be informed, and that is something that can be a problem for voters these days,” Schultz said.

The LWV is a non-partisan political organization encouraging the informed and active participation of citizens in government, Kruempel said.

The structure of the league includes the Observer Corps, whose members attend area meetings, such as the Ames City Council and the Story County Hospital Board.

“I joined the League of Women Voters so I could learn more about the community,” said Judy Dolphin, former president of the Ames LWV.

Dolphin started out by attending the Story County Hospital Board meetings as a member of the League’s Observer Corps. Her involvement with the league showed her “there’s no reason why an ordinary person like me can’t be involved; elected officials are us,” she said.

“I did something for myself and others I never thought possible,” Dolphin said of her experience with the LWV. Some of her accomplishments include chairing a statewide study on educational funding and helping to write a handbook on funding for legislators.

“I learned an enormous amount,” Dolphin said. “Now when I read any material, I have a different way of looking at it.”

The strength of LWV is in the study process, she said. The league does not try to tackle a big issue like foreign policy; instead, they use a very logical process that targets issues that have a direct impact on the average citizen, Dolphin said.

LWV is a way to work for the basic foundation of this country, which is citizen participation, Kruempel said.

“We as the League of Women Voters members are working for better laws and policies,” she said.

Membership in the League of Women Voters is open to anyone 18 years or older, and more information can be found at http://www.lwv.ames.net.