There is more to the Manhattan/Riley County League of Women Voters than meets the eye.

The organization, founded nationally in 1920 and organized locally in 1942, is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages active and informed participation in government and influencing public policy through education and advocacy, according to its Web site.

The League does not solely place its influence on registering people to vote, though the group expends considerable efforts to do so. It influences public policy and educates through the creation of positions. These positions are established after considerable study, then advocated on the local, state and national level. Locally, the group created a position on mandatory rental inspections and advocated it to the city commission.

"Not that there weren't some; we gave the city credit for that," said Glenda Phillips, the organization's president. "But we just wanted stronger [mandatory inspections]."

Other local issues, which have received attention from the League, include the potential for a mass transit system in Manhattan, the 2010 Census, the downtown redevelopment project and the constant push for educated voting. The League has organized several candidate forums and tries to make information accessible on the Web and through the Manhattan Public Library, Phillips said. The efforts are not going unnoticed on the local level.

"The League of Women Voters provides a valuable service to the community," said James Sherow, a city commissioner and former member of the organization. "I have benefited as a commissioner from the data and reports they have provided. I also appreciate their work in getting people to vote. They, of course, conduct this in a non-partisan matter, which makes their work on getting people to vote and collecting information all the more important."

The group also has observers attend all local government meetings. The observers create reports based on the meeting's activities. Reports are published on the organization's blog. Ensuring accountability and transparency remain priorities in local government are two of the primary reasons for having observers attend meetings and make reports Phillips said. Kathy Dzewaltowski, the observer for Unified School District 383 and League member, said providing information to those who are interested in knowing the activities of local government but are unable to attend is part of the group's role.

"We provide a service for people who want to know what's going on," she said. "I also think it's important because they don't have a big audience. It's important that these officials know people are watching the process."

Beyond purely local interests, the League has adopted position statements on important state and federal political issues. Bridging the gap between state and national interests, the organization has advocated against the use of coal-fired power plants Phillips said. Additionally, the group has backed the public option in the ongoing health care debate. Services for the indigent have also been advocated for locally and statewide.

Despite occasionally being considered "left-leaning," the organization is non-partisan Phillips said.

"If we forget that we need people involved who are going to say don't forget this is another perspective and that really helps us stay balanced," she said.

Balance is also maintained through a vast assortment of members. Some of which do not fit into the organization's name.

"We have several men that are members here because they are wonderfully intelligent and help us out with many perspectives," Phillips said. "They really do and we love having them there."

The changing times have resulted in a different mission for the organization.

"Its original intention was to get women out to vote," she said. "The whole voting issue was part of it. But now it's more just an issue of trying to help the areas of the people and the world that are not being helped and making people aware of those areas. And of course for us it's always voting, that's a big part of it."

The organization is currently planning its activities for 2010. Projects such as the census and planning for the state conference, which will be held in Manhattan, are looming on the horizon. As president, Phillips said, she has goals of moving the organization off of paper and examining new ways of dispersing information.

Additionally, the group is always looking at adding new members. The organization currently has an active membership of around 100 Phillips said. There have been discussions of creating a League of Women Voters of the Flint Hills to accommodate interested individuals from nearby counties Phillips said. Involvement with the League can be beneficial Phillips said.

"The League can offer as much if not more than their other organizations because of our non-partisan stance," she said. "We want everyone not just crazy Democrats or crazy left-wingers."

Until then the work continues.