Two leaders of the League of Women Voters of Ventura County will speak at a Community Forum on Friday, March 18 titled Voting Rights: A Brief History, the Current Climate and Where to Go From Here. League President Betsy Patterson and Executive Board member Matty Park will speak at the 7 p.m. online forum on topics including what's being taken away, what's being secured, what's at risk in the future and what individuals can do to get involved. The forum will be held as state legislators across the country consider hundreds of bills that would restrict or expand voting rights. The Brennan Center for Justice, a national nonpartisan law and policy institute, reported that as of Jan. 14, legislators in at least 27 states have introduced, pre-filed or carried over 250 bills with restrictive voting provisions, while legislators in at least 32 states have crafted more than 399 bills that expand voting access. Last year, at least 19 states passed 34 laws restricting access to voting, the Brennan Center reported. Patterson, president of the League of Women Voters Ventura, has served on the board since 2016 after retiring from a career in emergency medicine. Park, a longtime advocate of voting rights, women's rights and the environment, has retired after a long career in information technology. The League of Women Voters, founded in 1920 by leaders in the women's suffrage movement, is a nonpartisan grassroots organization working to protect and expand voting rights and ensure everyone is represented in our democracy. The March 18 discussion is organized by Chalice Community Forum, a program of Chalice Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Conejo Valley. The online forum is free and open to the public; donations are welcome. For a link to register for access to the event, visit forum.chaliceuu.org. For information, contact Randall Edwards via e-mail at forum@chaliceuu.org or through the church office at (805) 498-9548.