Today's guest post is written by Teddy Burrage, 23, a writer at MyMaineProperty.com.

Over the past year, I’ve been volunteering a lot of my time to Maine’s League of Young Voters based out of Portland. It’s a progressive, nonpartisan group dedicated to engaging young people in politics on the local, state and national levels. Made up almost completely of volunteers, the League has only two permanent, paid positions: the executive director and Portland organizer. The rest of the organization consists of about 20 members serving in leadership roles on a range of committees.

The Steering Committee, composed of six bright and intelligent young people, guides the entire organization by finding issues pertinent to the community. Their duty is to “articulate a vision consistent with member values that works towards creating a Maine we want to live in in 20 years.” They also raise funds and decide the structure of the organization.

Each year, the League puts out a comprehensive and sought-after voter guide that covers all candidates and ballot issues. It is the nine or so members of the Election Committee who vet and recommend candidates and referenda for endorsement within the voter guide. Official endorsements are determined democratically between anyone who has volunteered eight or more hours with the League. During a yearly event called Project Vote, the Election Committee presents in detail each candidate and issue, then presents the group with their recommendations. After a full discussion amongst everyone, ballots are cast and official endorsements are set.

Leadership Team is the League’s force on the ground. This is also where I’ve volunteered since May. Guided by the Portland organizer, we keep a presence in the community by having conversations with people on the streets about the importance of voting. We collect pledge cards, knock on doors, conduct phone banks and recruit new volunteers. This is one of the ways we engage young people who otherwise would not be involved with the election process.

In recent years, the League helped to restore Mainer’s right to same-day voter registration which had been dismantled by the legislature after 38 years on the books. They also successfully championed an initiative to have an elected mayor in the city of Portland chosen by ranked choice voting. And this year the League, in a statewide coalition, helped pass same-sex marriage in the state of Maine as well as elect a progressive majority to the state legislature. These are just some of the ways the League is changing the face of Maine.

The accomplishments of League of Young Voters in Portland are testament to the hard work put in by its volunteers. Again, I must reiterate that there are only two paid position in the entire organization. Through volunteerism, the members of the League of Young Voters have cooperatively had big hand in meaningful change around the state of Maine, and will continue to have great influence in the community. This is the power of volunteerism.

Teddy Burrage is a writer from Portland Maine who loves his state and community. He encourages his readers who want to make a difference to come and make Maine their home. By volunteering his time to local organizations, he hopes to effect the history of the great State of Maine in a meaningful way.