Plaque Dedicated to Champion of Voter Registration

Sylvia Levin volunteered six days a week, four hours a day, registering voters. 

"Have you registered to vote?" Levin would ask passers-by, sitting behind her table at Malibu Colony Plaza (every Friday), Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice and other locations in Southern California.

In 36 years, Levin alone registered more than 47,000 Californians—a national record.

Abbot Kinney had been one of her favorite spots, said her daughter Susan Levin. Sylvia talked to everybody, including a local television journalist named Bill Rosendahl, who went for coffee in Venice on Saturday mornings after taping his show in Santa Monica.

Last week on Saturday, Rosendahl returned to Abbot Kinney, this time as a Los Angeles city councilman to help dedicate a commemorative plaque in honor of Levin, who died in 2009 from stroke complications at age 91.

"She went out of her way to get people to register, and it was so healthy to see that," Rosendahl said. "She was an extraordinary believer in democracy."

The plaque will be mounted on the side wall of , overlooking the place occupied by Levin and her table for decades.  

Rosendahl was joined Saturday by Councilman Paul Koretz, Levin's son Chuck and daughter Susan as well as more than 50 friends and family members. 

Levin was remembered at the ceremony for her fierce determination, dedication and her ability to out-walk just about anyone.

Chuck Levin, founder of The First Vote and a voter-registering force in his own right since 1968, suggested to his mother in 1973 that she take a test to become a deputy registrar.

At the time, Chuck Levin had been hired for a project to register students in California. Two years earlier, 18-year-olds had received the right to vote with the passage of the 26th Amendment.

He needed reliable and hardworking people to help. The first person he asked was his mother, a single parent with a strong sense of determination. 

"It was only temporary, only for three months," Chuck Levin said. "But then it ended up that she never stopped."

Sylvia Levin aimed to make it clear that registering to vote was special, said David Moring, a member of the Venice Chamber of Commerce. He met her while registering college students in Westwood years ago.

"It felt right for her to devote a lot of time to it," Chuck Levin said.

Weekly, she would pack up her gear and get on several buses to make it to Malibu Colony Plaza, said Bruce Klein, who graduated from high school the same year as Chuck Levin.

A broken hip, a stroke and colon cancer failed to stand in her way. She registered voters right up until her death.

"Sylvia Levin expanded democracy, through her tireless spirit, compassion, and dedication to citizen involvement," states a quote from Rosendahl that appears on the plaque. "Her historic contribution is an inspiration to us all."