Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Mormon Women for Ethical Government held a training event at Capitol.
- The event focused on empowering women in politics, featuring networking and mentoring.
- MWEG plans to advocate for democratic institutions, immigration and environmental protection.
SALT LAKE CITY — The leaders of Mormon Women for Ethical Government want to help the women in their organization to take a more active role in all levels of government, and so they're teaching them how to make their voices heard.
That includes at the state level, which is why a group of women gathered recently at the Utah Capitol.
Established in 2016 with fewer than a dozen members, MWEG now has thousands of members around the nation, including in Utah.
Empowering women in politics
"We want women to be involved civically ... and know that their voices count and make a difference," MWEG Utah advocacy coordinator Melarie Wheat told the Deseret News.
To that end, the group held a 2025 "Day at the Capitol" event at the Utah State Capitol in late January.
Dozens gathered for the event, which featured member networking, presentations on getting involved with government and a tour of the Capitol.
The organization is open to women of all political stripes and religious affiliations, and while many of them are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the group is not affiliated with the church.
There was a lot of energy in the room as new and old members connected. Experienced members mentored newcomers on items ranging from tracking bills of interest to the best ways to contact their representatives.
Several attendees wore purple — the organization's signature color — which is meant to be a reminder of its nonpartisan stance. To that end, MWEG does not endorse candidates or organize campaigns.
Several Utah state lawmakers, including Sen. Ann Millner, R-Ogden, Rep. Verona Mauga, D-Salt Lake City and Rep. Gay Lynn Bennion, D-Cottonwood Heights, spoke to the MWEG members during their visit.
They answered policy questions and shared their stories.
"The most important thing is that we should be serving our brothers and sisters. ... I see big gaps in that for our country and our state where we could be doing better. And so if our government isn't reflecting our values, we should be getting involved," Bennion told the Deseret News.
The organization admits people from any faith tradition, but all of their members are women.
"(Women) do have different life experiences from men, and it's good for us to be able to be free to discuss those issues and not feel like we need to explain ourselves," said Wheat.
"Many of us wonder how we can start (in politics)," said Bennion. "MWEG is a great place for people to start to get involved and to learn about the process and to become more active as citizens."
What they're working on this session
This year, the group says it will advocate for legislation that falls into five main categories: democratic institutions, immigration, environmental protection, family and peacemaking.
"Personally, my faith inspires in all of those areas," said Wheat. "Especially when it comes to immigration ... and environment and caring for creation."
This session, Bennion said she is focused on affordable housing and water conservation, pointing to HB99 and HB89, respectively.
Longtime member Rebecca Rogers, a resident of Utah Valley, shared that her interests this legislative session relate particularly to immigration.
"My daughter-in-law is Filipina and she's here, she's a (legal) citizen ... but I think when people are curious or suspicious of Asian people it reflects on her, and it also reflects on my grandson," Rogers told the Deseret News. She said she is motivated to speak for other people who can't speak for themselves. "That just brings me to be more (politically) active," she said.
MWEG's Day at the Capitol came ahead of the group's 2025 conference on March 22.
