Reflections from Vice President for Organization Connie Born, Part 1
As we begin a new year, it’s a good time to reflect on the League of Women Voter’s beginnings and view the present League’s actions as an extension of who we are.
The League was proposed by President of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) Carrie Chapman in her address at the NAWSA’s 50th national convention in St. Louis, MO. She proposed the creation of a “league of women voters to finish the fight and aid in the reconstruction of the nation.” The League was formed within NAWSA which was composed of organizations in the states where suffrage had already been attained. On February 14, 1920, the League was formally organized in Chicago as the National League of Women Voters. Six months later, the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified and gave women the right to vote.
The League began as a “political experiment” aimed to help newly enfranchised women exercise their responsibilities as voters. The purpose of this new organization was not to dissolve any existing organizations, but to unite all the organizations that believe in its principles. It was not to lure women from partisanship but to unite them in an effort for legislation which would protect coming movements from suffering the untoward conditions which hindered the establishment of equal suffrage. Originally only women could join the League, but in 1973 the charter was modified to include men.
Today’s League of Women Voters under the direction of Dr. Deborah Turner continues as a grassroots operation that has fought since 1920 to improve government and engage all voters in decisions that impact their lives. The main focus of the LWV remains to expand civic participation and give a voice to all Americans through broad educational efforts and advocacy. The endurance of the LWV for over 100 years comes from its unique decentralized structure, a national organization with leagues in every state plus the District of Columbia, Hong Kong and the US Virgin Islands and 700 local leagues with more than 500,000 members. The League is nonpartisan, neither supporting nor opposing candidates or political parties at any level of government, but continuously working on vital issues of concern to members and the public.
The League’s Mission is: Empowering Voters and Defending Democracy. Its Vision is to: Support a democracy where every person has the desire, the right, the knowledge, and the confidence to participate. Its Value is: Believe in the power of women to create a more perfect democracy.
The League is fully committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in principle and in practice. These elements are central to the organization’s current and future success in engaging all individuals, households, communities and policy makers in creating a more perfect democracy.
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