A history of the League of Women Voters
By Linda Hutchinson
Next year will mark two important 100-year anniversaries in the history of our country: the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution giving women the right to vote and the founding of the League of Women Voters. The League of Women Voters began as a “mighty political experiment” to help 20 million women carry out their new responsibilities as voters. It encouraged them to use their new power to participate in public policy.
The League is proud to be nonpartisan, neither supporting nor opposing candidates or political parties at any level of government but always working on vital issues of concern to members and the public. The League has a rich history of voter service designed to provide each citizen with unbiased, factual information for understanding the election process and reaching their own voting decisions. The League’s citizen education, on the other hand, provides information on public issues, including those on which we have a position and for which we advocate. The League’s positions are reached through a study-and-consensus process involving all local chapters. The League is a bottom-up organization, not a top-down organization.
The League is continually studying issues important to our democracy.
The 1930s and onset of World War II brought far-reaching changes to the League. One important change was that because of gas rationing, League members started meeting in small neighborhood groups to discuss fundamental issues. The practice of meeting in small groups continues today.
In 1945 the League of Women Voters was invited by President Truman to serve as a consultant to the U.S. delegation at the United Nations Charter Conference. The League has continued a UN presence through one official and two alternate observers. Today League “observers” monitor public meetings at all levels of U.S. government as well.
In 1957 the League of Women Voters Education was established to encourage the active and informed participation of citizens in government and to increase understanding of major public policy issues.
In the 1960s the League directed its energies toward equal access to education and employment in response to the growing civil rights crisis.
In 1970 a League study of the presidential electoral process culminated in a position supporting direct election of the president by popular vote as essential to representative government.
In the 1970s the League developed broad national positions on water, air, waste management, land use and energy, believing that preservation of the earth’s ecosystem is essential to protection of public health and the environment.
In 1983 the League adopted a position on reproductive choice, stating that public policy in a pluralistic society must affirm the constitutional right of privacy of the individual to make reproductive choices.
In 1990 the League undertook a two-year study of funding and delivery of health care in the United States. The League of Women Voters believes that every U.S. resident should have access to affordable, quality health care.
In 2004 the League began to focus its legislative work under a “Democracy Agenda” umbrella including redistricting, civil liberties, campaign finance reform, voting rights for District of Columbia residents, election administration reform and ethics and lobbying reform.
In 2014 the League adopted the study of the Structures of Democracy to review money in politics, redistricting, and the constitutional amendment process based on the belief that voting is a fundamental right and all eligible voters should have equal opportunity to exercise that right. The League of Women Voters is dedicated to ensuring that our elections remain free, fair, and accessible.
In 2018 the League launched a new program called Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), intended to expand collaborations among other groups with similar values and foster a more diverse membership.
As a direct result of strong member commitment, the League has evolved from a political experiment designed to help enfranchised women carry out their new responsibilities, to what it is today: a grassroots, nonpartisan organization of men and women that is recognized as a force for promoting informed citizen participation at all levels of government.
Linda Hutchinson is a member of the public relations team for the League of Women Voters of Larimer County.