League of Women Voters

Take Action: Tell the Senate to Support S1!

beaconfire — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 17:26:27 +0000

Take Action: Tell the Senate to Support S1! beaconfire Fri, 07/23/2021 - 13:26

Donation Form C3

superuser — Fri, 19 Mar 2021 15:32:34 +0000

Donation Form C3 superuser Fri, 03/19/2021 - 11:32

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Donation Form C4

superuser — Fri, 19 Mar 2021 15:24:50 +0000

Donation Form C4 superuser Fri, 03/19/2021 - 11:24

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C3/C4 Designation

Liz

kvix — Fri, 01 May 2020 13:54:57 +0000

Liz kvix Fri, 05/01/2020 - 09:54

As one of few women at her tech company, adorned with tattoo sleeves and ever-changing colored hair, Liz is unafraid to break the mold. In fact, she intentionally lives her life by embracing diversity of perspective.

Liz grew up in a politically active family, tagging along at rallies and volunteering with her parents. So when she expressed frustration at the partisan division she saw impeding progress, her mother, a longtime League member, prompted her to join her local League.

The more Liz learned from the League, the more involved she became—drawn in by the organization’s immovable nonpartisan stance and dedication to protecting equal voting rights. When presented with the opportunity to apply for the national board of directors, she jumped at the chance.

Now, Liz chairs the national board’s mission impact committee, where she develops key strategies for empowering voters and defending democracy. Liz relishes bringing an outsider perspective to the League, as she does in her tech career, using it to break down cultural and political divides that stand in the way of equitable progress for all.

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Liz

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Subtitle

Breaking Down Barriers

Location

Seattle, WA League

Pull Quote

“I don’t think good policy is partisan. Good policy is inclusive and ensures people actually have their needs met.”

Links

Fighting Voter Suppression

Liz's Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity Blog Post

Carolyn

kvix — Fri, 21 Feb 2020 17:44:28 +0000

Carolyn kvix Fri, 02/21/2020 - 12:44

Living in Ohio as a young goverment teacher and community activist, Carolyn wanted to attend the 1980 LWV-sponsored presidential debate. Learning that tickets were only available to Cleveland League members, she joined.

Membership with the League gave Carolyn unique access to policymakers. Her passion for education and democracy reform put her in front of the school board, city council, and eventually the state legislature. A historian by nature, Carolyn wrote a book for the LWV Education Fund, One Man, One Vote: The History of the African American Vote in the United States.

In the mid-90s, Carolyn served on the national board of LWV, becoming the national president in 1998. During her tenure, Carolyn shepherded the League into the technology age, launching LWV’s first voter information website, DNet—the predecessor to VOTE411. She testified before Congress, conveying the League’s support of important bills like the Help America Vote Act and the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act.

As the League’s first African American national president, Carolyn made it her mission to prioritize diversity in the League’s initiatives and partnerships. Now, she’s carrying on that mission with her new book, The Untold Story of Women of Color in the League of Women Voters.

First Name

Carolyn

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Subtitle

Telling Our Stories

Location

Former National League President

Pull Quote

“The best way to celebrate what we’ve accomplished is by looking at our stories. The resolve of those women that have come before us gives us the energy to move forward.”

Links

LWV History

VOTE411

Anna

kvix — Thu, 16 Jan 2020 22:16:21 +0000

Anna kvix Thu, 01/16/2020 - 17:16

Getting money out of politics was what first drew Anna to the League of Women Voters. Eager to join an organization built on grassroots advocacy, they quickly got to work fighting to protect the Maine Clean Elections Act.

Anna is an organizer at heart. Now, as executive director of LWV of Maine, they focus on building an activist network by fostering individual volunteers to build power together.

As a nonbinary person, Anna shares their experience in order to invite fellow League members to think more complexly about gender. For them, it’s about making sure we expand the safe and welcoming space the League has created for women to gender minorities.

With an unwavering dedication to expanding and defending democracy, Anna leads with a clear vision for activating the League’s volunteer network and harnessing their power for real change.

First Name

Anna

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Subtitle

Empowering Activists

Location

Maine League

Pull Quote

“We must raise the voices of those who have the hardest time participating in the system, and advocate for the underlying structural changes that will make their voices more powerful.”

Links

Action Events

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion

Brendan

kvix — Wed, 04 Dec 2019 17:15:36 +0000

Brendan kvix Wed, 12/04/2019 - 12:15

As a student, Brendan was engaged in national politics, eager to make a difference. But after graduation, he found himself burnt out—powerless to change decisions that affected him as a young person. That’s when he was approached by his friend’s mother, who asked him to get involved with the New Jersey League.

A few months later, Brendan was frustrated to learn an oil pipeline was planned to route through his town. He wanted to stop it, but he didn’t know how. So, he talked with members of the League’s natural resources committee, who provided him tools and introduced him to activists who helped him fight off the pipeline.

Brendan credits the inter-generational mentorship at the League with turning his cynicism into action and re-energizing his engagement with local government. It’s at the local level where Brendan feels he can really effect change.

First Name

Brendan

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Subtitle

Engaging Local Government

Location

New Jersey League

Pull Quote

“I have learned so much from these amazing women who have been fighting for the things I care about longer than I’ve been alive.”

Links

Membership

Environment

Luisa

beaconfire — Tue, 18 Jun 2019 12:59:16 +0000

Luisa beaconfire Tue, 06/18/2019 - 08:59

Moments after she took the oath of citizenship at her naturalization ceremony, Luisa was greeted by the League of Women Voters who encouraged her to use her new rights by registering to vote. After participating in her first election, Luisa wanted to do more—to use her rights to expand others’. She joined the League that had registered her, eager to amplify her newly empowered voice.

As a new League member, Luisa dove into voter registration, visiting high schools to register students, taking on voter education projects to get out the vote among minority communities. But where she feels most fulfilled is when she registers new citizens to vote at naturalization ceremonies. That’s where everything comes full circle for her.

Luisa’s passion for defending voting rights comes from a profound place: knowing first-hand the power that comes from exercising your voice after a lifetime of waiting.

First Name

Luisa

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Subtitle

Defending Voting Rights

Location

Wichita, KS League

Pull Quote

“Embracing new citizens as people with the potential to affect change in our democracy is one of the greatest things the League does. It’s one of the most special things I get to do in terms of advocacy.”

Links

New Citizen Voter Registration

High School Voter Registration

Dee

beaconfire — Tue, 18 Jun 2019 12:52:34 +0000

Dee beaconfire Tue, 06/18/2019 - 08:52

Dee’s desire to be a part of an organization that makes a real difference in people’s lives led her to the League of Women Voters while she was still an active duty service member. Now, this Air Force veteran and college educator works tirelessly to motivate her students, neighbors—indeed anyone she meets—to register and vote.

Dee works directly in the communities she’s fighting for, partnering with local school systems, sororities, churches, and election offices to equip community members with the knowledge and tools they need to take advantage of their vote. To Dee, her most important work with the League centers on voter engagement and empowerment. She believes the best way to support underrepresented voters is to help them use their voice.

First Name

Dee

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Subtitle

Educating Voters

Location

Sumter, SC League

Pull Quote

“When it comes to equal representation in government, it’s simple: you vote for the people who care about what you care about.”

Links

Voter Education

Adena

beaconfire — Tue, 18 Jun 2019 12:47:38 +0000

Adena beaconfire Tue, 06/18/2019 - 08:47

Adena first encountered the League of Women Voters as a college student, when her local League asked her to help register and mobilize her fellow students. Finding herself to be a natural organizer and civic leader, Adena became more and more involved in her Berkeley, CA, League and was eventually elected as the youngest president in their history.

Adena’s democracy advancement work skyrocketed from there. She led initiatives to engage young voters and voters of color, established efforts to increase diversity in League membership, and even helped implement voting rights for 16 and 17-year-olds in local school board elections. As a young, passionate League leader, Adena’s advocacy is shaping the next century of League activism.

First Name

Adena

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Subtitle

Turning Out Young Voters

Location

Berkeley, CA League

Pull Quote

“In a democracy, you need the people to make it work. The people are the power.”