The League of Women Voters was formed 100 years ago after the passage of the 19th amendment granting the right to vote to women.
The LWV is both an advocacy and a voter service organization
Voter Services
During voter registration drives, the League registers all eligible citizens, regardless of their party preference or political opinions.
The League never supports or opposes any candidate or party for any election and works to make its candidate forums as balanced and as fair as possible.
The LWV strives to provide citizens with factual, unbiased information they can use to make their own ballot decisions.
During elections, we don’t care how a citizen votes, we just care that they vote. A democracy is strongest when everyone has a voice and uses it in every election.
Advocacy
After much study and review, the League can and does decide how best to address an issue. Its no-nonsense, fact-based position on any issue informs its stance on everything from election security to homelessness to climate change.
The LWV takes positions on issues, never on candidates
To further explore how the LWV develops its position and subsequent advocacy on a particular issue, let’s look at: Housing & Homelessness
The League of Women Voters of the United States believes that “the federal government shares with other levels of government the responsibility to provide equality of opportunity for education, employment and housing [emphasis added] for all persons in the US regardless of their race, color, gender, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation or disability.”
While the above statement is not partisan and does not favor any political party, the LWV’s advocacy in support of its position on this and other issues is unfortunately often viewed as partisan during these hyperpartisan times.
The LWV has been advocating for affordable housing and relief from homelessness for years. In 2019, our efforts in Washington state were two-pronged:
During the 2019 legislative session, two tracks of work on housing were pursued [by the LWV]. One was a series of briefings for legislators to inform them of the factors associated with homelessness. The other was a wide-ranging set of measures to address affordable housing and homelessness. Bills were passed in 2019 that increased funding and funding options for affordable housing; changed the framework of regulations to increase affordable housing; increased protection for tenants, provided financial support to avoid evictions, and changed eviction rules to further protect tenants; and provided support specifically for youth experiencing homelessness.
From LWVWA 2019 Legislative Session recap.
Our position on housing and homelessness informs our advocacy at the legislative level. (Read more about what bills we support in this work here.)
If you would like an overview on LWV issue advocacy and positions, read more here. In pursuit of creating a more inclusive and responsive democracy, we will make regular #DailyDemocracyTask posts on social media while the Washington state legislature is in session.
Advocate for your future!
Be the change you want to see by contacting your elected representatives!