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History of the League of Women Voters

The League of Women Voters was founded in 1920 by the leaders of the campaign to win American women the right to vote [in federal, state and local elections.] This difficult and hard-won fight had lasted 78 years, and had taken the combined efforts of many women’s suffrage organizations over several generations.

Once the 19th amendment to the US Constitution was ratified, and women “had the vote” there remained a lot of work to do.  Women needed to learn how to evaluate candidates, talk with their elected officials, organize campaigns to pass specific laws, and run for elected office themselves.  Many rights which women leaders had expected to fall into place once suffrage was achieved instead required several more generations of struggle to accomplish–notably the right and obligation to serve on juries on an equal basis with men.  In most parts of the USA women did not achieve jury service equal to that of men until the early 1970s.

The League of Women Voters was founded to continue the work of the suffrage campaign in integrating women fully into the public sphere of government.  Some of the early laws that the LWV campaigned for concerned the health and welfare of infants, children and mothers.  League studies gradually covered more and more public issues, from education, the environment, taxation, government ethics, city charters and reforms in every conceivable area of human activity.    For instance, we continue to press for the right of the citizens of the District of Columbia to fully participate in their own government instead of being ruled by Congress.

Women organized by town or city to learn about and participate in local government; by state to join state governing bodies, and nationally to affect legislation by Congress.  Tools that were developed by early generations of LWV members included: observing legislative and committee meetings and reporting back to members on what debate and actions had occurred; collecting statements from candidates for office and publishing them to give voters some basis on which to decide whom to vote for, organizing debates and public forums for people running for office, and focusing on particular issues thru study groups that then provided the background for the LWV to lobby on legislation at all levels of government.  The LWV continued the tradition of being willing to work for several generations to achieve goals that were not easily accepted by those in power.

The LWV encouraged women to run for office, serve as judges, serve as appointed and elected officials, and participate in government fully.  At first only a few women did run for office, and most women voted the same way that the men in their families did.  It took more struggle and a long learning process over three generations before women were elected to office–executive, legislative, and judicial in significant numbers.  By the 1990s American women had developed different voting patterns from their male relatives.

The tools developed by the LWV proved to be very useful to all citizens who wanted to participate in government and in making decisions about public policy.  Some became part of American political traditions; others became laws, and many other groups fighting to promote the participation of minority groups borrowed, elaborated and improved on techniques pioneered by the LWV.

A sample of issues that the LWV of Newton has studied and taken action on during the last 25 years include:  the need for a new city library, the number of people who should be elected to the city’s Board of Alderman (now the City Council); whether there should be gambling casinos in Massachusetts; the advisability of having a death penalty; how political campaigns should be financed, housing and transportation issues, gun control, and many specific as well as broad policy decisions about the Newton Public Schools.

Today women participate widely in American government.  We attend political conventions, hold office, earn law degrees and serve as judges and department heads at all levels of government.  The need for specific women’s organizations has diminished but not disappeared.  Women trained in LWV techniques have found them an excellent apprenticeship for all kinds of public and paid work.

We are eager to tell people from around the world about the activities and practices of the League of Women Voters, because we have found them extraordinarily useful in promoting good government, providing public oversight, training people in the realities of representative government, and in building avenues for wider participation in government and civic decision making.

Compiled by Linda C. Morrison and the League of Women Voters of Newton, Massachusetts, May 2006

View the LWV timeline at LWV.org

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2021 LWVN Member Handbook

An electronic version LWVN Member Handbook is now available.  Expect an updated handbook for 2022-23 in the late Fall.

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Watch “The League Presents…”

The League Presents... is a monthly program on NewTV produced and directed by LWVN members about issues important to our community.

  • The League Presents: A conversation with Carol Moore, Newton’s City Clerk and Clerk of the City Council
  • The League Presents: Zoning Redesign, part 1
  • The League Presents: Newton’s Citizens Commission on Energy
  • The League Presents: What it means to be a League of Women Voters member
  • The League Presents: A Conversation with Three New School Committee Members

All past programs

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Facebook Posts

Ellen Auerbach Grody
Ellen Auerbach Grody

June 28th, 11:33 am

Thank you for the recent letter to the mayor:LWVN Board Concurs with Newton Citizens Commission on Energy’s Memo Rejecting Newton Cemetery’s Tree Removal RequestJune 24, 2022On June 24, 2022, LWVN sent an email to Mayor Fuller expressing our our agreement with the Newton Citizens Commission on Energy (NCCE)’s memo of June 20th stating “We are writing to you regarding the Newton Cemetery’ request for exemption from the Tree Preservation Ordinance. We urge you to stand with the Director of Urban Forestry in denying that request and any waiver of its consequences. We also urge you to ask the City Council to revise the ordinance language to clarify their intent that the Tree Preservation Ordinance not exclude any property owners from its provisions.” ... See MoreSee Less
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League of Women Voters of Newton, MA
League of Women Voters of Newton, MA

June 22nd, 6:26 pm

Breaking News: Governor Baker Signs VOTES Act Into Law - https://mailchi.mp/56363aee24bf/votes_act_update-8901645 ... See MoreSee Less

Breaking News: Governor Baker Signs VOTES Act Into Law

mailchi.mp

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League of Women Voters of Newton, MA
League of Women Voters of Newton, MA

June 21st, 11:26 am

Newton Public Facilities Meeting: New Pipelines and Gas Valve Safety - https://mailchi.mp/ceafe522986a/newton-public-facilities-meeting-new-pipelines-and-gas-valve-safety ... See MoreSee Less

Newton Public Facilities Meeting: New Pipelines and Gas Valve Safety

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League of Women Voters of Newton, MA
League of Women Voters of Newton, MA

June 13th, 10:33 am

LWVN has launched an important new "Municipal Transparency and Accountability Initiative". Learn more here!: https://lwvnewton.org/2022/06/… ... See MoreSee Less

Municipal Transparency and Accountability Initiative: Mission Statement and Goals - League of Women Voters Newton

lwvnewton.org

Throughout its 102-year history, the League of Women Voters has been a vigorous advocate for transparent and accountable government. The League strongly believes that transparency and accountability i...
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League of Women Voters of Newton, MA
League of Women Voters of Newton, MA

June 9th, 10:12 am

Important Update: VOTES ACT Released from Conference Committee - https://mailchi.mp/6365b29fa297/votes_act_update ... See MoreSee Less

Important Update: VOTES ACT Released from Conference Committee

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Boston, MA — The Massachusetts VOTES Act Conference Committee today released its version of the comprehensive election reform bill, which will now head to the House and Senate for final procedural...
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The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization encouraging the informed and active participation of citizens in government. It influences public policy through education and advocacy.

© 2022 League of Women Voters® Newton | P.O. Box 610207, Newton, MA 02461 | info@lwvnewton.org

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