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ABOUT US
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The purpose of the League of Women Voters is to promote informed and active participation of citizens in their government through education and advocacy. The League is nonpartisan in that it does not support or oppose any political party or candidate; it is political in that it takes positions on selected public issues after member study and agreement. Our membership includes both men and women.
For a short but thorough summary of who we are CLICK HERE. Learn more. League of Women Voters of Florida League of Women Voters of the United States Handbook of LWV of The Villages / Tri-County Area |
Election 2020 - What We Accomplished
Local Accomplishments
We are very proud of the work our local League did to inform and encourage voters during the 2020 Elections.
- 48 candidates in 20 local races were contacted and their unedited responses added to the 2020 Primary Election Guide in Vote 411. The national and Florida LWV provided the responses of candidates running for Federal and State offices.
- 93 candidates in 38 local races were contacted for inclusion in the 2020 General Election Guide in Vote 411, which also included Federal and State races as well as information regarding the Florida Amendments.
- 17 Zoom presentations on the Florida Amendments were given to over 350 attendees. An additional 100 voters viewed the recordings of these presentations on Facebook.
- 11 weekly emails were sent to over 200 recipients every Saturday between August 22 through October 31. These Just-In-Time messages provided timely information on topics such as Vote By Mail, Early Voting, and where to find additional sources of information.
- 2,100 printed Voter Guides were distributed throughout the Tri-County area
- 2,400 bookmarks with instructions on accessing Vote411 were distributed
- 3,000 postcards were sent returning citizens encouraging them to register and vote.
- 3 Zoom candidate forums were held in October. Recordings of these forums were posted to our website.
- 6 ads were placed in The Villages Daily Sun, Ocala Star Banner, and Orlando Sentinel to direct voters to Vote 411's online voter guide.
- 4,574 unique visits to our website in the month prior to Election Day.
- Our website was redesigned to feature a Landing Page showing a countdown clock for upcoming voter registration deadlines, dates for upcoming elections, links to polling places in the Tri-County area, motivational Be A Voter videos, and links to Vote 411's online Voter Guide. A 2020 Election section consolidated information from Lake, Marion and Sumter Counties Supervisor of Elections websites along with links to those websites for additional information.
- In collaborations with the Sisters fo Suffrage's celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, we created a display of suffragist's history in the Lady Lake Library as a reminder to vote.
- Posted Be A Voter videos of young women urging young people to register to vote on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat.
- Collaborated with the Southern Christian Leadership Foundation to register new voters.
National Accomplishments
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More details about the League of Women Voter' accomplishments nationwide during the 2020 elections are contained in this report.
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Our Mission & Roles
The League of Women Voters encourages informed and active participation in government. It influences public policy through education and advocacy. The League of Women Voters has two separate and distinct roles.
- Voters Service/Citizen Education: We present unbiased nonpartisan information about elections, the voting process, and issues.
- Action/Advocacy: We are also nonpartisan, but, after study and consensus by the members, we use our positions to advocate for or against particular policies in the public interest.
What We Do
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We are REACTIVE. When Hurricane Matthew was bearing down on our state, Gov. Scott did not see any need to extend voter registration dates. Pam Goodman, State President contacted a lawyer and in less than a week the deadline was extended. Hurricane Irma hit in the middle of the primary season. Miami Dade local chapter worked with their County Commissioners to establish procedures to ensure voters were given the opportunity to vote despite the hurricane evacuation
We are PROACTIVE. The State League is in litigation regarding the appointment of Florida Supreme Court justices when a vacancy exists because of mandatory retirement. Three justices will retire on the same day that our next governor is sworn into office. Oral arguments are November 1, 2017 for our case which asks that the new governor appoint justices on his first day in office, rather than the outgoing governor on his last day. We are AWARE: The State League has filed a friend of the court brief on the side of the city of Cape Coral. The city’s ordinance banning plastic bags has been struck down by the state legislature. A case of “home rule,” which will set a precedent makes this more than a plastic bag case and the state league is speaking out in favor of home rule. |
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Our Studies
SURVEY OF CIVICS EDUCTION IN FLORIDA SCHOOLS
In pursuit of our annual goal for 2021-2022, a committee conducted a survey of the status of civics education in public schools in Lake, Marion and Sumter counties. Reseach methodology included internet searches, telephone conversations and email exchanges with State Department of Education personnel, meetings held via electronic media, attendance at board of education meetings, document searches, committee members' prior knowledge, and committee discussion.
The mission for their work was to ascertain what is required in public schools in Lake, Marion and Sumter counties pertaining to civics education. A summary of their findings and recommendations was published in May 2021.
VOLUNTARY PRE-KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM
As part of the League's 2015-16 initiatives, LWVTRI undertook a project to educate the members and the community on Florida's Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten Program. In Phase 1, League members interviewed directors of the Early Learning Coalitions in the tri-county area. In Phase 2, members visited VPK classrooms in each county and interviewed owners/directors and teachers.
Phase 1: Final Report - 2016
Phase 1: Summary Report - 2016
Phase 2: Pilot Report - 2017
Final Report Summary - 2018
Final Report - 2018
Early Learning Terms & Facts
In pursuit of our annual goal for 2021-2022, a committee conducted a survey of the status of civics education in public schools in Lake, Marion and Sumter counties. Reseach methodology included internet searches, telephone conversations and email exchanges with State Department of Education personnel, meetings held via electronic media, attendance at board of education meetings, document searches, committee members' prior knowledge, and committee discussion.
The mission for their work was to ascertain what is required in public schools in Lake, Marion and Sumter counties pertaining to civics education. A summary of their findings and recommendations was published in May 2021.
VOLUNTARY PRE-KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM
As part of the League's 2015-16 initiatives, LWVTRI undertook a project to educate the members and the community on Florida's Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten Program. In Phase 1, League members interviewed directors of the Early Learning Coalitions in the tri-county area. In Phase 2, members visited VPK classrooms in each county and interviewed owners/directors and teachers.
Phase 1: Final Report - 2016
Phase 1: Summary Report - 2016
Phase 2: Pilot Report - 2017
Final Report Summary - 2018
Final Report - 2018
Early Learning Terms & Facts
Our History
In her address to the National American Women's Suffrage Association's (NAWSA) 50th convention in St. Louis, Missouri, President Carrie Chapman Catt proposed the creation of a "league of women voters to finish the fight and aid in the reconstruction of the nation." Women Voters was formed within the NAWSA, composed of the organizations in the states where suffrage had already been attained. The next year, on February 14, 1920 - six months before the 19th amendment to the Constitution was ratified - the League was formally organized in Chicago as the national League of Women Voters. Men were accepted into the League in 1972.