Our Mission Statement:
The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

History:
The League of Women Voters was founded on February 14, 1920 at the Chicago convention of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, six months prior to the passage of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote. Carrie Chapman Catt, who led the movement and later lived near New Rochelle, NY, organized the League, whose first goal was to teach women how to exercise their new right to vote. The scope was soon enlarged to include service to all citizens, and political action based on knowledge gained from study became the cornerstone of the League's diverse agenda. The League now has 150,000 plus members and supporters in the U.S., with Leagues in every state, Puerto Rico, Washington, D.C., the Virgin Islands and Hong Kong. Statewide in New York, there are 60 local leagues with approximately 8000 members.