Six months before the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified, the National American Woman Suffrage Association held its last convention. That convention created the League of Women Voters as the NAWSA's successor on February 14, 1920, with Maud Wood Park, former head of the NAWSA's Congressional Committee, as its president. The League of Women Voters was formed to help women play a larger part in public affairs as they won the right to vote. It was meant to help women exercise their right to vote. Before 1973 only women could join the league.
The League was instrumental in the US support of the UN and was one of the first organizations officially recognized by the UN as a non-governmental organization (NGO), the League still maintains official observer status today. In 1957, The League of Women Voters Education Fund was established to encourage the active and informed participation of citizens in government and to increase understanding of major public policy issues.
In 1972, The League began its fight for the Equal Right Amendment that continues today. The League sponsored televised general election Presidential debates in 1976, 1980 and 1984, as well as presidential primary forums in 1980, 1984, and 1988.
In 1920, Mrs. Lavinia Hauke Engle and her daughter Miss Lavinia Engle, organized the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County (LWVMC). Mrs. Engle was the first President of the Montgomery County League. Although written records prior to 1938 have been lost, it's understood that the LWVMC helped to rewrite several state laws relating to basic good government and social programs during its first 15 years.
The LWVMC was reactivated in 1938 after the Depression to support a proposed change to Montgomery County's manager form of county government and the adoption of a home rule charter.
The League of Women Voters of Montgomery County is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower voters and defend democracy.
In election years, the LWVMC assists county residents in becoming informed participants in our community and government by providing them with well-researched and unbiased information on critical issues, candidates, ballot questions, and voting. They publish voter guides and provide information about how to contact your elected representatives. Find volunteer opportunities with the League at How to Get Involved – League of Women Voters of Montgomery County, MD
If you would like to become more informed as a voter, the LWVMC offers a wealth of information including who your elected officials are and where and when elections are held.