On February 13, 1920, in the closing months of the long and hard-fought women’s suffrage movement, the League of Women Voters (LWV) was officially founded in Chicago, Illinois. The new organization emerged at a pivotal moment in American history, just months before the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which would finally grant women the constitutional right to vote. Rather than dissolving after suffrage was won, movement leaders recognized that political equality required education, engagement, and sustained civic participation — and the League was created to meet that need.
The League of Women Voters grew directly out of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), the organization that had led the final push for women’s voting rights. At NAWSA’s final convention, leaders voted to transform the group into a nonpartisan civic organization dedicated to helping women transition from protest to participation. Suffrage leader Carrie Chapman Catt, who had served as NAWSA’s president, was instrumental in shaping the League’s mission and vision. She famously described the League as a way to ensure that the vote would be “used wisely” and effectively.
From the outset, the League of Women Voters was committed to nonpartisanship — a defining principle that continues today. Rather than aligning with political parties or endorsing candidates, the League focused on educating voters about issues, government structures, and public policy. Its early priorities included teaching newly enfranchised women how elections worked, how to evaluate candidates, and how to engage with lawmakers at the local, state, and national levels. At a time when millions of women were preparing to cast ballots for the first time, this educational mission was both ambitious and essential.
The founding of the League also reflected a broader shift in women’s public roles. Having spent decades organizing, lobbying, and mobilizing, suffragists were determined to remain a force in American democracy. The League quickly became a respected voice on issues such as election reform, child welfare, public health, education, and international cooperation. Its members believed that an informed electorate was the cornerstone of a healthy democracy — an idea that guided its work throughout the 20th century.
Later in 1920, after the 19th Amendment was ratified in August, the League expanded nationally, establishing state and local chapters across the country. Over time, its membership broadened beyond women, reflecting its inclusive commitment to civic engagement for all voters.
More than a century after its founding on February 13, 1920, the League of Women Voters remains a trusted institution in American public life. Known for its voter guides, candidate forums, and advocacy for fair elections, the League stands as a lasting legacy of the suffrage movement — proof that winning the vote was not the end of the struggle, but the beginning of a new chapter in democratic participation.
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The article does not match what the LWV is all about in Arizona.
I lived the last 4-1/2 decades in southern California. For many years the voter guides that were printed and mailed out included those agencies that supported or voiced non-support for various propositions, candidates, and/or general issues were posted along for each issue. Over the years it became clear that organizations such as the League of Women’s Voter, Teacher’s Unions, and Labor Unions all where firmly planted in the democrat party’s pocket. I used these organizations as a guide on how to vote, always voting against their wishes. In the last few years that I lived in California, I noticed that these organizations were no longer being added to the voter’s guide. Now, I live in New Mexico, I’ve voted in one election so far and NM does offer any information at all! Many cases, it is almost impossible to even determine what party a candidate is affiliated with. How is a voter supposed to make an informed decision?!