Happy 85th Birthday League of Women Voters U.S.!

The League of Women Voters (LWVUS) celebrates its 85th birthday on February 14, 2005. Founded by Carrie Chapman Catt in 1920, generations of engaged League members have dedicated their lives to making democracy work. Over the past 85 years, the League has achieved an impressive list of accomplishments in the fields of citizen engagement and political reform, and will continue to build on those successes in the future.

Some noteworthy League accomplishments to date:

1920s

  • Secured passage of the first federal maternal and infant health care program, the Sheppard-Towner Act;
  • League received pen used to sign the Cable Act for Independent Citizenship of married women.

1930s

  • Helped shape the Social Security Act;
  • fought for child labor laws and environmental protections and against political patronage;
  • received award from Woodrow Wilson Foundation for "education work on problems of American foreign policy."

1940s

  • Built public support for creation of the United Nations;
  • League's "Dumbarton Oaks Campaign" readied nation to accept international obligations.

1950s

  • Sponsored the "Freedom Agenda" - a nationwide program of close to 1,000 community education forums on civil liberties;
  • President Eisenhower delivered major foreign policy address to the League.

1960s

  • Fought against discrimination in education, employment and housing;
  • built citizen support for Economic Opportunity Amendments;
  • President Johnson proclaims "League of Women Voters Week" supported presidential suffrage for DC.

1970s

  • Sponsored televised presidential debates;
  • initiated major grassroots campaign for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment;
  • built public support for the Clean Water Act.

1980s

  • Played critical role in the push for fairer tax policies;
  • leader in the fight to strengthen the Voting Rights Act and extend its major provisions for 25 years;
  • helped defeat constitutional amendment that would have overturned Roe v. Wade;
  • sponsored series of nationwide hearings on Clean Air Act.

1990s

  • Led successful fight for passage and implementation of the Motor Voter law;
  • played critical role in passage of the Clean Air Act;
  • launched voter empowerment campaign "Take Back the System"
  • advocated for campaign finance and health care reforms;
  • partnered with Kaiser Family Foundation in "Citizen's Voice for Citizen's Choice" health care reform campaign;
  • worked with women in emerging democracies.

2000s

  • Offered first "candidate debates" online through an Internet-based voter education program (DNet - DemocracyNet);
  • instrumental in congressional enactment of Help America Vote Act and the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act;
  • launched nationwide voter education campaign on "5 Things You Need to Know on Election Day".