Women’s History is League History

After the 19th amendment passed in the House and Senate, the final hurdle was ratification by the states. As anti-suffrage groups still fought to oppose ratification, suffrage leaders mobilized to continue their pressure campaign in the states. Finally, the Amendment was ratified in Tennessee and officially made law on August 26. The League was officially founded in Chicagoby Carrie Chapman Catt in 1920, just six months before the 19th amendment was ratified and women won the vote. The League was active although greatly reduced during World War II and in 1945was invited by President Harry Truman to serve as a consultant to the U.S. delegation at the United Nations Charter Conference. The League expressed support for the UN, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. To this day, the League has continued its presence at the United Nations through its one official and two alternate observers.Formed by the suffragists of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, the League began as a "mighty political experiment" designed to help 20 million women carry out their new responsibilities as voters.League founders believed that maintaining a nonpartisan stance would protect the fledgling organization from becoming mired in the party politics of the day. However, League members were encouraged to be political themselves, by educating citizens about, and lobbying for, government and social reform legislation.

According to Wikipedia, Catt has an amazing history. Her father was initially reluctant to allow her to attend college, but he relented, contributing only a part of the costs.To pay her expenses, Catt worked as a dishwasher, in the school library, and as a teacher at rural schools during school breaks. Her freshman class consisted of 27 students, six of whom were female.Catt joined the Crescent Literary Society, a student organization aimed at advancing student learning skills and self-confidence. Although only men were allowed to speak extemporaneously in meetings, Catt demanded to be allowed to do the same thing. This started a discussion about women's participation in the group and ultimately led to women gaining the right to speak in meetings.Catt was also a member ofPi Beta Phistarted an all girls' debate club, and advocated for women's participation in military drills.

After four years at Iowa State, Catt graduated on November 10, 1880, with aBachelor of Sciencedegree,the only female in her graduating class. Iowa State did not name valedictorians during Catt's time there, so there is no way to know her class rank. She first worked as a law clerk after graduating. She became a teacher and quickly advanced, becoming superintendent of schools inMason City, Iowa, in 1885. She was the first female superintendent of the district.Maud Wood Park was elected as the first president of the League. The League quickly began to spread throughout the nation and by 1924 there were National Leagues organized in 346 of 433 congressional districts.

February 14th, 2026, marked 106 years that the League of Women Voters has empowered voters and defended democracy. Over the last century, we’ve fought for election protection, democratic reforms, and equal access to the ballot—all while maintaining our commitment to nonpartisanship and fostering an informed electorate. As we look into our next hundred years, we aim to build power for the next generation of women leaders and voting rights activists. The League celebrated it’s 100-year milestone by launching a new programmatic focus, Women Power Democracy. Let’s be as tenacious, optimistic, and hard working as our fore-mothers.

JUST A REMINDER!

The League will never ask you to send gift cards on our behalf! There are lots of scams that are taking advantage of non profit websites so please be careful. You can always contactpresident@lwvsonoma.orgfor clarification.

June 2nd is coming and your vote matters!

In our last California primary (June 2022), only 33% of registered voters cast a ballot — meaningtwo-thirdsof voters let others decide which candidates they'd get to choose from in November.(Source:California Secretary of State, certified primary election results)

That’s why we are working hard to help Sonoma County voters show up to vote and make informed choices this June 2nd!

What's on the ballot so far — 6 County Supervisor candidates, 3 local measures, and so much more

Two County Supervisor seats are up, and the races are competitive.(The nomination deadline extended to March 11 — so the final field may still shift!)

• 2nd District Supervisor— 3 candidates filed: Joanna Paun, John E. King, and Sylvia Lemus.
• 4th District Supervisor— 3 candidates filed: Melanie Bagby, Todd Lands, and Tom Schwedhelm.

  Also on the ballot:Measure B(SMART Train Sales Tax Extension),Measure A(Twin Hills School District Bond), andMeasure C(Bellevue Union School District Parcel Tax). And that's all just locally — statewide, Californians will also be choosing candidates for Governor, Attorney General, State Assembly, and more.

  How LWV is getting our community ready

  We're fired up and already in full prep mode to create resources to help educate our community with fair and unbiased information 💪

• Candidate forums— Nonpartisan forums so you can hear directly from the Supervisor candidates. Dates coming soon!

• Pro & con guides + videos— Balanced written guides and videos for any County-wide measures (SMART Train). Also coming soon!

• Website and Vote411 updates— We're expanding our election info on our website and through Vote411 to keep you informed, including new congressional district/candidate info (reflecting the redrawn district lines), key dates and races, and more. Bookmark ourelections pageand check back soon!

Want to help make it all happen?— We're planning a Volunteer Orientation in the next few weeks and will send a dedicated email as soon as it's booked — keep an eye on your inbox. Let's make June 2nd count! 🎉

📬 A reminder for your voting plan

A new USPS rule means ballots are now postmarked at a regional sorting facility — not when you drop them off. That gap could be a day or more for rural Sonoma County voters.LWV recommendsmailing at least one week before June 2, using a drop box, or requesting a hand-stamp at the post office counter.

🔍 On our radar

Aproposed California constitutional amendmentrequiring photo ID to vote and citizenship re-verification for registered voters has submitted 1.3 million signatures and is expected on the November 2026 ballot. No ID required for June 2 — but watch this space.LWV Californiais actively opposing it.

And as always, reach out toelections@lwvsonomacounty.orgwith questions, suggestions, or ideas. What info would you like to see about the upcoming election? We love hearing from our members 💖

Sincerely, your friend in Voter Services, Eleni Misthos

Civics Topic of the Week PLUS No Kings III

Announcing a new addition to the League website. It is theCivics Topic of the Week.Click directly into a relevant civics topic in English or in Spanish for an opportunity to refresh your memory or get a start on understanding these topics that are in the news today and why they matter.

The Stand Up for Democracy committee will feature a different topic each week.

If you’re interested in supporting democracy and empowering voters, join the Stand Up for Democracy committee at theNO KINGS III event on Saturday, March 28^that 3pm. Stop by and say hello or pick up one of our Stand Up for Democracy bilingual yard signs and bring civics to your neighborhood!!Hope to see you there.

Contact Lynn Dooley if you’re interested in volunteering or joining our impactfuland funcommittee.Standup for Democracy

Our League has hosted lunch for the outgoing Civil Grand Jury for several years now in August. We are likelyto do so again. But now they arerecruiting new members for the 2026-2027 cycle. What does a grand jury do?Civil Grand Juries can be considered a citizen watchdog body. Their mission is to investigate citizen complaints involving any government agency. They operate under the authority of Sonoma County Superior Court.The Civil Grand Jury has the power to investigate any city & county agency including special districts to ensure they are efficient, honest and serve in the best interest of the public. They can recommend actions based on their investigations, but they do not make policy. They help ensure that policies are carried out as intended.

The Civil Grand Jury is made up of ordinary citizens who are committed to one year of service. If you like working on a team,learning how government departments work, engaging in research or writing understandable reports then this might be something to consider. For more information go tohttps://sonoma.courts.ca.gov/general-information/civil-grand-jury

Did you know that our LWV submitted a complaint to the grand jury in 2023-2024? We asked that they investigate why the county was not following the California fire safety code regarding building permits on rural roads, so called fire safe roads.

We look forward to honoring the current Civil Grand Jury this Summer.

On Saturday, March 7^thwe were attended by a full house at the Finley Community Centerof Santa Rosa to a discussion of “Protecting Our Vote".This event was co-sponsored by our League and the Santa Rosa chapter of AAUW. Debbie McKay gave a great talk on the fraught history of voting rights in this country, including current day threats (think the SAVE act). This was followed by a talk from our new director of the Registrar of Voters, Evelyn Mendez. She gave a talk of how our ballots and the voting system in general is very secure. If we any doubts as to the integrity of election system, her talk certainly dispelled them.

This month,Monday, March 23^rdat Noon, you will hear about the County agency, First Five from the director Angie Dillon-Shore. Do you remember Measure I, the sales tax that passed to provide funding for expanded childcare and other supportive services for low-income children? She will give us an update on the status of that program. It’s on Zoom. Thelink is on our website as well as here:Event

Coming soon, the Primary Elections. In April will likely have a pro and con session or other election related event. Stay tuned.

Treasurer’s Report:Sara Ingle reported we are doing better than budgeted. We need to set up a Budget committee for budget planning as soon as possible. If interested contact Donna.

National Convention:Will be held in Columbus, OH June 25-28. We are looking for more attendees so are opening it up to committee members now.

Advocacy:Jim Masters does not believe that SRJC was responsive to our January 3^rdletter, so we will follow-up. Donna reported that she had a productive meeting with Dr. Garcia, SRJC president. We will support the continuation of the SMART Tax.

Membership:We have 164 members, with six new members from Santa Rosa joining last month. We plan to have a “meet and greet” in Santa Rosa in April or early May. Robyn presented a six-point plan to increase our diversity; the board will continue to have discussions about this.

Voter Services:Vote411 and the Forums are progressing and working on adding more local questions for the candidates. The Stand Up for Democracy presentation has gone out to all the NorCal Rotary clubs, with eight presentations set up through June.

Outreach/Programs:Hot Topics March 23^rdwill cover Measure I. We will be tabling at No Kings Rally planned by Indivisible on March 28^th, Home Expo March 28^thand 29^th, and the Los Cien Volunteer Fair on March 31^st.