ABOUT US & MORE

The League of Women Voters of Bergen County (ILO) is an umbrella organization for five Local Leagues in northeastern New Jersey. We address county issues and coordinate League programs and voter service for all of Bergen County.

Local Leagues

• FAIR LAWN (click for Fair Lawn's website)
  
  
• GLEN ROCK (click for Glen Rock's BLOG)
  
  
• NORTHERN VALLEY lwvnorthernvalley@bergencountylwv.org

  Includes the towns of Alpine, Bergenfield, Cliffside Park, Closter, Cresskill, Demarest, Dumont, Edgewater, Englewood, Englewood Cliffs, Emerson, Fort Lee, Hackensack, Harrington Park, Haworth, Hillsdale, Leonia, Montvale, New Milford, Northvale, Norwood, Old Tappan, Park Ridge, Rockleigh, Tenafly, Township of Washington, Westwood and Woodcliff Lake

• RIDGEWOOD
  
  
• TEANECK - ( click for Teaneck's BLOG)

Our Mission and Roles

The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major policy issues and influences public policy through education and advocacy.  It neither supports nor opposes candidates or political parties.  Membership is open to all women and men who subscribe to its purpose.
The League of Women Voters has two separate and distinct roles.

• Voters Service/Citizen Education: we present unbiased nonpartisan information about elections, the voting process, and issues.
• Action/Advocacy: we are also nonpartisan, but, after study, we use our positions to advocate for or against particular policies in the public interest.

Other League Organizations

Our members are also members of League of Women Voters of New Jersey, http://www.lwvnj.org, and the League of Women Voters of the United States, http://www.lwv.org

History of the League of Women Voters

In July 1848, the first national convention for women was held in Seneca Falls, NY. The convention dealt with the social, civil, religious conditions and rights of women. The women attending this meeting decided to fight for the right to vote. Over 70 years later, in February 1920, and after several organizational changes, the National American Woman Suffrage Association became the National League of Women Voters. And, on August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote was ratified and became part of the Constitution. Carrie Chapman Catt is credited as the League's founder--Maud Wood Park was the first League president.

In 1946, the NLWV became the League of Women Voters of the United States (LWVUS). In 1974, men were admitted as full voting members. The League's purpose was (and is) to promote political responsibility through informed participation in government.

Over the years, the League has been active in social and environmental issues, issues dealing with Congress, presidential debates, voting rights, fiscal policy, international trade, arms control, reproductive choice and health care, to name a few.