The League of Women Voters of Yolo County (LWVYC) was formed in January 2025, when Davis Area League and Woodland League members voted to merge into a single countywide league.
Suited up in Cal Aggie uniforms as ‘big leaguers’ in 1957 for the Fourth of July parade were charter members of the Davis chapter of the League of Women Voters.
The first league presence in Yolo County began back in 1957 when the first Davis Chapter was formed. A second league, LWV of Woodland, was chartered a few years later in 1974. Today, LWVYC combines the history of both local leagues and welcomes members in the county’s surrounding rural areas and municipalities as well. As a countywide league, LWVYC remains committed to the organization’s founding missions of nonpartisan voter education and voter registration.
Nonpartisan Policy
Our Yolo County League adheres to a board-approved nonpartisan policy. In keeping with our policy, our chapter does not support or oppose any political party or candidates. Each member has a responsibility to uphold the nonpartisanship of our organization.
Though nonpartisan, we are political. We study issues and take advocacy positions. We advocate for robust voter participation and publicly support governance policies that benefit our communities, defend civil rights, and support local and national representative democracy.
Our League also encourages the personal political involvement of our members. Our members exercise their individual voting rights and preferences as they choose. However, to preserve our nonpartisan reputation, our policy places limitations on the endorsement activities of our President and Director of Voter Services during their term of board service.
Learn more about our LWVYC Nonpartisan Policy (PDF)
History of the League of Women Voters
Early photo of League of Women members in front of a government building holding a banner and a construction paper chain to demonstrate the position to “Unchain Local Government”.
Anticipating the ratification of the 19th Amendment to give U.S. women the right to vote, Carrie Chapman Catt, a noted suffragette, founded the League of Women Voters on February 14, 1920. Catt saw the need for “a league of women voters” to help all women understand the significance of their new voting rights and responsibilities.
With Catt as the League’s “Honorary President”, Maude Wood Park became the first elected national League President. Six months later, and 30 years after the suffrage movement had begun, the 19th Amendment was formally ratified on August 18, 1920.
2020 marked both the 100th anniversary of the League of Women Voters AND the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment.
One hundred five years after the League’s founding, the LWV of Yolo County begins our inaugural year. LWVYC is proud to join a legacy that for over a century has been both nonpartisan and grassroots and believes in the critical role well-informed voters play in democracy.
While the League began by seeking equality and enfranchisement for women voters, today’s League welcomes all eligible voters. We are fully committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion in principle and practice.
LWVYC is one of over 60 California state league chapters. LWV operates at the local, state, and national levels, with over 1,000 local and 50 state leagues. To learn more about the CA State League and the US National League, visit these websites:
A History of Notable League Events
1945
The League worked with President Franklin Roosevelt to establish the United Nations and to ensure U.S. participation. One of the first organizations officially recognized by the UN as a non-governmental organization (NGO), the League still maintains official observer status today.
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.
1970
The League changed its policy to allow men to join the League.
1976
The League sponsored the first televised presidential debates since 1960, for which we received an Emmy award for Outstanding Achievement in Broadcast Journalism.
2002
Working closely with a civil rights coalition, LWV helped draft and pass the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), which established provisional balloting, requirements for updating voting systems, and the Election Assistance Commission.
2006
The League launched VOTE411.org, which provides both general and state-specific nonpartisan resources to the voting public, including a nationwide polling place locator, a ballot look-up tool, candidate positions on issues, and more.
2019
The League launched the People Powered Fair Maps Campaign. In June 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that partisan gerrymandering cannot be solved by the federal courts. People Powered Fair Maps was a coordinated effort across all 50 states and D.C. to create fair and transparent, people-powered redistricting processes to eliminate partisan and racial gerrymandering nationwide.
2020
February 14, 2020, marks 100 years since the League of Women Voters has empowered voters and defended democracy. 2020 is also the 100-year anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote.