The League of Women Voters of Lake Forest/Lake Bluff Area has a long and noteworthy history.
The League of Women Voters (LWV) began as a "mighty political experiment" in 1920 to help newly enfranchised women exercise their responsibilities as voters. Its mission has evolved to encompass most of the major civic issues of concern to Americans. The LWV currently operates at the local, state, and national levels. Founded by women in 1920, the LWV charter was modified to include men in 1973. The League of Women Voters of Lake Forest/Lake Bluff Area is one of the largest League chapters in Illinois.
In a pre-Internet age when information was less accessible, women gathered in private homes in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff under the auspices of the League to discuss the issues of the day.
Like other women throughout the state, the women of Lake Forest and Lake Bluff did not take their new voting responsibilities lightly. Desiring the information to vote more intelligently, they formed the League of Women Voters of Lake Forest in 1926 and the League of Women Voters of Lake Bluff in 1930. Both Leagues looked to Alice Hixon, a Lake Forester and treasurer of the first board of the National League of Women Voters for advice. Alice Hixon was the Lake Forest League’s sixth president from 1933 to 1934 and served as president of the League of Women Voters of Illinois from 1933 to 1937. In the early years, both Leagues joined leagues across the country and the state in supporting measures to get out the vote, to improve the legal status of women and the welfare of children, and to reform selected government practices.
The Lake Bluff and Lake Forest Leagues combined in 1989 to form the current League of Women Voters of Lake Forest/Lake Bluff Area. The topics that form the basis of the League study and action have always been both broad and comprehensive. The Lake Bluff League worked to establish the school caucus and addressed nominating procedures in the Village. The Lake Forest and Lake Bluff Leagues also helped to establish the Lake County Public Health Department, supported the movement for a Lake County Forest Preserve and provided input regarding the 1970 Illinois Constitution. In 2012, with hundreds of national partners like Google and Facebook, the LWV created National Voter Registration Day.
Today, as always, the League of Women Voters remains nonpartisan - it neither supports nor opposes candidates or parties. The League of Women Voters has supported the education and involvement of residents in civic life for 101 years and celebrated its Centennial and the centennial of the 19th Amendment during an international pandemic. Democracy faces novel challenges and it is clear that the work of the League remains vital to an ever-changing world. The need for governmental accountability and an informed electorate has never been greater. The League of Women Voters of Lake Forest/Lake Bluff Area stands ready to accept this challenge.
We invite you to join us!