It’s easy! See Details on our Join/Renew Page.

It's up to you! Your own personal interests and the amount of time you have to offer will determine your level of involvement. We welcome all levels of participation.

-Membership in and publications of LWV Wisconsin

-Membership in and publications of LWV of the United States

-Newsletters from the Door County League of Women Voters (LWV DC Membership Updates) and action athe lerts

-The opportunity to engage with like-minded women and men through invitations to local and state events of interest and the additional opportunity to volunteer with putting on civic and political events such as candidate forums and discussions of issues important to our community.

Not at all. Leaguers by nature like to be involved politically and from time to time exercise their right to participate in campaigns either by running for office, supporting candidates, or working for a political party. However, when a member chooses to be involved in a political race in whatever capacity, the League's nonpartisan policy dictates that they NOT hold the office of Chair or play key roles in LWV DC voter service and action activities during that election cycle.

Anyone can sign up to receive our monthly email updates. Thank you for your interest!
LWV of Door County Monthly Email Updates

If you signed up for LWVDC email updates and are not receiving them there are a couple of things you can do:
1. Check your Spam/Junk email folders. If you find a LWVDC email there, move it to your Inbox. That should help prevent future LWVDC emails from going to your Spam/Junk folder.
2. Add lwvdc@lwvdcdoorcounty.org to your Contacts
3. Check if LWVDC “Friends” or “Members” is in your list of Google Groups.
4. Contact us if you have questions or would like assistance.

Go to My Vote Wisconsin for complete information.

Or contact your local municipal clerk. Not sure who that is? Contact lwvdc@lwvdoorcounty.org, we are happy to help you find out who to call!

The League of Women Voters never supports or opposes any political party or candidate. It is, therefore, nonpartisan.

However, it is also a political organization of women and men dedicated to encouraging and promoting good government through informed, active participation in all levels of democracy - local, state, and national. That means studying and acting on any and all studied issues that impact our nation, our state, and our communities.

Oxymoron? Not really. Recently the League was criticized for being an advocate on issues, suggesting that made it partisan. Remember those 102 years of studies that led to positions on topics? Those documented positions inform whether the League supports or opposes an issue and form the basis of the actions that are taken. The resulting advocacy has nothing to do with whether these positions are currently espoused by the Republican, Democratic, Green, Libertarian, or whatever other party may exist at the time.

Case in point: League has lobbied for redistricting reform in Wisconsin for many decades. And frankly, they were no more successful in convincing previous Democratic administrations to adopt an independent non-partisan commission to draw our maps than they have been in convincing recent Republican legislatures. League’s position on the issue has not changed. Only the party in power that is resistant to this reform has changed.

So yes, League is nonpartisan - both in its approach to elections and in its approach to advocacy. Both are crucial to its mission!

Remember those Suffragists who organized the League of Women Voters? They didn’t just want to vote. They wanted to influence public policy!

Public policy is the laws, regulations, and rules decided by people in power that determine how things are done. The early Leaguers saw the vote as only one part of influencing “how things get done.” They wanted legislators to listen to their views on the best way to do things.

For 100+ years, League has been studying issues, deciding by consensus what their views are on many, many issues from water quality to reproductive rights to how to elect representatives. They tried to use their influence but soon discovered they couldn’t impact legislative actions if they didn’t know what actions were under consideration.

Voila! The Observer Corps was born! The national League monitors the federal government and advocates for League issues there. The state Leagues monitor their legislatures and attempt to influence state laws. That leaves the local Leagues, you and I, to monitor and influence our local bodies of government. Every day of our lives is greatly affected by decisions our local governments – county, city, villages, towns, or school boards – make. No government is more accessible to us. These are our neighbors, friends, family, and maybe even us. But we simply can’t influence those decisions if we don’t pay attention.

What do you mean, League can’t lobby on that issue because it doesn’t have a position?

A position is an opinion or set of opinions that League has adopted on a given issue; that is, where it stands. It is arrived at through extensive study of an issue from all sides. After study and discussion, members at the local or “grassroots” level participate in a “member-agreement process.” This process of coming to consensus or concurrence results in determining the “sense of the group.” Those conclusions which are reached by member agreement constitute a League position on an issue.

Without a position, no advocacy can be done in League’s name.

Considering that the League has been in existence since 1920, studying issues and developing positions, it is no wonder that there are hundreds of them. They range from water quality to the United Nations, from mental health to voting procedures - the list goes on.

Positions exist at all three levels of League. National positions include issues of public policy that are decided by the federal government, like immigration or international relations. Policy decided by state legislature is studied and positions developed by each state League such as election law, how local school boards run, or the state criminal code. The state and national Leagues direct the studies, but each local League implements them. Local Leagues may also do studies on issues unique to their local governments such as zoning or how ambulance services are provided to their citizens.

So where do League positions come from? From individual members – ALL OF YOU!

The term “Voter Service” often triggers quizzical looks when mentioned. It is one of those traditional League labels that has evolved over decades to reference activities that help citizens access the election system. It is, in fact, exactly what it says – to serve the voter. It is the League’s “bread and butter” for which it is best known.

Remember that the first part of League’s mission is “to encourage informed and active participation in government.” Accomplishing that mission includes:
-helping citizens learn how to register to vote, use absentee ballots as needed, and vote successfully in person,
-helping “turn out” the vote,
-encouraging citizens to run for office,
-providing information on candidates running for office and referendums under consideration, so voters can make informed choices.

The Door County League plans and implements events and activities year after year to support citizens in their efforts to be active, while always striving to maintain their nonpartisan status. Candidate forums for local and state offices, voter registration assistance events, media releases and letters to the editor, school and community presentations, special “voter information” birthday cards distributed to 18-year-olds in the county, free rides to the polls, and “Vote! It Counts!” yard signs to remind people to vote are some of the many ways League members provide service to the voters of Door County.

Several factors affect the choices each League makes as they plan their calendar or programs.

Positions on issues arrived at by study and a consensus process play a role. After 100+ years of existence, the list of these is long. They represent issues that League cares about as an organization.

Monitoring government at the national, state, and local level also plays a key role. This monitoring of Congress and the Executive Branch by the LWV US, of the Governor’s Administration and Legislature by LWV WI, and of local government by LWV DC is how League knows what is going on. Remember those suffragists who wanted to influence government. Shining a light on government at all levels is the first step to accomplishing that mission.

Each of the three levels of League plans programs, events, and activities. LWV US approves its program at its national convention in June each year. The same occurs with the LWV WI at its annual June meeting. Ideas are sent to each of these groups from local Leagues around the country.

Local programs begin with a brainstorming session called Lively Issues held in January or February of each year. Various study committees that are active, like the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee or the Mental Health/Substance Use (MH/SU) Committee, share ideas as well. National and state Leagues make suggestions. These all evolve to a proposed program which is approved at the annual May meeting, and the compiled notes and ideas contribute to the calendar.

A quality program is key to accomplishing League’s mission. It takes a lot of willing people to make it happen!

Here’s everything you need to know!

Local Government Elections