About the League

League of Women Voters^®
of the Cape Cod Area

What is our mission? How are we structured? What is our history?

Our Mission. Other Leagues. Our History. Cape Cod League. Meetings. Membership.

Our Mission and Roles

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization encouraging informed and active participation in government. It influences public policy through education and advocacy. We never support or oppose any political party or candidate.
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.

To conduct our voter service and citizen education activities, we use funds from the League of Women Voters Education Fund, which is a 501(c)(3) corporation, a nonprofit educational organization. The League of Women Voters, a membership organization, conducts action and advocacy and is a nonprofit 501(c)(4) corporation.
Our Vision, Beliefs, and Intentions guide our activities.

Other League Organizations

Barnstable County has two League of Women Voters. Our Cape Cod League and the Falmouth League, http://www.lwvf.org
Our members are also members of
League of Women Voters of the United States http://www.lwv.org
League of Women Voters of Massachusetts http://www.lwvma.org

History of the League of Women Voters

Read a short history of the League of Women Voters.

Cape Cod Area League

History of the Cape League
The League of Women Voters of the United States was organized in 1920 after the enactment of Women's Suffrage.
The League of Women Voters of Massachusetts was formed in the same year--and in 1959 the local League began in Orleans and later expanded to become the League of Women Voters of the Cape Cod Area.
The Cape Cod Area League is composed of four regional units:

Outer Cape unit-Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro and Provincetown
Orleans-Brewster unit
Chatham-Harwich unit
Mid and Upper Cape unit-Barnstable, Dennis, Mashpee,Yarmouth, Sandwich and Bourne

Meetings
All meetings are open to the public.
Four public Forums are held each year on Saturday mornings. The dates are listed in the Calendar section.
Four unit meetings are scheduled each year, listed in the Calendar, and occasional consensus, information, and communication meetings are held throughout the year.
The Board of Directors meets on the first Tuesday of each month, September through June at 10am at the Harwich Community Center on Oak Street in Harwhich; members are encouraged to attend. Interested persons are cordially invited to attend.

Membership
League membership is open to anyone, male or female, who subscribes to the purposes and policies of the League. Voting members must be citizens at least 18 years of age.
Dues are $55 for a single membership for the first person and for two or more members residing in the same household, dues are $55 for the first person and $30 for each additional person living at the same address.

Comments, suggestions, questions? Contact our webmaster. Last revised: March 30, 2010 18:39 PDT.