The League of Women Voters, by Board Member Lynn Dooley
Our guest speaker on April 23, 2026 was Lynn Dooley, a member of the Board of Directors of the League of Women Voters of Sonoma County (LWV). Lynn is a retired radio and television advertising sales executive with various major networks. She joined the LWV Board in 2017. She focuses on bringing the pros & cons of local measures and state ballot propositions to Sonoma County voters before lections and presenting voting education at Sonoma County high schools.
The national LWV was established in 1920. Its goal is and was to empower voters and defend democracy. There are now 750 “leagues” throughout the country. The LWV is open to all genders and is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization working to protect and expand voting rights and ensure that everyone is represented in our democracy. The LWV has 2 branches: (1) Voter Education and (2) Advocacy. The goal of Voter Education is to empower voters to create a more informed electorate. They offer voter registration and pre-registration to all eligible voters. They have a contract with the Registrar of Voters to distribute registration cards throughout the county at 112 locations. They offer candidate forums to allow candidates to answer questions from the public and provide “pros and cons” and evaluative literature and in-person presentations about local and state ballot measures. The LWV also has a significant youth outreach organization, including visiting high school and college campuses to teach students about how voting affects their lives and help them register to vote.
The Advocacy branch identifies an issue that supports democracy and then develops a position on that issue. This includes extensive research and review. Positions are then voted on in LWV national or statewide conventions. Once a position is established action can be taken on that position.
An example of a Voter Education program is “Stand up for Democracy.” The underlying premise of this program is that younger voters were not taught Civics in school in a meaningful way. The typical student now receives only a 1 semester Civics course in their senior year. 70% of Americans fail basic Civics tests. The LWV has created easily digestible explanatory bulletins of 200 words or less, plus a section of “Why Does this Matter.” The topics include things like “What is the 1st Amendment?” and “What is Due Process?” These and other topics are on the LWV website, which then directs you to a brief (less than 200 words) summary of the issue, and a section called “Why Does This Matter.” The LWV includes “teaser” ads about these summaries on the back of city buses, and on posters and yard signs.
Lynn also invited each of us to participate with the LWV by donating, spreading the word, displaying yard signs and joining the League. Thank you, Lynn for the amazing presentation.
Our guest speaker on April 23, 2026 was Lynn Dooley, a member of the Board of Directors of the League of Women Voters of Sonoma County (LWV). Lynn is a retired radio and television advertising sales executive with various major networks. She joined the LWV Board in 2017. She focuses on bringing the pros & cons of local measures and state ballot propositions to Sonoma County voters before lections and presenting voting education at Sonoma County high schools.
The national LWV was established in 1920. Its goal is and was to empower voters and defend democracy. There are now 750 “leagues” throughout the country. The LWV is open to all genders and is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization working to protect and expand voting rights and ensure that everyone is represented in our democracy. The LWV has 2 branches: (1) Voter Education and (2) Advocacy. The goal of Voter Education is to empower voters to create a more informed electorate. They offer voter registration and pre-registration to all eligible voters. They have a contract with the Registrar of Voters to distribute registration cards throughout the county at 112 locations. They offer candidate forums to allow candidates to answer questions from the public and provide “pros and cons” and evaluative literature and in-person presentations about local and state ballot measures. The LWV also has a significant youth outreach organization, including visiting high school and college campuses to teach students about how voting affects their lives and help them register to vote.
The Advocacy branch identifies an issue that supports democracy and then develops a position on that issue. This includes extensive research and review. Positions are then voted on in LWV national or statewide conventions. Once a position is established action can be taken on that position.
An example of a Voter Education program is “Stand up for Democracy.” The underlying premise of this program is that younger voters were not taught Civics in school in a meaningful way. The typical student now receives only a 1 semester Civics course in their senior year. 70% of Americans fail basic Civics tests. The LWV has created easily digestible explanatory bulletins of 200 words or less, plus a section of “Why Does this Matter.” The topics include things like “What is the 1st Amendment?” and “What is Due Process?” These and other topics are on the LWV website, which then directs you to a brief (less than 200 words) summary of the issue, and a section called “Why Does This Matter.” The LWV includes “teaser” ads about these summaries on the back of city buses, and on posters and yard signs.
Lynn also invited each of us to participate with the LWV by donating, spreading the word, displaying yard signs and joining the League. Thank you, Lynn for the amazing presentation.
Our guest speaker on April 23, 2026 was Lynn Dooley, a member of the Board of Directors of the League of Women Voters of Sonoma County (LWV). Lynn is a retired radio and television advertising sales executive with various major networks. She joined the LWV Board in 2017. She focuses on bringing the pros & cons of local measures and state ballot propositions to Sonoma County voters before lections and presenting voting education at Sonoma County high schools.
The national LWV was established in 1920. Its goal is and was to empower voters and defend democracy. There are now 750 “leagues” throughout the country. The LWV is open to all genders and is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization working to protect and expand voting rights and ensure that everyone is represented in our democracy. The LWV has 2 branches: (1) Voter Education and (2) Advocacy. The goal of Voter Education is to empower voters to create a more informed electorate. They offer voter registration and pre-registration to all eligible voters. They have a contract with the Registrar of Voters to distribute registration cards throughout the county at 112 locations. They offer candidate forums to allow candidates to answer questions from the public and provide “pros and cons” and evaluative literature and in-person presentations about local and state ballot measures. The LWV also has a significant youth outreach organization, including visiting high school and college campuses to teach students about how voting affects their lives and help them register to vote.
The Advocacy branch identifies an issue that supports democracy and then develops a position on that issue. This includes extensive research and review. Positions are then voted on in LWV national or statewide conventions. Once a position is established action can be taken on that position.
An example of a Voter Education program is “Stand up for Democracy.” The underlying premise of this program is that younger voters were not taught Civics in school in a meaningful way. The typical student now receives only a 1 semester Civics course in their senior year. 70% of Americans fail basic Civics tests. The LWV has created easily digestible explanatory bulletins of 200 words or less, plus a section of “Why Does this Matter.” The topics include things like “What is the 1st Amendment?” and “What is Due Process?” These and other topics are on the LWV website, which then directs you to a brief (less than 200 words) summary of the issue, and a section called “Why Does This Matter.” The LWV includes “teaser” ads about these summaries on the back of city buses, and on posters and yard signs.
Lynn also invited each of us to participate with the LWV by donating, spreading the word, displaying yard signs and joining the League. Thank you, Lynn for the amazing presentation.
