Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy.

Photo by Ron Mead

Our Mission and the Work We Do

Our work at the local, state and national levels

The League of Women Voters of San Luis Obispo County is part of the state and national League of Women Voters. When you join the local League of Women Voters you also become a member of the League of Women Voters of California and the League of Women Voters of the United States, which has more than 700 local affiliates nationwide. Your dues support the League's work at all three levels.

We are a nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots civic organization that works at all levels to encourage informed participation in government, to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and to influence public policy through education and advocacy. With over 100 years of experience, the League is one of America’s oldest and most trusted civic nonprofit organizations.

Find out more about the California League (lwvc.org) and national League (lwv.org) by visiting their websites.

Find out more about who we are and what we do.

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Mission Statement

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan grassroots organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy. Our goal is to empower citizens to shape better communities nationwide. To accomplish this goal, we pledge to act with trust, integrity and professionalism and to operate in an open and effective manner to meet the needs of those we serve.

Mission, Vision, Value

Mission

Empowering voters. Defending democracy.

Vision

We envision a democracy where every person has the desire, the right, the knowledge, and the confidence to participate.

Value

We believe in the power of women to create a more perfect democracy.

One way we accomplish this vision is through our voter education and registration efforts that begin in high schools and extend to all eligible voters in all Central Coast communities.

The League has worked for almost 100 years to encourage all Americans to take charge of their democracy. A key element of that work has been voter registration and education. We hope that educators, elections officials and other organizations will build on these practical resources to inspire life-long voting habits. Through thoughtful collaboration, we can inspire young people to become active and engaged leaders for tomorrow.

Redistricting and the Independent Redistricting Commission

Our work in ensuring voting rights for all citizens includes making sure that district maps fairly represent the voters in that area.

➡️Redistricting

The League joined the lawsuit filed by the SLO County Citizens for Good Government to invalidate the redistricting map adopted by the Board of Supervisors in December 2021. The lawsuit resulted in a settlement in March 2023 which set aside the 2021 map and required the adoption of a new map.

For additional information visit our redistricting page

Click here to view our webinar on the" Future of Redistricting in SLO County"
For information about the LWVUS position on fair election maps, click here.

➡️Independent Redistricting Commission

An Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) is a body of individuals, independent of the elected officials, who are tasked with drawing district maps after each decennial census. The goal of an IRC is to remove elected officials from direct involvement in the process of drawing the district lines; thus, reducing partisan influence and manipulation. It ensures the process is transparent and reduces the chance that district lines will be gerrymandered and drawn to favor a particular political party or an incumbent.

The League of Women Voters of San Luis Obispo supports the of creation of an Independent Redistricting Commission as the best way to ensure that district maps allow for equitable representation of all citizens. Following our work on instituting a fair map after the 2020 census, we feel that the next step is to establish a way to assure that future district maps are not manipulated by partisan politics.

See our Independent Redistricting Commission page for updates and more in-depth information.