Summary of Policy Positions

League of Women Voters of the US

Representative Government

Promote an open governmental system that is representative, accountable, and responsive.

Voting Rights

  • Citizen’s Right to Vote. Protect the right of all citizens to vote; encourage all citizens to vote.
  • DC Self-Government and Full Voting Representation. Secure for the citizens of the District of Columbia the rights of self-government and full voting representation in both houses of Congress.

Election Process

  • Apportionment. Support apportionment of congressional districts and elected legislative bodies at all levels of government based substantially on population.
  • Redistricting. Support redistricting processes and enforceable standards that promote fair and effective representation at all levels of government with maximum opportunity for public participation.
  • Money in Politics. (formerly Campaign Finance) Support campaign finance/MIP regulations that enhance political equality for all citizens, ensure transparency, protect representative democracy from distortion by undisclosed contributions and big money, and combat corruption and undue influence in government. Support campaign spending that is restricted but not banned. Support public financing, full disclosure, abolishing super PACs, and creating an effective enforcement agency.
  • Selection of the President. Promote the election of the President and Vice-President by direct popular vote. Support uniform national voting qualifications and procedures for presidential elections. Support efforts to provide voters with sufficient information about candidates.
  • Voter Representation/Electoral Systems. Support electoral systems at each level of government that encourage participation, are verifiable and auditable, and enhance representation for all voters.

Citizen Rights

  • Citizen’s Right to Know/Public Participation. Protect the citizen’s right to know and facilitate informed understanding and public participation in government decision-making.
  • Individual Liberties. Oppose major threats to basic constitutional rights.
  • Public Policy on Reproductive Choices. Protect the constitutional right of privacy of the individual to make reproductive choices.

Evaluating Constitutional Amendment Proposals and Constitutional Conventions

  • Amendment Proposals. Consider whether a proposal addresses matters of abiding importance, makes our political system more democratic, protects individual rights, could be achieved by a constitutional amendment or legislative proposal, and is consistent with other League positions.
  • Constitutional Conventions. Hold constitutional conventions only when certain conditions are in place, including limited to a specific topic, full transparency, delegates selected by population, and voting by delegates not by states.

Congress and the Presidency

  • Congress. Support responsive legislative processes characterized by accountability, representativeness, decision- making capability, effective performance, and transparency.
  • The Presidency. Promote a dynamic balance of power between the executive and legislative branches within the framework set by the Constitution.

Privatization

  • Ensure transparency, accountability, positive community impact, and preservation of the common good when considering the transfer of governmental services, assets, and/or functions to the private sector.

Digital Equity

  • High-speed affordable internet access is an essential service that should be readily available to all US residents and businesses.

International Relations

Promote peace in an interdependent world by working cooperatively with other nations and strengthening
international organizations.

United Nations

  • Support a strong, effective United Nations to promote international peace and security and to address the social,
    economic, and humanitarian needs of all people.
  • Trade
    Support US trade policies that reduce trade barriers; expand international trade; and advance the achievement of
    humanitarian, environmental, and social goals.
  • Developing Countries
    Promote US policies that meet long-term social and economic needs of developing countries.
  • Arms Control
    Reduce the risk of war through support of arms control measures.
  • Military Policy and Defense Spending
    Work to limit reliance on military force. Examine defense spending in the context of total national needs.

Natural Resources

Promote an environment beneficial to life through the protection and wise management of natural resources
in the public interest.

Resource Management

  • Promote the management of natural resources as interrelated parts of life-supporting ecosystems. Promote
    resource conservation, stewardship, and long-range planning, with the responsibility for managing natural resources shared by all levels of government. Preserve the physical, chemical, and biological integrity of the ecosystem with maximum protection of public health and the environment.

Environmental Protection and Pollution Control

  • The League supports the preservation of the physical, chemical, and biological integrity of the ecosystem and
    maximum protection of public health and the environment.
  • Air Quality. Promote measures to reduce pollution from mobile and stationary sources.
  • Energy. Support environmentally sound policies that reduce energy growth rates, emphasize energy conservation,
    and encourage the use of renewable resources.
  • Land Use. Promote policies that manage land as a finite resource and that incorporate principles of stewardship.
  • Water. Support measures to reduce pollution in order to protect surface water, groundwater, and drinking water,
    and set up a process to evaluate inter-basin water transfers.
  • Waste Management. Promote policies to reduce the generation of solid and hazardous wastes and promote their
    reuse and recycling.
  • Nuclear. Promote the maximum protection of public health and safety and the environment.

Transfer of Federal Public Lands

  • Promote policies that keep federal public lands under the jurisdiction of the federal government.
  • Climate Change – Support climate goals and policies that are consistent with the best available climate science and that will ensure a stable climate system for future generations.
  • Public Participation – Promote public understanding and participation in decision making as essential elements of responsible and responsive management of our natural resources.
  • Federal Agriculture Policies – Support environmentally sound farm practices, and increased reliance on the free market while promoting adequate supplies of food at reasonable prices and regulations to all animal and aquaculture production. Enforce federal antitrust laws to ensure competitive agricultural markets, provide financial support to subsidize agriculture in specific instances. Support the federal government’s funding of basic agricultural research to ensure adequate safety of our food supply.

Social Policy

Secure equal rights and equal opportunity for all. Promote social and economic justice and the health and
safety of all Americans.

Criminal Justice

  • Support a criminal justice system that is just, effective, equitable, transparent, and that fosters public trust at all
    stages, including policing practices, pre-trial procedures, sentencing, incarceration, and re-entry.

Equality of Opportunity

  • Equal Rights. Support ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment and efforts to bring laws into compliance with
    the goals of the ERA. Support equal rights for all under state and federal law regardless of race, color, gender,
    religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, or disability.
  • Education, Employment, and Housing. Support equal access to education, employment, and housing.
    Federal Role in Public Education. Support federal policies that provide an equitable, quality public education for all children from pre-K through grade 12.

Fiscal Policy

  • Federal Deficit. Promote responsible deficit policies.
  • Funding of Entitlements. Support a federal role in providing mandatory, universal, old-age, survivors, disability, and health insurance.
  • Tax Policy. Support adequate and flexible funding of federal government programs through an equitable tax system that is progressive overall and that relies primarily on a broad-based income tax.

Health Care

  • Promote a health care system for the United States that provides affordable access to a basic level of quality care
    for all US residents, including behavioral health that is integrated with and achieves parity with the physical health
    care system.

Immigration

  • Promote reunification of immediate families; meet the economic, business, and employment needs of the United
    States; be responsive to those facing political persecution or humanitarian crises; and provide for student visas.
    Ensure fair treatment under the law for all persons. In transition to a reformed system, support provisions for
    individuals already living in the country without legal permission to earn legal status.

Meeting Basic Human Needs

  • Support programs and policies to prevent or reduce poverty and to promote self-sufficiency for individuals and
    families.