Welcome to the League of Women Voters
of Tompkins County website!

After women got the vote in 1920 the League of Women Voters was established and Tompkins County organized an active League membership that same year. Today our organization numbers over 120 women and men and we invite your participation.

About Us

The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy. Any person of voting age, male or female, may become a League member. Click here for more information

The League of Women Voters is non-partisan, but we are political. Our activities fall into three categories:

Voter Service The League is well-known for promoting informed voting. We provide voter registration, candidates forums, impartial information on ballot measures, and educational meetings on issues of public concern.

Program The League of Women Voters takes positions on local, state and national issues only after members have studied and reached agreement on them. Please see our program page for details.

Advocacy The League never supports or opposes political parties or candidates. Based on positions developed through member study and agreement, the League does take action to support or oppose specific governmental policies.

Calendar

• Voter Registration Please contact: sel3@cornell.edu to sign up for a shift:
  • August 28-29 Ithaca Farmers Market Help Needed
  • Oct. 1-3 Apple Harvest Festival Help Needed
• September 1, 2010 Candidate's Forum for Attorney General and Sheriff Primary BorgWarner Room of the Tompkins County Library, 101 East Green Street Ithaca from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Attorney General Candidates 7:00 - 7:25, Sheriff candidates 7:30-8:30 p.m. During a refreshment period after the formal presentations audience members can meet with the candidates one on one. Co-sponsored by "The Ithaca Journal" and Tompkins County Public Library. Click for more information.
• September 14, 2010 Primary Elections Noon to 9:00 pm http://www.votetompkins.com/
• September 27, 2010 Who Decides: The Case For Redistricting Reform in NYS, an informational forum open to the public. Women's Community Building 100 W. State Street 7 p.m.
• October 7, 2010 Candidate Forum Assembly/Senate Tompkins County Public Library Green Street 6:30 p.m. Co sponsored by Tompkins County Public Library and /The Ithaca Journal
• October 30, 2010 Making a Difference in Albany: with Barbara Bartoletti 12:00 pm Tompkins County Library
• November 2, 2010 General Elections 6:00 am to 9:00 pm http://www.votetompkins.com/

Action Alerts

• LWV-TC Statement on Hydrofracking to be presented at September 2010 US Environmental  Protection Agency hearing
  
• INTERSTATE NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE BILL A.1580B
  PLEASE TAKE ACTION TODAY BY CALLING SPEAKER SILVER'S OFFICE 518-455-3791 Tell Speaker Silver that you strongly urge him to have his chamber pass A.1580B, the interstate National Popular Vote bill, before this legislative session ends. Let him know that this bill is a means to ensure that the will of the majority of voters who participate in the election of the President is reflected in the result of the election. Urge him to have this bill considered and passed by his chamber immediately.

  Background Information
  The New York State Senate has passed the National Popular Vote bill. We are very near the end of the legislative session and we need your help to get the bill passed by the Assembly as well. Please contact Assembly Speaker Silver and tell him that you want the National Popular Vote bill passed before this legislative session ends.

• Hydraulic Fracturing -- We Need Your Action NOW!  Hydraulic Fracturing Action Alert We Need Your Action NOW! The New York State Legislature is currently considering a bill (A10490/S7592) which would impose a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing for the extraction of natural gas or oil until 120 days after the EPA reports on its Congressionally-mandated study of the effect of hydrofracking on water quality. Today LWVNYS wrote a memorandum of support of the moratorium. Yesterday the Assembly bill was voted 22-7 out of the Environmental Conservation committee and sent to the Rules committee (standard procedure). The challenge now is to get the same bill out of the Senate Environmental Conservation committee and then have each bill passed on the floor of the respective chamber. Click here for more information. Posted 4 June 2010

• The 2010 Elections Are at Stake The 2010 elections are in danger. The League of Women Voters needs YOU to take action to protect our democratic system of government. In this year's elections, corporations and unions will be able to spend unlimited amounts of money in secret to support or oppose candidates because of the Supreme Court's recent decision in Citizens United v. FEC, which overturned the ban on corporate spending in candidate elections that was in place for more than a century. Even foreign-controlled corporations will be able to spend in secret! Click here for more information and options to take action.  Posted 27 May 2010
  
• Tell Your Senators to Defend the Clean Air Act The Senate is expected to vote very soon on an amendment that attacks the Clean Air Act and would block EPA from taking action against climate change. If it passes, this will put public health at risk and jeopardize long-overdue action to cut emissions from the biggest polluters. Click here for more information. Posted 21 May 2010
  
• Click here for more Action Alerts