League members,

This past Tuesday evening, the board of directors of the League of Women Voters of the United States voted to withdraw recognition from the League of Women Voters of Nevada due to violations of our nonpartisan and diversity, equity, and inclusion policies as outlined in our bylaws. 

We have shared a statement announcing this action, which can be read here. 

This was a painful and difficult decision that the board does not take lightly. The LWVUS board remains dedicated to our local League members in Nevada, and we are committed to rebuilding the state League there. This board action does not impact local Leagues in Nevada. 

State League presidents and executive directors were informed of this action Wednesday morning and attended an informative meeting on the matter on Friday. We know many of you may have questions about this situation, so we invite you to send them to the LWVUS board at deborah.turner [at] lwv.org. 

We want to be very clear: The LWVUS board did not withdraw recognition of the Nevada League for bylaws violations alone – but for the lack of willingness to acknowledge the violations or find a collective solution. This was an exceedingly rare situation. Our sincere hope had been that we could have found a solution that allowed LWVUS and LWV of Nevada to work together to build a stronger state organization. The LWV of Nevada state board declined to do so.

We recognize that, as members of LWV, you put your trust in this board when you elected us this past June. We take the stewardship of that trust very seriously. Many of you have sat on boards at LWV or otherwise been part of leadership and decision-making. As such, we hope you can understand the need for privacy of individuals and groups concerned, and the ethical and legal considerations with such a sensitive, complicated situation. 

We ask for your continued trust and understanding that this was not the result any of us wanted and that we made extensive and reasonable efforts to prevent this outcome.

Above all, please know that the LWVUS board is grateful for our members in all 50 states, DC, the US Virgin Islands, and Hong Kong. We are saddened that the situation in Nevada came to this conclusion, but it is our firm belief that we will emerge a stronger nationwide League on the other side. 

In League,

LWVUS Board of Directors