“STUDY WITHOUT ACTION IS FUTILE. ACTION WITHOUT STUDY IS FATAL.”
To the League of Women Voters, study without action can be futile, but action without study can be fatal. Advocacy is taken only after the League has studied and arrived at a position on a given issue. Members first choose topics of long-range interest – local, state or national — which can be affected by public policy. The League arrives at a position through research, study, discussion and member agreement. Only after this study and consensus process can the League advocate to propose, support or oppose given legislation or public policy.
Group discussion is the technique most often used in the League for reaching member agreement. The consensus reached by members through group discussion is not a simple majority, nor is it unanimity; rather it is the overall sense of the group as expressed through the exchange of ideas and opinions.
League positions cover the federal government (LWVUS), the state government of Iowa (LWVIA), and local government (Johnson County governments).
Below are links to positions which have been studied and accepted by the U.S., the state of Iowa, and Johnson County Leagues.
Positions of the League of Women Voters of the United States
