Some people refer to the years without midterms or presidential elections as “off-years.” The term implies that these years — like 2023 — lack the activity or urgency of their counterparts.  

With 2024 looking us right in the eye, we’re not going to deny that national election years are extraordinarily busy. But as 2023 showed, our “off-years” aren’t nearly as “off” as the nickname suggests. 

In fact, in 2023, Leagues across the US worked diligently to achieve a remarkable number of wins in litigation, voter registration, civic engagement and education, and more. Below are six of our greatest accomplishments. 

Reaching and Registering Millions of Voters with VOTE411.org

LWV works year-round to make sure all eligible Americans have opportunities to register and vote. 2023 was no exception. 

In one day alone — September 19, National Voter Registration Day — Leagues hosted 500+ nationwide registration events, registering an estimated 100,000 voters.  

During the other 364 days of the year, Leagues registered young and first-time voters through our Youth Voter Registration project. From January to June, 86 of our 750+ Leagues registered over 19,000 young people to vote. 

“We were in 100% of our high schools, charter schools, and local universities for multiple visits and have already scheduled events for the fall of 2023 and spring of 2024,” said members from the LWV of Janesville (WI). 

Other League members worked to increase registration among new and returning citizens. Annette Scott from LWV Monmouth (NJ) led weekly classes with formerly incarcerated citizens that provided voter registration information and more. Meanwhile, LWV of Houston (TX) registered 14,000+ new citizens in 2023. 

Leagues also worked to connect with their communities, reaching more than 1 million voters with election information through textbanks on League In Action. They also empowered more than 1,400 friends and family from their networks. 

Empowering Leaders to Take Action Across the South 

2023 marked the second year of LWV’s Power the South campaign, where Leagues and local partners gather to strengthen their people-powered organizing as an antidote to the rising threats to our democracy. 

In 2023, Leagues gathered in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida for trainings and actions designed to make our democracy more inclusive, equitable, and participatory. We trained 100+ leaders in relational movement building, particularly that which empowers marginalized and BIPOC communities. 

For example, in Florida, we paired leadership trainings with voter canvassing and political letter-writing efforts. Our actions are often most impactful when taken within our communities, and Power the South illustrated this firsthand. 

In early 2024, our Power the South convenings will crescendo in North Carolina! 

Defending Voters in Our Nation’s Courts 

Leagues defended voters’ rights in all 50 states and DC and saw many important wins! 

States with major victories in LWV litigation include: 

• California: In response to a suit brought by the LWV of Cupertino-Sunnyvale, the Cupertino City Council amended an ordinance that had initially lumped together citizens who belonged to community, charitable, and political organizations with corporate lobbyists. The amendment protects citizens’ ability to participate in the civic process. 

• Colorado: A federal judge rejected efforts from individuals involved in an extremist organization to dismiss a lawsuit that sought to stop their illegal voter intimidation campaign. 

• Florida: A state court struck down Florida’s congressional map for violating the Fair Districts Amendment and diluting the power of Black voters; 

• Missouri: A circuit court judge granted a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit brought by the LWV of Missouri, blocking the enforcement of legal provisions that criminalize voter engagement activity. 

• Pennsylvania: A federal court ruled that the votes of people who submit their mail-in ballots in time — but mistakenly forget to handwrite a date on the return envelop or write the wrong date — must still be counted; 

• Texas: A federal court ruled that the state’s mail-in ballot identification matching provisions violated federal law by disenfranchising voters for irrelevant paperwork errors; 

You can learn more about the cases we’re currently fighting in our legal center.

Providing Election Information on 20,000 Races 

Administrators on VOTE411, our digital one-stop-shop for election information in English and Spanish, outdid themselves by providing information on more than 20,000 local races and 46,000 candidates. 

The breadth of information covered is one reason why more than 2 million voters used VOTE411 to find voter information throughout 2023 – more than in any previous non-federal election year. 

Achieving Victories in the Supreme Court 

Like 2022, this year brought harmful decisions from the Supreme Court (SCOTUS) in cases like Creative 303, LLC v. Elenis and Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. Yet it also brought victories for fair maps and voter protection. 

In Allen v. Milligan, the LWVUS, LWV of Alabama (LWVAL), and partners submitted an amicus brief outlining how Black Alabamians in the Black Belt and Mobile constitute a community of interest and have been systematically deprived of their right to elect congressional candidates of their choice because of unfairly drawn maps. 

On June 8, SCOTUS upheld a lower court ruling that Alabama must create a second majority Black congressional district in compliance with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. As Kathy Jones of LWVAL stated, it was “a powerful declaration that Black voices in Alabama will no longer be ignored.”  

Weeks later, SCOTUS ruled in Moore v. Harper, a case where Leagues from all 50 states and DC filed an amicus brief. This case concerned the validity of “independent state legislature theory” (ISLT), which suggests that state legislators can pass federal election laws without state court review (I.e., without a system of checks and balances). 

In their ruling, SCOTUS rejected ISLT and affirmed the role of state judicial review over legislative decisions. LWVUS CEO Virginia Kase Solomón stated, “Today’s decision is a major victory for our democracy because it rejects the dangerous idea that state legislatures have free rein to determine the rules for elections in their states. We applaud the Supreme Court’s decision to reject the ISLT and affirm the voice of voters.” 

Demanding Congress Act to Promote Women’s Equality 

For our second annual Women’s Equality Day campaign, LWV partnered with nonprofits, media outlets, and everyday people to demand that Congress: 

1. Pass voting rights legislation; 
2. Add the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution; and  
3. Restore reproductive rights to women and those who can become pregnant. 

Supporters sent 5.1k letters to Congress. They also empowered their communities with knowledge, reaching 501k people using the hashtag #WID23 on social media. 

The above is just a snapshot of the work we did in 2023. For a review of our busy year in advocacy, which included promoting legislation like the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Equal Rights Amendment, stay tuned for our upcoming blog! And to stay up to date with us on all our work to come, sign up for our email list. 

Without your support, none of the above accomplishments would have been possible. Whether you joined your local League or donated to empower voters and defend democracy, thank you.