Utica-Rome Metropolitan Area

Utica-Rome Metropolitan Area

The League of Women Voters of the United States encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

The League is proud to be nonpartisan, neither supporting nor opposing candidates or political parties at any level of government, but always working on vital issues of concern to members and the public.

The League of Women Voters of Utica-Rome Metro Area serves the people of Utica, Rome, Herkimer and the surrounding areas of Upstate NY.   

************************
  Saranac Biergarten

Put August 6 on your calendar for a LWV Meet-up at Saranac Biergarten (Varick Street across from Celtic Harp). This will be in lieu of our picnic. We’ll be there at 5:00pm until ?. They have food, beverages-both alcoholic and non-alcoholic and places to sit, play games, etc. We look forward to seeing you there! (Bring a friend or family member if you want.) 

 

   ************************

IMPACTS OF CURRENT IMMIGRATION POLICY

WITH GUEST SPEAKER JEFFREY FEINBLOOM, ESQ., IMMIGRATION COUNSEL, FEINBLOOM BERTISCH LLP

 

 

 

This program, co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Larchmont-Mamaroneck and Community Resource Center, discusses current immigration policy, its impacts, analysis and next steps.

WHAT CAN YOU DO? Non-immigrant allies can offer support to the immigrant community in the following ways:

· Accompany members of the immigrant community to naturalization court and other scheduled appointments.

· If you witness what appears to be an unauthorized detention, call for prompt assistance of the: ??

· In the alternative, call 911.

· If you witness what appears to be the unauthorized detention of a person refrain from any physical intervention; it is appropriate to ask the detainer for their official ID and authorization (an Administrative Warrant) to detain the specific person.

· You have constitutional rights as a US citizen, but use your best judgment to stay safe.

· Use a cellphone camera to record any apparent unwarranted intervention by third parties to detain a member the immigrant community.

· Ask, or shout, to the detained person to provide their name and a phone number of a friend or relative who can be notified of their detention.

· For guidance addressing legal issues faced by people in the immigrant community and other related topics, contact the Community Resource Center: https://www.crcny.org or 914 835-1512

Understanding Ranked Choice Voting
Event Date: 
08/20/2025 - 6:00pm
Event location: 

Zoom webinar

Join us for our next episode with League of Women Voters Rochester Metro Area President, Barbara Grosh, for a ranked choice voting training.

News

Celina Stewart, chief executive officer of the League of Women Voters of the United States, wants Americans to be a flood of democracy against the fire of authoritarianism.

many Cultures, one Community
Event Date: 
08/09/2025 - 12:00pm to 4:00pm
Event location: 

MVCC Jorgensen Athletic Center

The Center is proud to host a vibrant community event honoring the rich cultural diversity that defines Utica—a city shaped by generations of immigrants and refugees who have made
Public Statement

LWV CEO Celina Stewart, Esq., issued the following statement about the League’s amicus brief filed in the US Supreme Court case, Bost v. Illinois State Board of Elections.

Research & Studies

The landscape of the media matters now more than ever; propaganda, mis/dis- and malinformation have been elevated to the highest echelons of government in our nation. In a conversation, we take a deeper look at how to discern media, why independent and local media matters, and explore tools and tactics to read across sources

Public Statement

LWV CEO Celina Stewart, Esq., issued the following statement in response to the Department of Justice’s actions to gather data on voters ahead of next year’s midterm elections.

Blog Post

Local elections happen annually in the United States. The officials elected and the decisions they make affect your daily life as much, if not more, than those in the federal government. From road repairs, schools, and urban planning to immigration and policing, local government is constantly present in every part of American life.   

Blog Post

In this new world, the burden of discerning what is true or false falls on each of us individually. Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram have not fully tried to correct harmful falsehoods on their platforms. Meta’s small programs, such as Community Notes, a way for people to add more context to confusing and misleading posts, or YouTube links to vetted information, play a small yet inconsequential role in spreading mis-, dis-, and mal-information. 

So the responsibility falls to us — as parents, friends, colleagues and, above all, as citizens — to develop the skills needed to navigate a highly polluted information ecosystem. 

Blog Post

 At our core, nonpartisanship is not just a policy — it’s a bedrock principle that defines who we are at the League of Women Voters. As a membership organization committed to empowering voters and defending democracy, we do not support or oppose political parties or candidates. 

Our focus has always been, and will continue to be, on the issues that matter to our communities: ensuring fair elections, protecting voting rights, and strengthening our democratic institutions. 

Blog Post

Learn more about the League by joining and volunteering.
- Voter Services
- Observer Corps
- Vote411
- Membership
- Program
- Website/Social Media

YouTube logo

Short videos that our members made that will assist new or interested citizens in navigating the voting process, from obtaining a registration form, early voting and including voting absentee. 

On May 4, 2021 the governor signed legislation that allows anyone on parole to vote in all elections. The final video is addressed to all parolees.

LWV is an organization fully committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in principle and in practice. There shall be no barriers to full participation in this organization on any basis.