What We Do / Volunteer Opportunities

What We Do / Volunteer Opportunities

The League of Women Voters of New Castle County provides voter services and community educational events county-wide, observes meetings of government bodies and advocates on issues, and holds regular meetings of our local membership.

Elevator Pitch

In 2022, the LWVNCC Board created a brief "elevator pitch" to help explain what the League is and what we do:

Democracy is threatened around the world which is evident in America today. The League of Women Voters (LWV) is a nonpartisan, grassroots nonprofit dedicated to empowering everyone to fully participate in our democracy. We engage in advocacy, education, litigation, and organizing to protect every American’s freedom to vote. The League has expanded our vision of a more inclusive democracy where all Americans, regardless of gender, sex, race, ability, or party can see themselves represented in our government.

Woman seen manning an LWV voter registration tableVoter Services

Local League voter service work includes voter registration and voter educational publications, guides and events.

Voter Registration / Information Tables

Patti Christopher heads the voter registration section of Voters' Services. After League members or partner groups are trained to register voters using the universal form, Patti makes arrangements with local colleges, schools, community organizations and other non-profits to provide voter registration tables at their locale or event.

Please contact Patti if you would like to participate in voter registration work and/or attend a training session. To request a League voter registration & information table at your location or event, please fill our our online Voter Services Request Form.

New Citizen Packets

Lorraine Botticelli heads our new citizens program, taking over for Connie Georgov who led this effort for over twenty years. LWV volunteers distribute welcome packets at new citizen naturalization ceremonies. The ceremonies are held at the Carvel Government Building in Wilmington or at U.D.'s Clayton Hall in Newark.

Man taking oath is shown from behind with his right hand raised Each time the ceremony is held, usually about 70 foreign-born men, women and children become U.S. citizens. Following distribution of naturalization certificates, the new citizens file past the registration table operated by the Delaware Department of Elections.

Eight times a year Lorraine and other League members distribute packets of voter information to new citizens. The packet includes a welcome letter, voting information, a list of citizen resposibilities and a roster of federal and state and local officials.

Leaguers who lend a hand with this activity feel gratified to have participated in this important first step for newly sworn-in citizens. Please contact Lorraine Botticelli if you'd like to participate; helping hands are always welcome and needed.  

VOTE411 Online Voter Guide

VOTE411 - election information you needVOTE411.org is an online voters guide website hosted by the League of Women Voters USA.

The Delaware leagues have participated in this program starting in 2012, compiling information on all candidates for elected positions statewide. Thousands of Delawareans use VOTE411 to help them prepare for the primary and general elections. Since 2019, we have also provided VOTE411 coverage for school board elections in Delaware, which are held statewide on the second Tuesday each May.

Volunteers are needed each election cycle to help draft questions for the candidates, encourage the candidates to respond to the questionnaire, and publicize the VOTE411.org guide to the voting public. Please contact Jill Itzkowtiz if you'd like to be a part of the VOTE411 team.

Candidate Forums

The League of Women Voters has a long history with candidate debates. Between 1960 and 1984, the national League sponsored every presidential and vice presidential candidate debate. The League no longer sponsors these televised debates, but state and local Leagues across the country continue to sponsor candidate debates at the state and local levels, just as they always have.

Moderator, candidates at forum. Podium banner reads LWVLWVNCC sponsors and moderates forums at the local level, such as town council or city mayor races, or General Assembly seats whose districts lie within our county, and LWVDE sponsors forums for statewide candidates. 

Candidate debates are a valuable service, providing one of the only opportunities voters have to listen to candidates offer more than just a brief sound bite. Debates provide an opportunity to hear what candidates are saying and to form your own opinions of the candidates based on your own observations.

Tenants Association Elections

Assisting residents of low-income housing projects in organizing tenants' councils and in holding elections is another important activity of our League. Working with the Delaware Housing Coalition (DHC), the statewide Association of Tenants and the Wilmington Housing Authority, the League serves as a third party overseeing the nominating process and conducting elections for tenants. The DHC and the League have written a manual for tenants explaining the nominating and election process for resident councils.

For many years League member Pat Todd has directed this effort in New Castle County. She needs a protegé! If you would enjoy helping with this project, please email Pat.

Community Educational Programs

LWVNCC hosts multiple types of community educational events on a recurring basis. The public is cordially invited to attend.

Hot Topic Programs

For many years the NCC League held a Hot Topic Luncheon (formerly called "Fun Lunch") once a month. We caught up with long-time friends, ate a nice lunch and learned something new. Hot Topic Lunch presentations ranged over a variety of topics including legislative updates, healthcare, environmental and social issues. 

League members are shown talking with each other, while eating lunch and wearing name tags

During and since the COVID 19 pandemic in 2020 to 2022, our LWVNCC Hot Topics programs have become less regular (driven by content rather than calendar) and have been held via Zoom web conference. Check the Calendar of League Events or articles under "What's New" on the main menu for upcoming Hot Topics. 

TED Talk Viewings

Active since 2017, this LWVNCC program series hosts monthly viewings of inspirational videos from TED.com on various social issues. The format is to watch the TED video and then discuss together the "Ideas Worth Sharing."  Kay Palmer is our moderator for these intimate, infomative discussions, now held via Zoom web conference. 

Great Decisions Discussions

Great Decisions is America's largest discussion program on world affairs. It is an arm of the Foreign Policy Association. Published annually, the Great Decisions briefing book highlights eight of the most thought-provoking foreign policy challenges facing Americans today. Great Decisions provides background information, current data and policy options for each issue and serves as the focal text for discussion groups.

The LWVNCC Great Decisions discussion group meets on the third Monday of each month at the Newark Public Library. All are welcome to attend. You may either email Brenda Toomey to participate, or just drop in and listen to the discussion (once the libraries re-open post-COVID). Meeting dates and topics can be found on the calendar. 

Note: as of 2022, our Great Decisions group is on hiatus. If you are interested in attending or chairing discussions at this or another location, please contact us.

Single-topic Seminars or Forums

LWVNCC sometimes also sponsors or co-sponsors more extensive single-topic forums. For example, in 2017 and 2018 we helped facilitate several forums up and down the state with Zoe Ministries, Prison Ministries of Delaware, AAUW and others to raise awareness of Human Trafficking in Delaware. In 2023, along with the state League we co-sponsored a series of four online forums tackling issues around Affordable Housing in Delaware.

Action and Advocacy

LWVDE Members with then-Governor MarkellLWVNCC influences public policy through our participation in the local Observer Corps and the LWVDE Advocacy Corps (as described under Committees and Leadership), as well as Letters to the Editor and other public comment by League leadership. 

League members also make their voice heard on an individual level by attending community forums, activities and marches, contacting their elected representatives on issues that matter to them, and amplifying social media messages on important topics.

If you want to make a greater impact with your ideas, consider joining the LWVNCC Board or an LWV committee!

Membership Meetings

Per our organizational bylaws, there must be at least three general meetings of the membership each year, one of which may be the Annual Meeting. In practice, we meet many more times than that, as all members are invited and encouraged to monthly Hot Topic meetings and other educational activities described above.

Annual Meeting

Our county-level Annual Meeting is held between March 1, and June 30 each year. At each Annual Meeting, the LWVNCC membership elects officers and directors and approves an operating budget. In odd-numbered years, members additionally review and adopt a local Action Program. We usually arrange a speaker or program in conjunction with the Annual Meeting. We need a quorum of 10% of members to conduct League business.

State and National Conventions

In addition to our local Annual Meeting, LWVNCC members are invited to the state League (LWVDE) general membership meetings, called either "Council" or "Convention" depending on whether it is an even or odd year. Delaware often also sends a few representatives to LWV National Council or Convention meetings each year.

Placards with state names are held aloft amidst a convention crowd