LWV Orange, Durham and Chatham Counties, Inc.

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LWV Orange, Durham and Chatham Counties, Inc.

Born of the women's suffrage movement, the League of Women Voters is a 100+ year-old non-partisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government. It influences public policy through citizen education and voter advocacy. The league takes and publishes positions on issues after careful study. Read about the history of LWVUS.

Our local league, representing Orange, Durham and Chatham counties in North Carolina (LWVODC) is part of a statewide (LWVNC) and national network (LWVUS). Learn about what we do, and consider becoming a member and donating.

Recent News

Subscribe to the League of Women Voters (US) (see bottom of their home page) for current updates.

May 2025: The League of Women Voters of North Carolina secured a victory on May 5 in their lawsuit regarding the contested 2024 N.C. Supreme Court race! The U.S. District Court ruled in our favor that it is a violation of citizens' constitutional rights to retroactively change the results of an election and throw out legally cast ballots. Read the full press release and the judge's ruling.

April 2025:

LWV declared the US to be in a constitutional crisis and is launching a new initiative, Unite and Rise 8.5, to fight anti-democratic forces. The initiative is part of the Women Defend Democracy campaign.

LWV and fellow voting rights organizations filed a lawsuit challenging President Trump's anti-voter executive order, which could disenfranchise millions of eligible voters. On April 25, a federal court judge issued a ruling temporarily blocking the administration from implementing a provision of the order.

LWV and partners filed an amicus brief urging federal courts to invalidate an executive order that seeks to revoke birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented persons or temporary legal residents

From the League of Women Voters US: Impacted Voters, League of Women Voters of North Carolina File Lawsuit to Defend North Carolina Voters from Post-Election Disenfranchisement

March 2025: President Trump signed an executive order that threatens Americans’ freedom to vote and tramples states’ authority to run elections.  This order is a shameful attack on American voters — particularly women voters — and their right to participate in our democracy. Read LWV's response to the order.

February 2025: The League of Women Voters of North Carolina issued its NC Legislative Landscape Update listing NC General Assembgly (NCGA) legislation they are tracking, particularly those that impact voting rights. Read the update and consider contacting your NC Senators and House Representatives to voice your concerns. 

Also, on February 14, the League's 105th anniversary, LWVUS -- together with every state League -- sent a letter to Congress. The letter asked Congress to exercise its authority to protect citizens, the rule of law, and our democratic values. Read the letter (PDF).

Other news

LWVUS recently launched a new program and campaign, Women Defend Democracy. "As an organization dedicated to empowering voters and defending democracy, the League of Women Voters will continue our work to protect and expand voting rights and challenge those who seek to undermine democratic principles and processes." Please consider joining the campaign.

For more news, see the articles (news, blog posts, press releases, etc.) provided by LWVUS and LWVNC.

Action Alerts

LWVUS and LWVNC publish action alerts urging citizens to take action on propsosed legislation and other issues. We highlight the most recent action alerts at the bottom of this page. To receive action alerts on your mobile phone, download and install the OutreachCircle app from the Apple App Store or Google Play. Connect to the League of Women Voters US and League of Women Voters North Carolina. Create an account to see all the League's actions in the app.

What We Do

Among our many activities, LWVODC provides voter resources and has volunteer action teams focused on fair elections and redistricting, public education, and voter services (for example, see vote411.org, which is made possible by the LWV Education Fund). We are involved in a number of issues and programs to support democracy and voter rights.

A Citizen's Initiative Referendum (CIR) Study at the state level is underway. NC citizens do not have the right to collect signatures to put constitutional amendments or new laws on the ballot. The state legislature has sole power over proposing constitutional amendments or new laws. The study is an essential step toward putting a League CIR position in place so we can advocate for its adoption in NC. 

We hope you will join us and get involved in an issue that interests you. Questions? Contact us.

Learning Opportunities

LWODC has hosted a number of events over the years featuring notable speakers on a wide variety of topics. Recordings of these events are available on our YouTube channel. See a listing of past events.

Reject Anti-Voter Policies

Action Alert (Black woman with megaphone)

Submitted by the US (LWVUS) in March 2025.

Action Alerts

The House and Senate introduced the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require citizenship documentation to register to vote even though voters in every state are already required to affirm or verify their citizenship status when registering.

The SAVE Act would create one more barrier to the voting process, as many eligible voters do not have easy access to the necessary documents.

Tell your members of Congress to oppose the SAVE Act. 

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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

LWV is an organization fully committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in principle and in practice. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to the organization’s current and future success in engaging all individuals, households, communities, and policy makers in creating a more perfect democracy.

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