Issues, Positions, and Action

Issues, Positions, and Action

Public Policy Positions and Action Agenda

League of Women Voters of the Columbia Area

 2025-2026

The positions below define the core local issues of the League of Women Voters of the Columbia Area (LWVCA). We spend most of our time taking action to address these issues. The positions guide us in advocating, educating, and acting at the local level, but they do not limit us.

Both the League of Women Voters of South Carolina (LWVSC) and the League of Women Voters of the United States (LWVUS) have positions on many state and national issues. Many of these positions are also relevant to local issues, and we can use them to act at the local level.

LOCAL PUBLIC POLICY POSITIONS 

Access to Voting/Voter Services

Position: We believe that an informed and engaged electorate is essential to a healthy democracy.   LWVCA supports easy access to voting and voter education in Richland and Lexington Counties.

Possible Action Items for 2025-2026

  • Register voters, including underrepresented groups (for example, youth, people of color, rural, and low-income communities).
  • Provide training on registering voters, including promoting our online resource, Voter Registration Training.
  • Inform citizens about upcoming elections, polling places, ways to vote, and deadlines.
  • Partner with other organizations to register and inform voters and encourage voting.
  • Engage with members of the Richland and Lexington County election commissions and staff to identify possible actions that would suppress voting and to encourage easy access to voter registration and voting.
  • Participate in Get-Out-the-Vote projects.
  • Sponsor candidate forums.
  • Maintain and promote VOTE411, our online resource providing nonpartisan information for voters.

Public Education

Position: We believe a thriving democracy requires educated citizens who can achieve their full potential.  LWVCA supportspublic education in Richland and Lexington Counties that is adequately funded, equitable, inclusive, transparent and accountable.

Possible Action Items for 2025-2026

  • Observe local school boards and bring LWVCA’s attention to concerns.
  • Advocate for school boards to use extreme caution in removing books from schools, thereby limiting access to information.
  • Register teachers to vote and promote voter participation among school faculty and staff.
  • Increase advocacy as private citizens.
  • Educate League members about League positions.
  • Alert voters to upcoming school board elections.
  • Publish and disseminate directories of elected officials and directories of municipalities in Richland and Lexington Counties, including contact information.
  • Sponsor candidate forums for school board elections.

Local Government

Position: We believe local government significantly affects the lives of its citizens. LWVCA supports effective and accountable local government and active and informed participation of citizens in Richland and Lexington Counties

Possible action items for 2025-2026

  • Implement a “Know Your City” initiative to help us better understand the municipal governments in Richland and Lexington Counties.
  • Alert citizens to upcoming municipal elections.
  • Publish and disseminate directories of elected officials in Richland and Lexington Counties, including contact information.
  • Observe local government meetings (including meetings of the Richland Library Board of Trustees and the Lexington County Public Library Board of Trustees), report meeting events in League Lines, and bring LWVCA’s attention to concerns.
  • Promote our Observer Corps and encourage more members to observe local government meetings. 
  • Provide guidance for advocacy, including our online resource, Effective Advocacy Toolkit.

Environmental Protection

Position: We believe local governments play a critical role in environmental protection. LWVCA supports the wise management of natural resources in Richland and Lexington Counties recognizing the interrelationships of air quality, water quality, energy, habitat preservation, waste management, water infrastructure, sustainable agricultural programs, transportation, smart growth, and sustainable land-use planning.

Possible Action Items for 2025-2026

  • Partner with citizens, government agencies, and private organizations to support responsible land use, growth, and development in Richland and Lexington Counties.
  • Highlight initiatives that local governments and other local organizations are doing to combat climate change.
  • Serve as an intermediary to encourage a coalition of local groups to focus on identifying transportation options that require a broader perspective on the benefits of less dependence on individual auto use, including conversations about barriers to acceptance of alternatives.
  • Host forum to educate citizens and local elected officials on the ecological, economic, and public health benefits and importance of clean and safe air and water, adequate water infrastructure, environmental regulations, and climate change adaptation.

 

HELP OUR TEAMS/COMMITTEES TAKE ACTION

As an all-volunteer organization, our members keep the League of Women Voters of the Columbia Area vital and productive. Consider joining one of our teams/committees. Find an area of interest and level of involvement that works for you.

 

STATE AND NATIONAL POSITIONS

State Positions: LWVSC (State) Program & Action Agenda, 2025-2027

National Positions: Impact on Issues: A Guide to Public Policy Positions of the League of Women Voters, 2024-2026

Action Alerts

We support LWVSC’s advocacy in the South Carolina General Assembly by responding to Action Alerts. Our president (or a designee) can send messages to legislators on behalf of LWVCA, but all members are encouraged to advocate as individuals.  Our on-line resource, Effective Advocacy Toolkit, provides guidance for advocacy at the state and local levels of government.