History of the League of Women Voters of Cleveland
On February 14, 1920, the National American Woman’s Suffrage Association became the League of Women Voters. In 1919 Carrie Chapman Catt first proposed founding the League to empower women voters newly enfranchised by the 19th Amendment to the Constitution.
The League of Women Voters has a long and distinguished history. It was born out of a 72-year struggle to gain women the right to vote. Both the National American Woman’s Suffrage Association at the national level and the Cuyahoga County Woman’s Suffrage Association at the local level faced tremendous obstacles in their quest for women’s enfranchisement. History has documented the ridicule, criticism, imprisonment and other barriers that the dedicated suffragists ultimately overcame. Their goal was finally reached with the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution. Voting rights for women became the law of the land in August 1920.
Having achieved their ultimate goal, the leaders of the National American Woman’s Suffrage Association recognized a new challenge ahead. Efforts were needed immediately to educate women in their newly gained privilege and responsibility.
The League of Women Voters was conceived as the vehicle needed to accomplish this new mission. In a formal ceremony in April 1920, held at Cleveland’s Hotel Hollenden, the Cuyahoga County Woman’s Suffrage Party of Greater Cleveland was retired and the League of Women Voters of Cleveland was formed. The League immediately identified citizen education of women voters as its prime objective. Additional objectives included supporting and encouraging legislation on behalf of women, promoting active interest among women in all aspects of government and public policy and encouraging women to enter politics.
On the national level, Carrie Chapman Catt is credited with conceiving the ideals and purposes of the League. The Cleveland League points with great pride to Belle Sherwin, a visionary leader and first president of the League of Women Voters of Cleveland. Through her efforts and forward thinking, the Cleveland League established itself as a nonpartisan organization willing and eager to work with other civic organizations to advance good government through an informed and educated electorate.
Miss Sherwin went on to become the second president of the League of Women Voters of the United States. During her 10-year tenure as national president (1924-34), she strengthened the League’s credibility through her continued insistence on maintaining the organization’s nonpartisanship. The League would endorse no candidates. However, she was a strong proponent of the League’s issue advocacy after intense study.
Spearheading the 1920 efforts of the local League in educating women to use the vote wisely, President Sherwin and the Board of Directors of the Cleveland League adopted the slogan “Every Woman An Intelligent Voter” and launched a campaign to accomplish this goal. The League of Women Voters of Cleveland was the first in the nation to use objective questionnaires for candidates for public office. Another League of Women Voters of Cleveland innovation was the development and use of voting booth demonstration models. Leagues throughout the United States patterned their voter service/education efforts after the Cleveland prototypes, including “get out the vote” campaigns.
Seventy-seven years since their introduction, candidate questionnaires and demonstration models remain viable tools in the total program of citizen education, voter information and service offered under the auspices of the League of Women Voters.
The League of Women Voters of Cleveland has been an important change agent in Cleveland. Since its founding in 1920, the organization has:
- fought for minimum wages laws (1918-1933)
- called attention to and acted on school attendance and child labor laws
- conducted Institutes on Municipal Government
- supported, though preferred smaller at-large council, city manager/proportional representation form of government (1923)
- sponsored debates on ballot issues to abolish proportional representation
- spearheaded successful drive against repeal of city manager form of government (1928)
- reformed method of selection of juries through “jury wheel” (1931) (fair system of jury selection)
- led special study and action on Cleveland Municipal Light Plant (1933)
- sought Civil Service reforms for city employees (1923-1933)
- initiated reforms in welfare administration, especially child welfare (1940′s)
- advocated reforms in juvenile justice
- supported the city income tax (1966)
- studied housing issues
- promoted formation of the Regional Transit Authority (1975)
- favored passage of a one-cent sales tax for RTA
- sparked the establishment of a Cleveland Housing Court and special Housing Court Judge
- testified in support of improving public policies toward rape victims
- influenced the Board of Directors of the League of Women Voters of the United States to select Cleveland as a site for the 1980 Presidential Debate
- spearheaded a successful drive for reduction of Cleveland City Council form 33 to 21 members (1981) This included a court battle that went all the way to the Ohio Supreme Court worked with the City of Cleveland, The Citizen’s League, the Greater Cleveland Growth Association and the New Cleveland Campaign to bring about Cleveland ‘s designation as an All-America City worked for four-year term for mayor and City Council, which provides accountability and enhances public officials ability to govern (1980)
- organized a coalition to establish criteria for the selection of Board of Education members (1980′s) Conducted a study on tax abatement in Cleveland and its effect on the finances of the Cleveland Public Schools (1997)
- Formed a coalition to present a forum on campaign finance reform (1999)
- Coordinated the youthvote2000 initiative for Ohio (2000)
