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LWVOC Fact Sheet and 2020 Centennial Celebrations

Published on 1/12/2020

                                                                      Warriors for Democracy – Fighting the good fight

What has the Orange County League of Women Voters done for the past 80 years?


2019 marked the 80th birthday of a small but determined group of women who became the League of Women Voters of Orange County, Florida.  Now hundreds strong, the Orange County League has become the largest county chapter in the nation.  


Last spring, as an 80th birthday present to themselves, the Orange County League launched a two-year celebration of Americans’ precious right to vote. Upcoming 2020 milestones include:

  • Partnerships with the Orange County Regional History Center and the Peace & Justice Institute

  • 100th birthday of the national League, Feb. 14, 2020 with a local celebration “The Heart of the Matter is Voting” on Feb. 15 (also Susan B. Anthony’s 200th birthday)

  • 100th anniversary of USA women’s right to vote, August 2020

  • And countless events throughout the year which can be found at Centennial Events 


It’s a HER-story worth a book, and the local League has written one: Warriors for Democracy, published in spring 2019. (Ordering info HERE)  


Always working in collaborations, the Orange County League has lent its indefatigable energy to successful efforts such as: 


  • Improvements for milk safety, 1940s 

  • The landmark 1947 School Act, which consolidated school districts into one per county and created co-ed colleges

  • Sunshine laws, which opened up Florida governments 

  • Juvenile justice reforms, which created safer and more human treatment for children

  • Planning, zoning, and vast environmental improvements, including support for Florida’s Water and Land Legacy Amendment 1

  • The 1968 Constitution, which authorized local home rule, paved the way for modern Florida, and provided for privacy and citizen initiatives

  • Updated charters for Orange County and local governments

  • Improvements in conditions for migrant workers, in an Orange County crusade that went national, too

  • Support for the successful SunRail and mass transit initiatives

  • Support for renewable energy and a program that has created more than 1,000 solar homes statewide

  • Current crusades for gun safety and to restore voting rights to felons except those convicted of murder or felony sexual crimes

  • Providing a bridge from home to community leadership for many outstanding leaders.

  • Registering thousands of voters, offering objective election information, and fighting for voter rights.

  • And, perhaps most important of all, the landmark Fair Districts and Redistricting victories, 2010-2016, that have created more equitable Florida election districts.  


For more information about the Orange County League of Women Voters, see LWVOC.org.