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LWVNWMC member Becky Sayler discusses the history behind Women's Equality Day and why we celebrate it.

The League of Women Voters of Arizona welcomes Attorney General Mayes’ August 18, 2025 opinion clarifying that county recorders do not have the authority to cancel or downgrade voter registrations of eligible voters based solely on the lack of documentary proof of citizenship (DPOC) in legacy records.

Legislative Wrap-up:

Described variously as a train wreck, dumpster fire, topsy-turvy, and quarrelsome (Governor description), the 2025 legislative session of the Fifty-seventh Legislature's First Regular Session concluded on June 27 with a bipartisan budget signed just in time to keep the government functioning. Gov. Hobbs broke her own veto record, vetoing 174 bills (many of which were voter suppression bills that the league opposed), compared with 143 in 2023, her first year in office.

Although there were some bipartisan wins, the consideration of voting rights and election security bills was contentious and partisan. Many of these are expected to return next session, possibly as legislative referrals. Unlike bills that must pass through the governor's office to be approved or vetoed, legislative referrals (Senate or House Concurrent Resolutions) to amend the law or the Arizona Constitution are sent to the Arizona Secretary of State to be placed on the ballot.

The Seneca Falls Convention, considered the first women’s rights convention in the United States, was held on July 19–20, 1848. This year, 2025, marks the 177th anniversary of this historic event.

Organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, along with several other women, the convention aimed to discuss the social, civil, and religious rights of women. It brought together approximately 300 attendees, including abolitionist Frederick Douglass, to advocate for women’s suffrage and other fundamental rights.

In June 2025, the League of Women Voters national Board was pleased to announce the adoption of the new League position on the Federal Judiciary.

The Federal Judiciary position was adopted using the long-standing League practice of grassroots study to arrive at member understanding and agreement. 321 Leagues representing 45 states and the District of Columbia participated in the study.

This position is now part of the League's official public policy positions and is available as a supplemental PDF document below. This position will be folded into the next edition of Impact on Issues. It will be added to the "Congress and the Presidency" subsection of the "Representative Government" section. Until that time, Leagues may refer to the document below.

League of Women Voters of Arizona Statement on Political Violence

The League of Women Voters of Arizona strongly condemns all acts of political violence. As an organization committed to defending democracy, we are heartbroken by the recent tragedies targeting elected officials and public servants.

We grieve the devastating shootings in Minnesota that took the lives of an elected official and her husband and left two others injured. We are also deeply concerned by last week’s incident in Tucson, where gunfire was directed near the home office of a congressional candidate.

PHOENIX — Today the Arizona Supreme Court dismissed a petition filed by the Arizona Republican Party that threatened to end all early voting. The case requested that the Court invalidate all early in-person and mail-in voting, which the state has had in some form for more than a century. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case without a factual record.

The League of Women Voters CEO, Celina Stewart, Esq., issued the following statement in response to President Trump's vow to eliminate mail-in ballots and voting machines:

“Free, fair, and accessible elections are the cornerstone of a healthy democracy. President Trump’s call to eliminate vote-by-mail is a direct attack on Americans’ freedom to vote..."

Today, the US Senate introduced the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (JLVRAA) to protect and strengthen our democracy. The League of Women Voters proudly supports this critical legislation. Celina Stewart, Esq., CEO of the League of Women Voters, issued the following statement:

“Named in honor of the late civil rights icon and voting rights champion Congressman John Lewis, this bill is not just a tribute, it’s a necessity. The Voting Rights Advancement Act is a direct response to the relentless attacks on our democracy, including recent attempts by states to disturb current representation through mid-cycle redistricting. After a decade of US Supreme Court decisions that gutted key provisions, this bill would restore the Voting Rights Act’s full power and finally put guardrails back in place to stop racial discrimination at the ballot box. Without it, the right to vote remains vulnerable to manipulation and abuse.

Today, League of Women Voters CEO Celina Stewart, Esq., issued the following statement about the League’s amicus brief filed in the US Supreme Court case, Bost v. Illinois State Board of Elections:

“The League of Women Voters is proud to file a brief today in support of access to justice for organizations like the League who serve voters. The League challenges state voting laws that discriminate and burden voters and impair the League’s ability to carry out our core work: voter education, registration, and engagement.

he League of Women Voters CEO Celina Stewart, Esq., issued the following statement in response to the Department of Justice’s actions to gather data on voters ahead of next year’s midterm elections:

“Voting officials and poll workers across the country have been the target of harassment and vitriol since the false claims of a stolen presidential election in 2020. The Department of Justice demanding state election officials share sensitive data on voters and have voting equipment inspected is another attempt to undermine the security of our elections. With every attempt to interfere in the constitutionally mandated election processes of states, our democracy weakens.

The US District Court for the Northern District of Florida issued a limited ruling striking down the application of specific provisions of Florida’s House Bill 1205. The ruling allows noncitizen members of the League of Women Voters of Florida (LWVFL) and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) to collect signed citizen ballot initiative petitions supporting the sponsors of three initiatives, Medicaid Expansion, the Right to Clean Water Initiative, and Legal Marijuana. The Court’s ruling also extends to any of LWVFL’s members who live outside Florida and who wish to collect signed petitions for these sponsors. To qualify for the ballot in 2026, these sponsors must collect a certain number of petitions by February 2026.

On Friday, the League of Women Voters of Wyoming filed an amicus brief urging a federal court to grant a preliminary injunction against HB 156, a law imposing burdensome and discriminatory proof of citizenship requirements on voter registration in Wyoming. The League is represented by Campaign Legal Center and Robinson Bramlet LLC.

Today, President Trump signed into law a budget reconciliation package, officially titled the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” that will drastically cut health care for millions of Americans. In response, the League of Women Voters of the United States issued the following statement:

The League of Women Voters is proud to announce the appointment of Christine Switzer to the national board. Switzer is currently the head of philanthropy at the Monarch Foundation, which focuses on eradicating child poverty and ending the climate crisis. Her expertise in philanthropic counsel and strategic planning support will be vital as the League continues to invest in voter education and outreach programs nationwide.

Today, the Supreme Court paused a lower court order that prevented the Trump administration from deporting migrants to countries other than their country of origin without affording them due process. Today’s decision — issued without any hearing on the Court’s “shadow docket” — allows the Trump administration to continue to deport non-citizens to countries they have never visited without an opportunity to challenge the deportation.

The following is a joint statement from LWVUS CEO Celina Stewart and LWV Minnesota Executive Director Michelle Witte:

“The League of Women Voters is shocked and horrified by the tragic and targeted killing of public servant and Speaker Emerita of the Minnesota House of Representatives Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, as well as the shooting of State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman. We extend our deepest condolences to the Hortman and Hoffman families, their loved ones, and the communities they have served with dedication and integrity....

Newark, NJ — Today, the League of Women Voters of the United States and the League of Women Voters of New Jersey issued the following joint statement in response to the indictment of Representative LaMonica McIver on federal charges brought by the Department of Justice for an alleged altercation with immigration officers outside a New Jersey immigrant detention center.

Los Angeles, CA — Following the violent removal of US Senator Alex Padilla at a press conference held by the Department of Homeland Security in Los Angeles, California, the League of Women Voters of the United States and League of Women Voters of California issued the following statement:

Today, the League of Women Voters issued the following statement in support of the right to protest across the country.

“There is nothing more fundamentally American than protesting injustice. Protest is how our nation began, protest is how our rights were secured, and protest is the very foundation of a healthy democracy.

LOS ANGELES, CA; WASHINGTON, DC — League of Women Voters of California Executive Director Helen Hutchison and League of Women Voters of the US CEO Celina Stewart issued the following joint statement in response to the deploying of National Guard troops against largely peaceful protestors in Los Angeles County.

Read the entire article here.

In the past two weeks, the League of Women Voters, NAACP, and Equal Justice Society filed a series of amicus briefs urging federal courts to invalidate an illegal executive order issued by President Trump seeking to revoke birthright citizenship. The briefs, identical to one filed in April by the same organizations in Washington v. Trump, were filed in New Jersey v. Trump, Casa v. Trump, and New Hampshire Indonesian Community Support v. Trump – other cases challenging the executive order.

The League of Women Voters of Boulder County and the League of Women Voters of Colorado believe the right to protest peacefully is a basic American freedom, and we condemn the horrific violence that took place yesterday in front of the Boulder Courthouse. No one exercising their rights under the First Amendment should face violence and violent rhetoric, and our hearts are with those who were injured. The ability of people to peacefully make their voices heard is mandatory to American democracy, and the League of Women Voters works to ensure strong and healthy democratic systems. Terrorism and violence have no place here.

The League of Women Voters of Florida (LWVFL) and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) today filed a motion for a preliminary injunction in federal court, seeking to block enforcement of key provisions of Florida’s House Bill 1205.

Click here to read the full article and details.

Washington, DC — President Trump directed the Department of Justice to work with his White House counsel to investigate "the circumstances surrounding Biden's supposed execution of numerous executive actions during his final years in office," according to a statement from the White House.

In my last League Update message, I shared the news that LWVUS, for the first time in its 105-year history, has declared that our nation is in a constitutional crisis. Today, I am excited to share the launch of our new initiative: Unite and Rise 8.5. Under our Women Defend Democracy campaign, this initiative will protect and preserve our democratic institutions and fight back against authoritarianism through civic education, advocacy, voter mobilization, and engagement. Over the next 90 days, Leagues can participate in both ongoing and timely actions — actions focused on emerging events and what your League can do in response.

Read the full announcement here.

On April 25, 2025, federal agents arrested Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan at her courthouse for allegedly obstructing the unlawful arrest of Eduardo Flores-Ruiz.

Washington, DC — Today, a federal court judge issued a ruling in League of Women Voters et. al. v. Trump et. al., temporarily blocking the US Election Assistance Commission (EAC) from implementing a provision in the President’s executive order.

LWV, LWV of Arizona, NAACP, Hispanic Federation, OCA—Asian Pacific American Advocates, and Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote filed a federal lawsuit arguing that President Trump’s Executive Order 14248, which ordered the EAC to require documentary proof of citizenship on the federal voter registration form, threatened to withhold funds from states allowing post-election day receipt of mail ballots, and invited DOGE to assist in voter list maintenance, among other provisions, was an illegal order beyond the President’s powers under the United States Constitution and federal law.

Washington, DC — Today, Celina Stewart, CEO of the League of Women Voters, and Dianna Wynn, president of the League of Women Voters, released the following statement

Today, the League of Women Voters, NAACP, and Equal Justice Society filed an amicus brief urging a federal court to invalidate a recent executive order issued by President Donald Trump seeking to revoke birthright citizenship for individuals born in the United States to undocumented persons or temporary legal residents.

Washington, DC — Today, Celina Stewart, CEO of the League of Women Voters of the United States, issued the following statement in response to the passage of the SAVE (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility) Act in the US House of Representatives

As we begin another mid term election cycle, LWVUS CEO Virginia Kase Solomon discusses remaining non-partisan in hyper-partisan times.

LWV's CEO Virginia Kase Solomón takes a moment to review some of our most empowering moments from the past year in her latest blog.

‘Women Power Democracy’ is the new programmatic focus of the League of Women Voters that will advance a stronger, more representative American democracy.