League of Women Voters of Hampton Roads A Guide to the League of Women Voters of Hampton Roads Records MG 72

A Guide to the League of Women Voters of Hampton Roads Records MG 72


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ODU Community Collections

3000 Perry Library
4427 Hampton Blvd.
Norfolk, VA 23529
Business Number: 757-683-5350
libspecialcollections@odu.edu
URL: https://www.odu.edu/library/special-collections

Special Collections Staff

Repository
ODU Community Collections
Identification
MG 72
Title
League of Women Voters of Hampton Roads Records circa 1940-2014, undated Date acquired: 01/10/2000
URL:
https://archivesguides.lib.odu.edu/repositories/5/resources/218
Quantity
19.95 Linear Feet
Quantity
32 Hollinger document cases and 2 oversize boxes boxes
Creator
League of Women Voters of Hampton Roads
Language
English
Abstract
Includes handbooks, correspondence, newsletters, agendas, minutes, membership lists, and financial records of the League of Women Voters of Hampton Roads. Contains information on the action program, education fund, speakers bureau, voters service, and studies on various issues.

Administrative Information

Conditions Governing Use

Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from Special Collections and University Archives, and the holder of the copyright, if not Old Dominion University Libraries.

Conditions Governing Access

Open to researchers without restrictions.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Box [insert number], Folder [insert number and title], League of Women Voters of Hampton Roads Records, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

Source of Acquisition

Susan L. Goranson, President LWVSHR

Method of Acquisition

Gift. Accession #A2000-1

Accruals and Additions

Additional accessions from Susan L. Goranson and Jeannette Franklin.


Biographical or Historical Information

The League of Women Voters (LWV) was established in 1920, the year that women's suffrage was finally incorporated into the Constitution of the United States. The League was originally part of the National American Women's Suffrage Association, which led the 72-year drive for full and equal suffrage for women of the United States. The League was founded primarily to help 20 million newly enfranchised women carry out their new responsibilities as voters.

The Norfolk League of Women Voters was begun in the fall of 1955. Mrs. Clement Kester was elected president of the Provisional League. In the 1930s a League had been active in Norfolk, but was disbanded at the beginning of World War II. In March 1957, Norfolk was recognized as an official League. Mrs. Hugh Fortescue was elected the first president with a membership of 85. This was the 11th Virginia League.

The Virginia Beach membership in the League became stronger after the merger of old Princess Anne County and the city of Virginia Beach in 1962. A unit of the Norfolk League began to meet regularly there in the winter of 1963. In 1964, the State Board Organizational Committee agreed that Norfolk and Virginia Beach should become an area League.

The modern day League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan, volunteer organization, established to promote political responsibility through informed and active participation in government. The League holds regular monthly meetings to informally discuss common concerns and periodic full membership meetings with speakers on topics of interest. Members include teachers, housewives, and women of various backgrounds, who are interested in good government. Some members are well informed in certain areas because of special interest or training.

The League cannot work for candidates or political parties as a group, though it encourages each member to work for the candidate of her choice. The League does take stands on issues, once they have studied the issues thoroughly and achieved a consensus among members, or when the issue is pertinent to the statement of principles of the national League.

League action includes testifying at public hearings, the use of television, radio, and newspapers, public forums and panel discussions to inform voters, and letters to local, state, and national officials. The League's two most prominent programs are the Voters Service and the League Program.

The primary concern of the League is service to the voter. The Voters Service program serves this purpose by informing the public about registration, voting procedures, and voting calendars; urging citizens to vote, explaining proposed amendments and referenda appearing on the ballot; giving factual information about the candidates based on their records and opinions on important issues; holding candidate meetings, forums, and debates; and publishing candidate questionnaires and voting records.

In the League Program, members select an issue of interest from local, state, and national levels of government. Two national, two state, and two local issues are selected for study each year at the League of Women Voters Annual Meeting and at State and National Conventions. Committees throughout the year study these items and the committees prepare information to keep members informed on the issues.

More information about the organization can be found on their website .

Abbreviations:

LWV – League of Women Voters

LWV-US – League of Women Voters - United States (National Organization)

LWV-VA – League of Women Voters – Virginia (State Organization)

LWV-SHR – League of Women Voters – South Hampton Roads (Local Organization)

Note written by Special Collections Staff

Scope and Contents

This collection contains records of the League of Women Voters (LWV) of Hampton Roads, an organization dedicated tto provide information and programs to encourage women to vote. Included in the collection is information about the business and organization of the group, finances, correspondence, newspaper clippings, newsletters, projects, programs, and studies. The bulk of this collection falls under three main categories: meeting agendas and minutes; the Voter's Service program; as well as studies and publications produced by the organization.

Arrangement Note

The collection is organized into eleven series: Series I: Business and Organization; Series II: Meetings and Conventions; Series III: Events and Workshops; Series IV: Correspondence; Series V: Newsletters; Series VI: Programs and Projects; Series VII: Voter's Service; Series VIII: Issues and Studies; Series IX: Know Your Government; Series X: Photographs; and Series XI: Artifacts.

Subjects and Indexing Terms


Significant Places Associated With the Collection

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Container List

Series I
Series I: Business and Organization
circa 1946-2020, undated
Scope and Contents

This series contains business records, membership material, finance records, and historical information about the organization, among others.

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Series II
Series II: Meetings and Conventions
circa 1956-2021, undated
Scope and Contents

This series contains material related to annual meetings, local, state and national boards, as well as the conventions of the League of Women Voters.

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Series III
Series III: Events and Workshops
1956-2020, undated
Scope and Contents

This sub-series contains flyers, programs, invitations, and other materials related to LWV events including anniversary celebrations, state of the community dinners, and various other workshops and events hosted by the League of Women Voters.

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Series IV
Series IV: Correspondence
1956-2021
Scope and Contents

This series includes general correspondence. correspondence relates mainly to LWV business, meetings, conventions, speakers, issues, voting, and elections. A few topics of note include: school integration, the Panama Canal Treaty, the construction of the Virginia Marine Science Museum, and the combining of the Norfolk and Virginia Beach local leagues into one area league. Mainly, folders are organized chronologically by year. However, a few folders stand-alone by topic. These folders contain correspondence related to the environment, National and State memos, the LWV consultant, publicity, and letters to congress (specifically G. William Whitehurst).

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Series V
Series V: Newsletters
1956-2019, undated
Scope and Contents

This series contains newsletters for the local, state, and U.S. Leagues of Virginia Voters, as well as legislative and community bulletins. This series also contains a newsletter for the LWV of Loudoun County for October 1995 and a newsletter for the LWV of Charlottesville / Albemarle for December-January 1996-97.

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Series VI
Series VI: Programs and Projects
circa 1950-2023, undated
Scope and Contents

This series relates the various programs and projects of the League of Women Voters, including general program information, action, education fund, and the Speakers Bureau. It should be noted that although Voters Service and LWV research studies also qualify as programs and projects, they have been made into separate series due to the intricacy and extent of their subject matter.

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Series VII
Series VII: Voters Service
circa 1954-2020, undated
Scope and Contents

This series contains information about the voting process and elections provided by the League of Women's Voters. The series includes election information, candidate information, voter guides, and legislative issues, among others.

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Series VIII
Series VIII: Issues and Studies
circa 1964-2021, undated
Scope and Contents

The bulk of this series consists of various research and studies undertaken by the League of Women Voters as part of their League Program.

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Series IX
Series IX: Know Your Government
1976-2020, undated
Scope and Contents

This series includes city guides for Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, and Hampton, and general information, reports, booklets, newsletters, and articles on local and state government and history. City guides include information on voting; city profiles and problems; city government; public safety, health, and welfare; schools; city finances; public works; recreation; and city directories.

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Series X
Series X: Photographs
circa 1967-1999
Scope and Contents

This series contains photographs related to the League of Women Voters.

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Series XI
Series XI: Artifacts
1990-2021, undated
Scope and Contents

This series includes "Campaign for Election" board games, "Your Vote Counts" posters, a "Vote! Democracy is NOT a Spectator Sport" bumper sticker, a "Vote America" advertisement on a paper Winn Dixie Bag, and various other artifacts related to the League of Women Voters.

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