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League of Women Voters of Bellingham/Whatcom County records, 1930-2019 (bulk 1960-1990)

Overview of the Collection

Creator
League of Women Voters of Bellingham/Whatcom County.
Title
League of Women Voters of Bellingham/Whatcom County records
Dates
1930-2019 (bulk 1960-1990) (inclusive)
Quantity
16.5 linear feet
Collection Number
XOE_CPNWS0155lwv
Summary
The collection includes the records of the Bellingham chapter of the League of Women Voters. Records concern membership, activities, elections, and publications by both the local and national offices.
Repository
Western Washington University, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies
Goltz-Murray Archives Building
808 25th St.
Bellingham, WA
98225
Telephone: (360) 650-7534
cpnws@wwu.edu
Access Restrictions

The collection is open to the public.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for preparing this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the Washington State Legislature to the Washington Women's History Consortium. Funding for encoding the finding aid was awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Historical Note

The League of Women Voters formed in 1920, the same year that women's suffrage became incorporated into the United States Constitution. The Bellingham/Whatcom County Chapter incorporated in 1956.

The founding of the League was in direct response to the women's suffrage movement of the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries. The League sponsors national, state and local chapters. Because Washington State enjoyed full suffrage since the year 1910, it claims one of the oldest state chapters in the United States.

The League originally focused on the rights and status of women, and then broadened to include all political, economic, social, and environmental issues relevant to women in the United States. The ongoing mission of the League is to "promote political responsibility through informed and active participation of citizens in government."* The League is religiously unbiased and nonpartisan, seeking to liberate women from inequality through educational programs and political lobbying.

The League of Women Voters of Bellingham/Whatcom County focuses primarily on educating voters through information on voter registration, where and when to vote, what the issues are and who the candidates are. The League also focuses on a number of social, political, economic and environmental issues, and lobbies actively at local, state, and national levels.

The local League frequently sponsors candidate debates which have often been televised and/or aired on the radio. The League also sponsors nonpartisan speaker panels that give pro and con viewpoints on important issues and legislation. The local League also distributes a yearly publication titled They Represent You, which provides the names and contact information for elected officials.

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Other Descriptive Information

* Karen Dawson, "A Brief History of the League of Women Voters," 1985.

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Content Description

The League of Women Voters of Bellingham/Whatcom County records span the dates 1930-2020, with the bulk of the material dating from the 1960s to the 1990s. The collection is comprised of administrative materials, financial materials, and materials related to League activities, issues, and advocacy. The collection also includes League publications and reference materials, awards and publications, and audio/visual materials.

Administrative materials date from 1946-2020 and consist of articles of incorporation, bylaws, and historical information about the League. The series also contains meeting minutes that document the activities and interests of the local chapter over the past four decades. The materials include information about annual meetings and conventions, and guidelines and handbooks for the League's board of directors. There is information about recruiting and retaining members, and tools for planning and implementing the League's programs. There are also records from the League's finance, nominating, and telephone committees.

Financial records span the dates 1959-2020 and include information and tools for fundraising, income and expense records, budget reports, bank statements, check registers and treasurer's materials.

Materials related to the issues and activities of importance to the League date from 1930-2019 and contain both reference materials and records of League activity. The League's primary areas of interest included campaigns and elections, especially voter support and education, and campaign finance reform. The League was also very active on issues related to the environment such as shoreline management, solid waste disposal and recycling, and water quality issues. The League often focused on economic issues and taxation, and closely monitored both the juvenile and adult justice system. They also collected a lot of information regarding voter services, support, and education.

League publications and reference materials date from 1959-2020. The materials come from local, state, and national branches of the League of Women Voters. The bulk of the series is made up of issues of the Corner 4 Voter, the official newsletter of the Bellingham/Whatcom County League. There are also various issues of the Voter from other regions within Washington, as well as the national branch. The series also contains informational and educational publications issued by the national branch.

Awards and publications about the League span the dates 1960-2019 include materials related to League recognition, and newspaper articles highlighting League activities.

Audio/visual materials date from 1970-1997 and consist of audiocassettes, reel-to-reels, slides and VHS tapes, produced by or in conjunction with the League. The materials relate primarily to local campaigns and candidate debates, although some of the materials are educational in content, documenting issues of concern to the League.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

League of Women Voters of Bellingham/Whatcom County records, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections, Western Washington University, Bellingham WA 98225-9123.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The League of Women Voters of Bellingham/Whatcom County records are organized in accordance with the following series arrangement:

  • Series I: Administrative materials, 1946-2020
  • Series II: Financial records, 1961-2020
  • Series III: Issues and activities, 1930-2019
  • Series IV: League publications and reference materials, 1959-2020
  • Series V: Publicity and recognition, 1965-2019
  • Series VI: Audio/visual materials, 1970-1997

Acquisition Information

The League of Women Voters of Bellingham/Whatcom County records were donated by the Bellingham/Whatcom County branch of the League of Women Voters in 1998.

Processing Note

Duplicates and non-archival materials were removed from the collection.

Processing Note

To learn more about problematic content in our collections, collection description and teaching tools (including how to provide feedback or request dialogue on this topic), see the following Statement About Potentially Harmful Language and Content.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

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Subject Terms

  • Community education--Washington (State)--Whatcom County--History --Sources.
  • Conservation of natural resources--Washington (State)--Whatcom County--History--Sources.
  • Environmental protection--Washington (State)--Whatcom County -- History--Sources.
  • Voter registration--Washington (State)--Whatcom County--History --Sources.
  • Voting--Washington (State)--Whatcom County--History -- Sources.
  • Water-supply--Washington (State)--Whatcom County--History -- Sources
  • Women in community organization--Washington (State)--Whatcom County --History--Sources.
  • Women social reformers--Washington (State)--Whatcom County -- History--Sources.
  • Women--Political Activity--Washington (State)--Whatcom County -- History--Sources.
  • Women--Washington (State)--Whatcom County--History -- Sources.
  • Women--Washington (State)--Whatcom County--Societies and clubs -- History--Sources.

Corporate Names

  • League of Women Voters of Bellingham/Whatcom County.

Geographical Names

  • Bellingham (Wash.)--Politics and government.
  • Whatcom County (Wash.)--Politics and government.

Form or Genre Terms

  • Records (Documents)

Finding aid prepared by Rozlind Koester.
2020

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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