Other Issues
From advancing health care to protecting the environment, voters care about many issues. We promote social and economic justice as well as the health and safety of all Americans to defend democracy.
LEAGUE of WOMEN VOTERS of BUFFALO-NIAGARA
From advancing health care to protecting the environment, voters care about many issues. We promote social and economic justice as well as the health and safety of all Americans to defend democracy.
Our leaders and volunteers work on key issues that matter to American voters. We fight for an open governmental system that is representative, accountable and responsive, and we hold elected officials accountable for the decisions they make. Our activists mobilize to send tens of thousands of personal messages to political leaders nationwide that has impacted public policy for decades.
Every US resident should have access to affordable, quality health care, including birth control and the privacy to make reproductive choices.
As citizens of the world, we must protect our planet from the physical, economic, and public health effects of climate change while also providing pathways to economic prosperity.
The US Census is the once-in-a-decade process of counting every resident in the country. This data is then used to create district maps during the redistricting cycle.
Immigration policies should promote the reunification of immediate families, meet economic, business, and employment needs, and be responsive to those facing political persecution or humanitarian crises.
Every US resident should have access to affordable, quality health care, including birth control and the privacy to make reproductive choices.
The US health care system should provide all US residents with a basic level of quality health care at an affordable cost. Basic care includes disease prevention, primary care (including prenatal and reproductive health), acute and long-term care, mental health care, and health promotion and education. Health care policy goals should include the equitable distribution of services and delivery of care, advancement of medical research and technology, and a reasonable total national expenditure level.
The League of Women Voters believes that public policy must affirm the right of privacy of the individual to make reproductive choices and that every individual should have access to quality health care at an affordable cost.
Over the past 20 years, we have lobbied for health care policy solutions, including the Affordable Care Act (ACA), to control costs and ensure basic care for all. Throughout the health care debates of the past few decades, Leagues worked to provide millions of Americans across the country with objective information about the health care system and its significant reforms. This included organizing community education projects, holding public forums and debates, creating and distributing resource materials, and engaging leading policymakers and analysts.
LWV is proud to partner with leaders in the abortion rights space to promote everyone’s right to bodily autonomy. The restoration of reproductive rights is a central tenant in our Women’s Inequality Day campaign.
As citizens of the world, we must protect our planet from the physical, economic, and public health effects of climate change while also providing pathways to economic prosperity.
The preservation of the physical, chemical, and biological integrity of the earth’s ecosystem is essential for the maximum protection of public health and the environment. The interrelationships of air, water, and land resources should be recognized in designing environmental safeguards. The federal government should have a major role in setting standards for environmental protection and pollution control.
Since the 1960s, we have been at the forefront of efforts to protect air, land, and water resources. Our approach to environmental protection and pollution control is one of problem-solving. The League’s environmental goals aim to prevent ecological degradation and to reduce and control pollutants before they go down the sewer, up the chimney or into the landfill. We support vigorous enforcement mechanisms, including sanctions for states and localities that do not comply with federal standards as well as substantial fines for noncompliance.
In 2023, we endorsed the Children’s Fundamental Rights and Climate Recovery Resolution, which recognizes the disproportionate impact of the climate crisis on the health, economic opportunities, and fundamental rights of children and the need for a national, science-based climate recovery plan to meet necessary emissions reduction targets and stabilize the climate system.
The US Census is the once-in-a-decade process of counting every resident in the country. This data is then used to create district maps during the redistricting cycle.
US Census data is used to make decisions around education, healthcare, infrastructure, and political representation. With increased growth across the country, getting an accurate and complete count of every person living within is crucial to ensure that each state receives funding to support the number of residents in each state.
The League’s Census work occurs in three phases: (1) Education; (2) Get Out to Count activities, (3) Watchdog reporting. In the months leading up to Census Day, Leagues around the country go into communities sharing information and resources about how to participate and the importance of the U.S. Census. On Census Day, the League works in a coalition to help get everyone counted, works in Complete Count Committees to share out information about low-reporting areas, and communicates where additional support is needed.
Now that the redistricting process has begun, the League is focused on empowering people to get involved in the creation of fair districts through Census data.
Immigration policies should promote the reunification of immediate families, meet economic, business, and employment needs, and be responsive to those facing political persecution or humanitarian crises.
All people should receive fair treatment under the law, and the US must encourage new citizens’ participation in our democracy.
We support federal immigration laws that provide efficient, expeditious systems for immigrants to enter the United States.
Congress must take immediate action to pass common-sense, fair immigration policies that end the crisis at our border, stop the separation of families, and provide a path to citizenship.
Diverse voices enhance our democracy. The League believes that a path to citizenship, or provisions for unauthorized immigrants already living in the US to earn legal status, will strengthen our nation.
We have lobbied both the House and Senate for a path to citizenship. We’ve also lobbied to support the DREAM Act, critical legislation enabling immigrant youth to become fully productive members of American society.
Voter education and voter registration are the foundation of the League’s work.
The strongest democracy is one in which the voices of all participants are heard. As such, the League is committed to helping new citizens become active in American political life. We do this by providing civic education and registering tens of thousands of new voters at naturalization ceremonies in communities nationwide.
The League of Women Voters believes in: