Biography

Sixteen charter members began a provisional group of the League of Women Voters in Mount Vernon, Iowa, on June 3, 1948. In six months the league was granted full status when its ranks had grown to twenty-eight members. The league has been involved in various projects and studies throughout its history, reflecting changing political issues while maintaining a core concern for the community of Mount Vernon.

As a nonpartisan organization, the league has not endorsed individuals for office. It provided forums to meet elected officials and sponsored candidate debates promoting public awareness of political issues. The group supported bond issues for a community swimming pool in 1960 and a new high school auditorium and an addition at the elementary school in 1989. Throughout the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, the league undertook surveys and studies of Mount Vernon development and local services. In 1990 and 1991 the group conducted a study of care for elementary and middle school students before and after school, identifying the needs of the community and presenting alternative ways of meeting those needs. The organization was renamed and recognized as the League of Women Voters of Mount Vernon-Lisbon in 1992.

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