League of Women Voters of Atlanta/Fulton County

The League of Women Voters of Atlanta-Fulton County, formerly the Atlanta League of Women Voters, is an affiliate of the national League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization rooted in the woman's suffrage movement. Originally known as the Central Committee of Women Citizens, the Atlanta organization, founded by Eleanore Raoul, predates the formation of the national League of Women Voters in 1920, and consisted of white middle-class women, including Raoul, who were active in local woman suffrage associations, among them the Equal Suffrage Party of Georgia, organized by Atlanta native Emily C. MacDougald. For decades the League of Women Voters of Atlanta ⁰́₃Fulton County has advocated for citizen participation in political activities and worked to shape public policy on a number of issues ranging from public education to the environment. In the 1920's, the Atlanta League began publishing a monthly bulletin, "Facts," which provided information pertaining to candidates, elections, issues, and voter registration. Among its other activities, the Atlanta League recommended merging city and county governments during the 1930s. Later, in 1956, the local League split when membership rules were passed that precluded restrictions based on race. In accordance with the general objectives of the national association, the Atlanta-Fulton branch continues to establish positions of public policy through membership consensus, to increase citizen participation in the election process, and to enhance citizen participation in government decisions at the local, state, and national level. The organization is comprised of a board of directors, committees, task forces, local units, as well as individual members, all of whom are encouraged to be politically active.