League of Women Voters of Florida

The League of Women Voters of Florida (LWVF) is a non-partisan political organization affiliated with the League of Women Voters of the United States. It was founded in 1939 as the Non Partisan League of Women Voters of Florida (NPLWVF). A previous state organization named the Florida State League of Women Voters (FSLWV) had been established in 1921 with Mrs. J.B. O'Hara as the first president. It coordinated lobbying activities through annual conventions, sponsored citizenship schools, and started publishing the Florida Voter newsletter. However, the FSLWV was disbanded in 1937 by the president of the national League of Women Voters because of difficulties in maintaining its non-partisanship.

The NPLWVF had its first organizational meeting on October 29, 1939. The participants elected the officers (Mrs. Nelson Poynter was the first president) and adopted a budget and bylaws (documents from the first organizational meeting can be found in box 1). Early activities focused on three main goals: study of Florida's state government, surveying the school system, and monitoring the foreign policy of United States. From 1940 to 1947 the NPLWVF held annual state conventions at which officers were elected and budget and program of works were discussed and approved. The NPLWVF board of directors also held periodic meetings between the statewide conferences.

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