League of Women Voters: Case study in democratic resilience

This case study focuses on the resilience of the League of Women Voters (LWV) during the onset and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amid the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the LWV, a long-standing grassroots organization dedicated to safeguarding democracy and empowering voters, faced an uphill battle against voter suppression and restricted access to voting. These challenges worsened because of the strict but necessary health measures that were put in place. Additionally, many states and localities soon started rolling back election reforms that had initially expanded ballot access during the pandemic’s onset. Recognizing the challenge to its “raison d’etre” and mission of making democracy inclusive and accessible to voters, the LWV took measures to expand mail-in and early voting opportunities, promote and use technology to engage voters, and litigate states and localities that sought to suppress voting. The outcomes were significant, as evidenced by the 2020 election, which witnessed the highest voter turnout of the 21st century.