What We’ve Done Recently

2023-24 Accomplishment Highlights

Goal: Promote non–partisan voter education and encourage all eligible citizens to vote 

Used the VOTE411 Candidate Guide to provide a trusted source of information to potential voters

  • Coordinated with other Leagues using VOTE411 to provide detailed voting information for every election
  • Coordinated with the Illinois Voter Guide to share voter information 
  • Used social media, posters, and yard signs to promote VOTE411 within the community
  • Increased VOTE411 participation and continued to gather statistics on VOTE411 engagement

Led candidate forums for the March 2024 Primary Election 

  • Organized and led Congressional candidate forums, reaching voters through Zoom, Facebook Live, and YouTube
  • Continued to gather statistics on attendance and social media views for candidate forums

Expanded voter registration and voter education efforts

  • For 2023, LWVN was the top League in Illinois for number of voters registered, volunteer hours, and number of activities (per update shared by LWVIL President on 3/21/24).
  • Increased the number of LWV sponsored voter registrars for DuPage and Will Counties
  • Participated in a voter registration drive at the Cantigny Park Naturalization Ceremony in November. 
  • Participated in National Voter Registration Day week at local high schools
  • Held scheduled registration drives at area high schools (6 public and 1 private high school)
  • Held scheduled registration drives at senior living residences (4 residence facilities)
  • Supported student voter registration efforts with reminder postcards to newly registered students
  • Delivered birthday boxes with voter registration information to high school students each semester (6 public high schools)
  • Continued to expand  the number and types of venues for voter education and registration events, particularly with seniors needing to update their voting information
  • Set up a voter registration table at an MLK concert event in January
  • Set up voter registration table at Ray Chinese School in January
  • Mailed ‘Get Out the Vote’ postcards  to selected voters prior to the primary election
  • Tracked statistics for participation in registration events, reminder postcard participation, and birthday box distribution to evaluate their effectiveness

Advocated for voter access and supported election integrity

  • Trained and facilitated poll watching in Will and DuPage counties to promote secure elections
  • Monitored the progress on the adoption of new election equipment in Will County 
  • Attended regularly scheduled voting machine testing for both WIll and DuPage Counties 
  • Worked with the League of Women Voters of Illinois to develop materials on misinformation and disinformation

Goal: Continue advocacy for issues important to Naperville

  • Participated in a joint program with the City of Naperville to launch a new municipal boards and commissions nominating and appointment process for the city
  • Launched a Ranked Choice Voting Committee to conduct a study on the pros and cons of ranked choice voting for mayoral and city council elections in Naperville
  • Sent letters to the editor, spoke at city council meetings, and spoke at NCTV-17  on issues important to League of Women Voters of Naperville
  • Organized a group of volunteers to attend every Naperville City Council meeting
  • Engaged with local government officials and local environmental organizations to advocate for an end to coal power in Naperville
  • Monitored the implementation  of the criminal justice legislation in Illinois 
  • Produced weekly social media updates on local government meeting schedules 
  • Participated in lobbying events at the state capitol 

Goal: Raise the League’s public profile 

  • Continued work with a coalition including Naperville AAUW, National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), and Illinois N.O.W. to partner on issues of local importance
  • Reached out to CAWA (Chinese-American Women in Action) to identify shared concerns
  • Reached out to the Alliance of Latinos Motivating Action (ALMAS) in Naperville to identify shared concerns
  • Hosted a table at CAWA Community Book Event in November
  • Helped sponsored a table at the MLK breakfast in January
  • Regularly participated in community events, such as the Labor Day Parade, the St Patrick’s Day Parade, and the Municipal Bake Sale
  • Added new videos to our YouTube channel, including recorded events and candidate forums
  • Continued to build social media presence, including the use of selective paid Facebook posts to support voting initiatives
  • Continued to hold monthly idea forums open to the public 

Goal: Build greater coordination with the state and national Leagues

  • Sent delegates to the 2023 Annual Meeting of the LWVIL
  • Gained greater access to LWVIL through LWVIL Issues meetings 
  • Participated in LWVIL task forces
  • Continued Inter-League dialogs among Illinois local League presidents to share information and plan joint initiatives

Goal: Continue to build the organization by attracting members 

  • Renewed the goals and priorities for the LWV Naperville with input from the membership
  • Launched a new member survey to gauge member interests and concerns
  • Adopted more efficient electronic tools to track and update membership 
  • Expanded member outreach with member events, such as a theater outing and a holiday gathering
  • Continued the sustaining member program to support critical and important League initiatives