LWVO Committees and Our Work

The League of Women Voters Oakland is an all-volunteer organization and nearly all the programs are run by committees. Anyone is welcome to attend committee meetings to get acquainted and learn about their work. Click here for contact information for each committee.

Action is the lead arm of the League on policy research and developing advocacy positions. Some of the work is on-going, some is unique to election years.

On-going work includes monitoring the City Council and its committees and commissions, particularly regarding matters on which the League has previously taken a position. Often working in collaboration with other advocacy organizations, the committee is currently focusing on redistricting (Oakland and statewide), campaign finance reform and the effectiveness of oversight commissions which track the expenditure of tax monies.

During election years, the Action Committee analyzes local and county ballot measures and recommends positions for LWVO whether to support, oppose or remain neutral on specific measures. Based on these analyses, the Committee also prepares “Vote with the League” a document that encourages voters to follow the League’s lead in support of, or opposition to, local measures.

Communications manages the publication of a bi-weekly digital newsletter, social media outreach and maintenance of the League’s website drawing content from all the League’s committees and programs across the organization.

Education follows the Oakland Unified School District, making sure it attends to the needs of all students, encouraging its success and focusing on educational equity issues, financial solvency, and school safety.

Fund Development ensures the League has adequate resources to implement a full range of programs. While membership dues are a significant source of revenue for the Oakland League, much of that revenue is passed along to the national, state and regional Leagues of Women Voters to support important education and advocacy work at those higher levels. Our work in Oakland must be supported by additional fundraising activities among our friends, sponsors and supporters.

Governance recruits and supports succession planning of board members through a diversity, equity and inclusion lens, and oversees the review and adoption of appropriate governance policies and procedures by the Board.

Membership conducts outreach activities to recruit League members who reflect the demographics of Oakland, distributing membership information, voter registration and educational materials at Oakland events and managing membership renewals.

Reentry Task Force leverages community partnerships to create opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals to learn about their voting rights and become engaged in the election process through their own efforts.

Program helps manage the annual process when the members determine advocacy and education priorities for the coming year. It also works with the League’s committees to produce programs featuring speakers and panelists dealing with current issues and subjects related to the League’s priorities and mission.

Volunteer Development supports the League’s mission and vision by maintaining a well-trained, diverse and responsive corps of volunteers.

Voter Service coordinates voter education and registration for the League. Core voter education programs are:

Candidate Forums - moderated public events where candidates for office explain their positions on important issues and respond to questions from the audience. Forums are often hosted in partnership with community groups, other local Leagues and neighborhood councils. 
Pro and Cons presentations are talks presented by League members about local, regional and state ballot measures offered to dozens of civic, religious, senior living, and education groups throughout the community.
Distribution of voter registration forms is done to dozens of post offices, libraries and other public facilities and nonprofit locations throughout the city.
Easy Voter Guides are popular digital and printed, multi-lingual voter education pamphlets that are distributed by League volunteers to dozens of local public facilities and community organizations. The Oakland Easy Voter Guides Guide has complete information about how to vote, statements by local candidates, and plain-language descriptions of local and regional ballot measures for and against. The State League offers a similar publication covering state propositions, available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean.)
The Voter’s Edge website provides in-depth information about what is on each user’s personal ballot. It links to online voter registration, a site to check for registration status, and has up-to-date information about candidates and ballot measures (including who supports or opposes them). Voter's Edge California is a joint project of Map Light and the League of Women Voters of California Education Fund. The Oakland League and other local California Leagues have been financial supporters of this voter resource and provide volunteers who facilitate the posting of information on the site.
Student Outreach engages high school and community college students in voter registration at several high schools and colleges, including Oakland Tech, Castlemont, Fremont, Laney College, and Mills College. Volunteers, including student interns, have produced a Teachers' Tool Box with a wide variety of quality content to support civics education and engagement, and a bi-lingual voter registration presentation.

Voter Service Committee strategies prioritize an understanding of the diversity of our community, collaborating with under-represented groups to increase their understanding of the political system and their ability to work to create change. High schools and colleges groups and community organizations are sought to register voters and participate in speaker bureaus.

Currently the League also has two special purpose voter service committees: the Re-entry Task Force and the Oakland Votes Collaborative. These efforts promote diversity, equity and inclusion in the League and in Oakland.

Re-entry Task Force It uses league resources and leverages community partnerships to create opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals to learn about their voting rights and become engaged in the election process through their own efforts. Read more about the task force!

Oakland Votes Collaborative formed in late 2019 and led by League members who live in City Council Districts 5, 6 and 7, this committee, works in collaboration with more than 35 community-based organizations on non-partisan voter registration and get-out-the-vote services to strengthen outcomes in these historically low-participation districts.