North Cook News

The League of Women Voters of Park Ridge is facing the withdrawal of its recognition following a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) investigation that revealed a series of non-compliance issues. 

Alexis Juday-Marshall, Co-Chair, League of Women Voters U.S. DEI Committee, said the issues include violations of the LWV of Park Ridge’s bylaws, systemic DEI policy violations, and nonpartisan policy violations.

It is unclear what the cause of the threat of revocation of the Park Ridge chapter of the LWV was.

“I am writing to let you know that withdrawal of recognition of the League of Women Voters (LWV) of Park Ridge is being recommended as a result of the findings of a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) investigation,” Juday-Marshall wrote.

“During that investigation, the following non-compliance issues were identified:

• LWV of Park Ridge bylaws violations

• Systemic DEI policy violations

• Nonpartisan policy violations”

“Withdrawal of recognition of a League requires a vote of the LWVUS Board of Directors and is not an action taken lightly. LWVUS Bylaws, ARTICLE VI Withdrawal of Recognition, Sec. I. Procedure, states in part, ’The national board may withdraw recognition from any state, local League, or ILO for recurrent failure to follow League principles or policies. Upon full investigation and after the League involved has had an opportunity to be heard by a committee of the national board, the committee may establish conditions for continuation, or the board may withdraw recognition.’”

“This letter constitutes the opportunity for the LWV of Park Ridge to offer a written explanation and/or request a meeting with a committee of the LWVUS Board. If no response is received by LWVUS Chief of Culture Ayo Atterberry via email at aatterberry@ lwv.org by 12 noon ET, Thursday, September 21, 2023, the LWVUS Board will take action to withdraw recognition of LWV of Park Ridge the following week.”

“Once recognition has been withdrawn, LWV of Park Ridge will no longer exist as a legal or League entity, and it will not be permitted to use the League of Women Voters name or logo or carry on any activities as a League-related entity."

“Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Until this matter is fully resolved, we will ask that no activities are undertaken in the name of or on behalf of the League.”

The League of Women Voters has been criticized as a group whose "political views are clearly not impartial." Earlier this year, several school board candidates dropped out of a debate hosted by the Palos Orland League of Women Voters due to concerns about the organization's political views, South Cook News reported. The candidates cited evidence of bias and support for their opponents as reasons for their withdrawal and are now hosting meet-and-greet events to engage with voters directly.

Juday-Marshall, the writer of the letter to the Park Ridge Chapter, has a background in journalism and public administration. She is a grant writer at SecondMuse, which bills itself as "an impact and innovation company that works with communities focused on climate, equity, and tech."

In a post on the Heritage Foundation website, Senior Research Fellow in Education Policy Jonathan Butcher addressed the failure of DEI initiatives. Butcher noted the failure of DEI programs despite their proliferation, with a "record number" of discrimination complaints reported. He argues the focus of DEI efforts should shift towards teaching shared American values, such as equality under the law, freedom, and opportunity, rather than perpetuating DEI initiatives.

Rod Dreher, editor-at-large at The American Conservative, noted DEI training programs, arguing they are expensive, lack evidence of effectiveness, and may even worsen the organizational atmosphere. Dreher contends that DEI initiatives often focus on ideological objectives, elicit negative reactions, and generate fear, suspicion, and cynicism within organizations.