League of Women Voters of Berks County PA

06/19/2026

06/17/2026

On June 17, 1873, Susan B. Anthony’s trial began in nearby Canandaigua, New York, after she was arrested for casting a ballot in the 1872 presidential election.

Anthony argued that the 14th Amendment granted her the right to vote as a citizen. The court disagreed. Before the jury could deliberate, the judge directed a guilty verdict and fined her $100—a penalty she famously refused to pay.

More than a legal proceeding, the trial became a defining moment in the fight for women’s suffrage, drawing national attention to the contradiction of denying women a voice in democracy.

06/16/2026

Your vote is your voice.

06/15/2026

The federal government’s SAVE tool is prone to error, and its misuse risks disenfranchising Americans and eroding trust in elections.

06/15/2026

As America commemorates its 250th birthday, we're helping ensure that women are not left out of the story. For too long, the contributions of women have been overlooked, diminished, or treated as a footnote in our shared history. We believe a complete history is a more powerful one, and the story of America cannot be told without the women who shaped its foundations, strengthened its communities, and expanded opportunities for future generations.

Throughout the summer, we'll be sharing the stories of the women who were essential to the establishment of our nation across 250 years, starting with Revolutionary-era trailblazers like:

⭐ Mary Musgrove, a Muscogee (Creek) woman who served as a negotiator between English and Native American communities and helped develop Colonial Georgia

⭐ Margaret Cochran Corbin, a hero of the American Revolution who took over the firing of her husband's canon and was the first woman to receive a military pension

⭐ Sybil Ludington, a 16-year-old who is believed to have ridden 40 miles on horseback to warn the militia of a British attack and—unlike Paul Revere—avoided capture

⭐ Elizabeth Freeman (born as “Mum Bett”), a formerly enslaved woman who became the first Black woman to successfully file a lawsuit for freedom in Massachusetts

⭐ Judith Sargent Murray, an early advocate of women’s equality whose essay, “On the Equality of the Sexes,” was published a year before Mary Wollstonecraft’s “Vindication of the Rights of Women”

⭐ Elizabeth Burgin, a spy who helped free over 200 American prisoners of war in NYC and secretly brought them food and supplies

⭐ Lydia Darragh, an Irish immigrant and pacifist Quaker whose opposition to tyranny led her to cross enemy lines to warn Washington's army of a British attack

⭐ Penelope Barker, a patriot of the Revolution who organized the Edenton Tea Party, the first recorded women’s political demonstration in America

Help us center women in this historic milestone: share these stories, utilize our online resources, attend our community events, and join our campaign.

American women are founders, not footnotes, and we are honored to give them the spotlight they deserve.

06/15/2026

Mail in ballots encourage and empower voters!

06/14/2026

The Rev. Roland Forbes of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Lancaster will host State Rep. Izzy Smith-Wade-El and other community leaders for an open discussion about redistricting legislation in Pennsylvania on

06/11/2026

Mail in voting is safe, secure, and empowers millions of voters.

06/11/2026

In a poignant pattern, many of the most important contributions to suffrage were enacted—or inspired—by mothers

06/11/2026

Are you registered to vote?
Have you signed the petition in support of an independent redistricting commission?
Have you volunteered for a shift to talk to other Pennsylvanians about why district voting maps matter?
We all have a role to play in a healthy, accountable democracy.
Find more info at fairdistrictspa.com/ and https://www.palwv.org/