The LWV is an American civic organization that was formed to help women take a larger role in public affairs as they won the right to vote. It was founded in 1920 by Carrie Chapman Catt during the last meeting of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, approximately six months before the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution gave women the right to vote. LWV operates at the local, state, and national level, with over 1,000 local and 50 state leagues, including Indiana. Its mission statement reads: "The LWV is a nonpartisan political organization encouraging informed and active participation in government. It influences public policy through education and advocacy."