Join Us - Get Involved
LOHV's mission is to create, unite, and strengthen local political action committees to enact animal-friendly legislation and elect candidates for public office who will vote for and influence animal protection legislation.
CAN YOU START YOUR OWN LOHV® CHAPTER?
YES! It is not difficult, and even a small group of concerned citizens can make it happen. We provide, to new and prospective chapters, help to get you started – but for now, here are a few of the basics.
three branches of Government
Executive
Legislative
Judicial
four levels of government
Federal
STATE
COUNTY
MUNICIPAL
These branches and levels combine into a matrix of twelve distinct governmental jurisdictions which we seek to influence. The chart below does not show the only possible configuration – but it is a fairly common one. The green areas are segments where new LOHV chapters can be effective immediately:
| EXECUTIVE | President | Governor | County Executives | Mayor |
| LEGISLATIVE |
Congress (Senate & House) |
State Legislature (State Senate, State House) |
County Officials | City Council, Board of Supervisors |
| JUDICIAL | Federal Courts | State Courts | County Courts | Municipal Courts |
*Not all states elect, so if yours does not, this may not be an area the LOHV can impact in your state
To enact laws to protect animals from abuse,
We, too, have to form a PAC and do what the other PACs do. PACs do two things to influence office holders:
Electioneering
Taking an active part in an election campaign -- to try to sway public opinion in favor of a candidate.
Lobbying
Communicating with officeholders, such as members of a legislative body, with regard to legislation with the objective of influencing their action.
WHAT IS LOHV
(the league of humane voters®)?
The LOHV is a PAC whose goal is to establish animal protective legislation and ensure their enforcement.
LOHV is different from a 501(c)3 organization in that we concentrate on building voter support for candidates who publicly commit to animal protective legislation and demonstrate that commitment. Further, LOHV can do unlimited lobbying due to its PAC status. Each chapter focuses on goals pertinent to its region ranging from companion animal issues to animals in entertainment to farm animals to issues like canned hunting or lethal wildlife management methods.