LWV SouthCoast Open Board Meeting
LWV SouthCoast Annual Meeting with Guest Dr. Daniela Melo
Dr. Daniela Melo, a lecturer at Boston University Department of Social Sciences and Co-founder and Chair of the Board of The New Bedford Light, is the keynote speaker at the League of Women Voters SouthCoast Annual Meeting at the Wamsutta Club in New Bedford on Thursday, June 20, 2024, at 5:30 p.m.
Three years ago, at the launching of The New Bedford Light, Dr. Melo and its founders had little evidence that this new model for local news could work. But what the founders did know was that the progressive disinvestment in The Standard-Times had left the city without investigative reporting. As a microcosm of nationwide trends, New Bedford was experiencing polarization, low voter turnout, and increased misinformation. In her presentation, Dr. Melo will focus on the causes and potential solutions to these negative trends and whether new local media models can transform them.
Dr. Melo received her Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Connecticut in Comparative Politics and International Relations. Dr. Melo’s research includes Contentious Politics, the politics of the European Union, and Foreign Policy. She received a Fulbright research scholarship to Portugal in 2010-2011.
LWVMA Council: The Future of the League: Building the Leadership Pipeline
You're invited to a leadership pipeline discussion and Q&A featuring Beth Chandler, CEO of YW Boston, on Saturday, June 22, 2024, from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM, on Zoom. There will also be a brief business meeting where we’ll receive an update from LWVMA’s leadership and elect 2024-2026 LWVMA officers and directors.
Meet Our Speaker: Beth is no stranger to the League – she was with us in 2021 as we focused on our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion policy and she spoke about the ABCs of Change. Beth will speak about best practices for building the next generation of leaders. Her remarks will include strategies and tips for building the leadership pipeline to ensure that Leagues are “building their bench” for the sustainability of the organization.
Beth is a leadership trailblazer in mission-driven nonprofit work in Massachusetts for over twenty years. She currently serves as the President and CEO of YW Boston, an organization committed to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.
Everyone is welcome to join us for Council but only delegates will vote for officers and directors. All attendees (voting delegates and observers) must register to attend.
LWVUS Convention
League members are invited to attend the National Convention as voting delegates or as observers. Check out the registration information on the Convention website to learn more. Convention registration is open until June 10. There is a virtual option.
All delegate resources can be found in the Delegate Resources menu on the Convention website. This includes:
Proposed 2024 Convention Rules
2024 – 2026 LWVUS Board & Nominating Committee Slate
Proposed Bylaw Amendments
2024 – 2026 Proposed Program
2024 – 2026 Proposed Budget & PM Resolutions
The resolutions committee has been appointed. Members this year
include:
Chair: Pinny Sheoran (LWVAZ)
Kimberley Fraser (LWVUS Board of Directors)
Anne Hefter (LWVCT, LWV of Southeastern Connecticut)
Monica Skoko Rodriguez (LWVUS Board of Directors)
Christina Schlitt (LWV Grand Traverse Area)
VRAA Letters
Every day, the freedom to vote is under attack. Since the 2012 Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder gutted the Voting Rights Act (VRA), at least twenty-nine states have passed ninety-four laws that make it harder to vote, with the burden falling hardest on Black voters and other voters of color.
We need a fully restored VRA to defend our democracy and protect the freedom to vote. That is why the League is proud to support the reintroduction of HR14 and S4, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, vital legislation that is needed to fully restore and modernize the VRA and ensure that discriminatory voting policies are stopped in their tracks.
Tell your members of Congress to protect the freedom to vote and support the passage of the JLVRAA.
Civics Projects Showcase
This spring, DESE celebrated the work of 8th-12th grade civics students across the
state! Building off the success of 2023's statewide civics project showcases, DESE
hosted three regional showcase events in Eastern, Central, and Western MA.
Civics project showcases are “science fair-style" events during which students share their projects with local legislators, subject-matter experts, educators, and other community members and receive feedback on their work. Video highlights from 2023's event are below.
LWVMA Parliamentarian Training
The LWVMA Town Hall on parliamentarian training was held on Wednesday, May 29th. The Governance Committee hosted the Zoom training, aimed at helping local Leagues run their annual meetings smoothly. You can watch the recording below.
Yard Signs
We are excited to share two designs for yard signs encouraging voter engagement as we head into the 2024 state and national elections! These are 2-sided signs, with the back side promoting our VOTE411 nonpartisan voter guides.
Click HERE to learn more about ordering signs for your community.
LWVUS and the Washington Mystics
The League of Women Voters and the Washington Mystics have teamed up this year to promote civic engagement both on the court and at the polls. For this year’s Commissioner’s Cup tournament, the Washington Mystics have chosen the League of Women Voters as its charity partner and will donate the team tournament proceeds to the 104-year-old voting rights organization in honor of this season’s theme of civic engagement.
In addition, the two organizations are teaming up to inform, register, and mobilize fans leading up to the November general elections. As the Washington Mystics’ main beneficiary, local chapters from the League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia will set up voter registration tables at Capital One Arena and the Entertainment Sports Arena during the two-week championship tournament (June 1 – June 13) and again in September for
National Voter Registration Day to ensure attendees can vote in upcoming primary elections, as well as elections this fall.
New Membership Dues Structural Change
Next year LWVUS is completing a League-wide membership dues structural change to ChapterSpot but this year is "business as usual" for roster managers and PMP billing.
For more information about the changes, please see the recording of the LWVMA Town Hall on the subject below:
More info can be found here & here. LWVMA will hold another Town Meeting on this topic in September.
LWV Announces Partnership with the American Library Association (ALA)
Leagues have a long history of working with their local libraries to organize educational workshops, share voter information tools like VOTE411, and more. This collaboration will not only expand our connections in communities nationwide but will create new resources for Leagues and libraries to use at the local level, including a partner toolkit which can be found here.
Host a Screening of the Documentary No Time To Fail
LWVUS has had almost 40 Leagues across the country show, share, and discuss the documentary “No Time To Fail,” which focuses on the challenges election officials face. Because of our strong partnership with the “No Time to Fail” team, they have offered Leagues the ability to screen the film in their communities for free.
Leagues can host in-person screenings of the documentary using Kinema by clicking “Create Screening Event.”
Access promotional materials and more with our screening toolkit. For questions or feedback, reach out to lchaires@lwv.org or aambrogi@lwv.org.
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