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Tuesday, Sept. 26
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National Voter Registration Day
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Wednesday, Oct. 4
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"The Health Benefits of Renewable Energy Choices: A Role for Carbon Pricing", Winchester Town Hall, 7:00 p.m. (6:30 p.m. refreshments)
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Saturday, Oct. 14
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League Leader Lunch, First Baptist Church, Worcester, from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. (9:30 a.m. coffee)
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Thursday, Oct. 19
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"Greening the Grid: Preparing for Our Clean Energy Future" , Cary Memorial Library, Lexington, 7:00 p.m.
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Tuesday, Oct. 24
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LWVMA Day on the Hill, Great Hall, State House, from 9:30 a.m. until noon
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Monday, Oct. 30
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LWVMA/LESF Board Meeting, Worcester Public Library, Banx Room, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.
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See You at League Leader Lunch Oct. 14
Kick off the new League year at the League Leader Lunch Saturday, Oct. 14, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (9:30 a.m. coffee) at the First Baptist Church, 111 Park Ave., Worcester.
The League Leader Lunch is the traditional start of League activities for the year. Newly-elected and returning League leaders come together to learn about upcoming activities, to share ideas and challenges that local Leagues face, and to make important connections with other Leagues. It's a "don't miss" event!
Some of the topics that we'll be covering:
- League Advocacy: How it works and what you can do
- Panel of Presidents from new Leagues: Central Berkshire, Franklin County, Greater Lowell
- Round Table Sharing
- LWVMA Membership Services: resources to help run your local League
Hosted by the LWVMA Board of Directors and LWV Worcester Area, the event is our way of saying "thank you" for the important work you do. There is no charge for this event.
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Please Support Our Fall Appeal - We Depend on You!
By supporting our Fall Appeal, you will sustain the essential work of LWVMA and also earn money for your own League. For a contribution by October 13, your League will receive 10-15% of the amount! And donors to Fall Appeal will not be called for Phonathon. You also have the option of signing up as a monthly supporter.
Why contribute to the Fall Appeal?
These times demand renewed commitment to democratic principles and activism. With your support, LWVMA is leading the way, fighting for what's right on election reform, climate change, immigration, and criminal justice reform. And our Education Fund is also nourishing grassroots democracy by registering voters, organizing candidate debates, publishing voters' guides, and holding issues forums. But even with a network of thousands of League citizen activists in our state, our movement requires sufficient funding to succeed. Membership dues do not cover all of our expenses, and we rely on our supporters to help close the gap. Click here to see how our resources were spent in 2016-2017. To donate online, click here. To print a donation form, click here. Thank you in advance for your support!
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Climate Change Forum Draws Hundreds
A sold-out crowd filled the Aquarium's Simons IMAX® Theatre for "Extreme Events and Climate Change: What We Know and What We Can Do," co-hosted by LWVMA and LWV Boston, the New England Aquarium, and UMass Boston School for the Environment.
Dr. Ellen Douglas laid out the evidence for the causes of climate change, its impact on sea level rise in Massachusetts, and efforts to overcome the devastating changes in store for the region through mitigation and adaptation. The forum will soon be available for viewing on the Aquarium's YouTube channel. The slide presentation may be viewed here.
You can see the presentation in person when Dr. Douglas speaks at the final forum in the
LWVMA Climate and Energy Solutions Series
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LWV Falmouth and LWVMA will co-host "Extreme Events and Climate Change Boston Area and Cape Cod: What We Know and What We Can Do" Nov. 4, 1 p.m., at
the
Falmouth Public Library. Speakers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Woods Hole Research Center will provide a local perspective. Click here for a Falmouth forum flyer.
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Next Two Forums Focus on Health Impacts and Preparing the Grid
Let's build on the momentum of the first two forums in the series! Reach out to other groups in your region. Add these events to your League calendars and social media sites. Spread the word!
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Click here for information and a flyer for the Lexington forum
Oct. 19. |
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| Click here for information and a flyer for the Winchester forum Oct. 4. |
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Ballot Question Study Gets Started
The ballot question study committee has started meeting to delve into the laws, history, impact, and other procedural issues involved in statewide ballot questions. The study was approved at the 2017 Convention.
The approved scope of the study is to review the Massachusetts laws and regulations that govern the ballot question process, consider the consequences of current law based on past ballot questions, and propose concrete next steps that LWVMA could take to enact change, if the study results in recommended change.
Members of the study committee are Karen Price, committee chair, LWVMA board and LWV Needham; Donna Hooper, committee vice-chair, LWVMA board and LWV Lexington; Karen Callanan, LWVMA; Carlyn Carey, LWV Cape Cod Area; Shelley Drowns, LWV Waltham; Patricia Groves, LWVMA; Carol Patey, LWV Needham; Jim Pillsbury, LWV Framingham unit; and Florence Seldin, LWV Cape Cod Area.
The Committee plans to have consensus questions and study materials available to local Leagues in late 2018, with the goal of presenting a new position to Convention 2019.
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Top Legislators Keynote Day on the Hill
Two of the highest ranking women in the state legislature-Rep. Patricia Haddad, Speaker Pro Tempore, and Sen. Cynthia Creem, Assistant Senate Majority Leader-will discuss the outlook for our priority legislation in a keynote presentation at Day on the Hill. You'll also hear from legislative specialists on the bills on automatic voter registration, carbon pricing, immigration and criminal justice reform.
Day on the Hill, LWVMA's annual lobbying day is
Tuesday, Oct. 24, in the Great Hall at the State House. Registration begins at
9:30 a.m. and the program runs from 10 a.m. to noon. Look for registration information shortly. The LWVMA office will set up meetings with legislators after the morning's program for League members who register in advance.
Please encourage your members to attend Day on the Hill and amplify the League's voice for the legislature.
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Guide to 2018 Ballot Initiatives
The Attorney General has certified initiative petitions for questions to appear on the November 2018 ballot. The petitioners will now gather signatures to further their petitions. The LWVMA board has reviewed the petitions and noted which ones the League has positions on. While the League will not publicly take a stand on any of the questions until next summer when the final list of questions is set, this list will let local Leagues know which questions local Leagues can work for as a League. League members are, of course, free to work on any ballot question as individuals. Links in the list are to the petition text. Read more...
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Have You Written a Letter about AVR?
Passing Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) is one of LWVMA's legislative priorities. Please support AVR by writing a letter to the editor of your local paper. You can find a template for a letter from your League here. Please sign up here to let us know that you are submitting a letter to your local newspaper, so we can track our statewide outreach and impact. There's a fact sheet on automatic voter registration here.
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VOTE411 Available for Selected Cities
Local Leagues in Boston, Springfield, and Framingham launched VOTE411.org Voter's Guides for preliminary elections this September, providing a valuable resource for voters in these cities. These three cities, as well as Newton, will also prepare Voter's Guides for the general election on November 7. Using VOTE411.org, a voter can type in an address and view personalized information about which candidates will be on the ballot. Each local League created questions for the candidates to respond to, and this information allows voters to understand the candidate's positions. Help us spread the word to friends and co-workers who live in these cities.
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National Voter Registration Day
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LWVMA Board Seeks Secretary, Asst. Treasurer
We are looking for two volunteers with very specific skills to join the LWVMA Board. First, we need someone to serve as Secretary. The Secretary is responsible for taking minutes at Board meetings and updating final minutes.
Second, we are looking for someone who would like to learn more about the Treasurer position by serving as Assistant Treasurer. The Assistant Treasurer would be a board member and attend meeting, but would also serve on the Finance Committee and work with the Treasurer and staff to prepare financial reports and review financial policies.
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Online Voter Registration Information Cards Available
LWVMA has printed additional online voter registration information cards. These are perfect for local Leagues to have on hand and distribute at educational forums, registration drives, and other events. Contact the LWVMA office to get a pack of cards to distribute at your League's events.
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Any New Members since Jan. 31?
Please notify Brynne Gorman if you have added new members recently, and update your roster in the LWVUS database throughout the year. Notifying Brynne is the fastest way to add your new members to the state League communications list. We send out action alerts, newsletters, and invitations to events, and we want to keep new members engaged and informed.
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Help LWVMA When You Order from Amazon
The LWVMA Citizen Education Fund is now registered with AmazonSmile! When you shop Amazon, please use
this link and a portion of your purchase will help support the League's civic education and voter service efforts.
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Three Leagues Receive June Scharfman Grant
Three Leagues jointly received a Daniel Scharfman citizen education grant in June. The Sudbury, Wayland, and Weston Leagues received a grant to cover costs associated with their 9th Annual Civics Bee, held in April.
The next deadline for the Scharfman grant program is Oct. 17. Other deadlines this year are Jan. 16, April 17, and June 8. Local Leagues can apply for grants up to $250 for a project; three or more Leagues collaborating on a project can apply for up to $500.
The grant application and the program's requirements are on the LWVMA website
here.
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The LWVUS
Biennial National Convention will be held June 28 - July 1 in Chicago. Chicago Hilton hotel reservations ($209 + tax per night, single, double or triple) will open later this fall, with delegate registration ($450 fee) starting in February 2018. Your local League's delegate counts will be based on the membership numbers you submit in January 2018. The official First Call to Convention will go out in late October.
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LWVUS has announced
a new partnership with "We the Voters," a series of nonpartisan educational short films that focus on voting and democracy. All Leagues are welcome to screen the three approved films at League events. "We the Voters" can assist Leagues in planning film screenings and even provide guest speakers or conversation facilitators. Click
here for more details about using these films at League functions.
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The League Leader Update is distributed to local League board members and LWVMA leaders. Anyone can request the Update by clicking here. Please review this Update for articles of interest to your League and include them in your local Bulletin.
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