CALENDAR
 
Thursday, May 24 "The Clean Energy Roadmap: Pathways to a Clean Energy Future" Webinar from 4:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m.

Tuesday, June 5 LWVMA Video Contest Award Ceremony, State House, Room 428, from 9:45 a.m. until 11:15 a.m. 

Saturday, June 9 Deadline for local League proposals for a Daniel Scharfman Citizen Education Grant 

Monday June 18 LWVMA/LESF Board Meeting 

Friday, June 28-Sunday, July 1
LWVUS Convention, Chicago

HAPPENING NOW
The Envelope Please...
 
We've
announced the winners of our "Get In the Game and Vote!" high school video contest, part of LWVMA's election 2018 statewide voter engagement initiative.  Thanks to everyone who participated, and a special thanks also to our terrific judges! An award ceremony will take place at the State House on June 5, from 9:45 a.m. until 11:15 a.m. in Senate Room 428. We will publicize the videos in the months leading up to the primary and general elections. You can view the winning videos here .
Clean Energy Roadmap Webinar: Last Chance to Register! 

Participate in the next LWVMA Climate and Energy Solutions Series webinar, "The Clean Energy Roadmap: Pathways to a Clean Energy Future," Thursday, May 24, 4-5 p.m.  Speaker David Ismay is a clean energy and climate change staff attorney for the Conservation Law Foundation in Massachusetts. This webinar will address:

  • What is the 2050 Clean Energy Roadmap and why does Massachusetts need one?  
  • What does Massachusetts need to do to get a roadmap, and how will we use it? 
  • How can we take action to support and achieve the goals of the roadmap?  

Advance registration is required. Click here to register. It's free and open to the public.

Regional Field Service Meetings Coming Up

The LWVMA Field Service program provides opportunities for local League leaders to meet, share, and plan within defined geographical areas.

LWVMA thanks Phyllis Walsh, who has done a great job as Field Service representative for South Shore, Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard for several years. June 20 is her last meeting, and we wish her well.

Spring Field Service meetings:
  • Metro Northwest/Central: Sunday, June 3, 3-5 p.m., Acton Coffee House, 525 Mass Ave., Acton. Contact Lora Goldenberg
  • Merrimack Valley/North Shore: Thursday, June 7, 8:30-10:30 a.m., Friendly's, Peabody. Contact Karen Price
  • West: Saturday, June 9, 10 a.m.-noon. Tentative location Mocha Maya's, Shelburne Falls. Contact Nancy Polan
  • Metro West: Saturday, June 16, 10:15 a.m. - 1 p.m., NewTV, Newton. Contact Sharyn Roberts
  • South Shore, Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard: June 20, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m., private home. Contact Phyllis Walsh
  • Metro/South: Met on May 19.
For questions, please contact Field Service Director Karen Price. For further information on the Field Service program, click here.
Get Ready for Ballot Question Process Study!
    
The LWVMA study of the ballot question process in Massachusetts will be ready for local Leagues to hold consensus meetings between Dec. 1, 2018, and Feb. 15, 2019. The final consensus questions, study guide, and related materials will be available to local Leagues and members in the fall of 2018.

What should local Leagues do now?
  • Form a study committee.
  • Schedule your consensus meeting after Dec. 1.
  • Find the study webpage-it's easy. At lwvma.org, in the right sidebar under "Quick Links," click on "The LWVMA Study on the Massachusetts Ballot Question Process."
  • See our local League flyer for information and advice. Distribute it at your spring and fall membership meetings.
  • Have questions or need help? Contact bqstudy@lwvma.org.
Help Support LWVMA!
    
You know you want one! Donate $50 or more to LWVMA or our Citizen Ed Fund before June 30 and we will send you our new "Democracy Is Not A Spectator Sport" bumper sticker. Plus your gift will be matched dollar for dollar up to $20,000. It's a win-win! 
MEMBERSHIP NEWS
Changes in Student Per-Member Payments
  
The LWVUS Board announced April 10 that, effective immediately, LWVUS will not be charging per-member payment (PMP) for any students through January 2021. At our meeting on May 4, the LWVMA Board also voted to waive state PMP for students through the next fiscal year. The LWVMA Board also asked the Membership Committee to consider and recommend possible programs that could be offered to engage student members, and to share those with local Leagues.

The message from LWVUS President Chris Carson states, "Young people are the future of the League and we need to build the next generation of League leaders, today. It's not enough to bring them in the door, we must engage with them on the topics that are important to them."

LWVUS is encouraging all Leagues to participate in this program to offer free (or reduced rate) student memberships.
  • Interested Leagues should complete the Participation Survey.
  • Regularly update the Member Database (CRM). Participating Leagues will be expected to update all membership information in Salesforce on a quarterly basis. 
  • Provide the new student member survey. LWVUS wants to understand why student members are interested in the League and what issues appeal to them. Having new student members fill out this survey will help identify which tactics are working, which are not, and how national can better support state and local Leagues. 
LWV Salem Unit Launches
  
LWV of Salem Unit's initial brainstorming meeting.
We are delighted to announce the launch of our newest League unit--in Salem in May! Salem joins the other four new units that have started up in Massachusetts since the start of 2017: Framingham, Central Berkshire County, Franklin County and Greater Lowell.

Last fall, Salem member Chris Ross reached out to the LWVMA, and an initial meeting took place with four potential Salem members and four LWV Marblehead members. Marblehead member Kathy Leonardson pitched in and continues to act as Salem's mentor today. After the New Year, 12 women gathered to review leadership approaches, non-partisan positions, advocacy interests and next steps. After outreach to their community, they held their first public information meeting in April which drew over 50 attendees! Breaking into smaller groups they identified priorities and focused their efforts. More members joined, and the Salem board is now led by Jennifer Lynch, Judith Reilly, Katie Hallett, Shelly Stuler and Jill Leclare. Welcome!
Check out the Membership Toolkit
  
Since November 2016, the LWVMA has seen a membership increase of 20%. And local Leagues continue to gain members today.

Developing steering committees and boards to ensure sustainability is a challenge for all organizations and the LWV is no different. Attracting new leadership members and reaching out with a direct "ask" to existing members who might not recognize their ability to take a leadership role is key.

Check out the Membership Toolkit. It provides helpful information on the following subjects: New Member Welcoming, Engagement and Retention; Member Renewal Guidance; A Sample Membership Renewal Letter; Becoming a More Welcoming League, Being Visible All Year Round and the Event Check List that you can edit. Although your membership chair will find these documents particularly helpful, your leadership team will too as they share the responsibility for ensuring your League's future.
ELECTIONS & VOTING
Tips on Planning Candidate Forums
  
Local Leagues are establishing their voter education plans leading up to the fall primary and statewide elections.  LWVMA encourages local Leagues to work together on setting up forums for races that include other Leagues in the elected office district, particularly U.S. Representative and county-wide races.  Co-sponsorship reduces confusion amongst the candidates, increases audience size, and helps spread the cost and effort.  

It's LWVMA policy that candidate forums for the U.S. Senate and all statewide offices will be set up by LWVMA. LWVMA would seek co-sponsorship with local Leagues.  We have not yet determined which state races to target this coming election season for candidate forums.

Check the Secretary of the Commonwealth "Elections and Voting" webpage for official information, including key dates for candidates to file and be verified for the ballot.  You can check for updates here. You can find out if you have contested primary and November races in your districts. It is best to run forums one to five weeks before an election.

Be sure to tap into the resources in the Voter Service Toolkit on the LWVMA website as you plan your voter education programs.
Voter Registration Activities

The League is renowned for its voter registration activities. Many League members have expressed interest in doing more in this area, particularly leading up to the 2018 federal and state primary and general elections.
 
To facilitate and encourage registering voters, we are reaching out to members who are interested in doing more or getting involved for the first time.  We would like to get your ideas on the best ways to register more voters, especially among groups with low registration rates.

We intend to provide members and local Leagues with the resources they need to conduct drives and to encourage these drives be organized and run at the grassroots level. LWVMA has resources available to all members on how to conduct a voter registration drive in the Voter Service Toolkit.  

If you are interested in sharing your ideas and developing ways to increase voter registration. Please contact Judy Zaunbrecher or Kris Eastman.
Help Draft Voters' Guide Questions
   
LWVMA will introduce a new Online Voters' Guide to voters throughout Massachusetts for the 2018 state primary and general elections.  The guide will allow Massachusetts voters to access personalized ballot information for all candidates on the ballot plus all the ballot questions. We need volunteers to develop questions for the candidates and about the ballot questions. If you are interested, please volunteer by May 31, so we can develop questions in June, submit to the candidates in late June, and prepare the Voters' Guide for its July 20 debut. Contact Judy or Kris.
ADVOCACY
We the People Resolution
   
Some of you may have participated in a recent LWVUS webinar on "Understanding the Dangers of a Constitutional Convention" on May 2, or may have received emails or phone calls from members of We The People Massachusetts. Like many of us, We the People Massachusetts is interested in fixing the problem of money in elections, and while we agree on the problem, we differ on the tactics. Read more...
LWVMA Joins Two Coalitions
   
The LWVMA board has voted to join two advocacy coalitions.

The  Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence is an umbrella organization bringing together groups across the state to end the epidemic of gun violence. We worked with them during the 2013-2014 legislative session and are reactivating our membership.

The Freedom for All Massachusetts coalition was originally formed to enact transgender rights and is now opposing the repeal of the law establishing those rights by a ballot question in November, advocating for a "yes" vote on that ballot question.
LWVUS ACTIVITY
Chicago Convention Update
   
The 53rd National LWVUS Convention is June 28-July 1 in Chicago. All available information on the convention can be found here. Please contact membership@lwv.org with any Convention-related questions or concerns.

Per our bylaws the following are now available for your review and will be included in the Convention Workbook:
THE TO-DO LIST
Last Scharfman Grant Deadline before Primary Election
   

The next deadline for local League proposals for a Daniel Scharfman Citizen Education Grant is Saturday, June 9.


Think creatively. With the upcoming fall election activity, if you are thinking about collaborating with another League for a candidates' forum or other event, you can apply for a multi-League grant of $500. A reminder when choosing a venue for any event. The venue should be handicapped-accessible and the event should be accessible for hearing-impaired. A grant can help to cover these costs. 

Questions? Contact Sue Abrams.
Send LWVMA Your New Board Information
   
As your local League elects new Board leadership, please share the names, positions, and contact information of your Board members with the LWVMA office so that your local League leaders receive League management information, reminders, and have access to leader tools.   
Updating your League Page on LWV.org
 
The state and local League pages on LWV.org now connect directly to the member database, so roster managers can make updates, such as correcting League website links, or update the names and contacts of the League leaders. LWV.org will then update that information every 24 hours. Any questions on updating this information can be directed to rostersupport@lwv.org .
Fourth Quarter LWVUS PMP Invoices
 
Fourth quarter per-member payment invoices were mailed and made available for download from the LWV national database May 11. Any payments received after May 2 were not reflected on the invoice. For any questions, email membership@lwv.org .
Vote for LWVMA
 
Boston Globe Grant
Help LWVMA win Boston Globe ad space:
If you are a Boston Globe or bostonglobe.com subscriber, you can help support LWVMA through the Globe's GRANT program that allows subscribers to help deserving non-profits earn free advertising space in the Globe Globe subscribers have received or will soon receive a Globe GRANT voucher, either by mail or email.

Please select the League of Women Voters Lotte E. Scharfman Memorial Fund as your non-profit of choice.  If you received a mailed voucher: Fill out your voucher and mail it to The Boston Globe, using the envelope provided, by July 31. If you received an emailed voucher: Go to BostonGlobe.com/GRANT by July 31 to submit your voucher.
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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