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November Opportunities for Action
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VOTE! Vote Tuesday, Nov. 6. Polls in Massachusetts are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Early voting in Massachusetts began Monday, Oct. 22 and ends Friday, Nov. 2. Early voting times and polling places for every city and town can be found at the Secretary of State website
here.
Be informed! Get the facts and do your research BEFORE you step into the voting booth--and encourage others to do the same! Share LWVMA's online voters' guide,
InformedVoterMA.org, with friends, colleagues, and neighbors.
InformedVoterMA.org allows voters to learn about the backgrounds, stances, and endorsements of all of the candidates on their ballot and provides information about the statewide ballot questions.
Protect the vote! Do you have 3.5 hours to spare on Election Day to monitor polls for irregularities and problems? Help observe the voting process at key polling places to make sure that no voter is disenfranchised. Live and online trainings are available. Sign up
here.
Share our Boston Globe ad! LWVMA will have a "Get Out the Vote" ad in the first section of this Sunday's
Globe. Please look for it and share widely. Thank you to everyone who voted for our Citizen Education Fund through the
Globe GRANT program. Your vote won us this free advertising space!
#ICYMI: In case you missed our webinar on "Barriers to Voting" with Professor Erin O'Brien of UMass Boston, you can watch and listen to it
here. Professor O'Brien presents an excellent overview of systemic voting barriers as well as policy reforms that can help get out the vote.
Immigration:
Public comment is requested on two proposed Federal rule changes that will have a major impact on immigrants in this country. Please take a moment to register your opposition to these rule changes by clicking on the links below. These actions, if adopted, would have a strong negative impact on immigrants in our country. We need to flood the Federal Register with our opposition.
Extending detention for migrant children:
The proposed rule "
Apprehension, Processing, Care, and Custody of Alien Minors and Unaccompanied Alien Children" would m
odify the
Flores
court settlement which limits the detention of immigrant children to 20 days and establishes basic protections such as requirements for sanitation, living conditions, and adequate food/water for immigrant children in detention. The new rule could allow immigrant children to be detained indefinitely. Indicate that you support the
Flores
settlement as it currently exists and oppose the proposed changes. File your comment
here
by the
Nov. 6
deadline.
The Public Charge Modification:
The "Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds" proposed rule would mean green card and visa applicants could be turned down if they have low incomes or little education because they'd be deemed more likely to need government assistance--such as Medicaid or food stamps--in the future. An analysis and FAQ sheet is
here
. Immigration advocates note: "The proposed changes to the public charge test would fundamentally change our approach to immigration, making family income and potential use of certain health care, nutrition or housing programs a central consideration in whether or not to offer people an opportunity to make their lives in this country. The direct effect of the proposed rule will fall primarily on people applying for a green card through a family-based petition, and will also affect some other categories of individuals applying for visas. Beyond that, the proposed rule is also expected to...lead to people dropping or not seeking out benefits they need." Read a
Boston Globe
editorial
here
. File your comment
here
by the
Dec. 10
deadline.
You can also contact your Senators and Representatives in Congress and tell them you oppose these two proposed rules.
Become a Legislative Envoy:
Are you interested in developing a relationship with your state legislators for your local League and advocating for League-supported legislation? Please consider joining the
Legislative Envoy Corps. We currently have 19 Legislative Envoys across the state. For more information or to join, contact
Colleen Kirby
.
Become a Transportation Specialist:
If you would like to have a say on transportation issues, the Legislative Action Committee needs you! We are looking for a co-specialist for transportation for the legislative session that begins in January. You would work with our current specialist to identify the transportation bills LWVMA should follow in the session and then advocate for those bills. If you are interested in doing this or would like to know more, please contact
Nancy Brumback
, LAC chair.
Massachusetts Conference for Women: LWVMA will again be exhibiting at the
Massachusetts Conference for Women
at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center on Dec. 5 and 6. Over 10,000 women are expected to attend this annual conference where the LWVMA will be able to share what we stand for, do, and have accomplished!
VOLUNTEERS are NEEDED during the afternoon of December 5th or during the day of December 6th to staff the LWVMA Booth. Contact
Kris Eastman or
Meryl Kessler.
Statewide Committees:
The LWVMA Board has agreed to form two statewide committees, following up on discussions at the LWVUS Convention and at our most recent League Leaders Lunch.
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee: This committee will be charged with developing a set of strategies to help the League build a more diverse, equitable and inclusive organization. These strategies might include forums and educational workshops as well as other recommendations, and will leverage the work of other organizations as well as local and national Leagues.
- 100th Anniversary Committee: This committee will develop a set of priorities and activities to guide the celebration of the founding of the League of Women Voters and the passage of the 19th Amendment in 2020. The committee will make a recommendation to the Board on the feasibility of a signature event to enhance the League's role in informing and educating people in our communities about this event and the work that is still to be done to increase access to the ballot. The committee will also recommend other activities to promote the League statewide, and develop a list of activities and resources that can be used by local Leagues.
Both committees will be expected to come back with initial recommendations by May 1, 2019, so that these can be shared at our 2019 Convention.
If you are interested in being considered for one of these committees, please submit to
Mary Ann Ashton a brief statement of your interest by Friday, November 23. Your submission should state why you are interested in this committee, including what you hope can be accomplished, and how your interests and/or skills match with the work of this committee.
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The LWVMA Action Newsletter is distributed to all LWVMA members. Anyone can request the Action Newsletter by clicking here. Please review this Newsletter for articles of interest to your League and include them in your local Bulletin.
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