CALENDAR
Friday, August 23 LWVMA/LESF Board Meeting, 12 p.m., Westwood Library
Friday, September 20 Global Climate Strike Begins
Tuesday, September 24 National Voter Registration Day
Thursday, October 17 Day on the Hill, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Friday, October 25 LWVMA/LESF Board Meeting, Time and Location TBD
Saturday, October 26 League Leader Lunch, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., First Baptist Church, Worcester
HAPPENING NOW
League Leader Lunch--Mark Your Calendar!
 
Our annual fall LWVMA League Leader Lunch is a great opportunity to meet, share ideas, socialize, and put a face to that email address!

We will gather on Saturday, Oct. 26, at the First Baptist Church on 111 Park Ave. in Worcester. The program runs from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Coffee and check-in time is 9:30 a.m. Look for registration information in September.

This year ' s program includes:
  • Civic Engagement Opportunities for Local Leagues
  • Local League Interest Action Groups - Mobilizing in Your Community
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
  • 100th Anniversary Toolkit
We hope to have representation from all Leagues and units.   And we will have  a  table for   you   to share fliers, handouts, and other information about your upcoming events and activities. We want to hear   about   what you are doing!

Please send comments or questions to membership co-chairs  Kate Boland or Amy Smith .
100th Anniversary Local League Toolkit--Check It Out
 
All local Leagues and League members have 100th anniversaries to celebrate! The three anniversaries in 2020: LWV, LWVMA, and the 19th Amendment are coming up, and offer an excellent opportunity for visibility, recognizing past achievements, and focusing on current issues and future directions.

The best way to get ideas about recognizing the anniversaries is to see what other Leagues are doing. The LWVMA anniversary committee has assembled a 100th Anniversary Local League Toolkit to share ideas, experience, and materials. We hope this will be your first stop with everything you need to get started. It links to the other toolkits, state and national resources, books, films, exhibits, and local League programs.

This Toolkit is a living document, and members are encouraged to contribute. Email 100thanniversary@lwvma.org if you want to share an event, suggest a good resource, etc.
LWV Launches She Is Me
 
LWVUS has launched an online campaign to re-introduce the League of Women Voters to new audiences in our 100th year.   This campaign, called She Is Me, features stories of our real League members, their work, and their commitment to defending democracy with our organization. You can read all about the She Is Me campaign and see how your League can participate in the She Is Me toolkit,   now available on the League Management Site . LWVUS has offered a   webinar on the toolkit   for interested League members.
ADVOCACY
Senate President Keynotes Day on the Hill

Senator Karen Spilka, the president of the Senate, is the keynote speaker at Day on the Hill, the League ' s lobby day. You ' ll also hear from legislative specialists on our legislative priorities--Election Day registration, climate change, education funding , and reproductive rights.
 
Day on the Hill is Thursday, Oct. 17 at the State House. Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m. and the program runs from 10 a.m. to noon. Please encourage your members to attend Day on the Hill and amplify the League ' s voice on Beacon Hill.
Action Plan on Climate Emergency

We are pleased to announce LWVMA is an official sponsor of the  Boston Youth Climate Strike , set for Friday, September 20th! The Strike is being organized and led by youth and youth leaders are asking for our help. Please RSVP  to participate in the Youth Climate Strike on September 20th, share information about the Climate Strike and the event registration link widely within your networks, and stay tuned for more specific details as they develop!
 
The Strike is a global effort powered by youth of all ages from around the world, with hundreds of students striking on Fridays since March to bring meaningful attention and political action on the climate emergency confronting us. These youth are asking for our help as adults. LWVMA is doing its part to support their effort as part of the larger plan of action described below.

 
At the June LWVMA Convention, League members unanimously supported a   Climate Emergency Resolution . To begin acting on the resolution,  the LWVMA Environmental Action and Advocacy Committee developed a plan of action, approved by the LWVMA Board on July 26, 2019.  

The plan, available here,  sets two immediate goals of developing a detailed mobilization plan, including proposed actions at both the state and local levels, and developing a communications plan.

To meet the goals, the committee is offering seven specific actions for state and local Leagues to work on, including supporting the   Global Climate Strike   on Sept. 20, asking local governments to adopt climate emergency language, including climate emergency questions at candidate forums, and developing ways to raise awareness of the climate emergency issue within our membership and throughout our communities.
2020 Census--Webinar Recording and Materials Available

LWVUS sponsored a policy and advocacy webinar covering the 2020 Census, which was well attended. A recording   for those that would like to revisit the materials or view them for the first time is now available. In addition to the recording, please be sure to check out the   census topic page   on LWV.org and the   census action kit   on the League Management Site. For questions about census related activities please email   advocacy@lwv.org .
 
In Massachusetts, planning is under way. Census data determines the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives. In the Commonwealth, this data drives the distribution of over $16 billion in federal funding; Massachusetts risks losing up to $2,400 for each person not counted.
 
We encourage local Leagues and League members to join their local Complete Count Committees. You can find your local Committee  here. If your city or town is not listed, it has not yet shared information with the state. You can find more information on the 2020 Census  here. If you are interested in helping to coordinate information sharing among local League volunteers about the Census, please contact Mary Ann Ashton.
ELECTIONS & VOTING
Does Your City Have a Fall Election?

If your League is organizing candidate forums or voter registration events this fall, please check out our Voter Service Toolkit on the LWVMA website. There are resources that will help you plan a successful candidate forum, including tasks for planning, timing schedule, moderator script, ground rules, and sample questions. Please also let us know the date for your candidate event (email lwvma@lwvma.org ) so that we can share your dates on our calendar. Our new Board Voter Engagement co-chairs, Tanya Roy and Lee Bona, would be happy to help answer your questions.
If you are interested in working with LWV Massachusetts to publish candidate information for your general election on November 5, please contact Mary Ann Ashton for more information.
Prepare for National Voter Registration Day

National Voter Registration Day is Tuesday, September 24. LWVUS is encouraging all local Leagues to participate: our 2019 goal is to have 400 local Leagues sign on as partners for the day, and your participation is critical to getting us there. Make sure you're part of the National Voter Registration Day effort by signing up your League as a partner . You will gain access to posters, stickers, toolkits, voter ID wallet cards , and more. You can also join the online conversation by following #NationalVoterRegistrationDay on social media. 
 
The League has been the single largest on-the-ground partner in this event since 2012. 
THE TO-DO LIST
Reminders from LWVUS:
  • National Convention Date: The League's national convention will be held in Washington, DC, June 25-28, 2020.
  • Per-Member Payments: First quarter national FY20 PMP invoices were mailed July 17. Any FY19 past due payments received after July 3 are not reflected on this invoice. For any questions or concerns, please email membership@lwv.org.
  • Nominations: Applications are now available for the 2020-22 LWVUS Board and nominating committee. To learn more, review the FAQ and job descriptions or contact the nominating committee. 
  • DEI Webinar: August 29: League History Through a DEI Lens, Presented by past LWVUS President Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins. Register here.
  • Webinar: The July 9 technology and communications webinar covering VOTE411.org is available on the League Management Site.
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.
STAY CONNECTED: