CALENDAR
Tuesday, February 25 Transportation Call to Action, 10 a.m., Massachusetts State House Room 437
Monday, March 10 Last day to submit LWVUS Program Planning responses
Saturday, March 14 LWVMA Board Meeting, 10 a.m., Hingham Public Library
Tuesday, March 31 Last day to enter Teen Voting Rights Challenge student video contest
Saturday, April 4 - Sunday, April 5 New England Regional League Conference, York Community College, Wells, ME
Tuesday, April 14 Last day to submit Scharfman Citizen Education Grant applications
Sunday, May 31 LWVMA Birthday Gala, Sheraton Four Points, Norwood, MA
Thursday, June 25 - Sunday, June 28 LWVUS 54th National Convention, Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.
HAPPENING NOW
Join Us at the LWVMA Birthday Gala
 
Please join us at the Sheraton Four Points hotel in Norwood, MA on Sunday, May 31, 2020 to  celebrate LWVMA's 100th birthday. The event will be taking place from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. in the Tiffany Ballroom, so mark your calendars now! We are pleased to welcome Danielle Allen as our featured speaker.  Dr. Allen is the James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University, and Director of Harvard's Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics. She is widely known  for her work on justice and citizenship in both ancient Athens and modern America. Please find more information about Dr. Allen here. Further details about the event, including  individual and "League table" ticket purchases will be coming soon.
Planning for LWVMA Council
 
LWVMA will hold a half-day Council in early June that will include electing new directors to the LWVMA Board as part of the program. Details on the program and the date and location will be available soon. The Nominating Committee is working on a slate of candidates, and League members will have the opportunity to meet the candidates and vote at Council. 
100th Anniversary Civics Education Toolkit
 
Check out the latest addition to our 100th Anniversary information-a comprehensive civics education toolkit, "The Suffrage Movement Then and Now," packed with ideas, information, and resources that can be used by educators and League members. Thanks to Courtney Rau Rogers of the Norwood LWV for compiling the toolkit and to Karen Mazza of the Cape Cod LWV for review and suggestions.
 
Our 100th Anniversary Calendar continues to add local League events celebrating the League's founding and the 19th Amendment. Take a look and be sure to send your League's events and photos to 100thanniversary@lwvma.org.
LWVUS Program Planning
 
A reminder that local Leagues should submit their LWVUS program planning response by March 10. Program planning will culminate with adoption of a program of education and action at Convention 2020 in Washington, D.C. Please see the 2020-2022 Leaders' Guide to Program Planning for an overview as well as the survey to weigh in for convention. If you have questions, you can email LWVUS progplan@lwv.org. Read more on the League Management Site.
 
LWVMA asks that you include in your response our request that the national League address the climate emergency as part of its program for 2020-2022. The state League has also submitted a reply to the question on the pilot process for developing a proposed position to be adopted by concurrence. Here is the information we sent out about that, with links to suggested responses.  

Since we sent that information to you, we have found the actual survey form for LWVUS program planning does not match the list of questions in either the Leaders' Guide to Program Planning or the sample program planning forms on the LWVUS website. To clarify, the recommendation to add Climate Emergency as a program item is the response to Question 4 on the actual survey, not Question 2. The LWVMA comment on the new position development process is the response to Question 10, not Question 7.  
Publicize Our Student Video Contest
 
This year's student video contest, the Teen Voting Rights Challenge, asks high school students throughout the Commonwealth to make a 30-second video answering the question "Should 16-Year-Olds Have the Right to Vote?"
 
Please help us get the word out by contacting schools in your area, download a flyer and post it in your community, and share information on Facebook and Twitter. Contest details are here.
 
Entries should be submitted online through March 31. Winners will be announced by May 15. First place wins $500, second place wins $250, third place wins $100, and honorable mention wins $50. Winners will be invited to an award ceremony at the Massachusetts State House in June.
Census: Time to Take Action

The Census count starts in less than one month. Now is the time to educate your communities on the importance of the census, how to participate, and to answer questions. Local trusted organizations, such as the League, are critical for reaching out to hard to count populations and can help make the census successful. It is important to emphasize there is no citizenship question on the Census questionnaire.
 
All households will receive a letter from the US Census Bureau on March 12 inviting everyone to fill in the questionnaire online, by mail, or by phone. Here are some useful resources for you use to educate your community on how to fill in the form:
Join the LWVMA 2020 Census Share Group.  Keep current, ask questions, and share ideas and activities through our Census 2020 email group. Contact Brynne Gorman to join.
Day of Action Draws Applause for League
 
Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo; Sen. Joan Lovely, assistant majority leader; and Rep. Patricia Haddad, speaker pro tempore, saluted the League on the occasion of its 100th anniversary at a State House celebration Feb. 6. The League was also honored on the floor of both the House and Senate, and with a rare joint citation from both chambers. Read about it here. We also got a shoutout at the end of a Boston Globe article on Speaker DeLeo.
New England Regional League Conference
 
All League members in Massachusetts are welcome to attend the 14th Annual Leadership Conference at York Community College in Wells, ME, Saturday and Sunday, April 4-5. With the theme, "Engaging the Future," the conference will spark action to engage those who can't or don't participate in our democracy. Full agenda and registration information is here.
 
Saturday's session kicks off with LWVUS CEO Virginia Kase, followed by Yanna Krupnikov, Stony Brook University, who will share her research integrating psychology and political science to better understand how people form political opinions, make political choices and, ultimately, take political actions.
 
An engagement workshop panel will discuss how Leagues can motivate disengaged and disenfranchised voters, and then follow with breakout sessions on the topic. 
ELECTIONS & VOTING
Put VOTE411 Link on Your Website

The League's online voters guide, VOTE411.org, has information on the Presidential primary election March 3 in Massachusetts. Please consider adding a link to the guide on your League's website and publicizing it on your Facebook page. See the link on the LWVMA home page. People can get candidate information, check voter registration status, find polling locations, learn who state and local elected officials are, and register to vote.
 
Local League webmasters can either install a widget or QR Code or upload a graphic and have it link to VOTE411.org. Here is the widget code and QR instructions. Here is the link to download the graphic, and then make sure that the graphic links to www.vote411.org. If you have questions, contact Brynne Gorman. 
 
Consider writing a letter to the editor of your local paper reminding people of the election schedule and alerting them to the VOTE411.org site. You can find a template here, but edit to remove the information on registering for the primary since that deadline has passed.
 
Early voting for the March 3 Presidential primary will be Monday, Feb. 24 through Friday, Feb. 28.  A listing of all early voting locations, dates, and times for the Presidential primary are available at  www.MassEarlyVote.com or on town websites.
 
The state primary is  Tuesday, Sept. 1. The deadline to register to vote in the primary is Wednesday, Aug. 12. The state primary election will include races for state legislators, the U.S. Senate, and contested Congressional seats.
 
For the November 3 election, early voting will be October 19-30.
Voter Service Toolkit

Our Voter Service Toolkit is on the LWVMA website. It contains information about voter registration, absentee ballots, early voting, and other voter-related content. Check back frequently for updates and additions in this busy election year.
Moderator Training

Moderator training will take place soon. Thank you to those who have let us know you are interested in the training session. If you are interested and haven't sent an email to Brynne Gorman, please contact her so we can try to accommodate everyone. Please ask others in your League if they are interested and have them email Brynne. Also, if you organize the forums in your League, we would love to have you join us to add your experiences and best practices. 
ADVOCACY
Transportation Call to Action

The T4MA (Transportation for Massachusetts) coalition is holding a Call to Action at the State House Tuesday, Feb. 25, and LWVMA is a co-sponsor. Please come to show support for proposed legislation to resolve our statewide transportation woes and propel us forward in the fight against climate change.
 
Look for Tanya Roy, our transportation legislative specialist, at the event. This lobby day is in Room 437 at the State House, with registration at 9:45 a.m. and the program starting at 10 a.m. For more information and to RSVP, click here. 
Equal Rights Amendment Update

The U.S. House gave the Equal Rights Amendment a temporary new lease on life by voting to remove a 1982 deadline for ratification by the states. The 232-to-183 vote pushes the issue to the Senate. Here is a Washington Post article on that vote, including a comment from the League.
 
A bipartisan resolution, S.J.Res.6, is in the Senate. LWVUS believes it does not yet have the votes to pass in the Senate, but is working with our Lobby Corps and staff on Capitol Hill to add more cosponsors and inform members of Congress about the need for this important legislation. While Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey support this effort, it will help them convince their colleagues to do likewise if you send them an email indicating your support for removing a deadline on the Equal Rights Amendment.
 
LWVUS created a blog post explaining the background and next steps for the Equal Rights Amendment after Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the amendment.
THE TO-DO LIST
Scharfman Grant Deadline

The next deadline to apply for a Lotte E. Scharfman Citizen Education Grant is Tuesday, April 14. Details and an application are available here .
2020 National Convention News

Join us for our 54th National Convention in June 2020! Convention will be in Washington, D.C., June 25-28. Please check the Convention section of the League Management Site for information as it is added.  All three hotels we have contracted with are now accepting reservations .
 
Every local League is entitled to one voting delegate at convention and additional voting delegates as membership exceeds 50 people, for example 1-49 members = 1 delegate, 50-99 members = 2 delegates, 100-149 members = 3 delegates, etc. Click here for information on delegates.
 
The following have a deadline of March 2:
  • Caucus Application Form. We have a limited number of rooms reserved for state and local Leagues to host caucuses. If you are considering a caucus please carefully review our criteria.
  • Hardship Designation Request Form. Use if your League is unable to fulfill PMP requirements due to serious financial hardship.
  • Wares Market Application Form. We will have a limited amount of space for Leagues to reserve a table to sell League related merchandise.
  • Process to Propose Bylaws Amendments.
Responses to the Program Planning Survey are due by March 10. If you have any Convention questions or concerns, please contact cdavis@lwv.org.
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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