Michigan was well represented at the convention with the largest delegation. Six LWVGP members attended in person, two attended virtually. They include Lynne Pierce (LP), Sue Acton (SA), Dawn Drozd (DD), Judy Florian (JF), Juliann Phillips (JP), and Carol Lufburrow (CL). Lauri Kingsbury (LK) attended virtually as a voting delegate; Vicki Granger (VG) attended virtually as an observer. Here are their reports from the Workshops they attended.
Book Banning workshop
Lynne and Sue presented our book banning workshop, with the help of Dawn, Julianne, Carol, Lauri, and Vicki. As anticipated, it was well attended – 90 attended in person, 68 virtually. Across the nation, leagues are tackling this issue. The feedback was very positive, and attendees appreciated the step-by-step process we provided to them. See our book banning blog post for more information on the program. – LP
Lynne and Sue did a super job on their presentation. Over 90 people attended in person and 68 attended virtually. I stood at the back of the room to monitor those attending before the session began and also during (we had many late arrivals). There were many positive comments about the American Library Association (ALA) resources provided, along with the banned books, buttons, bookmarks and backpacks. I had a chance to chat briefly with an 8 year old girl who was there with her mom-she was so excited to get copies of books for her age group. I heard people talking about this presentation during Convention-clearly the word had gotten out about the Grosse Pointe Michigan League and their work!! – JF
Election Observation workshop
Direct observation and non-interference are the key to effective observation at meetings. It is important to have a good relationship with the local election officials and well-trained observers. Observing at Board of Canvassers was stressed as a priority for this year’s election. Michigan was one of three states highlighted as a model for the gold standard in election observation. (The others were Maine and Wisconsin.) – LP
Litigation on Elections workshop
LWVUS is currently involved in 154 active cases nation-wide, including RNC vs Benson. (LWV’s petition to intervene in this lawsuit has not been ruled on yet.) 3.5 million voters have been protected so far! Voter suppression, voter intimidation, ballot access, ballot initiatives, election certification and post-election lawsuits are examples of some of the litigation. League members are asked to be the eyes and ears for potential problems. Problems should be reported to the local election officials and the state league, who will contact national. There is a rapid response network in place to address emergencies. Emergency problems should be reported immediately to 866-OUR-VOTE and the local election officials. – LP
Litigation
LWVUS’ litigation team represents local and state Leagues in select issues whether as plaintiff (56% of cases), filing an amicus curiae brief (35%), or as an intervenor (8%.) Cases are concerned with these broad categories: ballot access, voter intimidation, polling places, ballot initiatives, election certification, emerging issues post-election. They offered guidelines for submission, preparation and resources on the League Management Site (https://www.lwv.org/league-management) for state and local Leagues. – LK
DEI in the Work: Building a More Diverse League
Speakers from the nonprofit and nonpartisan group, Power of the South, focused on utilizing League strengths to recruit and retain Black and Latino members to local Leagues. Thus far, they have trained 450+ League leaders, help launch a Disability Rights Coalition in Alabama, and assisted in creating two new local Leagues in Georgia. – LK
League Study Process – LWV Washington State
This was a brief outline of the study process used by Washington State League to develop potential advocacy positions. Presenters focused primarily on the obstacles encountered by their study committee and the solutions to those obstacles. – LK
Highlights of our United Nations Work: Connecting the Dots
Presenters briefly described the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). This international treaty was adopted by the UN in 1979. The United States is the only industrialized democracy that has failed to ratify it. Presenters gave an overview of this treaty and how it has been applied in the developing world and highlights of League work on sustainable development, combating gender stereotypes. – LK
Making It Yours: Implementing and Adapting Energizing Young Voters’ Educational Modules
The organization, Energizing Young Voters, shared their insight on the impact of voter registrations for young people (18 – 29 years old). Their mission is to “energize young voters, through a suite of modules and programs from the nonpartisan League of Women Voters and its partners, designed to create a generation of lifelong, active voters”. They created a very insightful suffrage timeline with a student voter toolkit designed with emotionally charged training modules and videos. Here are some of the titles of the modules
Module 1: The Suffrage Timeline (What’s it Worth?)
Module 2: The Truth about the Turnout (Who’s Got the Power?)
Module 3: Vote by Design (How do I Choose?) – JP
Presenters were from New Jersey, Washington State, Arizona and Minnesota.
New Jersey highlighted their program: Turning Students into Citizens using classroom experiences. They have a menu of interactive, in-school or virtual lessons, delivered either by League-trained facilitators or a classroom teacher, that motivate and equip students and young adults to vote and take action. The modules are titled Fighting for the Vote and Fighting for Change. One of the most successful sections of the Fighting for the Vote module deals with the Suffrage timeline, which really educates and engages students about how women and others fought to get the right to vote.
In Minnesota, there is a state law that schools are required to help students register to vote. The League of Women Voters in Minnesota is the only organization authorized to register new citizens at the naturalization ceremonies. The League also has staff liaisons who work directly with the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). An excellent presentation by all speakers.
When those previously incarcerated reenter society, reinstating their voting rights is a high priority. – JF
Supporting Youth Leaders: A Panel of Youth Members
A panel of high school and college students were asked insightful questions from a moderator.
How do you recruit and retain youth to the League? Presentations, campus visits, letters of recommendation, internships and create financial incentives.
How do you interact with the League? Monthly meetings, creating a student council and having mentors for support.
What was your “hook” to join? A friend, paid job internship, board position (looks good on a resume)
2 key takeaways: We don’t like buttons (reminds them of the old – I like Ike buttons). Bring in actual voter booths to the voter registration days for practice – JP
Effective Storytelling and Relational Organizing to Empower Young Voters to Action
By far, this engaging workshop led by Nile Blass, a regional organizer of the LMVUS, was my favorite. Nile explained that organizing involves motivating others to take action. She informed the participants that young people, such as herself, just don’t want to hear the instructions on how to vote, but “inspire us to vote”. Inspiration comes from telling stories on how we got interested in the power of voting. Digital storytelling, especially using TikTok, was part of her message. – JP
Empower, Nominate, Lead
This workshop focused on best practices for identifying potential officers, recruitment, and formally nominating members. They highly recommended keeping annual goals in mind when identifying potential new board members, starting the process early by creating a “leadership pipeline,” always use a DEI lens, use the same process for all candidates (including interview questions that highlight skills and aptitudes for the job.) – DD
Corporate and Organizational Partnerships
This workshop focused on working with business partners in a symbiotic way that would benefit both parties outside of just fundraising. They gave the example of our national partnership with Target. We provided Target with a private 411 page for their employees across the country that’s branded with both Target and the League’s logos. – DD
Abolish the Electoral College
This was an updated workshop covering the National Popular Vote and abolishing the electoral college (with a constitutional amendment.) The presentation covered facts about why it makes sense to change how we elect the President, countered myths about why it might not work, and talking points to share in our community. -DD
National Popular Vote
Debbie Chandler, Co-President of LWVFL, presented the concept for the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC). She learned firsthand from LWVVUS directors and staff about a new, multi-decade effort with the goal of electing the US President and Vice President by popular vote. There are a total of 538 votes in the Electoral College, half of that amount (270) is required to win an election. The NPVIC has been adopted by 17 states and the District of Columbia. Together they have 209 electoral votes, which translates to 77.4% of the 270 votes needed to give the compact legal force.
Michigan is not currently part of the NPVIC. A bill to join the compact passed the State House in June 2023, and is currently under consideration in the State Senate. If Michigan decides to join, their 15 electoral votes will give the compact a total of 224 votes, 83% of the 270 votes required to implement the compact and eliminate the disparities caused by the Electoral College. – CL
Budget Q&A
This session discussed the LWVUS biennial budget for the 2024-2026 fiscal years. LWVUS is planning a few new hires and adding some initiatives and efforts to get out the vote for the fall election; as a result, there were modest increases. The Treasurer has plans to tap a reserve or initiate fundraising efforts, if needed. There was no discussion of the Transformation efforts to a centralized dues and membership system. A new set of by-laws will be implemented when the Transformation begins, essentially replacing the current system with a new funding stream. The budget was presented during Saturday’s plenary session and discussed at Sunday’s plenary session before a vote was taken. The vote to approve the budget passed. – CL
Abolish the Electoral College
While the NPVIC is a simpler method to ensure the US President and Vice President are elected by the popular vote, a Constitutional amendment would be required to permanently eliminate the Electoral College and enshrine the One Person, One Vote method of representation. LWVUS President Sania Irwin made an important announcement about the League’s new One Person One Vote campaign, and members of the Illinois league have taken the lead. The League’s One Person One Vote campaign is a critical step in our “moonshot” goal of abolishing the Electoral College, pushing the country towards true representation: a democracy powered by the people, for the people. This effort would eliminate the effect of swing states, areas of the country where electoral outcomes cannot be predicted, resulting in candidates focusing their attention, and their campaign money, only in those states and only on issues important to them in order to garner their votes. Members of LWVIL discussed efforts to educate voters at a grassroots level with a campaign to elevate the need for this amendment to state congressional members. Reference www.lwv.org/opov for more information – CL
Engaging Young Voters
The LWV of Alameda, CA engages young voters through a Student Internship Program. The students run their HS Voter Registration Drives after being provided with training and a tool kits from LWV. “ Verify It! The Premier Civics, Voting, News Literacy Game.” It was created because a 2018 study that found only 1/3 of Americans can pass a citizenship test. 1000 questions, some unique to MI. Try it yourself at playverifyit.org. – SA
What Should Your Website Do?
The LWV of Greater Pittsburgh, PA has a TEN member website team. Only two of them do hands-on updates to the website. The others offer advisory and editorial support through monthly meetings, creating content, proposing links, developing infographics. Webpages are designed by a team. Focus on why we have a website: (1) Member engagement (2) Voting Information (3) Civic Education. Side note: LWVGP loves this idea. – SA
Storytelling for Advocacy
This workshop focused on the power of storytelling: Why use storytelling? (1) Emotional bridge (2) People remember and repeat stories (3) Building trust (4) Bridge to policymaking. We practiced building a story that started with an attention grabber from the middle of the story (the problem or issue in 6-10 words). The entire story was limited to one minute and needed to include a hero, a villain, the problem and the solution. The solution was the policy change the advocate wanted. – SA
How to Get More Candidate Responses-Megan Brown, LWVUS Vote411 Senior Manager
Megan always does a great job with her presentations and this was no exception. Her focus was on how to get more candidates to respond to Vote411 invites for the online voter guide. Here were the takeaways:
- Questions: Be sure to have no more than 3-5 questions; be sure questions are unbiased by eliminating any unnecessary information or ‘lead in’ information
- Candidate Invites: Be sure subject line says it’s a voter guide invite; put response link early in the email; include a specific deadline and share how many voters used the guide last year.
- Candidate Communications: Candidates are busy the closer they get to Election Day, so get invites out early; send weekly reminders, including a ‘last chance’ reminder.
- Recruiting Volunteers: Recruit candidate outreach volunteers early in the process; ask partners to recruit volunteers; plan a candidate outreach party.
- Outreach Strategy: Some candidates will need additional calls; follow up priorities includes those in contested races; candidates whom more voters will see like statewide or district races; candidates in larger areas and candidates in hotly contested races.
- Take it Public: If you can’t get candidates to respond, use your public platforms to ask the public to contact the candidate, using social media, website, member emails, and newsletters. – JF
Other insights from Convention:
- Very moving tribute to Dr. Deborah Turner, who passed away suddenly earlier this year. Her niece was there to speak about her aunt from a personal and family perspective. I was also impressed with how the staff stepped up to provide leadership during her sudden death-they were amazing!
- Lobby Day: Visited with Eli Schooley, Legal Counsel to Senator Gary Peters. The visit was great and his knowledge of Senator Peter’s positions on issues was impressive.
- Also visited with Valeria Postigo, aide to District 13 House Representative, Shri Thanedar. We were disappointed that he was not available; Valeria has only been with his office for 2 months. She did explain Representative Thanedar’s work to prioritize mental health to the same degree as physical health, to address the epidemics of suicide and drug overdose and his continuous efforts to provide small business resources in our community. Valeria was receptive to our comments and responded positively to our thank you after the visit.
- – JF
The book banning workshop was impressive, and so very proud of our LWVGP for leading the way on this. One of the questions at the end of the presentation from a newer member in another state really surprised me. The woman asked what was meant by Observer Corps! Since our LWVGP has the LARGEST OC in Michigan, a reminder that nationally the local Leagues have varying members and priorities. – VG