Convention Registration & Delegate Information 

Please join us for the 2023 Convention, Better Together: Building an Inclusive Electorate.  We hope you’ll join us IN PERSON for the first “live” LWVMA Convention since 2019!  The Convention is being held at Clark University in Worcester on Saturday, June 10.  We are eager to gather as a community and look forward to reconnecting with many of you after a long four years.  We would love to see you in-person, but if that is not possible, please plan to join us on Zoom.  There is no limit to the number of members who can attend from any local League, though the number of voting delegates is limited. For further details, and to register, please click HERE.

In Memoriam: Deborah Stark Ecker 

Deborah Stark Ecker, a dedicated and long time League member, passed away on February 19, 2023. Deborah was a member of LWV Cape Cod Area, and earlier of LWV Concord-Carlisle and was on the Board of Directors of LWVMA. Through the years, she held numerous positions, both locally and at the state level. Deborah cherished the community the League provided and valued the League’s mission of empowering voters and defending democracy. While on the LWVMA board, Deborah expertly chaired the fiscal policy study. Please click HERE to read more about her remarkable accomplishments.

Funding for Voter Education Projects: Apply by April 17

The Lotte E. Scharfman Memorial Fund (“Scharfman”) grant program can help you cover costs for voter education programs. It’s local election time and a Scharfman grant can help with events around elections including Candidate Forums, Voters Guides, Issues meetings, and Meet and Greet with Legislators. Successful Scharfman grants have funded art exhibits, Know Your Town programs, Town Meeting informational handbooks as well as technical infrastructure including Zoom. Read more.

LWVUS - Framing the Future

Would you like to know more about LWVUS’ Transformation Journey plans? Read this article on “Framing the Future.” Two Massachusetts League members are on the working group focusing on membership/revenue: Mary Ann B. Ashton of the Acton Area League, a former co-president of LWVMA, and Karen Price of the Needham League. Read more.

Lend Your League’s Support for Hybrid Public Meetings

LWVMA is supporting a bill that would require public meetings subject to the open meeting law to use a hybrid format—both in-person and with the option to observe and participate remotely. Since this is so very much an issue affecting local governments, we would like to have each local League issue a statement endorsing this bill as well. Read more.

Town Hall Series: The Massachusetts Legislature

Great news: The LWVMA Supported/Opposed legislation 2023-24 webpage is now available–with more bills being added through May. Our top 3-4 priority bills will be determined before Day on the Hill, our League Lobby Day, in October. Check out our March Town Hall event recordings for more details. Read More.

​​Co-sponsorship Requests

All of the bills we support need co-sponsors at this stage of the legislative process. Select a few from our LWVMA Supported/Opposed legislation 2023-24 webpage. 

1. Check to see if your legislators have already signed on as a cosponsor. Don’t know who they are? Find them here.
2. Type the bill number into malegislature.gov, and click on the “Petitioners” tab.
3. If they are listed, thank them.

Read more.

Massachusetts Public Health Association Lobby Day on Monday, April 10

Join LWVMA members for the Massachusetts Public Health Association’s (MPHA) inaugural lobby day on Monday, April 10, 2023 from 10:00 AM-12:30 PM in person at the State House. We will advocate for two LWVMA priority bills, H2204/S1334 An Act relative to accelerating improvements to the local and regional public health system to address disparities in the delivery of public health services (SAPHE 2.0) and H3272/S2277, An Act to increase regional transit accessibility in the Commonwealth. Register HERE.