Legislature Enters the Home Stretch

The Massachusetts Legislature is entering its busiest time, leading up to adjournment of the formal session on July 31. The bills that pass this session will do so between now and July 31. That means that many of the bills the League supports will be coming up for a vote, often on short notice. We encourage you to keep an eye on your inbox for action alerts that will need your immediate attention. When you get one, please contact your Senator or Representative, as noted in the alert, with the specific request. You may know your legislator already supports a bill, but they need to hear from constituents anyway--to counteract opponents of legislation and to enable them to tell their colleagues that the bill is drawing a lot of constituent support. A quick email will do it, no matter how many times you've emailed on other bills. Your active support greatly increases the League's clout on Beacon Hill. Thank you!

Falmouth Road Race - Support Our Team of Runners!

LWVMA is excited that, for the first time, and in conjunction with LWV Falmouth, we will be participating in the 2024 Falmouth Road Race! 

Our current running team consists of the LWVMA Board Treasurer, a LWV Falmouth Board member, a new LWV Boston/Cambridge member, a granddaughter of a LWV Falmouth member, and an assistant principal. We are so grateful to our runners for lifting up and supporting the League’s mission to empower voters and defend democracy; the timing couldn’t be better as the race is just two weeks ahead of the September primary election. 

If you’re interested in supporting our runners, donate HERE.

Election 2024 Resources

We’ve just added an Election 2024 Resources button to the lwvma.org home page! Check it out HERE.

League-Wide Membership Structure Changes

The implementation of the League-wide membership changes will take place at the end of January, 2025. Here are a few key pieces of information:

• It is business as usual, up to and including the month of January, 2025, with regard to your League’s process for folks who are joining for the first time and for renewing memberships.
• Ensure that each member’s expiration date (in the LWVUS Salesforce Database) is accurate, so that when the new system is in place, each member will receive a renewal notice at the appropriate time (re: roughly one year later).
• The timing of the per member payment (PMP) invoices from LWVMA and LWVUS will remain the same. So, invoices for FY2024-2025 will be mailed out from LWVMA in July, 2024 and from LWVUS in August, 2024. Invoices for FY2025-2026 will be mailed out from LWVMA in July, 2025 and from LWVUS in August, 2025. The PMP invoices mailed out in July and August, 2025 will be the final invoices under the current PMP system.

LWVMA will host another Town Hall in September on the changes to the membership system. Please stay tuned for the date and read more about these changes HERE.

Time to Update the 2024-2025 League Leader Directory

Please share the names and contact information of your League's officers, directors, and steering committee members with Brynne Gorman (bgorman@lwvma.org) after your League’s Annual Meeting. It is especially helpful to identify the point person for voter service/engagement and the point person for membership in your League. Thank you for your help!

Ballot Questions for November Election

The LWVMA Board will issue guidance on the November 2024 ballot questions after the Secretary of State determines which questions will appear on the ballot. This occurs in early July 2024. For more information on the ballot question process, click HERE. 

It’s Not Too Early to Think Election Protection!

The November election is not nearly as far away as you think. LWVMA is working with the Election Protection Coalition to staff polling places that have historically had problems with non-partisan poll monitors. We want to recruit at least 50 League volunteers (including spouses and friends). 

The job is a minimum of one three-hour shift on Election Day, Nov. 5, covering a polling location. You will be able to choose both the shift time and the polling location that works for you. The Election Protection poll monitors watch for problems with access to voting, and also ask voters who have been turned away if they need assistance. Volunteers do not need any special qualifications, though if you are fluent in a non-English language, you are especially needed. Volunteers will have to complete a mandatory training session that details what to look for and how to react. Both in-person and virtual training sessions will be available starting in late summer and early fall.

More complete details are available at Protect the Vote. 

Can you help? If so, please sign up at the LWVMA Protect the Vote link. Signing up now is not a firm commitment but will put you on the list for additional information about training programs and, later on, the polling places and shifts to be covered. 

Sign up by the end of June (or earlier!). Let’s prove the League can turn out more than 50 volunteers to make sure the November election is open to all.  

Questions? Contact Nancy Brumback at nbrumback@lwvma.org.

LWVUS Convention Registration Deadline is June 10

LWVUS Convention is taking place in Washington, DC June 27-30, and will be a hybrid event. HERE is the Convention webpage where you will find all of the information including registration costs ($550 for in-person and $125 for virtual) and hotel blocks. 

The number of local League delegates to Convention are determined by League size. Click HERE for a chart showing how many delegates each League in Massachusetts is allotted. Any member is welcome to attend Convention, but voting during Convention is reserved for delegates.

Welcome to the DEI Corner. In honor of Juneteenth and Pride Month, this month's reading selection delves into the rich history of Juneteenth and the ongoing struggle for gay rights. We celebrate the resilience and courage of those who fought for freedom and equality. Join us as we explore these important narratives and reflect on their enduring significance. Be sure to check out the list of events taking place this month to celebrate Juneteenth and Pride Month. Next month the DEI Corner will focus on LWVMA’s Reparations Study. READ MORE.