Help with State-Wide Voter Engagement Efforts

Please consider joining LWVMA’s Voter Engagement Committee! We have two new, dynamic women leading this committee – Jessica Vocaturo and Samantha Giffen – and there is a LOT to do for the 2024 election--drafting candidate questionnaires for the state-wide races; partnering with our allies to do voter registration in under-resourced communities; assessing polling places for disability access; voter turn-out efforts and so much more. Jess and Sam are focusing the committee’s work on four areas: (1) voter registration; (2) voter education (including VOTE411 and candidate forums); (3) voter turnout and (4) partnership building. Please email Jess or Sam to get involved at voterengagement@lwvma.org.

March 6 Webinar on Private Jet Hangars at Hanscom

The League of Women Voters of Concord-Carlisle is sponsoring and moderating a webinar on the issue of private jet hangar expansion at Hanscom on Wednesday, March 6, at 7 p.m. The issue of this expansion is of growing interest to many across the state because of its potential negative impact on state climate and emissions targets.

This webinar will be hosted and moderated by Diane Proctor, member of the Concord-Carlisle League of Women Voters and is open to the public.  Speakers will provide answers to frequently asked questions about the proposal and respond to the latest Draft Environmental Impact Report from the developers. There will be time for Q & A following the presentations. Read more.

Talking About Death Won't Kill You Virtual Forum April 11

Join the League of Women Voters of the Cape Cod Area and Compassion & Choices Action Network via Zoom on Thursday, April 11, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM to learn how passage of H2246/S1331, An Act relative to end of life options, would ensure that terminally ill individuals have the option to avoid unnecessary pain and suffering at the end of life, if they choose. Hear from family members of terminally ill patients, leaders of the faith-based community and medical professionals about the importance of this bill and its safeguards, and why people with disabilities support it. Register HERE.

Phonathon 2024: Fundraise for your League!

The annual phonathon is LWVMA’s biggest fundraiser of the year – and like last year, the revenue sharing with local Leagues will be 20% -- for every donation your League brings in, 20% will go back to your League.  To make things fun, we’re offering prizes for the top 3 fundraisers: a gift certificate to your favorite local restaurant:  1st place, $300; 2nd place, $175 and 3rd place, $100. This year, phonathon will take place between March 18 and April 19. Don’t want to call anyone? There will be email and text options as well.  

Phonathon is a great way to raise funds for your League and an important way to keep your members updated as to what the League has accomplished – at the statewide level - with their previous gifts/member dues and to let them know what is coming up in this hugely important election year. Please let us know if your League is interested in participating in Phonathon by submitting this 3-question interest FORM by March 6.

Lotte E. Scharfman Grant Applications Due April 12

Is your League planning an event/program/project and do you need some money to offset costs? The Scharfman grant program is here to help. Grants can provide up to $400 for a single League and $800 for two or more Leagues working together. The deadline for this cycle is April 12. The guidelines can be found on the LWVMA website. The grant applications will be reviewed and voted on by the Scharfman Board at its April 24 meeting.

Nominate Yourself or Others to Serve on the LWVMA Board

The LWVMA Nominating Committee is requesting your help in our search for new LWVMA Board members for the term July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2026. The people you have in mind do not necessarily have to already be League members. So please keep your eyes and ears open for people you know with diverse talents and skill sets who may be interested in joining our Board. Please see the nominating form HERE.

Data Collection: 2024 Form is Now Ready

The data collection form for local Leagues’ 2024 activities has been revised and you can find it HERE on the LWVMA website (under the menu selection “toolkits & webinars”). An important change on this year’s form is that we clarified the “elections resources” section. Since 2024 is a big election year, we wanted to give this section more attention and clarify its use.

Many thanks for your continued support for this project--resulting in 437 forms submitted from 39 local Leagues in 2023. Read the 2023 report HERE.

LWVUS: Program Planning Survey & Local League Delegates for Convention

HERE is the Program Planning survey each League is asked to submit to LWVUS by March 10. The national Program Planning process includes Leagues from across the country sharing requests for support for particular items they would like adopted into the LWVUS Program Plan for the next biennium. Please see below to view those requests for support.

As a point of information, the LWVMA board voted to include the climate change item in its LWVUS Program Planning survey, but will not be including the LWV Vermont item on healthcare.  Just a reminder that local Leagues are not bound to mimic LWVMA’s input on national program planning - each League decides for itself on its input to LWVUS.

Convention

LWVUS Convention is taking place in Washington, DC 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), hotel blocks, etc.

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. This dedicated section on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will serve as a platform for sharing stories, initiatives, trainings and updates related to DEI efforts within the League and the broader community. 

March is Women's History Month. When you aren't taught to read, when you aren't taught to write, when you don't have a public surname, when the major recorded events of your life are the date you were bought or sold or listed in an estate at the death of your owner, you become invisible to history. Rarely, you escape. You learn to read, to write, to sign your name to documents, to pen letters, a diary, or poetry. You have employment, own land, purchase goods and services. You become an individual in the public domain. Your birth may be lost, but your death may be recorded. Even more rarely, your name and hence your life enter the store receipts, the newspapers, the tax records, and the judicial system. If you live long enough your stories, your adventures, and your notoriety may have an audience, and you may even have an obituary.  How did you do that? Read more.