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Dear League Members and Friends,
The LWV in Michigan will be very busy in the months before the elections in November. There are three efforts to improve access to voters this year.
1)
Promote the Vote: this
campaign is an effort to place on the November ballot a constitutional amendment to provide comprehensive election reform for Michigan. This campaign will be the Michigan League's top priority. There is a kickoff party scheduled for Feb 21. We will be seeking petition signatures and offering education. Please stay tuned for details.
2) LWVMI Lawsuit: The League of Women Voters of Michigan and 11 individual voters filed a lawsuit against the State of Michigan in federal court in Detroit to end unfair, partisan gerrymandering of Michigan's Congressional, state senate and state house districts. Text of complaint. We will not hear much about the lawsuit as it works its way through the courts, but rely on the LWVMI web page for current information.
3) Voters Not Politicians: This initiative calls for an independent commission to establish district lines. On December 18, 2017, VNP submitted the requisite number of petition signatures to the Secretary of State's office. Redistricting is a complicated topic, but citizen involvement to make this process fair is critical. We congratulate VNP on its successful efforts.
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Program Planning
February 8, 1-3pm
Creative360
What do we mean by Program Planning? League program is the education and advocacy platform that we adopt to move our mission forward. (LWV.org)
All levels of the LWV have a Program statement.
At this meting, we will be reviewing our
Local Program
and
questions from the LWV of the US
.
All members are invited to participate in the Program Planning Meeting on
February 8.
Our input on the National Program is submitted to the LWVUS. Then the 2018-2020 national program will be voted on by delegates a
t the 2018 National Convention in Chicago.
Impact on Issues is the League of Women Voters official document on policies and positions.
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Meet your new voting machines
Friday, March 2 11:45am 1:00pm
Rooms 159 and 160
4700 Dublin Rd.
New voting machines are coming and we want you to be ready! If you haven't voted recently, you may want to attend this demonstration of the latest equipment in use by the County of Midland. The League of Women Voters has asked Chief Deputy County Clerk John Keefer to come to the Trailside Center with voting equipment and ballots for you to try. He will explain how the voting process works and answer your other voting questions.
John Keefer is the newly appointed Chief Deputy County Clerk for the
County of Midland. He began his career path working for ElectionSource in 2011, serving 29 counties in Michigan as their support liaison, maintaining and servicing their voting equipment. John is looking forward to serving the local clerks, helping to assist them in their transition to the new voting equipment. Beyond elections, he is excited about serving the community in the County Clerk's office and has always had a passion for helping others. When he is not working, he enjoys fishing, the outdoors, and spending time with his wife and kids. John and his family will be relocating from Grand Haven, Michigan, to Midland County in the coming months.
Collaborative programs offered with the League of Women Voters have been very popular in the past, so be sure to register early to reserve your spot! To register for the program, call 633-3700 by 9am on the day of the program. Please be sure to specify if registering for the program only or the program and lunch. Attendees planning to have lunch need to arrive by11:30am at Trailside. Space is limited in the room, so please call ahead to reserve a spot. Lunches are by suggested donation to those over 60, or $6 for those under 60, payable at the door.
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Carrie Chapman Catt |
Women's History Month Concert
Midland Community Orchestra will feature a program of women composers, Sunday March 11, 3pm at Bullock Creek High School. Women's organizations, including the LWV of the Midland Area, to display information about their organizations before and after the concert. Refreshments served following the concert.
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Opportunity to Serve! Help register voters at Delta College
Our Midland Area League is continuing our tradition of helping young people become voters by participating in a voter registration drive at Delta College
April 10-12. We helped register over 350 voters in each of the drives at Delta in 2014 and 2016, and we're looking forward to another banner year!
We need volunteers to assist the registrants. Shifts are 2 hours each from 10:00 a.m to 6:00 p.m. (10-12, 12-2, 2-4, 4-6), with two volunteers/shift. No experience needed!
This is a perfect way to make a real contribution with just a 2-hour commitment. Contact
Sue McCollister (
[email protected] or 631-4180) to sign up or if you have questions.
Note from President Katherine: I really enjoy interacting with the Delta students as we inform them about the voting process.
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Jean Gale Selby, 1930-2018
Jean Selby passed away January 24, 2018. She was a member of the League of Women Voters of the Midland Area. Our condolences to her family.
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Historian Position Available
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Our League is in need of a Historian. The historian is responsible for the maintenance of photographs and press clippings. According to the Records Retention schedule for Midland Area LWV:
- Photos are retained for 5 years as Working Files in the custody of the Historian, then submitted for archiving.
- Press clippings are retained for 5 years as Working Files in the custody of the Historian, then submitted for archiving "if historically significant".
Primary duties -
Photos
: Board and other League members will submit photos to the Historian as they become available, to be maintained in Working Files.
Press clippings
: The Historian will monitor Midland Daily News for coverage of our League and save articles in original newsprint form.
Other publications will be screened as appropriate, e.g. Midland County Newsletter, M-Live online. (Need to decide whether articles should be clipped from the paper, vs. saving the entire page.)
On a yearly basis, the Historian will submit both types of records that are ready for archiving (at least 5 years old) to the President, who will present the documents to the Historical Society. In cases where photos or press clippings are expected to be used in the next few years, the records may be retained in Working Files and not submitted for archiving.
Backlogs
: With guidance from experienced board member(s), the Historian will review photos and press clippings that may have accumulated in Board members' possession and need to be processed for retention.
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Feb 8, 1-3pm
Creative360
Program Planning
Feb 21, 7pm
Promote the Vote Kickoff Party
Creative 360
All are welcome
Feb 28, 2pm - Pay Equity: Past & Present
Creative360
Judy Donahue
Mar 2, 11:30 - 1pm
Meet Your Voting Machines
April 9-13 - Delta College
Voter Registration
May 16, 6pm - Annual Meeting & Dinner
C. Bradley Kaye, Midland City Manager
Jun 12, 5:30 - Fun & Frolic
Pontoon ride on Sanford Lake - arrive at Sharron Such's house at 5:30
Join the boating group at restaurant. RSVP to Sharron or 689-4148.
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Board Members
The board meets the First Thursday of each month at Creative360. All members are welcome.
Secretary - Julie Schmidt - also website
VP Membership - Judy McDowell
VP Program - Sharron Such
Director, Program Co-chair - Judy Donahue
Director, Voter Service - Sue McCollister
Director, Voter Service - Kim Steinke
Director, Voter Service - Al Bailey
Director, Natural Resources - Carole Swinehart
Director, Natural Resources - Sandy Collinson
Director, Education - Terry Townley
Director, Sandy Haughton
Director, Membership - Carol McPherson
Director, Bay County - Pam Saddler
Director, Print Media - Cathy Heng
Director at Large - Fran Hamburg
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| LWV-Bay County (geographical unit of LWV Midland Area) |
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When you visit our sponsors, please identify yourself as a LWV Member
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