League of Women Voters of NYS

61st Biennial Convention

Summary and Recap

The League of Women Voters of New York State Biennial Convention took place June 20–22 in Albany, uniting local league delegates under the theme Standing Together, Defending Democracy. With keynote addresses by LWVUS President Dianna Wynn and Nashville Councilmember Olivia Hill, attendees engaged in dynamic workshops and breakout sessions to innovate civic education and bolster voter registration. Through plenaries and smaller gatherings, delegates exchanged bold ideas, strengthened local connections, and departed energized to launch a statewide grassroots movement focused on democratic renewal. 

Here’s a summary of everything that unfolded at this year’s convention—scroll down to explore all the highlights. 

WELCOME DINNER

The League of Women Voters of NYS started its 61st biennial state Convention with a welcome dinner and speech with the League of Women Voters US President, Dianna Wynn. Dianna spoke about the challenges the League is facing and how we are advocating for change on the national, state and local level. She also spoke about how important our role is as a nonpartisan grassroots organization. 

Many attendees found Dianna’s remarks to be inspiring, uplifting and encouraging. 

MORNING MESSAGE  

We started Saturday with another word from Dianna Wynn who helped ground us in our mission before we started the day. We were also thrilled to be joined by a representative from Governor Hochul’s office, Commissioner Jeanette Moy, Office of General Services, who shared a few words with us. 

WORKSHOPS

We started Saturday with another word from Dianna Wynn who helped ground us in our mission before we started the day. We were also thrilled to be joined by a representative from Governor Hochul’s office, Commissioner Jeanette Moy, Office of General Services.  



On Saturday morning, attendees participated in multiple workshops, including: 

• Building Momentum: Strengthening membership through community relationships and political action, presented by Ann Marie Pendergast, LWV Saratoga, and MaryKate Owens, LWV Albany  
• From Outrage to Impact: Advocacy Tools That Advance Democracy, presented by Clyanna Lightbourn, Campaign Director and Erica Smitka, Executive Director 
• Power Up the Vote: A New Look at Get Out the Vote Strategies, presented by Nick Doran, Vice President of Voter Service 
• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access: DEI is a Verb! moderated by Regina Tillman, LWVNYS Vice President for Diversity Equity and Inclusion 

Guest Panelist: 

• Olivia Hill, Council Member at Large, Nashville TN 
• Samuel Caldwell, Vice President for Inclusive Excellence & Equity, University at Albany, NY 
• Angelica Kong, Chief Diversity Officer and Associate Counsel, NYS Office of General Services, Albany, NY  

PowerPoint presentations and handouts from these workshops are available on the state League website at: https://lwvny.org/conventions-and-council-2025/

Here is what attendees had to say about the workshops: 

“The ‘From Outrage to Impact: Advocacy Tools That Advance Democracy’ and ‘Building Momentum: Strengthening Membership through Community Relationships and Political Action sessions were excellent. They featured a number of thought‑provoking ideas, generously shared by both presenters and attendees.” 

- LWV of Port Washington-Manhasset member 

“The ‘Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Access DEI is a Verb!’ session and ‘Power Up the Vote: A New Look at Get Out the Vote Strategies’ session were both helpful because new perspectives were expressed and new information given.” 

-LWV of Utica/ Rome Metro Area member 

“I only went to one workshop, ‘From Outrage to Impact: Advocacy Tools That Advance Democracy’. My league is going to ask her to present it to us because it was well done and helpful.” 

-LWV of Saratoga County member 

LUNCH SPEAKER

During the lunch on Saturday, Tennessee Council Member at Large, Olivia Hill, shared her experiences as a candidate for office, a member of the military, and the first openly transgender person to be elected to public office in the state of Tennessee. She gave an inspiring speech discussing the impact of her transition and how her drive to advocate for what’s right led to her run for public office. 

PLENARY SESSION- JUNE 21st and 22nd

Attorney General Letitia James shared a powerful pre-recorded message the next morning honoring the League of Women Voters of New York State for our steadfast dedication to protecting democracy. She praised our tireless efforts to educate, engage, and empower voters, especially in the face of rising threats to voting rights and misinformation. Emphasizing the importance of the First Amendment, she reminded attendees that the right to vote and speak out is fundamental to a thriving democracy. Attorney General James urged the League to continue expanding access to the ballot, reaching underserved communities, and inspiring the next generation of civic leaders. 

The League of Women Voters of NYS plenary session opened at 2:37 pm on Saturday with 78 delegates, 4 observers, 4 visitors. 74 delegates representing 32 local leagues, 3 MAL units representing 3 MAL units, 1 ILO representing 1 ILO, and 12 proxies. New York State Attorney General Leticia James virtually welcomed the attendees to Albany. 

Nancy Rosenthal, LWVNYS President, chaired the following actions taken at the State Convention. 

The LWVNYS 2025-26 Budget was adopted; see in the Pre Convention Kit at: https://lwvny.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Pre-Convention-Kit-2025-FINAL.pdf  

The 2025-2027 Officers and Board were elected: 

Officers  

President: Nancy Rosenthal LWV of Albany County 

1st VP Issues and Advocacy: Sally Robinson LWV of New York City 

2nd VP Voter Services: Jane Colvin LWV of New York City 

3rd VP Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Regina Tillman LWV of Albany County 

4th VP Local League Support: Marjorie McIntosh LWV of Cattaraugus/Allegany MAL Unit 

Secretary: Chris Alexander LWV of Saratoga County 

Treasurer: Nancy Agen LWV of Utica - Rome 

Directors  

Mary Croxton LWV of Chautauqua County 

Crystal Joseph LWV of Rivertowns 

Patty MacLeish LWV of Cooperstown 

Carla Michalak LWV of Broome Tioga 

Nominating Committee Members  

Chair Judie Gorenstein LWV of Rivertowns 

Member Kate Doran LWV of New York City 

Member Lori Robinson LWV of Buffalo/Niagara 

The 2025-27 program was adopted including: 

Shortened Position on Privatization: 

The League believes that healthcare, like other programs that provide and protect basic human needs, should be considered a public good. The League favors a system where fiduciary responsibility (for such programs) is to patients and the public. Because private for-profit corporations have a fiduciary responsibility to their shareholders rather than to patients or public health, the League believes the for-profit business model for healthcare is inappropriate for the common good or to meet the basic needs of the most vulnerable members of society. In sum, the League opposes further privatization of needed healthcare. Where private entities fail to deliver programs that provide and protect basic human needs, the League supports de-privatizing them.” 

The results of two studies were announced: 

Two studies were approved by delegates at the 2023 state convention as part of the Board recommended program and conducted over the last two years by two different committees. Nancy thanked the members of both committees for all their hard work. 

Voting Systems Approval Process with Sally Robinson, Chair and members: Deb Liebman, Dona Wonacott, Nick Doran, Michele Shivers, and Kate Doran 

Rank Choice Voting and Primary systems with Michele Lamberti, Chair and members: Barbara Grosh, Timothy Priano, Leah Zelkowitz, Kerry Hager 

Nineteen leagues responded in the RCV/Primary Systems Study and 15 responded in the Voting Systems Approval Process Study. Responses for both met the state consensus requirement for participation and geographic distribution. 

Both the Rank Choice Voting and Primary Systems statement of that study were approved and are now part of the LWVNYS positions on Election Law. 

Rank Choice Voting: 

• The League of Women Voters of New York State supports the use of ranked-choice voting (a.k.a., instant runoff voting), in primary, general and/or special elections to elect federal, state and/or local officials. 
• With the adoption of any electoral system, the League believes that education of the voting public is important, and funding for startup and voter education should be allocated. 

Primary Systems 

• The League of Women Voters of New York State supports changing from a closed partisan primary system to a primary system, including a nonpartisan primary system, that allows all registered voters to participate, regardless of party affiliation or lack thereof. 
• We support the use of nonpartisan primaries to elect federal, state, and local officials. 

For the Voting Systems Approval Process study, the first statement was approved, and the second statement did not reach the required 2/3 level of approval. 

Voting Systems Approval Process: The League of Women Voters of New York State believes that a more transparent and open voting systems approval process would improve voter understanding of, and confidence in, our elections. 

• Support for greater transparency and public input in the approval process, including increased demonstrations open to the public, followed by a comment period. 
• Public demonstrations should be scheduled to provide public input earlier in the certification process. 

During the session, Nancy then thanked the volunteers who assisted with the plenary session: 

Linda McKenney, Kai Rosenthal, Judie Gorenstein, Laura Bierman, Lori Robinson, Deborah Liebman, Darnell Rohrbaugh, Barb Thomas, Joanna Lasher, Joan Johnson, Cheryl Nechamen, Charle Philips, Steve Koebrich, Aimee Allaud, Karen Maher, Poorvi Sarkar, Lea Mastorakis, Pat Maxon, Cathy Cain, and Kathy Koebrich for training and supervising the volunteers for the plenary sessions. 

Nancy Rosenthal introduced the staff of the State League’s office who worked so hard to make sure everything was ready for convention: Erica Smitka, Executive Director, Xavia Francis, Program and Office Coordinator, Clyanna Lightbourn, Campaign Director, Virginia Gokhale, Finance Administrator.  

She also thanked the volunteers who served in operational roles at this convention: 

Nick Doran and Kate Doran co-chaired the Elections Committee; Marjorie McIntosh and Mary Croxton served as the Minutes Review Committee. Kai Rosenthal chaired the Credential Committee. Jane Colvin and Ann Leiter served on the Action Motions Committee. Laura Bierman served as Parliamentarian.  

Before closing the plenary session, Nancy presented gifts to the outgoing board members: Michele Lamberti, Nick Doran, Kate Doran and Kathy Meany. Michele and Kathy could not attend, but gifts were accepted on their behalf. Nancy Rosenthal, the state League President, provided remarks to close the session.   

The 61st biennial state Convention was adjourned on Sunday.

AWARDS

Congratulations to the recipients of our 2025 State Convention Awards. This year we celebrated not just winners, but a remarkable group of nominees, each entry truly embodied innovation and inspiration. Every submission challenged norms, sparked creativity, and reminded us of the power of new ideas continuing to move us forward as a state.  

More details will be available on the state website on each award recipient and their approach to voter outreach, inclusivity, civic education, and more.

On Saturday evening, the state League presented awards to local Leagues in different categories. The winners are as follows: 

Based on LWVUS Roster Membership Numbers from February 1, 2023, to January 31, 2025.  

Audrey Price Memorial Membership Award  

For outstanding membership growth in small Leagues (membership under 50) 

Winner: LWV of St. Lawrence County MAL Unit 

Honorable Mention LWV of Cattaraugus and Allegany Counties MAL Unit and LWV of Steuben Chemung   

Anna Lord Strauss Membership Award  

For outstanding membership growth in medium-sized Leagues (membership under 50-150) 

Winner: LWV of Rockland County 

Honorable Mention LWV of Huntington, LWV of Larchmont-Mamaroneck, LWV of the North Country 

Harriet D. Goldberg Award  

For outstanding membership growth in large Leagues (membership over 150) 

Winner: LWV of Rochester 

Honorable Mention LWV of Saratoga 

Educating Voters to Action Award (Citizen Education)  

Winner: LWV of the City of New York 

When the 2024 general election was approaching, there were five local ballot initiatives for New York City voters to consider on the ballot. These ballot proposals were the result of the Mayor’s Charter Revision Commission that commenced in March 2024. The Commission was in place for only three months before providing its five ballot proposals.  

From all this research and study, we created full reviews of each ballot measure including; How it appears on the ballot, What the proposal is meant to achieve (with a link to the Charter Revision Commission’s final report), LWVNYC’s PROs and CONs of the individual Proposals. 

We shared this information with all 51 Council District offices, all 58 City Community Boards, our 200 partner organizations, and the media. We also posted it on our League website and promoted it on our social channels.  

• The local NYC press outlet, AMNY, included an article about our explanations, with a live link to our website, in an article about the election days before voting began.  
• The page on our website featuring the Ballot Proposal Pros/Cons received more than 63,000 unique views, dramatically increasing the days before the general election.  

One of the League’s missions and responsibilities is to inform and educate the voters in New York City, so they feel confident completing their ballots. Our unbiased and thoughtful analysis of the ballot proposals demonstrated the League’s commitment to a more informed electorate and reinforced the mission of the League.   

Mobilizing Democracy into Action Award (Get Out the Vote)  

Winner: LWV of Rivertowns 

Hosted three other high school events registering 26 students, with two more planned in May. This is in addition to our registration events in spring 2024 where we registered 576 students. All told: 1,336 students registered! 

Most successful in their outreach to Yonkers, where they had long been unable to get traction with the schools. Through the dogged determination of one member, we succeeded in holding voter registration events last fall in six different high schools and registered 734 students. 

With so many communities in its purview, Rivertowns continues to be busy running candidate forums, both in person and virtually. Last fall they hosted two: the 35th Senate district and the 92nd Assembly district. This spring they have hosted four for school board candidates in partnership with the PTAs; in June they will host three more forums for primary elections for Yonkers City Council President and Hastings-on-Hudson mayor. The virtual forums provided ASL interpretation and closed captioning through partnering with Disability Rights New York. All forums are recorded and posted on YouTube. The forums attracted 408 viewers live and virtually, and the recordings were viewed by 2,301: a total of 2,709 people reached with this important voter information. 

Lighting the Way Award (Membership and Leadership)  

Winner: LWV of Rochester Metro Area 

To increase the awareness of the League’s activities, the League held “mini retreats” in conjunction with the Program Planning meetings in February 2024 and 2025. Members were encouraged to invite potential new members to the event, and it was publicized on the website. League committees set up tables with materials and provided opportunities for attendees’ areas of interest. Nonmembers had the opportunity to join in the event. A lunch buffet provided another way for attendees to interact with each other and discuss opportunities for involvement. Nonmembers were invited to observe the program planning consensus sessions in the afternoon. This provided an additional opportunity to understand the priorities of the League. The mini retreats were all attended by members and non-members in both years. 

Building Bridges to Excellence Award (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion)  

Winner: LWV of Hamptons, Shelter Island, and North Fork 

The League of Women Voters Hamptons, Shelter Island, and North Fork has increased accessibility to its board meetings by using Zoom, allowing broader participation from younger members and those unable to drive, though diversity remains an ongoing goal. The Voter Services committee, the League’s largest, conducted outreach at major community events and applied a DEI lens to engage underrepresented populations, including translating materials into Spanish and budgeting for live translation at a future debate.  

A 2024 DEI roundtable led to expanded voter services in Riverhead and a recommendation to host a public information session on affordable workforce housing. In April 2025, a well-received public meeting with Anti-Bias Task Force leaders provided valuable insight into local equity challenges and encouraged dialogue among community members. The League continues to strengthen partnerships by attending events hosted by diverse organizations, demonstrating a sustained commitment to inclusion and civic engagement. 

Shaping Our Future Award (Youth Award) 

Winner: LWV of Hamptons, Shelter Island, and North Fork 

The Hamptons Youth Committee developed a 3 Phase Youth Program held over a 2-year period. The goal was to register high school students to vote, educate them about running for political office, and to engage and motivate them to be more civically active. 

This 3 Phase Youth Program not only engaged and motivated the students who participated, it energized our membership, and 2 inactive members stepped up to participate.   

We maintain good relationships with the administrators of our 10 area schools and because of the success of this program they look forward to all the opportunities we make available to their students. 

Inspiring Citizens into Action Award (Citizen Engagement)  

Winners: LWV of the City of New York 

In 2025, Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) is being used for only the second time in NYC’s mayoral primary, and voter confusion still persists. To address this, the NYC League of Women Voters created visually engaging handouts explaining how RCV works, along with materials outlining the responsibilities of elected officials. These resources were translated into Spanish and Simplified Chinese, with help from the Center for Urban Pedagogy and community partners who ensured cultural accuracy. The handouts were made available as downloadable PDFs on the League’s website, shared via QR codes, and distributed in print at events, through partner organizations, and to City Council offices and Community Boards. The Department of Corrections approved the explainers and made them available to over 6,000 individuals at Rikers Island, choosing the League’s version over the Campaign Finance Board’s due to its clarity. Feedback on the materials has been overwhelmingly positive, with users praising the accessible content and engaging design. 

IDEAS TO SHARE

Checking our temperatures (thoughts, feelings, concerns): 

 Leagues noted that now is the moment to transform our anxiety into grassroots activism—our fears need not impede action. We affirm that even birthright citizenship offers no immunity from deportation, and as we channel our energy into the cause, prioritize self‑care as an essential element of sustaining meaningful engagement. 

Attendees emphasized the importance of self-care, staying grounded, and focusing on local, meaningful actions to maintain emotional resilience and reduce overwhelm. Dianna’s speech was widely praised for inspiring hope, reinforcing the League’s nonpartisan mission, and encouraging issue-focused civic engagement. Many found motivation in community partnerships, acts of kindness, and grassroots efforts, rather than relying on top-down change.  

Time to Act (action steps/ideas): Leagues shared successful practices such as voter registration at public events, creating resource posters, and forming student speaker bureaus. Despite challenges like voter access and low turnout at some outreach events, members remained committed to inclusivity and collaboration. 

Convention attendees valued the opportunity to exchange ideas, build connections, and draw strength from like-minded peers. Overall, the experience reinforced the League’s role as a vital, hopeful force for democracy, equity, and informed civic action. 

Notes from U.S. League President, Dianna Wynn’s Town Hall   

• Engage the community through creative, hands-on activities such as sign-making workshops, suffragist parades, trivia nights, flash mobs, and artistic expressions like music, poetry, and visual art to promote civic participation.  
• Collaborate with local colleges and high schools by forming student-led League chapters, sponsoring events on campus, and surveying youth to identify issues that motivate them to vote.  
• Strengthen voter outreach by integrating VR (voter registration) into art centers, resource fairs, parent meetups, and faith-based gatherings, while also promoting tools like Vote411.  
• Educate and empower residents with “Know Your Rights” training, bystander support materials, and Observer Corps involvement to boost civic confidence and accountability.  
• Build inclusive connections through international potlucks, community gatherings, and respectful dialogue across differences to form strong, supportive networks.  
• Mobilize action through phone banking, postcard campaigns, public demonstrations, and partnerships with civic influencers on social media to make democracy visible, local, and personal

MOMENTS IN THE SUN 

Barbara Gunderson of LWV Buffalo-Niagara 

Moment #1: We have a program of college liaisons. A college liaison works with the student affairs staff at her assigned college/university to support voter registration, information, and get out the vote plans the college is planning, and to offer advice, materials, and volunteers to implement those plans. She also innovates with them for more GOTV strategies. 

Cindy Havey, the college liaison for SUNY Buffalo and Buffalo State University took the information, suggestions, and advice given to her by Nick Doran and offered strategies to both universities’ student affairs staff. Buffalo State University pretty much fully implemented the SUNY Binghamton model shared by Nick, while SUNY Buffalo ‘s dynamic assistant director of student affairs, RJ Haq, was very creative in registering students to vote and getting out the vote. At each campus, at least 300 students registered to vote using their college addresses, which made each college eligible for an on-campus polling place on election day. The first day the polling place was open was on November 4, 2024. This success was celebrated by both colleges and our League. Buffalo State student affairs staff nominated Cindy and our League for a national award, which we won. 

Moment #2: Alberta Roman, a League member who attended this convention as one of our delegates, started the Library Champs program. Three years ago, she signed up to use the display areas at the North Tonawanda Public Library for a get out the vote display for the months of September and October. She was also able to staff an information/education/ registration table once a week. This was so successful that we decided to implement it at all the main and branch public libraries in Erie and Niagara Counties—63 sites. The role of the champ was to build a relationship with library staff in order to display voter registration forms and informational materials and, if space permitted, create and maintain a get out the vote display during September and/or October. We used money from the Voter Services budget to purchase lots of materials from LWVNYS and to purchase display cases and decorative items. For instance, we have patriotic gnomes and patriotic display backgrounds. We plan to do this on a continuing basis. We are so grateful to Alberta and to all our library champs. 

Among the materials we left at libraries was the “Your Right to Vote: Homeless” trifold. We provided lots of them at the main library in Buffalo where many homeless people spend their days. One of our members saw the trifold and offered to distribute 100 of them to all the homeless shelters and kitchens in Buffalo. As a result of this, the local Salvation Army invited her to meet biweekly at their facility to counsel their homeless residents on voting. This is her passion project, and we are so grateful for her. 

Carla Michalak of LWV Broome-Tioga 

For two years, the League has been working in the local jails to register detainees (and corrections officers). They are not confident they were receiving their absentee ballots. Worked hard with their representatives to pass an act to assist with this.  

Hudi Podolsky of LWV Cooperstown  

The moment in the sun I related for LWV Cooperstown Area was my registration visit to the Otsego County jail where I registered and delivered absentee ballots for several voters, including several first-time voters. One man told me that he had never voted before, but that being incarcerated had given him time to think about his relationship to the government - his rights and his responsibilities. It was clear that it was meaningful to all these voters to know that they were valued and not forgotten. 

Shirley Buel of LWV Rensselaer County 

The Rensselaer County League has been working with local high schools. Students were upset in their budget had not passed but they were not registered in time to vote. They set up voter registration and were invited by the superintendent to come back in the fall. The second vote passed. 

Barbara Grosh of LWV Rochester 

Students may have registered at 16 or 17 but might forget. LWV of Rochester went to the county BOE to get all the people who pre-registered and their birthdate and sent them post cards on their 18th birthday to wish them happy birthday and remind them they were registered to vote. Got a positive response from people who do not always trust the league. 

We realized that young people who preregister to vote at 16 or 17 when they get a drivers license might have forgotten about it by the time they can vote. We got a list of them from our BOE. Once a month we mail birthday postcards to those who have just turned 18, reminding them they can vote. A QR code takes them to our website where there are FAQs for new young voters. We realized that it gives us visibility in homes all over the county, including suburban Republican areas where wither we’re less known or seen as partisan.  

Kim Cameron of LWV Cortland 

The County Legislature observer had a presentation for Women’s History March. The LWV did the presentation, and it was the first time the county recognized Women’s History Month. 

Karen Chisholm of LWV Syracuse Metro 

One of our moments was a “Lunch and Learn” on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. We had 4 guest panelists, one of which was the 3rd VP of the LWVNYS, Regina Tillman. There was a record attendance for the public event. We continue to work to maintain awareness and focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.  

Bella Wang of LWV of the City of New York  

LWV of the City of New York had 100+ partners and events, 15,000 voters had a conversation with League members, and their website has been translated into 200 languages.  

Christine Florez of LWV of Albany County 

LWV of Albany registered over 600 voters, hosted 40 different events, reached over 800 education contacts, accepted 80 voter registration forms, doesn’t include candidate forums or other things. They also held a fundraising event to honor League member Stephen Winters.  

Dare Thompson of LWV of Mid-Hudson Region 

The Mid-Hudson League worked on trying to expand visibility across the three counties in which they have three board of elections, three state senators and 8 state assembly members. The League worked hard to bring in new members to the organization. They also worked closely with the Sheriff for Ulster County (Sheriff Figueroa also the president of the Sheriff’s Association). Sheriff Figueroa spoke at their annual meeting.  

Cheryl of LWV of Schenectady 

LWV of Schenectady received a grant to register young people and had previously done registration in schools. This time they worked with the students and trained them to register voters so they could sit at the table and register their peers. They registered 160 students at a suburban and an urban school. 

Mary Croxton of LWV of Chautauqua County 

LWV of Chautauqua County did their first naturalization ceremony in Jamestown to register new citizens. They also hosted a program for immigration with a panel including: an immigration lawyer, New Neighbors Coalition, Principal of a HS composed mostly of immigrants and the YWCA. Additionally, 54 LWV members volunteered to assist with board and budget school voting. At 8:55 (close at 9 pm) a young person walked in, announced she was a first-time voter. She was in pajamas and woke herself up to vote. “Remember the Ladies” from Abigal Adams was read at Woman’s Day March. She was the first to support suffrage.  

Patricia Sibilia of LWV of Albany 

LWV of Albany focused on local work and worked to grow their observer corp. They also did a library study to determine what was the lowest funded library. This really helped facilitate the conversation around renovations. They also thought about how to get more coverage at the local level- an example would be the NYS Coalition for Local Government to think locally and learn about local issues.  

Diane DiMeo of LWV of Utica-Rome 

The Utica Chamber of Commerce sponsored the 1st Civics Bee competition in our community during 2025, and they reached out to us (LWV Utica/Rome) to partner with them, as they felt our organization was a natural fit for this event, given our focus and reputation. This competition was for middle school students. Several of our members participated in the first round of judging by being virtual judges. Those students that passed that round attended a live event with 3 judges from the community, with one of them being a member of LWV Utica/Rome. The young woman who won the competition, went to Albany for the statewide competition, placing third. The Chamber was very pleased with this event, being its first time doing it, and pledged to hold it again next year, starting earlier in the school year to recruit more students and including LWV in the planning, promotion and production. 

Susanne Thomas of LWV of Buffalo-Niagara Counties 

John Lewis said, “Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.” Our Community Partnership Committee for the advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion has worked diligently under the direction of chair Timothy Priano to partner with nearly 400 community partners. They meet virtually monthly to discuss ways in which we can support one another in making good trouble throughout the Erie and Niagara counties. Due in part to these collaborations, our League is heading up the July 17th Good Trouble Lives On Rally honoring Congressman John Lewis and keeping pressure on our leaders to honor our democracy. 

Marjorie McIntosh of LWV of Cattaraugus/Allegany 

1. LWV of Cattaraugus/ Allegany Counties, LWV of St Lawrence County and LWV of BUF/NIAG were all nominated by local colleges in each respective area for various non-partisan voter and civic education activities, separate and independent of one another.  The ALL IN CAMPUS DEMOCRACY CHALLENGE, as part of Civics Nation, has approximately 1000 participating campuses across the nation, and a variety of awards were presented to acknowledge nonpartisan partnerships and efforts for the 2024 election. There were six leagues awarded an ALL IN Standout Local Nonpartisan Partner Award nationwide, and three of those six are from NYS, as listed. All three NYS Leagues are active with colleges and universities within their counties and will continue building relationships and supporting nonpartisan student voter engagement. 

2. LWV of Cattaraugus and Allegany Counties was proud to host and sponsor a recent GOP mayoral primary debate in the largest "city" in Cattaraugus County, Olean (less than 13,500 people), with an online media partner affiliated with St. Bonaventure University. Despite several attempts to host debates over the years, they are uncommon in this area, as the last one we held was in 2018 and was quite contentious. 

The debate was well attended on the local community college campus, Jamestown Community College, Olean campus, with nearly 120 attendees in person, 100 more watched in real time via livestream and more than 1100 watched it on You Tube within 2 days after the event. There was good media coverage before and after the event. Both candidates expressed gratitude for the opportunity to participate in such a non-partisan and fair debate. 

Lori Dawson of LWV of Saratoga County 

The LWV of Saratoga County formed a group called WRAC to get the vote out for Prop 1. They also welcomed new members and matched their interest with committees.  

Barbara Gunderson of LWV of Buffalo/Niagara  

In each of the 63 library branches there was a LWV volunteer that made voting information available. They also distributed brochures for unhoused voters at each shelter.  

Barbara Raisch of LWV of Huntington 

Provided voting information to freshmen in college and registered students at 6 colleges.  

Terry of LWV of Shelter Island, Hamptons, and North Folk  

Our League of the Hamptons, Shelter Island, and North Fork had a dynamic year. We presented major events on the ERA, Mis and disinformation and a public information meeting with anti-bias task forces. The ERA event included local and out of state speakers, entertainment, and refreshments. It brought in $10,000 in donations from nonmembers. 

Teri Lukin of LWV of NW Westchester MAL 

LWV of NW Westchester MAL worked on a number of ERA events.  

Judy Esterquest of LWV of Port Washington 

LWV of Port Washington-Manhasset participated in LWVUS group on immigration. 

Convention Kit

Read all about what the state League has accomplished during this past year!

Read the Convention Kit here.