LWVUS National Convention

From June 27-30th, several members of LWV of Washtenaw County attended the LWV National Convention held in Washington DC.  One member, Melissa Famula, attended in person; the following members attended virtually: Lynne Kochmanski, Catherine Murau, Betty Bishop, Robbi Duda, Sandra Sorini Elser, and Joan Sampieri.  Some of the highlights are featured below.

In League,

Lynne Kochmanski, President LWV-WC

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LWVUS National Convention Recap

Submitted by Lynne Kochmanski, President LWV-WC

Lobby Day, Thursday, June 27

The first day of the convention was devoted to lobbying.  There were 230 league members from around the country who visited 120 offices. The focus was to lobby for the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.  Also, that evening, there was a fascinating all-woman panel discussion about the movement to abolish the electoral college.  The panel was moderated by Celina Stewart, LWVUS chief counsel (and our new LWVUS CEO), joined by Carolyn Dupont, professor of history at Eastern Kentucky University; Keesha Gaskins-Nathan, director for the Democratic Practice — United States program and the Racial Justice Initiative at the Rockefeller Brothers Fund; and Na'ilah Amaru, advocacy and policy strategist. 

Link to presentation: Turn Up for One Person, One Vote!

First Plenary Session, Friday, June 28

After a video tribute to the late Dr. Deborah Turner, LWVUS Board President Sonia Irwin called the meeting to order.  Link to video tribute: Honoring Dr. Deborah Ann Turner

The first order of business was a motion to adopt the nominating slate of officers, which was passed with a voice vote.  There was one position on the nominating committee which was open.  That election was postponed until Saturday to allow time for a candidate forum to take place.  Next up were motions regarding changes to the bylaws.  Two of the motions passed overwhelmingly. These related to language clarifying the differences between convention and council which happen in different years.  The third bylaw change was tabled indefinitely.  It had to do with rules governing how recommended programs could be introduced at convention.  

Several other bylaw changes were brought forth relating to student members.  All failed to be considered, though much debate took place surrounding student member fees.

Second Plenary Session, Saturday, June 29

Before the session began, we heard remarks from our new CEO, Celina Stewart, who was inspirational!  

Click HERE for the link to CEO Celina Stewart’s remarks.

Saturday’s plenary was focused on program.  The Making Democracy Work program was readopted without amendment, though a motion to amend to include reproductive rights was debated and failed in a close vote. One concurrence relating to Washington State’s position on local news and the impact on democracy was adopted.  A motion to approve a study on the federal judiciary was passed as well.  

Several other recommended program items were moved for formal consideration to be voted on at Sunday’s plenary:

1.     Vermont position on privatization. (successfully moved forward)

2.     Greater Pittsburgh position on gun safety. (successfully moved forward)

3.     Consider Reproductive Rights as an update to LWVUS program. (successfully xxxxxmoved forward)

4.     Consider a study of our money system. (unsuccessful)

5.     Add a priority relating to the environment and climate change. (unsuccessful)

Finally, on Saturday, motions were adopted regarding dues amount and budget.  Both passed overwhelmingly.  Saturday evening Kimberly Teehee, Cherokee Nation Delegate to the US House, delivered a powerful speech on the history of Native women in justice movements, the partnership and shared values between Native peoples and the League, and the power of Native activists.

Link to keynote address:  2024 Convention Keynote Address: Kim Teehee

Closing Plenary Session, Sunday, June 30

The final plenary session was called to order. Sonia Irwin announced the results of the nominating committee election.  Several resolutions were presented and voted on. including:

1.     Support legislation that will establish statehood for the people of the District of xxxxxColumbia (passed)

2.     Recognize the importance of ethics in government policies (passed)

3.     Reaffirm long-standing position calling for fair and humane immigration reform xxxxx(passed)

4.     Resolved that the League should reaffirm its support of voting systems that xxxxxare secure, accurate, recountable, accessible and transparent, and that xxxxxinternet voting — the return of a completed ballot electronically — should not xxxxxbe allowed until it is shown to not only improve accessibility, but also is xxxxxsecure, accurate, recountable and transparent. (failed)

5.     Resolved that public libraries are essential institutions (passed)

6.     Resolved that the League of Women Voters reaffirms its commitment to fight xxxxxfor reproductive rights and justice (passed)

Motions to consider from Saturday were brought forward and debated with the following results:

1.     Vermont position on privatization (failed)

2.     Pittsburg position on gun safety (failed)

3.     Reproductive rights: withdrawn due to passage of resolution earlier

There was an announcement of a new partnership with Girl Scouts of America. LWV is working with Girl Scouts on a refresh of their “Promote the Vote” national service project that will incorporate VOTE411.org as its primary tool. More information will be coming in late July for local leagues.

Lastly, Dianna Wynn, new LWVUS Board President, gave remarks and hosted a fireside chat with incoming CEO, Celina Stewart, after which the meeting was adjourned.

President Dianna Wynn’s remarks: Convention 2024 Address from Dianna Wynn

The convention was highly successful, a master class in how democracy should work, giving time for voices to be heard and debate to occur.  It was inspiring to be able to participate in such a dynamic, diverse, thoughtful, and important event.  Details of the motions, videos of the remarks and other convention information is accessible to members only at the LWVUS league management site. 

Climate Interest Group Workshop

Submitted by Sandra Sorini Elser, Director of Advocacy LWV-WC

Climate Change is a top League priority because our warming planet, rising sea levels, and increasingly intense weather events are, and will become, a threat to our democracy. 

The Saturday afternoon Climate Interest Group Workshop described the important work this group is doing to educate and advocate for changes needed to address the threat of climate change. 

The Climate Interest Group has 6 Issue Teams:

• Climate Action Plan 
• Food, Soils and Agriculture
• Water
• Renewable Energy
• Oceans
• Forests and Wildfires

Click HERE to learn more about these teams. 

At the workshop we heard from a panel of team members describing:

• How we can educate our local governments to adopt a climate action plan that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by installing solar panels on municipal buildings, investing in electric buses and other city vehicles, and adopting building codes that require electric-ready homes and businesses. 
• How composting and reducing food waste can reduce methane produced in landfills, a significant source of greenhouse gas.
• Why warming oceans affect the weather and ecosystem of the entire planet.
• Why it’s so important to protect our fresh water, including our Great Lakes.
• How we can transition to renewable energy and stop using fossil fuels.
• The devastation caused by wildfires and how to prevent them.

The workshop emphasized that state and local Leagues, and individual League members, have a critical role to play in helping to limit future climate change and protect the planet.

The League has robust positions on the importance of addressing Climate Change. Learn more HERE.

Energizing Young Voters

Submitted by Catherine Murau, Vice-President LWV-WC

“Why should I vote?” is a question repeatedly heard from young voters; meanwhile, the League seeks to attract and inspire young members. A program called Engergizing Young Voters brings these two issues together by taking a dynamic presentation into high schools.

Several programs, all laid out on the website, provide ready-to-use templates and support materials. League members ideally work in coordination with a high school teacher to present on topics such as:

●      The Truth About Turnout (Who’s Got the Power?)

●      What’s Your Issue? How Do I Determine Issues Important to Me?

●      Voting Simulation

Voting Simulation is an in-person experience from registration to reading a sample ballot, to signing in at the polls, to learning when and how to ask for a provisional ballot, and finally, to vote. See New Jersey’s presentation HERE.

These programs have been used successfully by chapters around the country; presenting for the convention was a young and active League member from New York state.

Our already strong High School Voter Registration program could be a great fit for incorporating these modules. Let’s see if we can give this a try here in Washtenaw County!

Book Banning - Take a Stand

Submitted by Betty Bishop, Treasurer LWV-WC

I attended the excellent workshop on book banning put on by the LWV of Grosse Pointe (MI) at the National Convention. There were 90 in-person attendees and 68 via Zoom. We all learned about book challenges and bans and ways to fight against them. The Grosse Pointe LWV focused on this issue as part of their public library and school library advocacy position. The study started from their local Observer Corps and DEI Committee. The position was adopted by LWVMI as a state-wide position, by unanimous concurrence, at the LWVMI Convention in 2023. 

A number of organized groups are advocating book bans across the nation, often recommending banning large groups of books, many of which they have not read. Most of the books they attempt to ban relate to various minority groups (racial, LBGQT+, etc.). The League position stresses the importance of having these books available and of having League Observer Corps members observe local public library boards and school boards to watch for attempts at book banning.



A national Banned Books Week will take place September 22-28.  More information is available on the LWV of Grosse Pointe website as well as on websites for the American Library Association, PEN, and the National Coalition against Censorship.

Takeaways from Two Workshops

Nominating and Effective Storytelling

Submitted by Joan Sampieri

I attended two very helpful workshops at the convention. These are my takeaways, not necessarily the exact words.

Nominating: recommended methods for a successful process that included:

• Get organized early, read the bylaws to understand the committee’s job, develop a work plan.
• Understand the leadership needs of the board, make sure there are current job descriptions for the openings you’re working on, reach out to current leaders to understand the time commitments and issues, be aware of the current strategic or annual plan.
• Look for a broad range of possibilities. What ages, races, genders, sexual preferences, income levels, skills, and locations are not currently represented? 
• Provide an application process. Rank applications and interview, providing job descriptions.
• If you have trouble filling one or more slots, consider co-presidents or co-chairs.
• Choose the best qualified people who will provide diversity and offer the best possible board.
• And, finally, consider recommending changes to the bylaws (term limits, co-chairs) if the committee feels it would make the process smoother and result in the best board. Recommend a board self-assessment if your committee feels it would promote better functioning.

Effective Storytelling and Relational Organizing to Empower Young Voters to Action

• This was a chock-full workshop.  We should see if we can get permission to show to members.
• Storytelling is a way of conveying information that is not just fact based but offers personal reasons for taking an action or offering an opinion.
• It can help when the League is reaching out to young people who may not be aware of our work.
• Young people are moved by trust as well as authentic, passionate and confident storytellers. Participants were offered this very effective story.
• Young people already use storytelling among themselves, using TikTok and other platforms to connect and convince.
• 28% of young people (18-24) heard or read about social issues on social media.    

Engaged and Fired Up

Submitted by Melissa Famula

I have been a member of LWV Washtenaw for a few years now, but this is the first time I’ve ever had the pleasure of acting as a delegate to the LWVUS National Convention in Washington, D.C.  I am delighted to highlight some of my experiences, specifically Lobby Day and the plenary sessions.

I arrived Thursday to join Lobby Day, where delegates from around the country lobby their members of Congress regarding key issues of importance for the League. Our responsibility was to share our position on the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA). I visited the office of Senator Gary Peters and Representative Debbie Dingell. All our Washtenaw representatives have sponsored the VRAA! During Lobby Day, I met many LWVMI representatives, most with previous lobbying experience. I never felt as though I was on my own.

The critical part of being at the LWVUS National Convention is attending the plenary sessions. When you are on the floor and witnessing votes being cast in person, it is thrilling to see the League share its collective thoughts in real time. Member engagement helped to show the difficulty in elevating good policy while ensuring its elevation remained nonpartisan. When you are at a table with fellow LWV colleagues, there are opportunities to exchange ideas with each other. That level of engagement really allows you to see an issue from multiple sides and offer a thoughtful vote. 

The enthusiasm of all the LWV members I met from across the U.S. helped me to gain a deeper appreciation for the League. Those who work with LWV are truly heard and valued both in Washington and at home. For anyone looking to get fired up, consider applying to be a delegate for the Convention in 2026!



Melissa Famula (Washtenaw County member), Bridget Gawthrop (Dearborn/Dearborn Heights member), Sandy Main-Niemesto (NW Wayne County member), US Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, Carrie Moon-Dupree (NW Wayne County President), Paula Bowman (LWVMI Co-President)

LWV WASHTENAW LEADERSHIP TEAM

Contact us: league@lwvwashtenaw.org

OFFICERS:

President: Lynne Kochmanski

Vice President: Catherine Murau

Treasurer: Betty Bishop

Interim Secretary: Jean Becker

DIRECTORS:

Voter Services:  Rebecca Shiemke

Advocacy:  Sandra Sorini Elser

Communications: Betsy Nisbet

Program: Lauren Hornberger

Membership: Mary Ann McGee

Student Leaders of Voter Services: Juliana Ramirez and Bavani Vijay

NOMINATING COMMITTEE: 

Chair: Donna Snyder

Gwen Alexander

Newsletter Editor: Mary Ellen Hagenauer

Presentation Coordinator: Margaret Leary

Mission Statement

The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, 

encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government, 

works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, 

and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

LWV-WC is an organization fully committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in principle and in practice. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to the organization’s current and future success in engaging all individuals, households, communities, and policy makers in creating a more perfect democracy.