Please look for your ballot and vote on the Bylaws amendments and candidates!
Your Vote, Your Voice
It's only once a year that WILPF US asks you to vote, but this year you'll be having two opportunities to express your preferences! The first is now: All current members should have received their ballots in the mail by now, to vote for national Board candidates and on the proposed Bylaws amendments. (If you haven't, please contact info@WILPFUS.org.)
Your second opportunity will come up in just another day or two, when you'll get another eAlert about our special all-member online survey on the new Program 2.0 proposal. In case you're impatient to learn about that proposal, you can read more now about Program 2.0.
Voting for the Future of WILPF in Fast-Changing Times
Members may legitimately wonder about the six Bylaws amendments proposals. Yet is there any question that our country and the world have gone through dramatic changes in the last few years? WILPF feels the effects of cultural and economic changes, and the first two amendments are very needed! The other changes are not dramatic or big, but they're important to clarify language and to update our Bylaws provisions to reflect the simpler and/or current way national WILPF operates.
It's likely we'll have additional amendments on next year's ballot. The ones on this year's ballot are mostly short. (To be considered for membership in the national Bylaws Committee, please call me.)
| The packet of information you received with your ballot contains information explaining all of the amendments. Here I elaborate on the two most important changes.
I urge you to vote for each of the Bylaws amendments - and for each of the Board candidates! These women are volunteering to put in hours of work to build WILPF; I hope you will put in a few minutes to show them your appreciation by voting for them.
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Two Important Bylaws Changes
In the several years since we last asked members to vote on any Bylaws amendments, the Board has been experimenting with using a majority vote to make decisions. Perhaps it's because the Board rarely meets in person these days; in any case, the prior Board practice of seeking to reach consensus on decisions has become increasingly problematic. In the version of consensus the Board used, a single "block" prevented any change or decision. In theory, a block should lead to new explorations of options. However, while our conference call Board meetings do keep our carbon footprint much smaller, conference call discussions lasting for hours led many Board members to grow increasingly frustrated.
I believe it is crucial that we pass this Bylaws amendment, to let national WILPF make decisions with a majority vote.
I've worked with consensus and even trained others in consensus process -- in local groups and in the affinity groups of civil disobedience direct actions. But those are situations in which people have ample direct and personal contact, often with long shared histories. I'm aware of many techniques for finding creative solutions to address the substance of a block, but those techniques haven't worked well with the Board of the last ten years.
In the other big amendment on the ballot, WILPF members must make an important decision about our next national WILPF Congress by allowing a little Board flexibility in scheduling Congresses.
In these demanding times, no branch was able to offer to help host our 2020 Congress. We've worked with that before, relying on national-level efforts for the Congress. But many WILPF members work in diverse elections to help build the progressive majority as a force in the future. Since 2020 is such a big election year, I think it makes sense to delay the Congress one year. (If your branch might be interested in helping for 2021, please email me at President@WILPFUS.org.)
Making Choices and Connections
I know many WILPFers really look forward to the Congresses every three years. Also, with our US Congress in 2021, the same year as the International Congress, those WILPF US members who go to Australia for International may not have the means to also go to the US Congress. However, as President, I believe we must make choices that will benefit the largest number of our members. In 2021, our Congress sessions can relate better to what is, giving us a solid base for discussions and action planning. Ata 2021 Congress, we'll get the first-person reports out of the International one.
Also, members needn't wait for the Congress to connect with each other and benefit from workshops! Join us on the One WILPF calls to hear from and talk with other WILPFers. The next is on November 14. And just last night, in our Board Steering Committee meeting, we talked about new webinars and other online or phone options to share skills, analysis, and discussion. We very much welcome you to participate on the possible new ad hoc committee to help plan these periodic member and leadership development sessions. (And that's a great way to connect -- via conference calls -- with other WILPFers!) Email or call me for more information and to suggest topics.
In an increasingly unpredictable world, please support your Board and vote to allow us a little flexibility in scheduling Congresses. Many of the changes in modern life are just plain bad. But others open up beneficial new possibilities, and we're committed to seeking out ways to work positively with changes.
Now
is a good time to pull out that ballot packet, review the information, and vote.
Thank you for your commitment to WILPF!
Darien De Lu, President
