DEI Peer Discussion Group

Please join the LWVMA DEI Peer Discussion Group’s next quarterly meeting, Saturday, December 10, 10-11:30 AM. Newcomers are always welcome. Here is a link to our proposed agenda. Click here to register for the Zoom meeting.

Program Planning Town Hall

Every two years local Leagues, Units, and Members-at-Large have an opportunity to propose areas of focus for LWVMA Program and Action for the next biennium through State Program Planning. Learn more at the next quarterly LWVMA Town Hall, Wednesday, December 14, 7:00 PM. The meeting will focus on how local Leagues can get involved in program planning and other substantive areas as we prepare for the LWVMA Convention scheduled for June 17, 2023. Register here for the December 14 Town Hall.

Recruiting Legislative Specialists and Envoys for the New Session

Interested in criminal justice reform? We have an opening on the Legislative Action Committee for someone who would like to partner with the current specialist to advocate for reform starting in January 2023. As a specialist, you would collaborate on identifying priority bills, plan and conduct educational events/webinars, become familiar with the legislative process, provide written and oral testimony for legislative hearings, work with advocacy coalitions and develop relationships with legislators. Read more.

Annual Fall Appeal & Phonathon

We’ve just recently (snail) mailed the fall appeal fundraising letters (please consider making a gift!) and, as is our usual practice, we will be sharing back 10% of donations received by December 16 to local Leagues. Any local League member who makes a gift to LWVMA by December 16, 10% of that donation will go back to the member’s local League. Read more. 

Download your Local League’s Twitter Data

Does your local League have a Twitter account? With the ongoing changes to Twitter, now is a good time to take extra steps to protect your account and lock down your Twitter data. LWVUS recommends Leagues download their Twitter data to keep a backup of their account's history. Follow these easy steps to download your Twitter archive or data. Read more.

Schedule Program Planning

LWVMA will be holding a Town Hall meeting about program planning on December 14 (see article above). Note that you will need to schedule a program planning meeting for your local League in January or February to participate in the program planning process.

Save the Date for LWVMA Convention

LWVMA Convention will be held on June 17, 2023. Interested in joining a state-wide committee to prepare for the LWVMA Convention? We need volunteers for the Program Planning Committee and the Budget Committee. Read more.

VOTE411 Impact

In the midterm election, 2022, VOTE411 shared election information with 80,100 voters in Massachusetts. Of those 80,100 voters, 11,318 were from gateway cities.  This year we reached 57,389 more voters compared to our reach in the 2018 midterm election.

Election Protection Update

Thanks to all of you who participated in the election protection effort for the November 8 election. We had 100 volunteers actually taking shifts at targeted polling places to be sure all eligible voters could vote. For the most part, the day was wonderfully uneventful. Read more.

Single Payer Ballot Question Results

LWVMA supports single payer health care as a legislative priority this session with the bill H.1267/S.766 An Act Establishing Medicare for All in Massachusetts. MassCare, the Massachusetts Campaign for Single Payer Health Care, placed non-binding ballot questions in twenty districts and they all passed. Read more.

Watch Civics Projects Showcase Meeting

The LWVMA Civics Collaboration Network hosted a November meeting, with League members from Concord, Cape Cod Area, and Needham who shared experiences working with schools to support student-led civics projects. Read more.

Learn About the New Federal Climate Policies

Policy is the key to necessary transformative change to address the climate emergency. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a major imperative. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), The CHIPS[1] and Science Act of 2022, and The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) represent the largest federal investment to address climate change in our nation’s history. Read more.

Complete the LWVUS Annual Survey

The deadline to complete the LWVUS annual survey is December 10. Click HERE to complete the survey for your League. One person per League should do the survey.

LWVUS Roster Update Due January 31

As a friendly reminder, local Leagues need to update their rosters in the LWVUS membership database by January 31 to ensure correct per-member-payment billing for FY2023-24. Please refer to this user guide to help with questions; contact Brynne Gorman if you need assistance.

Student Membership Drive Update

Thanks to everyone who participated in the recent student membership drive! Through your efforts, we recruited 86 new student members. Congratulations to Maggie McQuaid, a student at Salem State University, who won the free drawing for the iPad Air. A heartfelt thanks to ihloom, LWVMA’s tech consultant, for donating the iPad Air.

LWVMA Website Resource Highlights

League Choice Books for Children and Teens