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Friend, 

59 years ago, brave civil rights leaders marched for democracy on Bloody Sunday. Last weekend, LWVUS staff and League leaders came together in Selma, AL, to honor their legacy. This year’s anniversary of Bloody Sunday came just days after the US Senate introduced the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. The fight for freedom and equality is not over. Tell your representatives to protect the right to vote with our latest action alert at www.lwv.org. 

March is also Women’s History Month, a time to uplift and celebrate the contributions of women who came before us and lead the way today. However, over 100 years after women won the right to vote, people in the United States are still not guaranteed equality on the basis of sex. This Women’s History Month, urge Congress to ensure the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is finally added to our Constitution. Stay tuned for more Women’s History Month content throughout the month on our blog and social media!

I want to thank every League member who provided input in our search for a new LWVUS CEO. The LWVUS Board search committee read through feedback from the League community and last week shared a leadership profile for the position. You can find the leadership profile for our new CEO on our website. A full and thorough compensation analysis has been done for the position, and a clear salary range established based on the complexity of the job, which is shared/discussed with any person interested in the position.

Additionally, I cannot believe that Convention 2024 is just months away, with registration open now! An important part of our National Convention is Program Planning, our grassroots process for choosing the League Program for the next biennium. The deadline for state and local Leagues to participate in Program Planning ends this Sunday, March 10. Leagues can submit their recommendations for the 2024 – 2026 programmatic focus via survey and find additional resources on the League Management Site. For questions, please contact progplan@lwv.org.

Finally, we're continuing to prepare for our transition to our new membership system, ChapterSpot. While ChapterSpot will centralize the membership registration and renewal process, some components will conflict with current local and state League bylaws. LWVUS has published guidance for amendments to ensure that League bylaws and practices are aligned. Review this guidance on the ChapterSpot Resources page under the Tools section.

In League,

Sania

PS. The State of the Union is tonight! There are many issues we hope President Biden will speak to, such as voting rights, election protection, and the Equal Rights Amendment. Tune in tonight and compete with friends using our bingo cards. 

See all upcoming events on the League Management Site.

• Emerging Issues: An Overview | Slides
• Federal Legislative Outlook | Slides

Share your feedback on LWVUS recorded webinars and trainings with our post-event feedback form.

• Action Alert: Urge Congress to Support the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
• Action Alert: Tell Congress to Ensure That the ERA Is Published

The deadline for local and state Leagues to participate in Program Planning, our grassroots process for choosing the League Program for 2024 – 2026, is fast approaching. Local and state Leagues must submit their recommendations for the programmatic focus for all levels of the League for the upcoming biennium before the survey closes on Sunday, March 10. Complete the survey here, and find additional Program Planning materials on the League Management Site. For questions, contact progplan@lwv.org.

Election season has begun, and Leagues across the country are kicking off their GOTV efforts! Join LWVUS and LWVOH for our GOTV friendbanks (reaching out to people you know), empowering friends and family in Ohio to make their voting plans ahead of the March 19 primaries. Make sure to have LWV’s digital organizing platform, League In Action, ready to go! 

• March 8, 4pm ET | Register here
• March 15, 12pm ET | Register here

• Blog: State of the Union Bingo: 2024
• Blog: Our Voting Playlist

As Leagues continue to support voters throughout primary election season, make sure to review our Election Preparation Toolkit on the League Management Site. From GOTV talking points to postcard templates, this guide provides resources to support your League’s election work with public education, outreach, and action.

Leagues are invited to submit Wares Market applications and Breakout (caucus or workshop) session applications. Breakout session applications close on March 21.

The groups.io platform for Program Planning is live and available for League members to review all program ideas and proposals for the 2024 National Convention.

Given that some components of the new membership system will conflict with current local and state League bylaws, LWVUS has guidance for amendments to consider to ensure that League bylaws and practices are aligned. This document is available on the ChapterSpot Resources page under the Tools section.

• Jessica Myers, co-chair of LWV Pennsylvania’s voter services, spoke to Public News Service about educating voters on voting by mail and absentee ballots. Read now: Getting word out to PA voters about mail-in, absentee ballots. 
• LWVUS and LWV Alabama engaged with students and young voters for the 59th annual Jubilee in Selma, AL. Learn more: Students from six colleges come to Jubilee to learn about civic engagement. 
• LWV of Appleton-Fox Cities, WI, is rolling out a pilot program with the DMV to help people register to vote. Learn more: League of Women Voters helps voters register at Appleton DMV.

Special Notifications: To help keep members informed, LWVUS sends this bi-weekly, internal email newsletter to state and local League presidents, as well as other highly engaged League members. The League Update includes important announcements about upcoming trainings and webinars, grant opportunities, messaging resources, stories from Leagues nationwide, and surveys to help LWVUS serve Leagues better. This newsletter is curated for League members specifically and is not intended for public consumption or distribution. 

Do you know a League member who wants to receive this email? Members can subscribe to receive the League Update here. Please do not reply to this message. To unsubscribe, please click the “unsubscribe” button at the bottom of this email.