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Friend, 

August 26, or Women’s Equality Day, marks the anniversary of the certification of the 19th Amendment, which granted some women the right to vote. However, women now have fewer rights than we have had in decades, and we are far from equal in our democracy. In the aftermath of the US Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, in 2022 we declared this day to be Women’s Inequality Day, which we'll carry on this year. 

Ahead of the 2024 general election season, our campaign this year will center around empowering women to make their voices heard at the ballot box and equipping them with essential voter information through tools like VOTE411. Throughout the week of Aug. 26 – 30, join us in making sure #WomenVote2024 by sharing our daily actions with voters in your community. Leagues are not required to align with our campaign or messaging for Women's Equality Day activities, but those interested in participating can find social media graphics, resources, and general guidance in our toolkit. 

We are just over one month away from National Voter Registration Day on September 17. Over 340 Leagues have already signed on as official partners to help voters nationwide! If your League has not joined yet, you can learn more about the day of action and sign up here.

Earlier this week, Celina Stewart officially stepped into her new role as the League’s CEO. Celina is a legal expert, voting rights champion, and lifelong defender of democracy. She first joined the League in 2018 as our director of advocacy and litigation, later becoming chief counsel. Celina’s dedication to the League, combined with her vision and leadership, will be critical as we continue in our mission to empower voters and defend democracy. I hope you join me in welcoming Celina as our new CEO! You can learn more about Celina and her vision for the League in our latest blog at www.lwv.org. 

Finally, I am thrilled to announce that this week LWV launched a national partnership with Girl Scouts USA (GSUSA) to help empower the next generation of civic leaders. Both LWV and Girl Scouts have a long history of empowering girls and women. As a former Girl Scout, I am so excited to launch this collaboration! From partnering with your local council to help Girl Scouts earn civics badges to promoting voter engagement through their “Promote the Vote” national service project and VOTE411, there are many ways for your League to get involved and strengthen your relationship with your local Girl Scout council or troops. Leagues can learn more about this partnership and access collaboration guidance on the League Management Site. 

In League,

Dianna

See all upcoming events on the League Management Site.

• CIRCLE: Understanding, Empowering, and Expanding the Youth Electorate in 2024 | Slides 
• Engage Voters with Civic Holidays | Passcode: %@n%@39p

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

Join us Aug. 24 in New York City for LWV’s Night on Broadway! SUFFS: The Musical follows the lives of real suffragists, including our founder Carrie Chapman Catt. Join us for a special League night featuring a pre-show happy hour, 8pm ET performance of the show, and post-show panel with our CEO Celina Stewart and additional special guests. Purchase tickets here at a discounted group rate. 

Help voters get ready for this 2024 general election during these upcoming civic days of action! Click the links below to sign up today:

• Sept. 17: National Voter Registration Day | The League has been the largest on-the-ground partner since the inception of NVRD: let’s keep that trend going! By signing up to be a partner, you will receive free stickers and posters, training materials and more.
• Oct. 29: Vote Early Day | Make sure communities have the tools to vote early! Share LWV’s specific sign-up link with Leagues to become a partner and host an event.
• Nov. 4: Election Hero Day | Thank election workers in your community — the heroes that ensure our elections run safely.

LWVUS is partnering with LUSH, a global cosmetics company, this year to help customers get ready to vote. In celebration of National Voter Registration Day, LUSH is inviting any interested local Leagues to conduct voter registration tabling inside their local store between Sept. 13 – 22, 2024. Leagues interested in this opportunity should check this list of store locations to ensure there is a store near you. If so, you can learn more and sign up using this form. The deadline to sign up is Monday, Aug. 12. Please note that LWVUS will be connecting sign-ups with the appropriate local store contact after Aug. 12: do not try to contact your local LUSH store. 

Join the Civic Listening Corps (CLC) and recruit members of the public to combat mis-and-disinformation. CLC is a volunteer network of individuals trained to monitor, critically evaluate, and report mis-, dis-, and malinformation on topics central to our civic life. Sign-up using LWV's specific link to join. 

• Toolkit: Women’s Inequality Day 
• One-Pager: The Do’s and Don’ts of Election Disinformation 
• Video: Meet Our New CEO, Celina Stewart! 
• Blog: Explaining the Abortion Care Challenge in United States v. Idaho 

League members are invited to attend this training series on a variety of vital election topics ahead of voting in the 2024 general election. Sign up for the trainings on the League Management Site. Recordings and additional resources will be made available on that page.

At the 2024 National Convention, the LWVUS bylaws were amended to clarify the role and scope of Convention and Council. The updated bylaws are available for reference on the League Management Site.

The federated structure of LWV comprises a national League and affiliated state and local Leagues that are separately incorporated. Leagues can find an explainer of our federated model here.

This is the time of year that Leagues are reaffirming and updating key policies. Please reference the Members Rights and Responsibilities, League Responsibilities, DEI and nonpartisan policies below: 

• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policy 
• Nonpartisan Policy  
• Member Rights & Responsibilities Policy 
• League Responsibilities Policies                                                             

Please email transformation@lwv.org for any questions. 

•  Legal Case: Planned Parenthood of Utah v. State of Utah 

• Jen Miller, executive director for the League of Women Voters of Ohio, spoke to local news about anti-gerrymandering reform in the state. Read the article: Ohio advocates plan to hold lawmakers accountable with anti-gerrymandering reform.
• Last week, the League of Women Voters of South Carolina filed a lawsuit challenging partisan gerrymandering of the state's congressional districts. Lynn Teague wrote about why this lawsuit is important. Read the piece: We're suing to end partisan gerrymandering in SC. Here's why that matters.
• The League of Women Voters of the La Crosse Area, WI, celebrated 100 years of empowering voters and defending democracy. Learn more here.

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.