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Our Nation

Happy December, League leaders! This week marked the end of Native American Heritage Month. Over the past month, we’ve honored and celebrated the traditions, contributions, and accomplishments of our Native communities. In case you missed it, we recently highlighted Native American activist Naelyn Pike on our latest blog. I encourage you all to check out the interview on lwv.org, and thank you for celebrating with us!

While Native American Heritage Month may be over, there are ways for your League to take action and celebrate Native history every day. You can find helpful resources and recorded webinars around understanding and partnering with Native American communities on the League Management Site.

Our League

As the League moves into a new year — and further into our second century — it’s critical that we demonstrate how we empower voters and defend democracy as we garner crucial resources to support our mission. Our ability to tell our stories hinges on both state and local Leagues collecting and sharing their data.

I ask you all to please complete the Annual League Survey before it closes next Saturday, Dec. 10. The results are vital to how we plan for the future and address League needs. Each League received a unique link via email. For more information, please refer to the Annual League Survey page on the League Management Site or reach out to Mariana, our senior manager of evaluation, at mschmalstig@lwv.org.

In other League news, next Wednesday, League members and our national partners will come together in Washington, DC, for the Map Our Future rally. US Supreme Court justices will hear oral arguments on Moore v. Harper, a case that would have far-reaching implications for every state. This case could allow state legislatures nearly unrestricted authority to run federal elections in their states, without any checks and balances, prevent fairer voting maps, and create harmful barriers to voting. I hope you will join us next week for this important day of action. Register for the rally here.

I hope as you move through the coming season in your own personal way that you find the time to take a deep breath and do some self-reflection on where you have been, where you are, and where you are going. Your well-being is important to us, and we wish you joy and peace, and offer you support as the new year approaches.

Working with you and for you every day.

In League,

Deborah

See the full list of upcoming events on the League Management Site.

• Meet LWVUS UN Observers

• Expanding the VOTE Act

On Dec. 7, US Supreme Court justices will hear oral arguments on Moore v. Harper, a case that could allow state legislatures to alter the checks and balances of our democracy. As the justices hear oral arguments, League leaders and staff will rally in front of the Supreme Court to make our voices heard that it’s time to put #PeopleOverPolitics. Our CEO, Virginia Kase Solomón, will speak at the rally. Join us next Wednesday in Washington DC or tune in virtually via a livestream of the event on our Facebook page.

A huge thank you to everyone who helped make the 2022 VOTE411 election cycle the best midterm cycle yet! Because of your work, VOTE411 provided voters with the detailed candidate and election information they needed to successfully cast their ballots. Voters appreciated the hard work, sending thank you messages like: “We voters are desperately in need of objective information about candidates. I don't know of a better source than VOTE411.”

If you’re ready to get started on the 2023 cycle, sign up for the VOTE411 program here, and VOTE411 staff will reach out with additional information. Work alongside colleagues from around the country to provide much-needed candidate information in the upcoming odd-year election cycle! If you have any questions, please contact Megan Brown at mbrown@lwv.org.

The Annual League Survey is now open and closes next Saturday, Dec. 10. We’re very grateful to the 328 Leagues who have partially or fully completed the 2022 Annual League Survey. We’d appreciate hearing from every League, even if that means letting us know some data isn’t tracked or that your League doesn’t engage in particular efforts. Completing the survey paints a more comprehensive picture of the amazing work your League has done this year. Click here for more information on the Annual League Survey. If you run into any issues in responding, please email Mariana at mschmalstig@lwv.org.

• Blog: Native American Activist You Should Know: Naelyn Pike
• Blog: Language Access Is Key to Voting Rights

The US Supreme Court will hear oral arguments for Moore v. Harper next Wednesday, Dec. 7. State League spokespersons can find talking points and messaging guidance for speaking about the effects of Moore v. Harper on the League Management Site. Please allow state League spokespersons to speak for your state publicly on this issue.

Congress has been considering legislation to reform the Electoral Count Act of 1887, which outlines the process of how votes are counted and cast by the Electoral College. We’ve recently drafted talking points and guidance for Leagues speaking about the proposed reforms, available on the League Management Site.

Our suggested messaging calendar is a resource to help Leagues with messaging and planning social media content for key dates throughout the year. We’ve recently updated our suggested messaging calendar for the 2023 calendar year. View the calendar on the League Management Site.

The LWVUS communications team is closely monitoring the changes on Twitter and their effects on the voting rights community. We continue to update our guidance, and as of this writing, LWVUS has determined we will remain on Twitter. We will notify Leagues ASAP if our stance changes. Find the most up-to-date guidance on the League Management Site.

Do you have questions about federal legislation? Advice on League positions on an issue? Consult on state-level legislation? Concerned about supporting or opposing actions/legislation? Then LWVUS legislative office hours are perfect for you!

LWVUS wants to provide a regular space to open our virtual offices and support your legislative work. To accommodate all Leagues, plan on having the meetings last 15 minutes. Additionally, if you hope to discuss specific positions or bills, please email advocacy@lwv.org subjected “Leg Office Hours” with a brief description of what you wish to go over and attach any relevant documents. See upcoming office hours and register here.

In June 2022, the US Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, overturning the constitutional right to abortion and leaving reproductive rights up to federal and state legislation. LWVUS has produced a state advocacy strategy to help state Leagues monitor the legislative landscape, outline opportunities to mitigate harm and increase protection, and share resources for this work. For an abbreviated look at the strategy, you can view the executive summary. Questions on this issue? Contact Rebecca Goldman at rgoldman@lwv.org.

All League roster updates are due in the Roster Manager Portal by Jan. 31. To ensure your roster is up to date, any members considered active on Jan. 31 must have a membership status of "Active." Members not active as of Jan. 31 should have a membership status of "Inactive."

The support section of the Roster Manager portal offers answers to common questions and is the best place to submit support requests. If you are unable to login to the portal, please contact rostersupport@lwv.org.

If your League is using the ClubExpress platform and the data connector is active, your members have been automatically transferred. Please review your roster to ensure that any member who was active before you enabled the data connector is accounted for.

• Memo: LWVUS Urges Congress to Protect Dreamers

• The League of Women Voters of Santa Barbara, CA, spoke to Noozhawk about their work and mission. Read the interview: The League of Women Voters Champions a Democracy Where All Can Confidently Participate.
• The League of Women Voters of Nebraska spoke to local news about how they are preparing for a busy legislative session in 2023. Watch the segment: League of Women’s Voters aims to get Nebraska women involved in government.
• Shiva Rajbhandari, a League member and high school senior from Boise, ID, attended COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, as a delegate on behalf of LWVUS. Learn more: Boise High senior sent as delegate to UN Climate Change Conference.

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.