Category: Participation

League Advocacy Challenge

Mary

Try for the prize!  In the right sidebar on our website, you will see the Advocacy Challenge link. 

  • League members use this form to “log their advocacy” every time they’ve had a meeting, called a state legislator, tabled for their issue, or written a letter to the editor. The Local League that logs the most contacts with their lawmakers on the Advocacy Challenge form will win a $650 cash prize at Council in 2020. There are lesser prizes for second and third place, too. Every Local League president I’ve spoken with is hoping their League will win.
  • Friendly competition makes it fun. 
  • Click the link to report in and get counted for the Challenge. 
  • Every League has the ability to win, because we weight the results by the membership size of the League. A big League won’t automatically beat a small League.
  • When we send emailed Action Alerts, the software we use automatically counts your emails to lawmakers, so you won’t need to log your action for those. 

After League Day, we will also want people to submit “after action reports” on their League Day meetings. Those are at the link Submit Meeting Notes.

LWV-VA Pre-Session Women’s Legislative Roundtable

Mary

Prepare for the 2020 General Assembly Session


Get Your Tickets Here


Please join us at the LWV-VA Pre-Session on December 4 to prepare for advocacy and action in the 2020 General Assembly Session and network with Virginia advocacy groups!
This is your opportunity to hear about our legislative priorities and those of our many partners around the Commonwealth. At this Roundtable, advocacy experts from many nonprofit organizations come to speak about their priority issues and legislation, and give their predictions on what may or may not happen during the 2020 General Assembly Session.

Each expert will Predict and Preview where Action will be needed. These experts, 15 to 20 each year, have experience lobbying on the Front Lines in our General Assembly so they provide specific, ready-to-use advocacy/action messages. Not only do advocacy experts preview legislation but one or two Cabinet Secretaries come to describe important issues for the upcoming General Assembly session.
This annual meeting in December prepares us to visit our own legislators at home even before the General Assembly convenes in January.

Virginia Secretary of Finance Aubrey Layne will be the first speaker to share his insights on the priorities and challenges of Governor Northam’s administration. After he speaks, about 20 speakers will each have about 5 to 7 minutes each to share their legislative priorities and concerns in the upcoming Session. Some areas that will be covered by the speakers are
elections, voting rights, transparency in government, education, women’s rights, gun violence prevention & public safety, healthcare, juvenile justice, transportation, and environmental issues.

Other Speakers include:
Brian Cannon One VA 2021
Chris Piper Commissioner of Elections
Walt Latham VRAV Voter Registrars Association of Virginia
Andy Goddard VACPS Virginia Center for Public Safety
Megan Rhyne VCOG Virginia Center for Open Government
Ashna Khana ACLU American Civil Liberties Union
Kati Hornung VAratifyERA Campaign
Tarina Keene NARAL – Naral Pro Choice Virginia
Jill Hanken VPLC Virginia Poverty Law Center
Kim Bobo VICPP Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy
Chris Duncombe TCI The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis
Rhonda Thissen NAMI National Alliance of Mental Health of Virginia
Corrina Beall Sierra Club / VA Chapter
Danny Plaugher VTA Virginia Transit Association
Sylvia Rogers AAUW American Association of University Women
Brian Koziol Executive Director of Virginia Housing Alliance

Attend our breakfast and hear speakers from our partner organizations in the morning for $20.

A full day pass that includes breakfast, all day speakers and a plated lunch with a special presenter is $50.
If you wish to pay by check, just select that option and either bring a check for the exact amount made out to League of Women Voters of Virginia Education Fund or mail to

Treasurer, 804 Ridge Place, Falls Church, VA 22046.

This event, in addition to providing a lot of good information, also provides opportunities to meet with and network with others who share similar interests and concerns.

Chris Piper to speak at the annual meeting today!

Mary
Voters voting in polling place

LWV-Williamsburg Area Fall Reception is today, September 19 at 4:30 p.m. at Legacy Hall in New Town.
Speaker: Chris Piper, Virginia Department of Elections Commissioner. Hear the latest on election integrity in Virginia.
Our program BEGINS promptly at 4:30 p.m., so please arrive a bit early.
Wine & Cheese Reception will follow. No cost. New and interested members welcome.
If you are coming, don’t forget to RSVP by clicking here.

Welcome New Members!

Mary

We had a wonderful new members’ reception and enjoyed getting to know each other better. We hope each member can find an aspect of the League that helps them become more involved in local policy issues!

New 2019 Members

Join Us for LWV-VA Biennial Convention!

Mary

Anne Smith, LWV-WA and LWV-WA Board Member and Convention Chair

local league president and member of state league board

I am excited to tell you about the 39th LWV-VA Convention at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott on May 17-19. We think this will be both an informative and fun session! The location is close and easy to access so you can come for the full Convention or take advantage of the single-day registration.

The League of South Hampton Roads is the host League and has planned activities on Friday evening … a “Dine Around” to take advantage of Norfolk’s fine restaurants or a water ferry to those in Olde Towne Portsmouth. You can register early, beginning at 5:00 pm Friday, May 17, and join the fun. Saturday morning’s plenary session will be League business, primarily reports. Voting will take place during the Sunday morning plenary.

Diversity and Inclusion are major considerations for all levels of the League – National, State, and Local. Saturday’s lunch speaker on Diversity is Christy S. Coleman, a Williamsburg native with extraordinary accomplishments. Named by Time as “One of 31 People Changing the South,” she is the CEO of Richmond’s American Civil War Museum, which encompasses several historic sites. Previously, she was President/CEO of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit and Director of Historic Programs for Colonial Williamsburg.

Let Mary Schilling know of your interest in attending soon.
Registration ends April 25.

We have some truly informative breakout sessions planned for Saturday afternoon. Speakers include Jim Spore, 30+ year Virginia Beach City Manager talking about Infrastructure, Innovation, Transportation issues. Others include Skip Stiles, Executive Director of Wetlands Watch on “What about This Weather?”; Walt Latham, York County Director of Elections/General Registrar and President of the Voter Registrars Association of Virginia; and W&M Law Professor Rebecca Green on Redistricting Reform. Before our Sunday a.m. plenary session, Ron Carlee will speak on “Defending Democracy on All Levels.” A professor at Old Dominium University, Dr. Carlee, past Arlington, VA County Manager and Charlotte, NC City Manager, is a global presenter for the International City Managers Association (ICMA).

Although Convention adjourns at noon Sunday, the South Hampton Roads League has scheduled a “bonus session” for the afternoon focused on THE ENVIRONMENT. It includes knowledgeable speakers on a topic relevant for us all, including combating rising sea levels. LWV-WA can send eleven voting delegates, but absolutely every member is welcome to attend as observers and participate in every way except voting … it is an opportunity to learn, meet others from around the Commonwealth, and also … have fun! I hope many of you will choose to participate as observers.



Area Leaguers Attend Opening of TENACITY Exhibit at Jamestown Settlement

Mary

by Mary Ann Moxon, Publicity/Outreach member

Members of the Williamsburg Area LWV
visited “TENACITY: Women in Jamestown and
Early Virginia” exhibit on opening day
November 10 at Jamestown Settlement.
Women’s roles in early Virginia were rarely
recorded. Historians have gathered facts about a
few of the women who are the subjects of this
yearlong exhibit. The special exhibition is a
legacy project of the 2019 Commemoration,
American Evolution, a national observance of
the 400th anniversary of key historical events
that occurred in Virginia in 1619 and continue to
influence America today.

This story-driven exhibition features
artifacts, images, interactives and primary
sources – some on display in America for the
first time – to examine the struggles women
faced in the New World and their contributions.
The first Englishwoman Anne Burras Laydon
arrived in 1608 at age 14 as a maidservant;
Cockacoeske, a Indian woman recognized by the
colonial government as the “Queen of the
Pamunkey” who ruled until her death in
1686; Angelo, the first documented African
woman in 1619. The exhibit shows the Virginia
Company of London’s effort to encourage the
growth of the Jamestown colony by recruiting
single English women. From women’s roles to
women’s rights, these tenacious women
profoundly influenced the early years of the
Virginia colony.

Below President Mary Schilling is pictured
with Coline Jenkins, great-great-granddaughter
of suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who came
for the opening of the exhibit. The exhibit
continues until January 5, 2020. Be sure to see it.

President Mary Schilling is pictured
with Coline Jenkins, great-great-granddaughter
of suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Yes, We Can! A Membership Challenge

Mary

by Les Solomon, Membership Co-chair

It’s interesting to converse with friends about the League of Women Voters. Some are still surprised to know that I – a man! – am Membership Co-chair and serve as VicePresident. Indeed, our 30 male members represent 16% of our membership. Friends are even more surprised that our League is the second largest in the state (only Fairfax is larger). We report our official membership count to LWVUS on January 31. Last year, we had 173 members by that date. With a current membership of 174, we are within reach of our target of 200 members this year.

Here are some ways we can reach that goal:

  • We communicate principally by email; unfortunately, it’s too easy to overlook renewal notices. Thus, within the last 10 days, those who have not yet renewed received a USPS letter as a reminder. If you received one, please return your membership form and payment ASAP.
  • Kudos, especially to our New Town group, for recruiting your neighbors as new members! If you know of a friend or neighbor who wants to Empower Voters and Defend Democracy, please invite them to join this week here.
  • I frequently wear a button that reads, LWV– Where Men are In. My guess is that there are more than 30 additional men in Williamsburg who support the great work that the League of Women Voters does. Why not invite them to join? After all, there really isn’t a brother organization called the League of Men Voters. The clock is ticking toward our January 31 reporting deadline, so help us reach our goal of 200 members!

Join Us in Richmond for February 6 League Day

Mary

by Phoebe Kent, Voter Co-editor

LWV-VA League Day at the General Assembly is Wednesday, February 6, 2019. We will attend the Women’s Legislative Round Table (WLRT) from 8:30-9:30 a.m. After WLRT, members will visit the offices of key Senators and Delegates to advocate for legislative action.

Williamsburg Leaguers will gather at the Capitol to be seated together in the Senate or House Galleries for the noon recognition ceremonies. It’s a thrill to be introduced and recognized by Lt. Governor Fairfax in the Senate or House Speaker Cox – and we hope to have a good-sized crowd present. Lunch and networking with other League members follows. An Italian buffet lunch will be served at the nearby Berkeley Hotel. Luncheon pre-registration is required by February 1. To register for the lunch, go here.

06feb8:30 am2:00 pmLeague Day

Action and Advocacy Interest Groups Are Underway

Mary

Linda Rice, Action and Advocacy Coordinator

You can join one (or more!) of these groups! 

Become an interest group member to become more engaged with our League mission: Empowering Voters, Defending Democracy.

 

At its October 3 meeting, the LWV-WA board adopted a policy presented by Action and Advocacy Coordinator Linda Rice to guide interest groups. The policy describes what advocacy efforts members may undertake in support of positions that the League has reached through research, dialogue and consensus. The policy, including guidelines for interest groups, can be accessed here.

Several local League interest groups have formed to focus on League priorities. Each group will meet regularly to conduct research in depth, track relevant legislation introduced in the General Assembly (GA), and advocate, either in support or opposition, with our legislators during the GA session. Interest groups may organize panel discussions on topics of general interest that the group identifies. Fall reception attendees had an opportunity to join individual groups; some committees are complete, others actively seek additional members.

Nine members have joined the Election Integrity Committee; no more are needed. I chaired the recent state study on Behavioral Health that resulted in an expanded state position; our knowledgeable committee will continue its advocacy work.

The Education interest group, Loretta Hannum, Susan Nelson, Laura Tripp, and Sudie Watkins, will select a chair at their first meeting; additional members are welcome.

Christine Payne is the point of contact for advocacy on Gun Safety legislation.

Jo Solomon is our League liaison to the LWV-VA Redistricting Committee. The state League has been an active partner with OneVirginia2021 since its inception in 2013.

The League supports passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, and your involvement in VAratifyERA.org would be welcome.

Contact Linda Rice with questions.