by Mary Coltrane, LWVWA 1st Vice President, Program Chair

Studies, updates, and concurrences are all important elements of the League’s Program of Work. Studies lead to new positions for the League, at all levels of our organization. They require a lot of effort on the part of study committee members and the state board so there is always the question: are they worth the effort? The League is committed to producing studies that are accurate, unbiased, and properly credited. These criteria ensure League studies and reports meet our high standards, as studies are the foundation for well thought out positions that stand the test of time.

LWVWA has many positions on the books right now, but there is room for more! Times change and the League changes with them. New positions may be needed for new areas of concern so we can advocate for changes in public policy. Thus, studies, updates to positions, concurrences with another League’s position, and even educational reports are all on the agenda when local Leagues take up program making in January of odd-numbered years. Local League Presidents have received the 2023 Program Planning Packet so that they can engage their members in this process.

What comes from this effort?

Let’s look back at 2019. That year, an interest in shorelines surfaced from January program planning efforts and at the 2019 Convention, it was the first study to be approved by Convention delegates in several years. The study was completed and is now with local Leagues; they are reviewing it and will develop consensus statements that LWVWA will use to craft a position on the topic. The new LWVWA position will then be available for both state and local Leagues to use in advocacy and lobbying. How exciting is that!

Fast forward to January 2021. The Journalism affinity group shared a concern that local news reporting was in jeopardy. What to do? With no positions on the books, advocacy wasn’t an option. The state board recommended The Decline of Local News and Its Impact on Democracy as a study item. Delegates to the 2021 Convention adopted it and the study commenced. Local League meetings to arrive at consensus will begin in February 2023. Positions that come out of this work will be incredibly timely as communities across our state grapple with the problem of local news deserts.

What else is happening? In addition to studies, updates of studies, and concurrences, local Leagues may also submit ideas for educational efforts at their January program planning meetings. In 2021, Leagues proposed an educational project on Public Hospital Districts. What do people need to know to best understand how Public Hospital Districts work in local communities? This effort, like the Shoreline Study and the News Study, began with Program of Work planning.

Program planning is one of the rights and responsibilities of members. It goes back to our founding, and is fundamental to our grassroots nature. We encourage all members to participate in the process, and if anything above interests you, we would love to have you join us and participate.

What will come out of January 2023 Program Planning meetings? Will there be new studies proposed to generate new positions? We shall see. But whatever happens will begin with the League’s grassroots: our members and their member Leagues.