Women’s Equality Day?

Today, Friday, August 26, has been celebrated annually as Women's Equality Day to honor the certification of the 19th Amendment. Yet with our voting and reproductive rights under attack, women are still not equal in our democracy. This year, the League is observing Women's Inequality Day, a campaign that will consist of a video and open letter in the Washington Post signed by women leaders from national organizations demanding that our reproductive rights be restored and protected, that our representatives pass voting rights legislation, and that the Equal Rights Amendment be added to the Constitution.

Join the LWVUS in taking a stand by sharing #WomensInequalityDay across your social networks. The League has created a toolkit for Leagues to use that includes talking points, social media graphics, and captions. While Leagues may already have content or campaigns planned for Women's Equality Day, please note that this toolkit is available for Leagues interested in participating. We are not requiring Leagues to align with the LWVUS’s messaging on Women’s Equality Day.

LWVUS Draft Policies

The LWVUS board has developed two draft policies that provide clarity on organization-wide expectations for the LWVUS and state and local League members in the form of a League Rights and Responsibilities Policy and a Member Rights and Responsibilities Policy. These policies were formulated from existing bylaws, politics, and legal or nonprofit best practices.

As the LWVUS board and staff prepare to finalize and implement these policies, they are seeking additional input from the field. They are asking state and local League boards to review the proposed policies and submit comments. Your feedback is critical to ensuring the policies are the most useful they can be, and that all perspectives have been considered.

To give boards time to meet and discuss the policies, the comment period has been reopened and extended to Oct. 11, 2022. Individuals and Leagues can submit their comments on the forms posted at the bottom of each page. Comments may be submitted collaboratively or individually. The LWVUS is currently reviewing each comment and pulling out themes and questions from the original comment period. Additionally, LWVUS staff will be developing an FAQ later this month.

Recruit Your Community for Poll Worker Recruitment Day!

On Tuesday, August 16, Power the Polls relaunched Poll Worker Recruitment Day. With the midterm elections fast approaching, the need to recruit and engage poll workers is increasingly urgent and essential to our democracy. In 2020, Power the Polls and its partners recruited over 700,000 potential poll workers. This year, Power the Polls is activating partners to make a concerted push to recruit new potential poll workers ahead of November. Join us in ensuring safe, free, and fair elections for all voters! Learn more and take action with this partner toolkit.

Sign Up for National Voter Registration Day 2022

National Voter Registration Day 2022 is coming up on September 20, and 280 Leagues have already signed up. Take part by signing on as an official partner and hosting a virtual or in-person registration event. Grant funding available—check out the grant application. You can promote the day via a community registration drive, spread the word on social media, text voters to remind them about registration deadlines, or work with partners to spread the word. The message is simple: now is the time to register or update your registration to ensure you can vote in the upcoming midterm elections.

Updated Social Media Guide

With midterm elections just around the corner, the League has produced an updated social media guide for state and local Leagues. This guide includes goals and best practices for each platform, frequently asked questions, and resources on how to promote the LWV’s mission work while amplifying the critical work your League is doing.

2022 Election Observation Toolkit

The LWVUS now has an updated Election Observation Toolkit. Election observer programs provide a unique opportunity to learn about your community's election process firsthand, ensure that all eligible voters can exercise their right to vote, and empower Leagues to gather information about how to improve the process.

Spanish VOTE411 Logos

The League has expanded its VOTE411 logos package to include print and web logos in Spanish.

Congress Has Money on Its Mind

The Senate Rules Committee held a hearing on the DISCLOSE Act, which would increase transparency in campaign finances. The League’s CEO, Virginia Kase Solomón, spoke in favor of the legislation, stating, “Voters have the right to know who is making large campaign contributions to influence elections.” Tell your senators to support the DISCLOSE Act.

Responses to January 6

U.S. Senators announced a bipartisan deal to reform the Electoral Count Act and Presidential Transition Act. The bill’s reforms would clarify the roles of elected officials and the vice president in the election process, protecting the nation from future attacks like the January 6 insurrection. The announcement comes on the heels of the bipartisan House Select Committee hearings on the January 6 attack, which ended on July 21. The League looks forward to the committee's findings, which are expected to be shared this fall.

The League’s Redistricting Impact

Three years after its creation, the League’s People Powered Fair Maps program has released its impact report highlighting the importance of everyday involvement in redistricting. The program, which launched in the wake of the landmark case Rucho v. LWV of North Carolina, aimed to increase awareness of and participation in the decennial community districting process. The report found that through the Fair Maps program over 1.4 million people were engaged in local districting, five states implemented community-drawn maps, and six states increased their process’s transparency.