Virtual Centennial Council
When: May 29, 2020–June 7, 2020
Where: Cyberspace
The upcoming 2020 election may be the most important of our lifetime. It’s also 100 years since the passing of the 19th Amendment giving women (some) the right to vote. Please join us in this exciting virtual experiment. You will have fun while you increase your knowledge, honor the suffragists and magnify your voice for the future!
We have virtual sessions that will be about an hour each, spread out over a week so you can carry on your work at home, stay in your pajamas, drink whatever you want while attending and, most importantly, meet members across the State who are interested in the same topics that you are. Here is how it will work:
- Click to register below.
- Download Zoom on your computer (choose "Zoom Client for Meetings") or smart phone (choose "Zoom Cloud Meetings") and become familiar with how it works. You may also simply call in.
- The early bird cost is only $19.00, for one session or for all of them. You may tune in and out as your interest and time dictate. After May 15th, the cost will increase to $29.
- Speakers from LWVUS will talk about actions that they are taking to protect democracy, as you requested at Convention and on the Council survey.
- Need to participate only using a phone? We will have handouts and powerpoint presentations available for download ahead of each session so you can still follow along.
- We will do our best to record sessions so that registrants can view sessions they may have missed. If we do record sessions, there may be a delay of a week or so before the videos are posted.
- Your registration fee will include a special League face mask that you can wear to stay safe and encourage voting.
Schedule at a Glance
Friday, May 29th
- 5:30PM-7PM—Virtual Cocktail Hour with the State Board
Saturday, May 30
- 10:30AM-11:30AM—“VOTE411: More Important Than Ever” (Mary Coltrane, facilitator)
- 4PM-5:30PM—“Social Media, Fears and Fantasies” (Charli Sorenson, lead presenter)
- 7PM-8:30PM—“WA Voting Methods” (Stoney Bird and Cindy Madigan, presenters)
Sunday, May 31
- 1PM-2PM—“Membership: From Curious to Committed” (Lunell Haught, lead)
- 4PM-5PM—“I’m on the Board, Now what do I do?” (Lunell Haught, presenter)
Monday, June 1
- 11AM-12PM—“Civics Education: It really is our job” (Bev Austin, lead)
- 4:30PM-5:30PM—“Civics Education at the Local Level” (Bev Austin, lead)
Tuesday, June 2
- 11AM-12:15PM—“DEI Challenges and Successes Right Here in WA” (Susan Fleming, lead)
- 6:30PM-7:30PM—“This Meeting is Too Long!” (Linda Benson, presenter)
Wednesday, June 3
- 4PM-6PM—FEATURED GUEST SPEAKERS: “When the League Goes to Court,” an update from LWVUS on Advocacy and Litigation by Celina Stewart, Senior Director of Advocacy and Litigation, LWVUS, and Jessica Jones Capparell, Policy and Legislative Affairs Senior Manager, LWVUS
- 7PM-8PM—“Our Credibility Is All We Have” (Judy Davis, former LWVUS Board member and Anita Gibbs, Thurston League, presenters)
Thursday, June 4
- 4PM-5PM—“LWVWA Connection with State Action” (Ann Murphy, lead)
- 7PM-8PM—“Advocacy in Local Leagues” (Joan Lawson, lead)
Sunday, June 7: The Marketplace of Ideas
- 3PM-4PM—Session One
- 4:30PM-5:30PM—Session Two
Session Details
Friday, May 29
5:30PM-7PM—Virtual Cocktail Hour with the State Board
Get your favorite beverage, sign in to meet and chat with Leaguers from all over the State. Lunell Haught, Board President, will facilitate short introductions of participants and then let the cocktails dictate the discussions!
Saturday, May 30
10:30AM-11:30AM—“VOTE411: More Important Than Ever” (Mary Coltrane, facilitator)
With the uncertainty about in-person forums and debates for the 2020 election, Vote411 may be our best avenue to connect with candidates and voters. Here is your chance to ask all your questions and give input to Beatrice Crane and Julie Anne Kempf from the State Vote411 Committee.
4PM-5:30PM—“Social Media, Fears and Fantasies” (Charli Sorenson, lead presenter)
COVID-19 disrupted your voter registration and Get Out the Vote plans? Younger voters already access news through social media sources and smartphones. This session will introduce the pros and cons, the how-tos, guidelines, and time management for getting your messaging out on social media, with an emphasis on Facebook.
7PM-8:30PM—“WA Voting Methods” (Stoney Bird and Cindy Madigan, presenters)
The authors of a recently completed report by the State League’s committee on Alternative Voting Methods will share their research and take questions and comments. Following this presentation Lisa Ayrault, Director, FairVote Washington will host an interactive presentation on Rank Choice Voting, with ample time for questions and comments.
Sunday, May 31
1PM-2PM—“Membership: From Curious to Committed” (Lunell Haught, lead)
This interactive session will focus on ideas from Clark, Spokane and Pullman leagues. You will get resources for later, and go-to people with great experience. This will include cultivation of new members and volunteers and retention of existing members. At the conclusion, you can brainstorm with fellow members about how to invigorate new members.
4PM-5PM—“I’m on the Board, Now what do I do?” (Lunell Haught, presenter)
For former and new Board members, a look at League of Women Voters’ specific Board issues and general Board information. A few leadership practices to keep you sane and lots of resources for later.
Monday, June 1
11AM-12PM—“Civics Education: It really is our job” (Bev Austin, lead)
We will have two sessions on this because it’s vital to our goal of defending democracy. This first session will be about our League’s textbook, reviewing the history, DEI issues and aspects around marketing them to our schools.
4:30PM-5:30PM—“Civics Education at the Local Level” (Bev Austin, lead)
This second session is about what local leagues are doing for Civics Education. Spokane, Clark, and Snohomish Counties will present programs and ideas to educate grades K-12 and adults in civics. There will be time for questions and discussion.
Tuesday, June 2
11AM-12:30PM—“DEI Challenges and Successes Right Here in WA” (Susan Fleming, lead)
Noah Ramirez, Lead Policy Organizer, Latino Community Fund, will speak about the Latino community in WA, its culture, contributions and needs. Representatives from Kitsap, Thurston, and Bellingham-Whatcom County Leagues will describe how they have reached out to diverse groups in their communities.
6:30PM-7:30PM—“This Meeting is Too Long!” (Linda Benson, presenter)
This session will give ideas for focused and efficient facilitation of meetings. It will include tricks to use for moving on from dominating and difficult people.
Wednesday, June 3
4PM-6PM—FEATURED GUEST SPEAKERS: “When the League Goes to Court,” An update from LWVUS on Advocacy and Litigation by Celina Stewart, Senior Director of Advocacy and Litigation, LWVUS, and Jessica Jones Capparell, Policy and Legislative Affairs Senior Manager, LWVUS
When the LWVWA goes to court about voter suppression, these are the women who lead the charge! Time for questions and discussion of ways for Leagues to be involved.
7PM-8PM—“Our Credibility Is All We Have” (Judy Davis, former LWVUS Board member and Anita Gibbs, Thurston League, presenters)
This session will help you understand the prickly boundaries between advocacy and non-partisanship, why it is so important and how it makes League of Women Voters unique.
Thursday, June 4
4PM-5PM—“LWVWA Connection with State Action” (Ann Murphy, lead)
How we influence the state legislature: processes, coalitions/partners, resources, and member mobilization. It will include an overview of this past legislative session.
7PM-8PM—“Advocacy in Local Leagues” (Joan Lawson, lead)
What are local leagues doing to affect local issues? Hear from several local leagues about what they are doing, as well as participate in a discussion about effective methods for influencing local officials and governments.
Sunday, June 7: The Marketplace of Ideas
The Marketplace is a “virtual meeting" idea to encourage conversations and networking in smaller groups. It will also address topics that weren’t covered during the main Council agenda. This fun Marketplace will be held on Sunday, June 7th, from 3PM-5:30PM.
There will be two one-hour sessions, each comprised of multiple small group discussions. The topics have been suggested by registrants. Since there will be two sequential one-hour slots, participants can attend two topics. The leads for each break-out group will be the person who suggested the topic or an appropriate expert. This is an experiment, but the intent is to “fill in the blanks” from what is missing from having an in-person meeting.
The person suggesting the idea is the facilitator of the session, and they will appoint a scribe who shares notes their notes back to the rest of the Council participants.