Advocacy.

After years of hard work, the League hailed the December 10, 2003 Supreme Court 5-4 decision in McConnell v. FEC. The Court upheld key provisions of the McCain-Feingold Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA), banning "soft money" and restricting "sham issue" advertisements. The LWVUS had filed an amicus brief supporting the provision banning "sham issue" ads. League staff, President Kay Maxwell, and National Capital Area Leagues demonstrated support for BCRA at the Supreme Court on the day of oral arguments.

Thanks to significant activity from local and state Leagues and our Grassroots Lobby Corps, we helped ensure that oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) was removed from the final version of the energy bill, still an ill-conceived public policy. Thanks again to the League's e-activists--who sent nearly 3,000 e-mails to Congress opposing the energy bill--the Senate moved to prevent that bill from final passage in November. Proponents of the legislation vowed to try again in early 2004, and the League continues its efforts to defeat this bill.

A new advocacy resource, the Clean Air Grassroots Advocacy Kit, was prepared for all League leaders in the fall 2003. For details on LWVUS advocacy efforts and to learn how you can join the League's Grassroots Lobby Corps, see Hill Bulletin, pp. 6-7.

Advocacy and Education Staff worked together to produce "Questions and Answers on Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) Voting Systems." As with all advocacy activity, Board Member Linda McDaniel oversaw the project.

LWVUS is cosponsoring the March for Women's Lives in Washington, DC, on Sunday, April 25, 2004. We are proud to join with the Feminist Majority, NARAL Pro-Choice America, the National Organization for Women Planned Parenthood Federation of America and other organizations for the March (see Sounding Off, p. 20). Leagues are encouraged to organize delegations of walkers. In late December, a "March for Women's Lives Toolkit" was sent to local and state Leagues. Contact Diana Onken at [e-mail] for details or to join the LWVUS delegation.