Council 2003.LWV LWV abbr. League of Women Voters FIRST, the theme of Council 2003, was evident as 112 delegates from 47 states plus the District of Columbia District of Columbia, federal district (2000 pop. 572,059, a 5.7% decrease in population since the 1990 census), 69 sq mi (179 sq km), on the east bank of the Potomac River, coextensive with the city of Washington, D.C. (the capital of the United States). and the Virgin Islands filled the room with enthusiasm on June 7-9 in Washington, DC. Topics ranged from election reform to how to attract new members. U.S. Congressional Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton Eleanor Holmes Norton (born June 13, 1937) is a member of the United States House of Representatives but is not a full voting member. She is a Delegate to Congress representing the District of Columbia, a position that carries more limited voting powers than full House members. welcomed and thanked the delegates for convening in our nation's capital and working tirelessly to secure voting rights Voting rights The right to vote on matters that are put to a vote of security holders. For example the right to vote for directors. voting rights The type of voting and the amount of control held by the owners of a class of stock. for the District of Columbia. Following this rousing welcome, LWVUS LWVUS League of Women Voters of the United States President Kay Maxwell and Executive Director Nancy Tate outlined the guiding principles steering the League's work in 2002-2004. Declaring that we are entering a critical time in the election cycle, Maxwell and "Tate urged delegates to return home with this simple mission: use this opportune period to do work that will have impact and bring the League visibility. The themes laid out in the opening dialogue were reinforced throughout Council. Tate and Deputy Executive Director Zaida Arguedas presented education activities--efforts on elections and campaign finance reform Campaign finance reform is the common term for the political effort in the United States to change the involvement of money in politics, primarily in political campaigns. , judicial independence, civic participation and global democracy. Outreach Chair Rosie Stephens unveiled a pilot member recruitment effort that seeks to add new members and increase our revenue. Delegates also received a briefing from Database Manager Lela Sallis on the new member database. Remarks from Development Chair Jan Flapan, Advocacy Chair Linda McDaniel, and Communications Chair Joan Paik highlighted our successes and challenges in each area. Delegates were urged to grow our grassroots lobby corps. Exciting communications changes were detailed, alerting delegates to watch for more electronic communications such as the monthly e-newsletter and online President's mailings. Plenaries featured speakers Doris Schapira, LWVUS UN observer; Suzanne Morse, president of the Pew Partnership for Civic Change; Connie Ferguson, chair of the LWVUS Nominating Committee A nominating committee is a group formed usually from inside the membership of an organization for the purpose of nominating candidates for office within the organization. It works similarly to an electoral college, the main difference being that the available candidates, either ; and Bob Hansan, president of Capitol Advantage Capitol Advantage is a technology and publishing firm based in Fairfax, VA. The company is the largest publisher of Congressional directories in the country as well as the market leader in software for online advocacy, having over 1,700 clients. , the League's new DNet partner. LWVUS presented several awards. One of this year's winners of the Student Mock Election A mock election (or pretend election, fake election) is an election organised for educational or transformative purposes. Mock election for educational purposes Secondary schools organise mock elections to introduce young people to the concept of elections before they award was the sixth grade class, New Searles Elementary School, Nashua, NH. Twenty-three students, accompanied by their teacher and families, made the long trip from New England. Recipients of the League award from the National Organization on Disabilities and Aetna, for civic engagement programs with the disability community, were the Leagues of Hudson, OH and Holland Area, MI. Delegates unanimously passed the LWVUS 2003-2004 budget, and attended workshops on leadership, development, technology, judicial independence and global democracy; training sessions on media and public speaking; and a Presidential Selection Update symposium. Highlighting the banquet, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's remarks detailed the fight for women's suffrage, a part of American political history included in her new book, The Majesty of the Law: Reflections of a Supreme Court Justice. Before leaving town, delegates were invited back for Convention 2004, June 11-15 at the Washington Hilton Hotel, Washington, DC (information to be mailed in January 2004). "There's an energy in this room that promises great things for the League in the coming year," declared Maxwell. |
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