Education Fund.

VOTER OUTREACH AND EDUCATION

The League of Women Voters Education Fund (LWVEF) has produced and continues work on a number of voter outreach and education activities and products for use in state and local elections in 2007 as well as for the presidential election in 2008.

For Election 2007, VOTE411. org will continue to provide up-to-date information on the requirements in each state concerning voter registration, ID requirements, in-person and absentee voting, and much more. The site also includes information provided by state and local Leagues on where the candidates stand on issues and debates. Leagues should send their Voters' Guides and debate information to [e-mail].

For Election 2008, VOTE411. org is being updated to include more content and features such as time off to vote, how to become a poll worker, presidential candidate statements and video streaming. The popular poll locater will also be updated to contain the latest information.

Leagues across the country are planning voter registration drives and other voter service activities. Now's the time to refresh our memories regarding the rules and regulations that govern voter registration activities, To help support these activities, the LWVEF has created a new, online Voter Registration Toolkit, available at www.lwv.org. The Toolkit contains "Ten Steps to a Successful Registration Drive," "Top Things to Remember When Running a Voter Registration Drive" and other publications to help Leagues plan voter registration drives in their communities.

The League and the Newspapers in Education Institute (NIE) have begun work on the first of two election inserts which will provide voters across the country with non-partisan election information for the primary and general elections. These inserts are designed to help educate young people, many of whom will be voting for the first time, as well as adults, about the election process. This offers Leagues an excellent opportunity to partner with local newspapers to get the election inserts published and distributed to schools within their communities nationwide.

The League is continuing to work with the Smackdown Your Vote! (SYV!) partners to engage young people in the election process. Plans are underway to update the 18-30 VIP (Voter Issues Paper) for use in Election 2008. The 18-30 VIP urges candidates running for office, elected officials and political parties to address questions on issues that young voters have said are most important to them.

We have also been working with the publisher of Choosing the President on the updates to the 2008 edition. It currently is scheduled for publication in January 2008. Copies will be available for purchase at our online store.

ELECTION REFORM

The Election Administration Reform Workshop at Council 2007 highlighted the following for emphasis in working on election administration issues: (1) opposing ID and documentary proof-of-citizenship requirements, (2) improving administration of statewide voter registration databases and guarding against wrongful or incorrect purging; (3) guarding against unnecessary restrictions on voter registration, (4) improving poll worker recruitment, training and supervision, and (5) improving polling place management and ballot design. A number of resources are available on the Leagues Web site and new resources are in the works to provide comprehensive information on these and other topics that will help Leagues improve the electoral system.

Phase 2 of the Public Advocacy for Voter Protection Project is underway. The project's goal is to protect those citizens who have been and continue to be under-represented in the political process because of practices that deliberately or inadvertently disenfranchise them, including onerous voter identification rules and complex statewide voter registration list procedures.

One key election administration reform issue is poll worker recruitment, training and retention. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) recently adopted Successful Practices in Poll Worker Recruiting, Training and Retention, a guide developed by the LWVEF, IFES and the Pollworker Institute. This guide, available at www.eac.gov, was developed over months of research, focus groups and a pilot program during the 2006 election cycle. It is designed to help elections officials recruit and train an Election Day workforce that can meet the demands of modern day elections. We encourage you to learn more about this resource and share it with your state and local elections officials. Copies are available through the EAC.

In partnership with 18 Leagues nationwide, the national League conducted a successful year-long educational DC Voting Rights Project that built public awareness of the unique relationship between Congress and the citizens of the District of Columbia, specifically their lack of full voting rights. Leagues across the country organized public forums in universities, schools and town halls, gaining national and local media attention. Through this project's activities, hundreds of thousands of people learned about this issue and valuable educational materials were created, including print ads, public service announcements, fact sheets and much more. The educational movement is not over; we encourage you to learn more about this issue at www.lwv.org/DCVotingRights and spread the word in your community.

JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE

As part of the League's Safeguarding U.S. Democracy project, the League of Women Voters joined other organizations in acknowledging the importance of the U.S. Constitution and celebrating Constitution Day on September 17th. Twenty Leagues organized activities to highlight the importance of the U.S. Constitution and its system of check and balances. In conjunction with this celebration, LWVUS President Mary Wilson recorded a podcast which can be heard on the League's Web site, www.lwv.org.

GLOBAL DEMOCRACY

The second phase of Kenyans Working Together for Good Governance, the LWVUS two-year citizen exchange project, ended in June. Sally Davenport, representing the LWV of Tucson (AZ), Kansas State Representative Delia Garcia, representing the LWV of Wichita (KS), and LWVUS Director of Global Democracy Programs Zaida Arguedas flew to Nairobi where they met with the U.S. Public Affairs Officer and several members of Parliament. The delegation then traveled to Garissa (in the northeastern province) to meet with the ten Kenyans who were hosted by the League in March 2007. Their schedule included participation in a number of civic workshops and meetings. Upon their return to Nairobi, the delegation traveled to Mombasa to visit six Coast Province participants from the 2006 group. There is a strong commitment to maintaining continued contact with these incredible women.

The League's participation in the Civic Hosting program for Russians and Ukrainians continues to grow. Twenty-five Ukrainian citizens were hosted by five Leagues in Duluth (MN), Portland and Salem (OR), Bluffton (SC), and Rochester (NY) as well as by the LWVs of Montgomery County (MD) and the District of Columbia and the national office. Twenty-five visitors from Russia have been hosted by Leagues in Los Angeles (CA), McLean (IL), Oneonta (NY), Minneapolis (MN) and Wichita (KS).

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The League will be hosting 15 visitors from Azerbaijan between January and April 2008. This will be the first such visit hosted by the League; the goal is to work together on the Azerbaijani elections in October 2008.

Between September 1st and December 15, 2007, the League is hosting "A Safer, More Compassionate World" forums with funding from Our Voices Together. The LWVs of Cleveland (OH), Atlanta-Fulton (GA), Elmhurst (IL), Duluth (MN), Winona (MN), Space Coast (FL), Louisville (KY), Tyler/Smith Co. (TX), Utica/Rome Metro (NY), Santa Monica (CA), La Plata (CO), Schenectady Co (NY), South Bend Area (IN), and McLean County (IL) are organizing local forum-style discussions on how to implement some of the 9/11 Commission recommendations on a people-to-people basis in their own communities in order to create a safer world.

RELATED ARTICLE: League Youth Caucus News.

During Council 2007, young League leaders from Kentucky, Idaho and Georgia engaged LWVUS Board members in lively conversation on the challenges and joys of being a younger member of the League. Professional development and networking opportunities are key benefits of serving in the League, but these leaders consistently mentioned lack of training in League processes as a problem. Poor training fosters uncertainty as to how one can best utilize the League to affect local and state issues and, ultimately, a sense that the League is not an action oriented organization. They said that communication with younger members is most effective in an electronic format with concise and focused content, and a clear call to action or statement of need. The young leaders also urged inclusion of a Youth Caucus with a panel of speakers to further discussion at Convention 2008.

RELATED ARTICLE

The League's Diversity Policy (reaffirmed in January 2003): The LWVUS/LWVEF, in both its values and practices, affirms its belief and commitment to diversity and pluralism, which means there shall be no barriers to participation in any activity of the LWVUS/LWVEF on the basis of gender, race, creed, age, sexual orientation, national origin or disability. The LWVUS/LWVEF recognizes that diverse perspectives are important and necessary for responsible and representative decision-making. The LWVUS/LWVEF subscribes to the belief that diversity and pluralism are fundamental to the values it upholds and that this inclusiveness enchances the organization's ability to respond more effectively to changing conditions and needs. The LWVUS/LWVEF affirms its commitment to reflecting the diversity of the country in its board, staff and programs.

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