Greetings from M Street!Where did the time go? My previous message went out to you before the general election in November and here we are already into the New Year. So much has happened on M Street in that time! As usual, I'll highlight a few of our ongoing LWVUS/EF activities and some that we have completed since I last wrote. You will find more about what is happening in other sections of this Voter (particularly the Education Fund and Advocacy news in the League Matters section, and Hill Bulletin). In the area of voter outreach and education, our big news and great success in 2006 is VOTE411.org, the League's one-stop shop for election information. Public Advocacy for Voter Protection was another of our major projects. Please read the feature by LWVUS LWVUS League of Women Voters of the United States President Mary Wilson in which she shares some of her thoughts from her "Protecting the Voter" tour. This spring, the LWVEF is publishing a short "how to" resource guide on organizing and conducting Observer Corps programs. Our work on government transparency and accountability continues with support from the Herb Block Foundation. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In global democracy, the League's second year of the Russian Civic Hosting Program and the first year of the Ukrainian Civic Hosting Program were successfully completed. This spring, the second group of Kenyans is scheduled to arrive. On the advocacy front, the LWVUS mobilized action on the Hill and throughout the country to stop the so-called "Federal Election Integrity Act of 2006" in the Senate. This bill would have required every voter to provide government-issued, current and valid photo identification in 2008 and proof of citizenship by 2010. In the area of civil liberties, we continued to oppose legislative proposals to legalize le·gal·ize tr.v. le·gal·ized, le·gal·iz·ing, le·gal·iz·es To make legal or lawful; authorize or sanction by law. le the NSA NSA abbr. National Security Agency Noun 1. NSA - the United States cryptologic organization that coordinates and directs highly specialized activities to protect United States information systems and to produce foreign warrantless wiretapping A form of eavesdropping involving physical connection to the communications channels to breach the confidentiality of communications. For example, many poorly-secured buildings have unprotected telephone wiring closets where intruders may connect unauthorized wires to listen in on phone program. We also continued to press for meaningful lobbying and ethics reform. The cover story for this issue of the magazine is the first of three that will appear during the 3-year immigration immigration, entrance of a person (an alien) into a new country for the purpose of establishing permanent residence. Motives for immigration, like those for migration generally, are often economic, although religious or political factors may be very important. study. This introductory article for the study, providing a historical overview of immigration in the U.S., was written by a League member and University of Minnesota (body, education) University of Minnesota - The home of Gopher. http://umn.edu/. Address: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. professor, Katherine Fennelly. The article on presidential signing statements, written by former Congressman Mickey Edwards, covers a vital issue, the current "new" usage of such statements. The Sounding Off column allows the LWV LWV abbr. League of Women Voters of Arizona to share its experience regarding merit selection of judges. The new membership recruitment initiative is moving along, and the five local Leagues participating in the one-year pilot project have been busy. Read the article on p. 19 and make your own New Year's resolution A New Year's Resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to a project or a habit, often a lifestyle change that is generally interpreted as advantageous. The name comes from the fact that these commitments normally go into effect on New Year's Day and remain until the set about bringing more people into the League. In all these activities, you, our grassroots membership across the country, play a vital role. Working together, we are making a difference nationwide and locally. Nancy E. Tate, LWVUS Executive Director |
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