| November 2021
Editor Jennifer Bales
communications@lwvbc.org | | | |
President's Letter
for November, 2021
By Elizabeth Crowe | | | |
Empowered League Members = Empowered Voters | 2021 Election Day results are in! For LWVBC, the winners are all of our amazing Voter Service volunteers, and community members who took the time to be informed and engaged as voters. Please read Mandy's article about Voter Service activity results at the end of this newsletter and join in appreciating all who made those results possible.
I believe that the empowerment and excitement of League members about the work we do to help inform and create access for people to engage in the political process, leads to greater voter empowerment. The excitement shows! And, during a recent meeting, LWVBC Board members also discussed our observations that many of our members and leaders are stretched thin; burned-out from COVID-19 health, economic and social challenges; catching up on family connections and responsibilities; and having a hard time focusing on team strategies in this virtual organizing world. We see it, hear it, and often feel it ourselves. We're not the only organization experiencing these challenges, yet we do need to address them.
That's why, now that election activities are complete, we're asking you to share your thoughts about our advocacy next steps. For issues and activities that align with League's vision, mission and the new Women Power Democracy platform, what are you most passionate about? About what issues do you feel most empowered to change, in a manner that League can uniquely affect? With these survey questions we're not tossing aside past or current effective work, but rather giving ourselves the space to think big and think more creatively about community needs and our best next steps.
We look forward to hearing from you - and seeing you, on-screen or in-person - very soon. Please check the events calendar for upcoming local and state League events and reach out with any questions!
| Why I am a Recurring Donor |
by Peggy Leech
About 18 months ago, I enrolled through LWVBC’s website as a recurring donor. The option had just been made available through Club Express, and I jumped at the chance.
Here are my reasons for being a recurring donor:
- I believe in the League. It is a well-respected community organization, with lots of opportunities for me personally to participate—either as a volunteer, or as an attendee at events/webinars, or using the League resources such as Vote411 or the website. I am proud to be a member, and I believe in democracy!
- I remember seeing a “Giving Tree”, which showed how LWVBC’s expenses could be sustained with various levels of support from lots of donors. For example, if we had 20 donors at $25/month ($300 yearly), that would contribute $6,000/year to the cause. 20 donors at $50/month ($600 yearly) would contribute another $12,000. It all adds up. I found a level of support that was meaningful to me, and I can do my part toward the total goal. (Our budgeted amount for Member Contributions is $24,000 this year.)
- I am on a fixed income, and it is much easier for me to contribute monthly rather than in larger chunks. Big amounts blow a hole in my budget, but fixed monthly amounts are so much easier to handle., and I almost don’t notice my contribution when my credit card bill comes each month.
- It’s easy. On our website (lwvbc.org), you will need to sign in as a member. Then go to the “Join and Support Us” tab, drop down to “Donate to League”, and you will find several options for giving. Pick the recurring one you want, set up your monthly donation, and it will be automatic after that. Note: you can always go to your Profile and change the amount if you want.
I would like to encourage more of our members to become recurring donors. This is very similar to public radio, where lots of donations add up to a meaningful amount.
In fact, we have received a match offer. If we sign up at least 20 recurring donors during the month of November, LWVBC will receive an additional $250 bonus. The recurring donors need to pledge at least $20/month for at least a year to qualify for the match. Please sign up—we are all in this together!
| VRD Table Photos from Longmont Day of the Dead Street Festival | Voting Methods We Don't Recommend |
by Marcus Ogren of the Voting Methods Team
The Voting Methods Team wants to solve problems such as vote splitting and good-but-less-well-known candidates being discouraged from running for office. Some voting methods we recommend include approval voting, STAR voting, instant-runoff voting (IRV, or regular single-winner Ranked Choice Voting), and a variety of methods that provide proportional representation, including single transferable voter (STV, or proportional multi-winner Ranked Choice Voting) and allocated score (proportional STAR voting).
It turns out that there are also voting methods we would not recommend. This article looks into some of those, and, in doing so, answers this question: what are we looking to avoid in a voting method?
| Advocacy Update - Please Fill out Our Survey
by Sylvia Bernstein | You can help the LWVBC prepare for a busy and productive upcoming legislative session in the following ways:
1) Please fill out this survey to let us know what you think we should advocate for, and what you would like to be involved in.
2) Please plan to attend the LWVBC Advocacy Training on Saturday, December 11 from 10:00 - 11:30. You will learn the difference between advocacy and lobbying, how all levels of the League (national, state and local) approach advocacy, and how you can advocate for positive change. Register here.
3) Please let Sylvia Bernstein (SylviaLBernstein@gmail.com) know if you would like to participate in the new Advocacy Team. We will be meeting regularly during the legislative session to follow the activities of the LWVCO Legislative Action Committee and to take action to optimize our impact as a local League. | |
Welcome to our New Members:
Since our last newsletter, we have had four members join the League: Hope Michelsen, Cindy Lindsay, Stephanie Tremitiere and Stephanie Heacox have all joined from Boulder. Welcome to all!
Member Coffee
Thank you, Marcus Ogren, from the Voting Methods Team, on your excellent presentation on Proportional Representation at our October Coffee! A link to a video of their presentation will be posted on the LWVBC website soon.
The next Virtual Member Coffee, which is for all members, both existing and new, prospective members and the public, is scheduled for October November 20th at 10:00 AM. While we are still finalizing the agenda, our main speaker for this coffee will Caleb Thornton, Legal, Policy, and Rulemaking Manager-Elections, Department of State. His presentation will be on “The Recall Process in Colorado”. With the ever-increasing number of recalls across the state and nation, our members and non-members are looking to be better educated on the recall process.
To register for the coffee, please click on the following link: November Member Coffee
If you have feedback on the Virtual Member Coffees or have an idea on what we should cover, please reach out to me at jean.mcguire7777@gmail.com.
Membership Renewals
Did you forget to renew your membership? No worries. You can still renew.
To renew your membership:
- Go to the lwvbc.org and log in as a member by clicking Member Login
- If you have forgotten your username and/or password, click Member Login and then the Forgot My Username/Password button. The username and a new temporary password will be generated and sent to your email address on file.
- Once logged in, at the home screen in the upper right next to your name, look for the link, “Renew” which appears within a month of your membership expiration. Please note, that only the primary member of a household can renew for the household and will see the “Renew” button, secondary members will not see the “Renew” button.
- Choose how to pay either by credit card, the most convenient, or by check.
- If mailing a check, make it payable to LWVBC at P.O. Box 21274, Boulder, CO 80308. Your dues of $80 include $20 for dues to the LWV of Colorado, $32 to the LWVUS, and $28 to LWVBC (Boulder County).
- Choose how much to pay:
- Basic membership is now $80
- Household membership is $80 plus $40 for each additional member of the household
- Think about making an additional donation to the League on top of your membership dues, maybe in honor of a Leaguer who has made an impact in our community or who has recently passed.
- Student membership is free, however student members still need to renew
| The Gun Safety Committee of the Boulder County League of Voters is sponsoring a special presentation on November 17 at 1:00PM
Sarah Albrecht the Executive Director and founder of Hold My Guns will speak to Boulder County LWV by Zoom.
Hold My Guns (HMG) is a not for profit organization based in Pennsylvania whose mission is to connect responsible firearm owners with voluntary, off-site storage of those firearms. HMG partners with gun shops and other enterprises which are licensed to manufacture or import or sell firearms and ammunition. The HMG partners store firearms safely and professionally at the owner's request for any number of reasons...during sale of a home, military deployment and especially when a gun owner is at risk of suicide.
|  | 1) 2020 was a noisy year for foreign disinformation. 2021 was as well. Don’t listen to it. The Secretary of State’s office is the trusted source for election information. Shhhh….you can hear facts protecting democracy.
https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/ElectionIntegrity/index.html
2) Did you miss our Election Security Webinar? Watch the recording on youtube (A graphic is in Club express already)...better yet, make sure you are subscribed to our Youtube Channel so you are notified anytime we have new content
https://youtu.be/vUkP-xCQtyk
3) Voter service Election Results and Thank you are below. | Voter Services Celebrates Another Successful Election Season | by Mandy Nuku, Operations Director
We had another successful election season! I’d like to thank some of our dedicated volunteer leaders. First, a BIG thanks to Carol Brown who not only coordinated Vote411 for Boulder County but also coordinated Voter Registration Drives. She was instrumental in carrying out these vital resources for our community. Thank you for your commitment to League Carol.
Also, many thanks to our Ballot Issue Research team and Ballot Issue Presenters-Peggy Leech, Holly Monkman, Charles DuScha, Deborah Hayes, Barbara Merrell! We received appreciation from the community and many views. Thanks to our Rockstar Webmaster, Shelby Bates, for updating the 2021 Election page so frequently! Lastly, thanks to all the League members who viewed the forums, presentations and shared them with their networks. Please continue to support the League by sharing our resources and donating so we can continue providing election information to Boulder County.
Some highlights from the Election season so far:
● 25 Election Services volunteers that helped with Voter Registration Drives, Vote411, Candidate Forums and Ballot Issue Presentations
● 1 staff member working over 100 hours on Voter Services Activities
● 1 CU Student Intern contributing to social media and communication needs for Election activities
● 16 Voter Registration/Voter Education Drives in Boulder County
● Vote411.org Candidate submissions for Boco Elections, Ballot Issue Information in English and Spanish (data on views/accessing of site not yet available)
● Ballot Issue Pamphlets in English and Spanish for City of Boulder, City of Lafayette & Louisville, State of Colorado Issues
● Two Virtual Ballot Issue Presentations for City of Boulder & State Issues, City of Lafayette and Louisville Issues & State Issues (approximately 240 views so far). Both presentations offered in Spanish.
● Candidate Forums: Boulder City Council, Longmont City Council & Mayoral race, City of Lafayette, City of Louisville, Boulder valley School District. All forums had live simultaneous interpretation.
- Most watched are the City of Longmont forums in partnership with Longmont Public Media; Mayoral race has over 1,000 viewers plus approximately 100 attendees in person; Longmont City Council At large candidates-769 views
- City of Boulder Forums (two nights, 5 candidates each night): 443 views to date
- City of Lafayette City Council Candidate Forum: 382 viewers
- City of Louisville City Council Candidate Forum: 70 viewers
- BVSD School Board Forum: 1109 viewers
● Many community requests for Ballot Issue Presentations, Pamphlets
● Partnerships with Longmont Public Media, Latino Parent Committee of Boulder Valley School District, Boulder Valley School District District Parent Council, Emergency Family Assistance Association
●3 Election Season Business Donors totaling $1,000!
● Boulder Community Bar Foundation Grant of $1,100 for Ballot Issue work for Boulder County Voters! | |