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League of Women Voters of Boulder County
Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy
Serving the People of Boulder County, Colorado
HomeEmailing
Date: 4/8/2024
Subject: LWVBC Voter April 2024
From: Jennifer L Bales




Voter Header
April 2024
Editor Jennifer Bales
jbales@me.com
See materials for the 2024 Annual Meeting
at the end of this newsletter
 

In This Issue:
 

Ever Wonder How Statewide “Citizen Initiatives”
End Up on Your Ballot?
By Celeste Landry

You have probably signed or been asked to sign a petition to get an initiative on the state ballot.  You may even have circulated a petition, as many LWV members are doing this year with Initiative 89 Right to Abortion.  Several other steps precede collecting signatures so let’s look at the initiative process from beginning to end.

First, let’s review Colorado’s 3 types of state ballot measures – listed below from least common to most common:

  • Citizen referendum, sometimes called a “veto referendum”: Recent example: Citizens who challenged Senate Bill 19-042 collected signatures to put Prop 113 on the 2020 ballot, asking voters to affirm or reject Colorado’s entry in the National Popular Vote Compact.
  • Legislative referendum: The legislature by a 2/3 vote in each chamber places on the ballot a constitutional change, a change requiring voter approval (e.g., TABOR requires voter approval of tax increases), or other changes which the legislature wants to give to the voters to decide.  LWVCO was part of a coalition that successfully got Amendments Y and Z referred to the voters, thereby avoiding the expense of collecting signatures.
  • Citizen initiative: About half the states allow for some type of citizen-initiated measures.  Colorado allows both constitutional and statutory initiatives.  Constitutional changes require 55% of the vote, unless the change is only a repeal of existing language.  Statutory changes require more than 50% of the vote.
Examples of citizen initiatives appearing on a ballot are shown at right.
 
Read the rest of the Citizen Initiative article here
example ballot measure

Are You Confused About Misinformation?
Wondering How to Save Democracy?
Join us April 14 to Hear Dr. Ian Shapiro!
By Mary Ann Wilner
Join us for an insightful take on Making Democracy Work in an Age of Misinformation. LWVBC’s annual fundraiser presents Dr. Ian Shapiro who will highlight the spread of political lies, why we fall for misinformation, and how to defend democracy in this highly contested election year.

Ian Shapiro specializes in American political attitudes and behavior, with focus on susceptibility and belief in political misinformation, how racial attitudes shape these beliefs and broader beliefs about democracy.

After receiving his doctorate from CU Boulder, Dr. Shapiro received a two year fellowship at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU. He is currently writing a book on how racial attitudes and political identifies affected perceived integrity of the 2020 presidential election.

Sunday April 14, 2024. Longmont Museum. 3-4:30 p.m.  $20. Questions: Mary Ann Wilner, mawilner61@gmail.com

Register for misinformation event here


Energizing Young Voters
By Pirie Jensen
The St. Vrain Superintendent, Dr. Don Haddad, invited me to present to the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council (SSAD) on March 13th, 2024. The presentation was 40 minutes and given to 50+ students alongside 12+ administrators and teachers. 

The students were surveyed before and after the presentation on their views about the importance of voting. Here are the results:
100% of students surveyed agree that youth voting is important!
70% want to influence peers to also vote.
47% want more info on mechanics of voting.

After the presentation, a student handed me his business card and stated he wanted to be a leader in a social media initiative to inspire his peers to vote. The quote on his card, “Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try.” - Yoda. I completely agree. 
 
Please see complete EYV Survey Metrics here.

EYV Pirie

From the Climate Action Team
By Jeannette Hillery
UPDATE on Compost  Facility:  The county is still looking for a site and is looking for input from the public.  For more information and to provide input go to Boco.org/compost-facility.
 
If you are interested in water issues, a program “Water in Colorado”, presented by Russ Schumacher, climatologist,  will be held at the Longmont City Council room on Thursday, April 18th  from 6:30 – 7:30 pm.  Reservation required at 303-651-8472 or bit.ly/LibAdults.



From Membership
 
By Susan Curtis
 
 
Membership count: 199
Welcome to Ellen Wagner who joined in March.

Civility Matters:  Promoting Respectful Dialog in a Divided World
 On March 17, nearly 50 LWVBC and community members gathered at the Lafayette Public Library for the first in a series of events and programs LWVBC is hosting through the Fall. The presentation was given by Cam Scott, a volunteer with Braver Angels, and a champion of the values of citizenship and civil discourse. He is working to do his part to heal and strengthen our democracy. During the event, we learned of the historical context of incivility in our politics; built awareness of our own personal biases; and, learned and practiced communication skills that lead to productive conversations. Participants were enthusiastic and engaged in learning more about having civil conversations and using the skills learned.  

We encourage our readers to learn more about Braver Angels by going to the website, www.braverangels.org.

LWVBC Annual Meeting
The LWVBC Annual Meeting will be Saturday, May 18, from 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon at Rule4, 3002 Bluff Street, Suite 100, Boulder, CO.  The keynote speaker is Dr. Martin Carcasson, CSU Professor of Communications and Director of the Center for Public Discourse.  He will speak on the topic of "Civic Engagement through a Wicked Problems Lens".

This is our annual business meeting so it is important that you attend!  We will elect officers; vote on changes to by-laws and a budget for the coming fiscal year; and honor members with awards and recognition.  Thank you to all those who submitted nominations for Merit Awards which will be announced at the Annual Meeting. 

New on Our Website
A printable member list updated to March 5, 2024, is available to members after logging in to the website:  LWVBC.org>Members Info>Member Contact List.   The online Member Directory is also a good way for members to look up other LWVBC members by way of a v-card system.  You can search for members by first or last names (or the first letters of a name) or city or interest.  Click  on the v-card photo (or where a photo would be) to see more information about the member.  Search the Member Directory without any entry and all members' v-cards will appear. 
 
Public Hearing on Town of Superior Home Charter
After several months of meetings, discussions and considering public comment, the Town of Superior Home Rule Charter Commission is nearing the conclusion of its work. As they complete the Town of Superior's Home Rule Charter, they have scheduled a Public Hearing to present the final draft to the community on Thursday, April 18 at 6 p.m. The meeting will be held at Town Hall located at 124. E. Coal Creek Drive. Participants can also join virtually through Zoom. The link will be available the week of the meeting on the Town Calendar. Learn More About Home Rule.




2024 Annual Meeting Materials

  •  Meeting announcement 
  •  Budget Preamble
  •  Proposed Budget 2024-2025
  •  Financial Review
  •  Nominations
  •  Positions for Action
  •  Strategic Planning
  •  Bylaws Changes

Annual Meeting Announcement

Saturday, May 18
9:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Rule4 Office
3002 Bluff Street, Suite 100
Boulder, CO  
     

Budget Preamble

   
Proposed LWVBC 2024-25 Budget 
budget preamble 2024

2024-2025 Budget

2024-5 budget image

Financial Review

FINANCIAL REVIEW for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023-2024
League of Women Voters of Boulder County (LWVBC) 

I have reviewed the record keeping of LWVBC which includes monthly revenue and expenditures reports, beginning and ending cash balances and the FY end bank statement/reconciliation.

I find that the books are an accurate reflection of the financial condition of the LWVBC for the FY 2023-2024 and of its operations and cash flows for that fiscal year. I commend the Treasurer for her commitment to accuracy, clarity, transparency and compliance with recommended best League and general accounting practices. 

Respectfully submitted, 

Carol Brown

Nominations

Nominations updated

2023-2024 Proposed Revisions of LWVBC Positions for Action and Proposed Studies

positions revisions

Strategic Planning

The LWVBC has carried out strategic planning efforts and annual progress reviews since identifying the need for such planning in 2015. Significant efforts to expand the visibility of the League within Boulder County were initiated and carried out across those years. Relevancy to the public has driven decisions to expand our outreach efforts; apply diversity, equity and inclusion considerations to our decision making; and revive our efforts to recruit younger members and activate members.
 
As the 2023-24 year comes to a close the Board members have reflected on the most current needs for the LWVBC and determined the next focus needs to be more of an internal improvement, involving operational efficiency, leadership development and growth of our active volunteer force. This Summer will bring meetings of leaders and interested members to address the organizational structure and opportunities to become actively involved in the league. Please keep an eye out for meeting announcements and register to get involved in directing the LWVBC’s future.

Bylaws Changes

Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the voting members present and voting at the Annual Meeting, following submission of the changes in writing, to the membership, at least one month in advance of the meeting. Virtually all the changes deal with improved grammar or with changes handed down from the LWVUS in its transformation processes over the past year.

Article III, Section 2. Types of Membership, a. Voting Members
The description of voting members has been changed to match the description of membership as revised by the National League in 2024, eliminating references to state and local geographic locations.
  
Article IV. Section 7. Polls, Taking Public Action
The language describing the process of polling Board members outside of a meeting to take public action prior to the next meeting has been revised to read more clearly and does not represent a change in the process.

Article V. Leadership, Section 5. Treasurer
The description of the Treasurer’s duties has been simplified to match the description maintained by the National League. The duties previously assigned to an Assistant Treasurer, can be carried out by the Treasurer and the practice of monthly audit reviews, continued for the past 2 years, provides adequate review of the Treasurer’s actions regarding deposits to and disbursements from the LWVBC’s accounts.

Article VI. Financial Administration, Section 2. Dues
The description of dues and details of their payment schedule have been changed to reflect the revised descriptions distributed by the National League. Further details are expected from National later in the 2024-2025 cycle.
 
 
The most pertinent changes are shown below:

handbook rev 1

Handbook rev 2

Handbook rev 3

Handbook rev 4

Handbook rev 5