Dear LWVOR Members,
August means Election Work! Oregon’s 2022 general election is a major one, despite not being a Presidential election year.
Everyone agrees that holding an Oregon Student Mock Election this year would be an important service from LWVOR, given the unusual features of this election: the most important governor's race nationally, already projected at >$40M, extremely high state legislative turn over intensifying voter engagement, and the newly redistricted CDs, with nationally targeted seats. By the way, we’ve filed 2024 Campaign Finance Reform initiatives with the LWVOR President signed as a Chief Petitioner.
I hope you are all keeping cool in this further alarmingly hot summer. Please take care!
Becky Gladstone
LWVOR President
THIS MONTH…
YOUTH OUTREACH
Our Youth Outreach group is moving forward! Contact Mimi Alkire to get onto our list. Projects are advancing!
Student Mock Elections with Civics ED curriculum – We got an OCF Grant last week to fund a Mock Election Coordinator this fall! We will post the opening but send a resume ASAP to Becky Gladstone if you’re interested! We have superb materials and networking via the OR Dept of Education, used by K-12, citizenship classes, also community college and even a university Poli Sci class. The Coordinator can help update materials and our Spanish translation service is standing by!
Youth Election Observer Training – This PSU project, with LWVOR endorsement, is hoping for an NSF grant to pilot in Multnomah County and provide a template for training around the state.
Students – Send Your Forum Questions! – Local Leagues hold candidate and ballot measure events, including candidate video interviews. Send questions you’d like to ask and we’ll add them to the lists we share! There may also be volunteer opportunities - ASK!
Youth Liaison on the LWVOR Board – The LWVOR Board is establishing a Nominating Committee Task Force. A Youth Member would be very helpful for the task force and also on the LWVOR Board!
Girl Scout Outreach – We understand that the Girl Scouts have or are developing a Civics ED badge! Let’s work together! P.S. Boy Scouts? Let us know how you’d like to help pitch in, too!
LWVOR TASK FORCE: NOMINATING COMMITTEE
The LWVOR Board has openings. Aside from the Program / Studies Chair, these are positions developed recently and we would welcome volunteers with experience:
Program /Studies – OPEN! We need a program chair to promote the timeline for competitive local League study proposals for next May’s LWVOR Convention.
HR Chair – OPEN! Ideally, experience with managing employees would be a real plus.
Nominating Committee – We need a 2nd rep from the LWVOR Board.
Communications – OPEN!
Youth Liaison
Our LWVOR Council in May 2022 was directed to convene a task force to examine our Nominating Committee process. The Board has discussed this and a group will convene August 1st at 10am. We will consider the guidelines from the LWVUS Convention presentation. They changed their process and were faced with the enviable problem of evaluating 100 applications, ranging from Excellent to Very Excellent. Send your Nominating Committee and Membership folks to join this group.
VOTER SERVICE
Contact your own League to pitch in and help, close to home and for the state! Your needs may vary but you can help with collecting candidate and local ballot measure data for Vote411.org. The Lane County League decided a few years ago that since everyone depends on League members for voting information, they offered Speakers’ Bureau training to ALL MEMBERS!
CLIMATE CHANGE
Thank you to LWVOR Climate Change Advocates! Arguably, they are
the driving force behind the! Join by clicking the QR CODE:
Take a look and consider joining one of the 10 “Issue Teams”! Tell them Oregon is proud of pulling our weight! Click on the Issue Teams thumbnails to learn more:
BALLOT MEASURE RESEARCH
Ballot measure researcher assignments will be made this week, not too late for you to help! There are only four state measures this fall, so hop to it and email Peggy Bengry, Voter Service Chair, for an assignment before they’re all taken!
We encourage teamwork, so new researchers are very welcome - join in and help. Follow the instructions provided to assemble information from official postings, get pro and con statements, then assemble for our online Vote411.org and Voters’ Guides. This is ideal for students, before school starts! You can also help by following ongoing press coverage to update our Speakers’ Bureau up to the November 8th election.
These have qualified for Oregon state ballots this November.
# 111 – Oregon Right to Health Care Amendment Legislative Referral 111 (read the text) Amend the Oregon Constitution: The State must ensure affordable healthcare access, balanced against requirements to fund schools and other essential services.
#112 – Remove Slavery and Crimes from the Oregon Constitution Legislative Referral 112 (read the text) Amend the Oregon Constitution: Remove language allowing slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for crime. This legislative referral applies to prisoners working without getting paid.
#113 – Oregon Exclusion from Re-election for Absenteeism. Ballot Measure 113 (read the measure) Amend the Oregon Constitution: Disqualify Legislators with ten unexcused absences from floor sessions from holding the next term of office.
#114 – The Reduction of Gun Violence Act Ballot Measure 114 (read the measure) Requires permit to acquire firearms; police maintain permit/firearm database; criminally prohibits certain ammunition magazines.
OREGON PROPERTY OWNER WILDFIRE RISK MAP
Take another look – This important real-time Oregon Wildfire Risk Explorer Map can help Oregon communities to decide and plan for mitigating wildfire risk. Read about the wildland-urban interface (WUI) and statewide wildfire risk map through the Oregon Explorer, as required by Senate Bill 762 (2021).
STAFF TRANSITIONS
Welcome Raezhelle Madison, on the left, as Office Support Specialist to join Office Manager Abigail Hertzler, on the right!
We bid farewell to Amanda Crittenden, center, leaving to expand to full time computer science studies.
ACTION
Oregon Ballot Measures 2022
The League studies issues, reaches member consensus, and then adopts positions; read about our positions! We refrain from supporting or opposing measures if we have not studied the issue. The board will vote, likely to accept an anticipated Action Committee motion for these:
Redistricting Volunteers Needed for Summer Work at Home!
The LWVOR is part of and is a leader of the People Not Politicians coalition. You may already know that PNP is planning to refile its redistricting initiative for 2024. We need volunteers to help add signers of the previous redistricting initiative petitions to a database that can then be used for mailing new petitions and other purposes. You can do this volunteer work from home using your home computer and a website. Very little computer skill is needed for this work, and you may do the work as you have time available. If you want to help, please contact Chris Cobey or Norman Turrill.
RECOMMENDED READING
I am now into my fourth year as LWVOR President and I’m getting ducks in a row for a smooth transition at our LWVOR Convention 2023. I am looking forward to having a little more time on my hands and want to get back to reading more, including Warren Easley’s Cal Claxton mystery series. Yes, that name may sound familiar, Warren is married to Marge, past LWVOR President and hot-button issue advocate for LWVOR! Thank you both!
For this month’s recommended reading, I have to admit that I’ve been swamped and will just share some pleasure reading with you. I’m reading for the upcoming 2023 legislative session and I’m comparing notes on the LWV study process with leaders around the country discussing a study of energy sources with Climate Change pressing on us. I really appreciate seeing the improvements in “lateral communications”, like the LWVOR Development Committee reaching out to host quarterly chats with local fundraisers. Sharing the work can make it easier, more efficient, and even FUN! More time for leisure reading, too. 😊
Thank you for reading the state League update.
Becky Gladstone,
President, LWVOR
Thank you for reading this newsletter!
You can Manage Your LWVOR Subscriptions yourself for this monthly President’s Newsletter, the Legislative Reports, and the quarterly VOTER.