LWVUS Biennium Program Planning 2018- 2020 Meeting

by Karen Hendershot, Vice President
On February 7 our League held its Biennium Program meeting. For those new to the
League, "Program" is the education and advocacy platform adopted at the national
level to move the organization's mission forward, and is renewed every 2 years.
Results of our meeting are compiled, submitted to LWVUS, and used to modify old,
and create new, national agenda items. Though the League has policy positions on
scores of issues, not all are elevated to "Action" items.

This year the League asked us to continue to focus efforts around the "Campaign for
Making Democracy Work," and, in particular, on 1. Supporting Voting Rights, 2.
Improving Elections, 3. Campaign Finance/Money in Politics and 4. Redistricting.
After discussion, our members agreed to continue to support this platform and not to
recommend or suggest any additional items be added to the above agenda for 2018-
2020.

​During the current 2016-2018 Biennium our League took action on a number of the
four platform items within the "Campaign for Making Democracy Work" through the
following initiatives: Provided Voter Services on a college campus and government
agency through National Voter Registration Day activities and the New Citizen Voter
Registration Initiative in collaboration with USCIS; engaged in public outreach by
providing programs on voter issues for the NAACP, AARP, RCBC, and by hosting
expert speakers on topics such as voter rights and voter suppression; encouraged
young women to become interested in the political process and running for public
office through the Running and Winning Program held on-site at high schools in
Burlington County; hosted or moderated scores of public Candidates' Forums; and
wrote letters to editors on topics related to voter issues.