President's Message
from Janet Imhoff |
First of all, I want to say Happy Holidays to all our members and friends. I hope your month of December is full of family, friends and good food.
Our League will be busy in January, with State-level Program Planning, an update on payday lending (via Zoom), and of course Lunch with the League and our Book Club.
What Is Program Planning? Because we are a grassroots, multi-issue organization, we ask our members to help set priorities for our advocacy work. Our State Program Planning meeting will be on Thursday, January 4, at 6 PM, via Zoom. Register for the meeting here in order to receive the Zoom link. Members, please log in before registering. If you are not a member, but would like to see what we do, please come to observe. Our Local Program Planning Meeting will occur in February.
Please look at the many issues League members have studied and supported over the years in this brief summary called We Support. While it is only a summary, it will give you an idea of what the League stands for. We try to advocate on these issues at the State Legislature through the efforts of member volunteers. Look at the list, think about which ones are most important in our current political climate, and come to the meeting on the 4th.
See you soon,
Janet
|  | Thanks for Being an Informed Voter in 2023!
Almost two million voters accessed VOTE411.org for elections in 2023! This was more than in any other odd-year cycle.
More than 9,000 Collin County residents used this nonpartisan online resource. In addition, 3,500 printable Voters Guides were downloaded from our website for the November election, and almost 3,500 for the May city and school elections.
Ask the Candidates at 2024 Primary Election Candidate Forums
Candidate filing for the March 5, 2024 Democratic and Republican party primary elections, and for Libertarian and Green party conventions, ends December 11. After that, LWV Collin County will organize virtual candidate forums for all contested races in the Collin County area, including U.S. Representative, State Senator, State Representative, State District Court Judge, County Commissioner, Sheriff, Tax Assessor and Collector, and Constable.
Let us know what issues you are concerned about so we can ask the candidates in our forums. Send your questions to LWVCollin.forum@gmail.com by January 19. |  | Payday and Auto Title Lending Forum
The League of Women Voters of Collin County will facilitate a panel discussion on payday and auto title lending to be held on Thursday, January 18th, at 7 pm via Zoom. Our panel of experts will educate attendees on the harms of these products and the history of efforts to curb these predatory practices, provide members with information on what LWV has done to support reform efforts and how they can support future advocacy efforts, and share what advocates expect to focus on during the 2025 legislative session and beyond.
Pre-register for this event by clicking here. Members, remember to log in before signing up.
|  | Program Planning 2024/2025
Next year is a convention year for both the state and national League. At every convention, delegates adopt budgets, amend bylaws and elect officers and directors. Delegates also set priorities for our public policy work over the upcoming biennium. We refer to those priorities as our “program.” The League operates in every state and at all levels of government. Program aligns the League behind a set of national, state, and local priorities which strengthens our advocacy and increases our visibility. As a grassroots organization, we engage members throughout the process of planning our program.
Through program planning members provide input to local, state, and national boards. Based on that input, the relevant board recommends a program of priorities to convention delegates and members attending annual meetings. In providing input, members should consider:
- Where can the League be most effective?
- In the issue areas where the League can be most effective, do we have member understanding of the issue area and member agreement as to the public policy recommendations in the issue area (do we have a position on the priority issue)?
- After reviewing our principles and positions, are updates needed to priority positions that will allow the League to be more effective in the priority issue?
Over the past two decades, the League has been most effective in defending democracy against voter suppression at the state and local level. That work is far from finished. The principles and positions we have arrived at over more than 100 years have proved more than adequate to address the current climate. The Making Democracy Work Campaign has been a years long project that has increased our relevance because it draws on our deep roots in the suffrage movement. It also requires us to apply a DEI lens to all the work we do strengthening our message and increasing support for the League.
- LWV Texas Program Planning will be Thursday, January 4, at 6 PM. Register here! (Members must log in first)
- LWV-CC Program Planning will be Thursday, February 1, at 6 PM. Register here! (Members must log in first)
Links to Resources:
|  | Advocacy Update
League Members and friends made their voices heard on school vouchers and on November 17th the Texas House voted to strip school vouchers out of the education funding omnibus bill. Since then, the legislature has adjourned after a record 246 days in session in 2023, which ends Abbott’s hopes of passing a school voucher bill this year.
While the League is celebrating public funds staying in public schools, an increase in public school funding was not achieved this session. That funding increase was the carrot enticing lawmakers to vote for vouchers. With vouchers defeated, it remains to be seen whether the funding increase will be revived.
If you would like more information about the League’s position on school finance, you can read LWV-TX's 2023 Action Report on school finance here. |  |
Lunch with the League
All are welcome at a buy-your-own social lunch with LWV-CC on Tuesday, December 12, 11:30-1:00, at La Madeleine, 810 W McDermott Dr in Allen. Please register so that we know how many seats to reserve. If you are a member, please log in to the website before registering. Register here. |
Book Club
All are invited to the League of Women Voters of Collin County Book Club on January 10 6:30-7:30 pm. We will meet on Zoom to discuss ''White Women: Everything You Already Know About Your Own Racism And How To Do Better" by Regina Jackson and Saira Rao. We will share our thoughts on the book as well as various discussion questions. Please register in order to receive the Zoom link. If you are a member, log in on the website before registering. Register Here
| Empowering voters. Defending democracy.
www.lwvcollin.org | The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan 501C3 organization. We do not support or oppose any political party or candidate. We encourage informed and active participation in government, and we influence public policy through education and advocacy.
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