In This Issue
- ACTION: Tell President Biden to Publish the ERA!
- January 13: Program Planning Meeting
- Big Membership News for the New Year
- News from Our Issues Teams & Education Groups
- Tour the New Youth Shelter in Loveland!
- Final Training for Legislative Action Committee
- Things You Should Know
- Help Wanted! Great Volunteer Opportunities
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Happy New Year, Leaguers!
Hope you rested up and had some good times with family in the last few weeks. I spent some time with my older brother and his family and some quality Facetime with our sons and their families.
Now, it is time to take action on something near and dear to my heart. I was born in 1951 and grew up a strong feminist. I raised money for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s. We thought it would quickly win support and become the 28th Constitutional Amendment; afterall, it was first proposed in 1923. What could go wrong? I can see some of you out there shaking your heads. You already know.
| | | I recently viewed a new documentary, Ratified, which was aired on Kinema and sponsored by LWVUS among others. I am again fired up to get this amendment across the finish line. Join me in signing this letter to President Biden to publish the ERA. It is easy to do. Do it every day until he gets it done. Just click the link below; it literally will take you less than 1 minute.
Thank you,
Pat Burger
| | If It's January...
it's Program Planning time! Come hear what priorities our Issues Teams and Education Groups have identified for the upcoming year. Learn what LWV "Positions" drive their work and teams' recommendations for new positions or updates. Participate in assembling a "program" of work that we'll officially vote on adopting at our Annual Meeting in May. Do all this from the comfort of your home -- this critical meeting will be held via Zoom!
| | | Membership News for the New Year
In February 2025, the League of Women Voters is transitioning to a new, unified membership system with the goal to create consistency across Leagues and provide financial options that could limit barriers to membership.
In February 2025 all members will receive an email from LWVUS inviting them to set up an account on ChapterSpot (CS), the membership platform the LWVUS selected for their database. When it's time to renew your membership, you'll receive a renewal email and log into our website to use a CS link for the renewal process, just as in the past with ClubExpress. Your present ClubExpress profile will remain on our website, as will the interests and other details we use locally to engage our members.
The dues rate will be pay-what-you-can, with a recommended dues of $75 ($70 is our current LWV Larimer dues), but you can pay any amount over or below that down to a minimum of $20. Dues allocations will change: 20% of what you pay in dues will go to our local League, 47% willl go to the LWVCO, and 33% will go to LWVUS.
On the page after you choose your dues rate you can make a donation to the LWV of Larimer County; 100% of that amount will stay with us locally. This is similar to joining at the Sustaining Level now, although the donation amount is up to you!
The preferred payment method is ACH, an electronic payment method that requires typing in the numbers at the bottom of a check. (This method has the lowest fees and maximizes the amount of money going toward League work.) Credit/debit cards are also accepted. If you want to pay by check, make it out to LWVUS and mail it to our Treasurer: LWV Larimer County, 305 W Magnolia St #106, Fort Collins, CO 80521.
Are my dues tax deductible? The portions of dues going to our League and the League of Women Voters of Colorado are tax deductible. You will receive a confirmation email identifying which portion of your dues is tax deductible that can be used as a receipt for tax purposes.
Other changes: There will no longer be Household memberships or Student memberships; each member will sign up individually, paying as they wish. Honorary Members (members for 50+ years) will pay no dues.
| | League-Wide News and Events | Environmental Team Thinks Internationally; Acts Locally
Did you know that the League of Women Voters has an official Observer role at the United Nations? See the good reasons why the LWV was given that involvement here: Championing Equality at Home and Abroad
The education portion of our January 15, 2025, Environmental Team (ET) meeting will feature hearing observations from the LWV Official Observer to the United Nations climate summit, COP29. ET helped to sponsor LWVCO member Rebecca Theobald, who will draw connections between the international climate outcomes (or lack of them) to help inform our local actions.
Rebecca is also a GIS Professional (GISP; see our November Introduction-to-GIS meeting video to understand how geographic data is used). She attended COP29 climate sessions on Rights of Women and Indigenous Peoples and many other relevant Climate Change topics.
We will also plan for environmental actions related to the Program Planning night on January 13.
ET will Zoom at 10:00-11:30 AM on January 15. This meeting is open to other interested LWV members and to the community. Register on the LWVLC Calendar here: Environmental Team (ET) January Meeting
| Health Care Team News
The Health Care Team believes advancing access to affordable care for all, preventing gun violence, and supporting public health are more important now than ever. We are taking a stand to educate and advocate on these issues, particularly where we can take action in partnership with our local community.
Team Meeting: January 9, 11:30
Our January meeting will focus on Program Planning preparations and action for proposed Colorado healthcare-related legislation. The two items highlighted below will be the focus. If you believe quality health care should be accessible for everyone and/or want to take action to prevent ongoing gun violence, please join us. Register via our Calendar entry Health Care Team Meeting - 1/9/2025 or contact Sue Taigman with questions. Click on the following links for details on these topics:
Gun Violence Prevention as a Public Health Issue - For our team's Program Planning preparation, we are considering a position proposal out of the LWV of Greater Pittsburgh that endorses a Public Health approach for managing our gun culture. Thanks to Health Care Team member Beth DeHaven for her ongoing leadership on this important topic.
| Great Decisions Discussion Group
Great Decisions is an international relations outreach and discussion group of the League of Women Voters of Larimer County. We sponsor a monthly, public, Great Decisions discussion on international issues and their impact on our world, with topics chosen annually by the Foreign Policy Association.
Great Decisions meetings are held on the first Monday of each month from February to June and October to December.
The next Great Decisions meeting will occur on February 3, 2025, at 11:30 on Zoom.
A Zoom invitation will be sent to all previous participants.
If you are new to Great Decisions and wish to participate, contact Annette DeMartine at ademartine@prolynx.com.
Our Great Decisions books will arrive in January and those of you who have ordered books will be contacted with instructions regarding pickup and remitting payment.
| News Access and Literacy Team News
On January 6 (Monday), from 4:00 to 5:00, Larimer County members of the News Access and Literacy Task Force will meet as a team to discuss LWVLC Program Planning 2025. We will discuss our team plans for 2025, whether our state positions (primarily Citizen's Right to Know and Local News) will meet our news access and literacy needs for 2025, and whether we want to recommend any changes to our local (LWVLC) positions.
News Access and Literacy Task Force
The next meeting of the News Access and Literacy Task Force will be on January 21 (Tuesday) from 4:30 to 5:30. Register here: Jan 21 NAL Task Force Meeting
Anyone interested in news access and literacy is welcome to attend these meetings.
Transparency in Government
News Access and Literacy recommends that anyone interested in what happened to transparency in government at the state level check out this article by Jeff Roberts of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition (CFOIC). CFOIC is a frequent collaborator with the Colorado League of Women Voters.
| Update on Affordable Housing Issues
The Affordable Housing Team has been actively dealing with affordable housing issues even during the busy holiday season. Click on the links below to learn more about affordable housing action we're involved in:
Zoom with YIMBY Fort Collins: We, along with the Partnership for Age-Friendly Communities, Zoomed with YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard) Fort Collins to learn more about that organization's goal of increasing density of housing to make it more affordable and to lessen the negative effect on climate change.
The Landing, a youth shelter, opened in Loveland at the site of the child care center adjacent to Monroe Elementary School. We can hardly wait for our tour of the facility coming up this month! If you would like to join us, please find the details in the next article below and contact Marilyn Heller if you have questions.
| Tour of New Youth Shelter Just Confirmed!
Tuesday, January 7, 2025 at 2:30 PM
The Landing, 814 E 16th St, Loveland
All League members are invited to join the Affordable Housing Team in a tour of The Landing, a new youth shelter in Loveland, which is opening this month. This is a unique opportunity to find out firsthand about this shelter, the only one in Larimer County, meeting the needs of young people in our area. No reservation is necessary, but you can help give us an idea of headcount by signing up on the Calendar here: Tour of The Landing Youth Shelter.
The shelter is located at 814 E 16th St in Loveland, at the NE corner of the Monroe Elementary School Campus. It is just north of Highway 34 (Eisenhower Blvd) and a short distance east of US-287. Contact Marilyn Heller with questions.
| Voter Services News
Team Meeting: Tuesday, January 7, 6:30-8:30 PM
Virtual Meeting via Zoom
Happy New Year from the Voter Services Team!
We will resume our regular monthly meetings in January. Our first meeting of the new year will be January 7 over Zoom. Please register here to receive the Zoom link: January 7 Voter Services Team Meeting
Voter Registration Training in January
It's that time again. Everyone who'd like to help register people to vote has to train or re-train each year. We will have 2 training events -- please choose one:
In-person - Saturday, Jan 11, 9:30-11:30 AM at the Old Town Library (recommended)
Over Zoom - Tuesday, Jan 28, 6:30-8:00 PM; Zoom link provided upon registration
Registration events will begin for high schools as soon as enough people are trained -- hopefully, late January or early February.
Register for either training event on our Calendar here:
Point of Contact for Voter Registration information: Mary Carraher
| | Election Reform Team
Next meeting: Tuesday, January 28
4:00 - 5:30 pm on Zoom
| | | Civil Liberties & Rights Team Meeting
May you live in interesting times. The Larimer League's Civil Liberties & Rights Team is anticipating that January 2025 will usher in a time that will prove to be very relevant to the work of our team.
We invite our Larimer League colleagues to join us at our January 8 team meeting on Zoom from 4:00 to 5:00 pm. We will be planning an educational Community Conversation with a panel of local immigration experts who will deepen our understanding of how local Larimer County communities may be impacted by federal decisions regarding immigration status and deportation. From that educational session, we hope to get concrete guidance on how the Larimer League can effectively support our new neighbors along with like-minded partner organizations. Additionally, we will be discussing the role of the Larimer Civil Liberties & Rights Team in the Larimer League's consideration of LWVCO's proposed position on Religious Freedom.
Register for the meeting here on the Larimer League's January calendar to receive the Zoom link in your registration confirmation email. Our meeting is open to all.
Direct your questions to Jerry and Kathy Wilson, the Co-Leads of the Civil Liberties & Rights Team:
| | Informed Citizen Book Club
Meets the 2nd Wednesday of each month:
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM: In-person meeting
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM: Zoom meeting
Next sessions: January 8, 2025
Morning attendees will meet at Epic Egg, 1477 E Eisenhower Blvd, Loveland (new location).
| | | Please join us for a lively discussion of our January book on January 8, 2025: The Primary Solution: Rescuing our Democracy from the Fringes --by Nick Troiano
Nick Troiano, founding executive director of Unite America, makes a bold proposal to abolish party primaries in our country. Doing so does not require a Constitutional amendment or an act of Congress. In fact, several states have already replaced party primaries with nonpartisan primaries that give all the voters the freedom to vote for any candidate in every election, regardless of party.
| Counted Out
Are you comfortable with math? Were you or someone you know ever told that you probably should not go into a particular field of study because you would need to take a couple of math courses to fulfill requirements and you just are not a "math person"?
Counted Out is a documentary that shows how math is integral to our democracy and how citizens who are not allowed to become comfortable with math are "counted out." We may not use math on a daily basis, but math affects our lives every day (think beyond education to algorithms and news literacy/civil liberties, redistricting and election reform, science reporting and health care/climate change, business reporting and affordable housing, not to mention the common thread running through all: justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion).
Our local League is hoping to screen the documentary Counted Out sometime within the next couple of months. We have a small group of people working on the one-time project, but we can always use more help!
Our next meeting will be on Friday, January 10, from 10:00 to 11:00 AM by Zoom. To register for this virtual meeting and help us plan a Larimer County showing of Counted Out, please go here: Counted Out Planning Meeting - 1/10/2025
| South Larimer Discussion Group
On January 15 (Wednesday) from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., the South Larimer Discussion Group (SLDG) will meet virtually to discuss and plan guests, topics, and presentations important to southern Larimer County residents. We welcome suggestions for topics that go beyond Loveland, and are open to recommendations for tours and visits.
The SLDG generally meets on the 3rd Wednesday of the month as an informal gathering of Larimer County Leaguers who live in Loveland, Berthoud, Johnstown, and neighboring areas. SLDG meetings are nonpartisan, grassroots discussions about issues relevant to our area. (Please remember to check the Calendar page on the LWV Larimer County website for any last-minute schedule or location changes.)
For more information on the SLDG, please visit our SLDG webpage.
| Larimer Legislative Action Team
The Colorado General Assembly will begin its 2025 session on Wednesday, January 8, and the LWVCO Legislative Action Committee members will begin their work deciding on the Colorado League's stances on introduced legislation on Friday, January 17.
You are invited to join the Larimer Legislative Action Team on Monday, January 20 from 4:00 to 5:00 pm on Zoom to learn about the latest legislation for which the League has stances. You will also receive information about what League stances are based on, the process for deciding stances, and where to find additional information regarding these bills.
This meeting is open to the public and all are welcome. You will receive a Zoom link in your registration confirmation email.
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LWVCO Legislative Action Committee (LAC)
Final Professional
Development Session
before the 2025 Legislative Session
January 3, 9:00 - 11:00 AM
No experience necessary.
Just bring your curiosity about how the LAC analyzes, monitors, and lobbies for and against proposed legislation in your area of interest.
Register on the LWVLC or LWVCO Calendars.
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TYSK (Things You Should Know) | League of Women Voters Annual Survey
Each year, the League of Women Voters of the United States requires each local League to complete a comprehensive survey reflecting work in the prior year. We need your help on the following question: In 2024, how many of your members served as election workers or poll workers?
If you served as an election worker or poll worker, please respond to Julie Stackhouse (stackjl@mac.com) indicating that you did so. Your help is appreciated!
Action and Advocacy Policy
The Board of Directors has amended the League's "Action and Advocacy" policy to more clearly define the process when League members wish to advocate on behalf of the League on a specific matter of local public concern. You can find the policy on page 15 of the League Policies Manual that you'll find on our website's Governance and Finance page. (You must be logged into the website to access the document.) The related new request form can be found on the website under Member Resources > Positions and Partnerships > Action and Advocacy OR under Member Resources > Submit a Form > Advocacy Request.
Program Planning Information
Information on the January 13 Program Planning meeting can be found on our website's Program Planning page. Be sure to register for the Zoom meeting. Team Leaders (and Group Leaders who choose to) should send their team slides or their planned content for slides to Kathy Maher by January 10. Questions? Contact Kathy Maher (kgmaher@gmail.com).
Suggest Content for the League's Website Home Page
You are invited to suggest content for the League's website home page. While we cannot ensure that we can implement your suggestion, content ideas will help promote the best home page possible. Your ideas also give us possible additional content for League Lines or the Mid-Month Update. Send your ideas to webmaster@lwv-larimercounty.org.
| Women's Equality Day (WED) Planning Team
Skills needed: graphic design, photography, public relations, sponsorship solicitations, silent auction planning and execution, award nominations and awards selection, website work, other support. This is the League's biggest fundraiser of the year! Your help is appreciated! Contact Trish Warner at (563) 580-8491 or trishwarner27@gmail.com.
| LWVUS Study on the Federal Judiciary
We are organizing a local study committee to prepare for and manage our League's participation in the national LWVUS Study on the Federal Judiciary. The purpose of the study is to address concerns and clarify judicial accountability, transparency, independence, and ethics not only within the US Supreme Court, but at all federal court levels. The LWVUS study committee has prepared the background material and will host an all-member webinar in January (date TBA). General information on the study is available here: LWVLC Page on the Federal Judiciary Study and here: LWVUS Page on the Federal Judiciary Study.
Our local study team will convene in mid-/late January. Our role will be to promote the background material to our membershipo and facilitate the consensus meetings in March/April. Would you like to help with this effort and ensure information originating at the national level reaches our local membership?
If you're looking for a shorter-term project and you want to learn loads about the League in a compressed time frame, here's a perfect opportunity. Please contact Linda Mahan at Lmahan78@gmail.com or Kathy Maher at kgmaher@gmail.com if you are interested in joining the local study team.
| Calling All Bloggers, Editors, and Website Wonks!
The Website Team is currently recruiting members interested in learning how to use the ClubExpress platform to:
1) design, compile, edit, proofread, and issue our League Lines and Mid-Month Update newsletters;
2) draft, proofread, and publish blogs; and
3) design, build, edit, and maintain webpages.
If you have related experience, GREAT! We'll happily put it to good use. But experience is not necessary. Your curiosity and willingness to learn how to use the platform will do very nicely! Interested? Please contact webmaster@lwv-larimercounty.org for more information.
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