Advocacy In Action

TAKING ACTION AT THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT LEVEL

Advocacy or Taking Action at the local government level is permissible, so long as the action is consistent with a position taken by the League. You can see what positions LWVUS and LWVMN have adopted here: https://www.lwvmn.org/our-positions. Local Leagues often adopt local positions, you may view LWVWCGA positions here.
If you are advocating to a local government that you share with other Leagues (e.g., you are advocating to the county board and there are multiple Leagues in the same county), then consider coordinating with those Leagues. You can find a list of Leagues here: https://www.lwvmn.org/find-a-local-lwv
WCGA Local Action Alerts may be used to request member participation or support of local issues. (i.e., attend or testify at a local meeting on redistricting, attend a town hall meeting, write, or call a local government official, etc.)

Acting in the Community
A League contemplating action on a community issue should consider the following questions:
• Does the League have a position that supports the proposed action?
• Is there broad member understanding and agreement?
• Is it a priority for the League?
• Does the League have a unique role to play or a chance to take the lead?
• Are other organizations or a coalition already working on the issue?
• Is this the best use of the League’s resources (time and money) or would they be better spent on other activities?
• Is the timing, right? Is action likely in the near future?
• What kind of community involvement would best support the League’s efforts?

To request action at the local level, you must complete a Local Action Proposal Form which can be found here. (form to be created)
If you have questions, please contact LOC Co-chairs (contact LOC co-chairs Heather Mockler or Tam Mittelstadt at: lwvwcgobserver@gmail.com.

ACTION ALERT TEAM

Being part of the Action Alert Team is the easiest way for members to act as individual citizens while engaging with elected officials on issues of concern to the League of Women Voters.

Description

Members sign up to receive Action Alerts from LWVUS and/or LWVMN and "take action" as concerned citizens on LWV positions that cover a broad range of public policy issues.

Note: LWV WCGA may send action alerts for LOC-related issues

Action Alert messages are sent when the League would like members to reach out to their elected officials at the Congressional or State Legislative levels about an issue supported or not supported by the LWV.
When responding to an Action Alert you are acting as a concerned citizen, not on behalf of LWV.
Sign up for Action Alerts here: LWVUS (bottom of page) / LWVMN
How Action Alerts are sent:
- LWVMN will send an Action Alert message to you automatically when action needs to be taken.
- LWVUS may send an Action Alert message to you or you may look on their website to see a list of positions LWVUS encourages members to take action on.
When you click the "Take Action" button or link, the message will be displayed. Action Alerts will provide
- An overview of the issue and why it's important
- A space to enter your name, address, title, and whether you would like a response from your elected officials
- A preview of a preformatted message along with the name and photograph of the person to whom the message will be sent.
When you click on the "Take Action" button displayed, your message will be sent.

LEGISLATIVE INTERVIEWS

The Annual Legislative Interviews is one of WCGA League’s most popular events. The interviews give League members an opportunity to meet their state legislators, ask questions, and hear their legislator’s perspective on important issues and their plans for the legislative session. The interviews help WCGA build a strong working relationship with its legislative representatives.

Annual Legislative Interviews are held prior to the start of the legislative session. By state statute the legislature shall meet at the seat of government on the first Tuesday after the second Monday in January of each odd-numbered year. In the even numbered years, it convenes on a date set by joint agreement of both bodies. The Legislature may not meet in regular session after the first Monday following the third Saturday in May of any year.

Opportunities:

Legislative Interviews Question Taskforce
Annual Legislative Interview Moderator

STATE OR LOCAL ACTION ON FEDERAL ISSUES

State and local Leagues can request permission to take national action on non-priority federal issues. A state or local League wishing to act on an issue at the national level must consult with LWVUS. The state league must support a local League’s action request. Leagues and League members must lobby only their own legislators. Individual members are welcome to act on their behalf without any mention or attribution to the League.

The Federal Action Request Form should be used any time a League would like to act at the federal level or is contemplating litigation in the federal courts. The form can be found on the LWVUS League Management Site at the following URL: https://www.lwv.org/federal-action-request-form

For Regional issues, which touch multiple Leagues, all Leagues in the affected region must be part of the
decision-making process. LWVUS often helps to facilitate such regional efforts particularly when the
situation involves federal law.