WHAT WE DO--FOCUS FOR ACTION
The League of Women Voters takes action on an issue or advocates for a cause w
hen there is an existing League position that supports the issue or speaks to the cause.
Positions result from a process of study. Any given study, whether it be National, State, or Local, is thorough in its pursuit of facts and details. As the study progresses, a continuing discussion of the pros and cons of each situation occurs. Prior to the results of the study being presented to the general membership, study committee members fashion consensus questions that are then addressed by the membership.
Additional discussion, pro and con, takes place as members (not part of the study committee) learn the scope of the study. After the members reach consensus, the board forms positions based on that consensus.
It is the consensus statement — the statement resulting from the consensus questions — that becomes a position. Firm action or advocacy can then be taken on the particular issue addressed by the position. Without a position, action/advocacy cannot be taken.
LWVSC State Program and Action Agenda
League of Women Voters of South Carolina Program and Action Agenda
LWVHHI-BA Local Policy and Program Priorities 2024-2025
The Committee Chairs and League Officers have spent a significant amount of time considering the 2024-2025 year’s activities and programming plans. This is an important political cycle for local, state and national elections and that priority is evident in the program plans submitted for each of the committees in this report. We are mindful of the resource needs identified by each of our committees. Each of their requests is important and supports key activities and programs. We have, however, made an initial decision to reduce all budget requests by 25% since we have historically underspent the League budget. We believe that efforts must be undertaken to increase our income and we will be seeking League members to establish a fundraising committee towards that end. As we are able to increase the funding income, we can adjust the expense budget accordingly.
The Board is placing significant emphasis on increasing the membership of the League, continuing to seek new avenues to bring greater diversity to the membership. We have been successful in two grant awards from the State LWV and the national LWV in support of efforts to enhance our social media presence and a pilot project to encourage voter awareness and decrease the number of identified inactive voters residing in the Hilton Head Island and the Bluffton area.
While each of the committee plans highlights a unique focus aligned with their mission; there is consensus that committees should align activities in 2024-2025 to support of our most critical mission, supporting voter awareness and voter registration. Committee chairs and their members continue to work collaboratively with each other; with other Leagues, (particularly in support of public forums and other events designed to strengthen connections), and with high-priority organizations and community groups. Additionally, committees continue to include programmatic efforts in support of diversity and expand outreach to underserved communities.
Our membership efforts this year have been extremely positive and we have gained a number of new board members and committee leaders. Additionally, retention of our current members is extremely high. We are also committed to identifying and growing new leadership and board directors as we grow the League of HHI-BA. Our collective work will begin in August 2024 with an orientation and planning meeting for new board and committee chairs and co-chairs.
The Program plans for the chapter during 2024-2025 will also include several Board of Education candidate forums, local and state candidate forums, an Elected official meeting, “Serving all Communities” in collaboration with League partners WOVEN, MLK and the NAACP, and a public forum with elected officials of Hilton Head Island Candidate forums.
In addition to these public forums, training sessions are being offered to support voter awareness and voter registration for League members. In addition to public forums and meetings with elected officials, we will consider holding an environmental equity forum with a particular focus on the Gullah Geechee community on Hilton Head Island and the surrounding area. We will continue to hold new and prospective member social events and other gatherings including our annual holiday social.
We believe these programs will help continue strengthening connections with African-American and Hispanic organizations and communities; especially the Lowcountry Immigration Coalition, Campbell Chapel AME Church in Bluffton, the Hilton Head Island MLK Justice Committee; LINKS, Inc., the NAACP, and Lowcountry Gullah.
~ Dahlia Handman and Kay Roshnow, Co-Presidents
Committee Program Priorities
