As a grass roots organization, the League looks to its members for guidance on how best to use our time and energy and allocate our resources. "Program" refers to the issues we choose for study, education and action at local, state and national levels. The "Program Planning" process occurs every two years in advance of our State Convention. It starts with our local League's Program Planning Meeting, where we decide on our League's recommendations to the State for the top three issues to prioritize over the next two years. We also choose our local priorities at the same time.
Program Priorities 2024-2025 for the LWV of North Santa Barbara County
At our February 21, 2024 Program Planning Meeting, members discussed local priority issues offered by members of our North County Advisory Groups:
- Women's Healthcare and Mental Health,
- Immigration,
- Diversity and Opportunity,
- Money in politics,
- Abolishing the Electoral College,
- Youth and Homelessness,
- Get Out The Vote, and Voter Ed (including voter misinformation).
We discussed the issues of farmworker wages and factual voter information as well.
Members voted to recommend the State (LWVC) prioritize these three issues:
- Woment's Healthcare,
- Homelessness, and
- "Making Democracy Work": including 1st generation voting, voting accessibility/facilities, and reaching young voters
"Making Democracy Work", which is core to League work, and has been identified by LWVUS as a national priority, will also continue to be one of our state program priorities for 2024-26.
In 2016 the League of Women Voters launched the League-wide Campaign for Making Democracy Work®. This comprehensive program engages Leagues nationwide in advancing core democracy issues. This includes Expanding Voter Access, Fighting Voter Suppression, Money in Politics, Redistricting, and Direct Election of the President by Popular Vote.
LWVC Board will make their recommendations at convention in June where the Program planning process culminates in the delegates’ adoption of the statewide program.
