League Unit Meetings in the St. Louis region

 *Check latest monthly newsletter (In League Reporter) for exact dates and times.

Note: The St. Charles unit has its own website at The League of Women Voters - St Charles Unit (lwvstcharles.org)

What is a unit?

There are many opportunities for members to participate in one or more activities in a local League. They run the gamut from attending a holiday luncheon, registering voters, joining an issue study committee,  participating  in an advocacy campaign or answering people’s telephone questions in the League office and many more.

Units, which are discussion groups that meet monthly, are an important component of our large League because they are our most frequent opportunity for learning how to engage in civic dialogue and learning about issues in a non-threatening atmosphere.

Units have approximately ten to thirty members in attendance. They meet at various locations and at different times. Members may attend any unit they choose. They may prefer to go to the same one regularly or go to a different unit meeting that is convenient for them at a given time.

Units are the life blood of the League.  Each monthly unit meeting has the same program in which League members discuss and learn about a priority subject, and some units discuss locally relevant issues as well. The program is usually presented by members of one of the League study committees. If the League needs to decide what our position is on a particular subject we discuss it after the presentation and get the members opinions  (take consensus). After the consensus of all the units is complied, it is presented to the local Board. Based on the outcome of the units’ discussion, the board approves the final consensus. A position statement is written and it serves as the basis of the League’s advocacy on that issue.

Each unit has its own chair. A member gives a brief report of what is happening in the League and reminds members of various activities that are coming up. If there is time members just informally continue to talk. The chair contacts members who normally attend a unit to remind them of the meeting.

Like all League activities, attendance at unit meetings is optional, but members who attend a unit regularly discover that they get to know people better. Many form lasting friendships.

Following are excerpts from the reports of the units at our April 2023 annual meeting.

CITY UNIT REPORT

Voter education efforts to explain ward reduction and the newly drawn wards were City Unit projects. Group presentations, social media messages, and canvassing efforts were conducted in collaboration with SLACO and other organizations. Over 3,500 postcards were sent to voters in low turnout precincts to encourage voter turnout.

Members became concerned about the Board of Election practices and deficits. They began monitoring those meetings, chronicled the lack of transparency, compliance with requirements for meeting schedules, minutes, etc. In particular, they focused on the inaction of the Board to replace its aging election technology and assign polling places. League President Angie Dunlap  communicated those concerns formally through letters and a Sunshine request. We continue to press these issues with the BOE and have worked to set up Board of Alderperson hearings on BOE practices and the need for additional resources.

                                                                               -Kathleen Farrell, City Unit Leader

ST. CHARLES UNIT REPORT

Over the last year, the St. Charles Unit has been engaging with the community in a variety of ways.

High School Voter Registration: We are providing high school students in 10 area high schools with all of the materials they need to register to vote, including steps to register, absentee voting in college, and military voting. Total outreach: 2500 students.

GOTV: Sent out approximately 1500 postcards to infrequent voters in underserved communities within St Charles County and printed St Charles County specific voter information cards.

Voter Registration and Outreach: Overall number confirmed registrants: 67; Overall outreach: 1,000

Partnerships with other organizations with complementary missions: NAACP St. Charles County Branch, Moms Demand Action, St. Charles County Families for Public Schools, Francis Howell Forward.

Best attended St. Charles event: “Winning the War on Truth” by Jennifer Lohman had 18 in-person and four on Zoom. The audience questions were great throughout and showed what a great rapport Jennifer built with everyone. 

We supported Election Protection efforts in St. Charles county.

Youth Voice - St. Charles

In January of 2023, the St. Charles unit of the Metro STL League launched an experiment in youth-led civic engagement called Youth Voice St. Charles in conjunction with Dr. Jeanie Thies and Professor Andrew Smith, Lindenwood University faculty, who have supplied the project with two interns and grants to fund the startup costs of the program.  Myah France, the primary Lindenwood intern for the project, after spending a lot of time researching and speaking with the leaders of other groups, has developed a recommended game plan for this group.  Mary Baker and Janet Eubanks, unit members and former teachers in St. Charles public schools, are working to make appointments with superintendents and school leaders in which Myah can present the program and start recruiting high school youth to participate. In the meantime, Myah has begun recruiting a core group of students at Lindenwood.  We look forward to watching and guiding this exciting new group into the future!