LWVMHR President Cindy Bell (on the right in the picture) shares notes with us on what she gleaned from listening to a national LWV webinar on April 2nd.
LWV Webinar Report
April 2, 2020
“COVID and the League- Continuing our Work in Unprecedented Times”
(more than 200 members from across the country participated)
Submitted by Cindy Bell, President, LWVMHR
Check out https://www.lwv.org/covidguidancethis is a rich resource of information and tools
Recent stimulus packages included $400 million for elections spending and it’s expected that more is coming. It’s not the $2 billion the LWVUS had asked, but this is a positive step.
LEAGUE’S PUBLIC POSITIONS are all grounded on LWV Impact on Issues.
Voter education and fighting misinformation—
- BoE’s are to note changes within three hours of the change on their websites
- Aggressively undertake voter education campaigns
- Per NVRA (National Voter Registration Act) should move all deadlines at the same time when changes are made
- Talk with officials regarding their policies and LWVUS policy
Voter registration—
- Accessible to all voters regardless of process chosen by the state
- Stable and secure
- Same Day voter registration
Early voting—
- All states should move to No-Excuse Absentee (need constitutional amendment in NYS- passed in Assembly, pending in Senate- may have to be voted on twice)
- Clear instructions on use and return of ballot
- Paid return postage
- The ability to name designate individuals to assist the voter
- Expand early voting and other initiatives, all of which have been adopted by New York State
Polling place adjustments, including Early Voting—
- Make sure polling places are adequately sanitized
- Poll workers and others must follow CDC and public health guidelines
- Reconfigure polling places for Social Distancing (lines on floor with tape, poll worker distance, etc.)
Expanded ballot access--
- Identify locations that protect vulnerable populations and specific communities, such as collages, ethnic, cultural and economically challenged communities
- Fully accessible polling places
COMMUNICATIONS
Social Media Tips
- Keep messages positive
- Be sensitive (eg. don’t send out your fundraising request right now)
- Maintain regular posts – minimum 2/week, maximum 1/day
- Stay on topic & keep posts current – see https://www.lwv.org/covidguidance for social media posts to share (see my Census Facebook frame this week)
- Create and share Action Alerts regarding local interests
- Keep websites up to date- use banners if possible (Vote411 & other) plus blogs and articles
There’s been a shift that has been occurring for some time in our sense of community from personal to devices, but we are becoming less connected in ‘real world’ situations because the same actions don’t produce the same results. The current Social Distancing policy has exacerbated these problems and created new opportunities as well.
Some ways to work with this are:
- Ask a member(s) to be social media ‘engager’ to create a connected online community
- Create similar activities online as formerly in person
- Ask for feedback and ideas- create a questionnaire
- Build Community with similar interests
- Have monthly Community Calls- have co-leaders organize and execute
- Engage and organize groups
- Train together- many tools on LWVUS website- check https://www.lwv.org/league-management/communications
- Have structured organization (League Circles- project being created now at LWVUS)
- Lead or join committees
- Advocate for interests- provide opportunities
- Take care of one another
- Equip leaders with tools and guidance- share leadership or take turns
- Develop grassroots power with trust and support
Register and attend LWVUS webinars for needs and interests- links appear in regular email communications from LWV. Next up on April 9th at 4:30 is Technology & Communications Webinar: Remote Communication Tools. Register here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/3662931034756720907
Well worth the hour!
Cindy Bell
President
League of Women Voters, Mid-Hudson Region
