First Call to State Convention 2021

Please forward this email to your membership.

What:    The 68th State Convention of the League of Women Voters of California

When:   Friday, June 11 - Sunday, June 13, 2021. The morning plenary sessions on those days begin at 10:00 AM and are scheduled to end at 4:00 PM. There is no afternoon plenary session on Sunday, June 13, 2021. Workshops and special events are scheduled from Tuesday, June 8 through Thursday, June 10, 2021.

Where:  Virtual teleconference meetings, using Zoom.
 

Who:     Attendance at Convention is open to everyone; we encourage all members to attend and are eager for the public to come learn about the League. We ask that you extend invitations to your friends and contacts.

Why:     LWVC meets every other year to conduct business as outlined by the bylaws.  See below for specifics.  But just as important, the purpose of Convention is to inspire and empower Californians to increase their active and informed participation in civic life. Come meet passionate people from across the state who are making democracy work!

Read about the schedule, workshops, special activities, and more on our site: http://lwvc.wordpress.com. Continue to check this site frequently for updates.

Registration rate for delegates is $75 per person. This gives you participation and voting access during all plenary sessions and access to workshops, caucuses, plus other events throughout the week.

Nonvoting attendees are welcome to observe plenary and participate in workshops, caucuses, and other events at a flat-fee registration rate of $25 per person.

Registration will open in a few weeks—please watch for that upcoming email!

Prepare your League for Convention

Here are some things your League can do now to prepare for Convention:

1. Your board will need to select who will attend as delegates. Please read further down this email about how many delegates your League is entitled to, based upon your January 31, 2021 membership count.

2. Submit an award application on behalf of your League’s great work. Convention awards are a chance to highlight some of the extraordinary work your League has done during the past two years. There are five award categories. You are welcome to submit as many applications as you’d like. Deadline for submitting is Monday, May 3.

3. Consider if your League is interested in hosting a caucus. A caucus is an informal meeting, typically hosted by a local League, at which discussions are held to hear opinions, garner support or opposition, or to gain understanding of an issue or position. The deadline to submit a request is April 9.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

One of the League’s priorities is to foster a more inclusive culture and increase the diversity of our organization and our leadership. Our DE&I Task Force have decided to prioritize increasing the racial and age diversity of our Leagues, with plans to expand our work in the near future. One of our initiatives is to diversify delegate participation and have a more representative decision-making body at the LWVC Conventions.

LWVC has set aside a scholarship fund to help reduce barriers for those who would otherwise be unable to attend Convention. We hope that these attendees will come as delegates, so that they may take a more active role in the proceedings.

Business of Convention

This is the first call to Convention 2021 as required by the LWVC bylaws, Article IX, Section 8. The LWVC Bylaws govern the composition and business of the convention. Our bylaws direct us (See Article IX, Sec. 5) to:

• Elect officers, directors, and members of the nominating committee for the 2021-2023 biennium (Article IX, Sec. 5)
• Adopt a budget for the 2021-2023 fiscal years (Article VIII, Sec. 2)
• Adopt program for 2021-2023 (Article XI)
• Adopt amendments to the bylaws as needed (Article XII)

Voting Delegates

Attending as a voting delegate is an exciting honor and a responsibility. If you are interested in attending as a voting delegate, speak with your local League or Inter-League Organization (ILO) board immediately.

Voting delegates to the convention are detailed in Article IX, Sections 2 and 4:

• Each local League and ILO is entitled to send its president, or an alternate in the event the president is unable to attend. The president of a member-at-large unit may attend as a nonvoting member.
• In addition, each local League is entitled to delegates in proportion to its membership numbers as reported in the LWVUS database on January 31, 2021.
• Members-Around-the-State (MAS) Unit members may attend as nonvoting members.

NOTE: only local Leagues that have paid their per member payment (PMP), or received an exemption because of proven hardship, are entitled to voting representation at the convention.

How Many Delegates?

Article IX, Section 4. Representation. The local Leagues shall be entitled to delegates in proportion to their membership as of the record date of the year of the biennial convention in accordance with Article IX, Section 9. Each local League shall be entitled to at least one delegate in addition to the local League president as provided in Article IX, Section 2(b). When local League membership reaches 51 voting members, the local League shall be entitled to one additional delegate.  Thereafter, one additional delegate shall be authorized for each additional 50 members.

• 50 or fewer Local League or Associate Local League Members (inclusive): 1 delegate member
• 51-100 Local League or Associate Local League Members (inclusive): 2 delegate members
• 101-150 Local League or Associate Local League Members (inclusive): 3 delegate members
• 151-200 Local League or Associate Local League Members (inclusive): 4 delegate members
• 201-250 Local League or Associate Local League Members (inclusive): 5 delegate members
• 251-300 Local League or Associate Local League Members (inclusive): 6 delegate members
• 301-350 Local League or Associate Local League Members (inclusive): 7 delegate members
• 351-400 Local League or Associate Local League Members (inclusive): 8 delegate members
• 401-450 Local League or Associate Local League Members (inclusive): 9 delegate members
• 451-500 Local League or Associate Local League Members (inclusive): 10 delegate members
• 501-550 Local League or Associate Local League Members (inclusive): 11 delegate members

To aid your League in determining the number of delegates please consult on our Convention 2021 site. 

See you at convention!

Carol Moon Goldberg
President, LWVC