Be Part of the League’s Grassroots: Learn more About Program Planning  
The League is a grassroots organization, and our annual Program Planning meetings are designed so members may join in the League’s decision-making. Program Planning is your opportunity to let League leaders know which issues are most important to you. This year, League members  will look at national and local issues. It is a great opportunity for new members to learn about the breadth of issues the League follows and the positions it holds. After the meeting we will report our decisions to LWVUS and our comments will be considered at the LWVUS 2026 convention in June.
FAQs about Program Planning:
What is a position? The League, after careful study and discussion, arrives at “positions” on issues. There are national positions, state positions and local positions. Leagues use these positions to take action on issues,
Do I need to know all of the positions? No, what is important is to know that there is a position on a topic. You can find the full positions in Impact on Issues for the LWVUS and LWVNY,
What’s the difference between positions and program? Leagues do not have the staff and funding to pursue every issue on which it has developed a position, so Leagues must choose where we will use our resources. We refer to those choices as our “Program” for the upcoming year. Leagues on every level determine which areas are most pressing at any particular time. At present, for example, LWVUS has been focusing Defending Democracy through the “Unite & Rise” campaign.
How does the process work? Local Leagues throughout the country will meet and review LWVUS’s proposed program of focus, Women Defending Democracy: Democracy Under Siege and vote to support or recommend another program. 
There are many issues that we can potentially advocate for, but if we spread ourselves too thin trying to do everything, we run the risk of doing nothing. That’s why the League developed Program Planning—it enables every League to express support of the issues that are important to them. It’s a grassroots, bottom-up process. The decisions our League makes at our Program Planning will be reported to the LWVUS Board.