LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF NEW YORK STATE - 59th Biennial Convention CONVENTION KIT - League of Women Voters of ...
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CONVENTION KIT
LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS
OF NEW YORK STATE
59th Biennial Convention
June 7-12, 2021
Virtual Convention
“Striving to Create a Stronger, More Inclusive Democracy” PRE CONVENTION KIT
LWVNYS Convention, June 2021
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Conference Agenda .......................................................................................... 3
Featured Speaker ............................................................................................ 4
Training Speaker ............................................................................................. 5
Workshops and Information Sessions ............................................................. 6
Plenary Session Agenda ................................................................................... 9
Proposed Convention Rules ............................................................................ 11
Parliamentary Procedure at a Glance ............................................................. 14
ANNUAL REPORTS
President ........................................................................................................ 16
Overview of Voter Services……………………………………………………………………...17
Vote 411…………………………………………………………………………………………19
Overview of Issues & Advocacy………………………………………………………………..19
Redistricting……………………………………………………………………………..….22
Issue Specialists
Financing Education .............................................................................. 23
Women’s Issues ..................................................................................... 25
Medical Aid in Dying .............................................................................. 25
Committee to Update Healthcare Positions………………………………..……..25
Committee on Energy, Agriculture and the Environment ....................... 26
Local League Membership Numbers 2011-2021 ............................................ 29
Youth Programs………………………………………………………………………………….. 31
Students Inside Albany Conferences…………………….......................................31
LWVNYS Financial Report ............................................................................ 33
LWVNYS EF Financial Report ....................................................................... 34
What the State League Does to Support the Local Leagues.....…………………….35
DELEGATES (as of June 3, 2021) ................................................................... 36
LWVNYS STAFF ............................................................................................ 38
“Striving to Create a Stronger, More Inclusive Democracy” PRE CONVENTION KIT
LWVNYS Convention, June 2021
CONFERENCE AGENDA
Monday, June 7
5:30-7:30 pm DEI training: Shay Stewart-Bouley
Beginning Our Journey Toward a More Equitable and Inclusive
Organization
Tuesday, June 8-Thursday, June 10,
5:30-7:00 pm Workshops and Caucuses (see list on pages 6-8)
7:30-9:00 pm Workshops and Caucuses (see list on pages 6-8)
Friday, June 11
5:30 pm Opening Plenary Session
6:00 pm Speaker: Dr. Deborah Turner, LWVUS President
6:30-9:00 pm Plenary Session (continues)
Saturday, June 8
9:30 – 10:30 Workshops and Caucuses
10:45 -11:45 Workshops and Caucuses
1:00 - 5:00 Plenary Session
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FEATURED SPEAKER
Friday, June 11, 6:00 pm
Dr. Deborah Turner
LWVUS President
Deborah Turner, MD, JD, serves as the 20th president of the League
of Women Voters of the United States (LWVUS) and chair of the
Board of Trustees of the League of Women Voters Education Fund
(LWVEF). She was elected board president at the 54th National
Convention of the League of Women Voters in June of 2020 and will
serve in this position until June 2022.
Dr. Turner joined Des Moines Metropolitan League in 2010 and
became president in 2011 when the League was at risk of disbanding.
She served in that role until 2015 helping revitalize membership and focus the board leadership. At the
same time, she also served on the LWV Iowa board as the state vice president from 2011 to 2015,
becoming co-president in 2015. In her dual roles with state and local Leagues, Deborah has provided
leadership to strengthen relationships between local Leagues and the state Board.
Turner was elected to the League’s national board of directors in 2016 where she served on the Finance
committee, Governance Committee, and chaired the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee.
As chair of the DEI Committee, Deborah and her colleagues focused on organizational culture changes
to the League’s mission work, emphasizing not only racial equity but also intergenerational dynamics,
socioeconomic differences, gender identity, and interpersonal engagement.
Dr. Turner received her BS from Iowa State University and her MD from University of Iowa where
she completed her Residency in OB-Gyn. She completed her fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology at
MD Anderson Cancer Institute in Houston Texas. She practiced gynecologic oncology for 35
years, enhancing university programs at the University of Nebraska, University of Iowa, and the
Medical College of Wisconsin teaching residents and students. She also served the private sector
bringing her specialty to Genesis Medical Center in Davenport, IA, Mercy Cancer Center in Mason City,
IA, and Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines. In July 2015 she left active practice to become Vice
President of International Programs Medical Programs of The Outreach Program. She participated
in twelve medical missions to Tanzania since 2011 and worked with Singida’s Medical
Center, Outreach’s Children’s Feeding Centers, and Rotary International. She received her JD from
Drake University in 2007. She has served as Associate Medical Director of Planned Parenthood of North
Central States since 2016.
Turner was inducted into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame in 2013 and received the Gertrude Rush
Award from the National Bar Association in 2015. She was awarded the Louise Noun Visionary Women
of the year award from Young Women’s Resource Center Des Moines in 2018. Her most treasured
award is a certificate from the Schwartz Center for Compassionate Care. She lives in Nebraska and
has two grown children – a son and a niece.
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TRAINING SPEAKER
Monday, June 7, 5:30pm – 7:30pm
Shay Stewart-Bouley
Beginning Our Journey Toward a More Equitable
and Inclusive Organization
Welcomes by:
Toni Zimmer, LWVUS DEI Committee Chair
Suzanne Stassevitch, LWVNYS President
Regina Tillman, LWVNYS 3rd Vice President for DEI & LWVNYS DEI Task Force Chair
Would you like your League to:
• Ensure it will serve the community at large?
• Build lasting multicultural relationships and partnerships?
• Embrace social justice work and equity practices?
• Shift its culture to that of being more welcoming of diversity - in all forms?
If yes, join us this evening to hear from our guest speaker, Ms. Stewart-Bouley, and to engage in
breakout room conversations on possible next steps as the LWVNYS DEI Task Force starts
development of a state-wide Organizational Equity Plan. Ms. Stewart-Bouley, also known by her blog
name of Black Girl in Maine (BGIM), is Chicago-born, Chicago-raised, having relocated to Maine in
2002. She is a graduate of both DePaul University and Antioch University New England, with a
M.A.Ed. degree. She is the Executive Director of Community Change, Inc., a 52-year-old civil rights
organization in Boston, MA, that has been educating and organizing for racial equality since 1968. She
has written for numerous national and Maine publications - in 2011, winning a New England Press
Association Award for writing on diversity issues. In 2016, Ms. Stewart-Bouley gave a TEDx talked
entitled “Inequity, Injustice… Infection”, and is currently a frequent presentation collaborator with Deb
Irving, author of the best seller, “Waking Up White”. [Those attendees who complete the post workshop
survey (poll) before departing the session, will be entered into a giveaway for a chance at receiving a
free copy of this book to help in the personal pursuit of inclusion and equity work.]
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WORKSHOPS AND INFORMATION SESSIONS
DATE Title DESCRIPTIONS
MONDAY,JUNE 7
5:30-7:30 DEI "Beginning Our Journey Toward a More Equitable and
Inclusive Organization"
Speaker: Shay Stewart-Bouley
TUESDAY, JUNE 8
5:30 - 7:00 pm GOTV: Building Effective Discuss methods of evaluating your Get Out the Vote
Programs programs to increase voter turn-out and hear from
others about their successes.
5:30 - 7:00 pm PPFM: Redistricting in NYS Learn how you can join the efforts to ensure your
community has fair maps for your election districts.
5:30-7:00 pm Media: Fact or Fake Learn about media literacy and how to become an
educated media consumer. This program focuses on
how personal bias interacts with media bias and the
need to think critically in assessing the truth of
information. Specific information will be provided on
how to spot fake news and ways to fact check it.
7:30 - 9:00 pm Concurrence: Criminal Learn about the proposed concurrence, to be voted on
Justice at plenary session, recommended by the state Board.
The Delegates will be asked to concur with the LWV
of CA position on Criminal Justice.
7:30 - 9:00 pm Nonpartisanship Grace Chimene, President LWV Texas, will walk you
through how to effectively message your outrage or
support for political actions and policy debates without
getting bogged down in the partisan debates. She
gets lots of practice! Learn how to craft powerful
responses with League values in challenging
circumstances
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9
5:30 - 7:00 pm Social Media and Websites How to be more visible using social media and
for Local Leagues websites
5:30 - 7:00 pm 2020 Elections: Lessons Discuss and evaluate the administration of the
Learned and Moving 2020 Elections and plans to study the issue
Forward moving forward.
7:30 - 9:00 pm Ranked Choice Voting Learn about how ranked choice voting works.
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7:30 - 9:00 pm Virtual and Hybrid Hear how the several local Leagues successfully
Candidate Events organized a virtual candidate event - what worked and
didn't work. Discuss how to combine in-person and
virtual events into a new hybrid approach.
7:30 - 9:00 pm Healthcare Through a DEI Discuss our healthcare system with a focus on the
Lens racial disparities and lack of services for vulnerable
populations, with a discussion on kinds of solutions
that could ameliorate some/much/a little of it.
THURSDAY, JUNE 10
5:30 - 7:00 pm Rural Places Matter: the Did you know that the NYS senate classifies
LWV and the Other New 86.6% of New York’s land mass as “rural’?
York Wherever you live in the state, join members of
the NYS Caucus of Rural Leagues to learn about
the problems facing rural areas, and how
Leagues can work to address them.
5:30 - 7:00 pm Modernization of Election Expert speakers from the Brennan Center for Justice,
Systems Rice University, and Voting Works will discuss recent
election equipment and voting system enhancements
and possible positive and negative outcomes from
these modernizations.
7:30 - 9:00 pm Carbon’s Big Foot and You Take on climate change by incorporating solutions at
home and inspiring collaborative solutions in your
community.
7:30 - 9:00 pm NYYCI: Engaging Youth Explore NYYCI, a program started by LWV of NYC
and expanding across NYS which is dedicated to
connecting young people to opportunities for
sustained civic engagement, through
our website, social media, and newsletter.
7:30 - 9:00 pm Stand Up, Speak Out:The Hear about this series which follows the fight for equal
Personal Politics of rights for women throughout history, and includes
Women’s Rights interviews with women of multiple generations,
sharing their stories. Through this docuseries, the
voices of women from different backgrounds in the
current political conversations around women’s rights
are amplified, with talk about the change we would like
to see for a safer and more equitable world.
SATURDAY, JUNE 12
9:30 - 10:30 am Budget Ask questions about the LWV 2021-2022 Proposed
Budget.
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9:30 - 10:30 am Meet the Nominating Slate Meet the candidates for the 2021-2023 LWVNYS
Board
10:45 - 11:45 am Program Planning Discuss the two recommended items to be voted on
for program planning and why other items were not
recommended.
10:45 - 11:45 am Bylaws Ask questions about the Proposed Bylaw
amendments to the LWV Bylaws.
10:45 - 11:45 am Climate Change Emergency Hear about the Climate Change Resolution adopted
Resolution by 7 state Leagues. These decisions have the goal of
advocating for government (local and state) policies to
stabilize the climate by returning atmospheric CO2
levels to below 350 ppm by 2100
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PLENARY SESSION AGENDA
Plenary Session I
Friday, June 11th, 5:30 pm – 9:00 pm
5:30 pm Call to Order
Suzanne Stassevitch, LWVNYS President
5:35 Welcoming Remarks by Suzanne
5:40 Introductions:
State Board
Staff (Laura Ladd Bierman, Jennifer Wilson, Lisa Allendorph, Josey
Twombly, Keri Kramer)
Parliamentarian: Susan Wilson (LWV of Hamptons, Shelter Island & North
Fork)
Elections Committee Chair: Liane Hirabayashi (LWV of Cooperstown)
Minutes Review: Pattie Garrett (LWV of Saratoga), Suzanne Kavic
(LWV of New Castle), Jennifer Mebes Flagg (LWV of New Castle)
Resolutions/Action Motions Committee: Michele Lamberti (LWV of Port
Washington/Manhasset), Chair
Kate Doran (LWVNYS Bd and LWV of NYC),
Mary Croxton (LWV of Chautauqua)
Credentials Chair: Nancy Agen (LWV of Utica/Rome)
5:45 Report of the Credentials Chair
Nancy Agen (LWV of Utica/Rome)
5:50 Adoption of Rules of Convention
5:55 Adoption of the Order of Business
6:00 Key Speaker: Dr. Deborah Turner, LWVUS President
6:35 Presentation of Proposed Bylaws Amendments: Sheila Bernson (LWVNYS
Board)
6:55 Report of the Nominating Committee: Kate Jankowski, Nominating
Committee Chair
• Nominations from floor
7:10 Presentation of Proposed Recommended Program
Sally Robinson, LWVNYS VP for Issues and Advocacy
7:20 Presentation & Vote for Consideration of Non-Recommended Items
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Sally Robinson, LWVNYS VP for Issues and Advocacy
7:30 Financial Report: Laura Ladd Bierman, LWVNYS Executive Director
7:40 Presentation of Proposed Budget: Laura Ladd Bierman, LWVNYS
Executive Director
Plenary Session II
Saturday, June 12th, 1:00 pm -5:00 pm
1:00 pm Report of the Credentials Chair
Nancy Agen
1:05 Program discussion and Adoption:
• Current Positions
• Proposed One-Year Study on Election Administration
• Proposed Concurrence with LWV of CA Position on Criminal Justice
• Proposed non-recommended items
1:45 Consideration of Resolutions and Action Motions
2:15 Vote on Bylaws Amendments
2:25 Vote on PMP
2:35 Vote on Proposed Budget
3:00 Election of Officers and Directors
3:15 Membership Awards: Suzanne Stassevitch
3:30 Directions to the Board
3:50 Remarks by Incoming President: Judie Gorenstein
4:00
ADJOURNMENT
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PROPOSED CONVENTION RULES
The rules customarily used by LWVNYS have been adapted to the virtual meeting format. These rules
will be presented for adoption at the opening plenary. Amendments may be offered at this time and
require a majority vote to adopt. The rules, as proposed or amended, require a two-thirds vote for
adoption. To suspend a rule at a later time requires a two-thirds vote.
1) Admissions:
a) Only accredited delegates representing local Leagues, ILOs, MALS and members of the
LWVNYS Board who have been admitted to the plenary may make motions and be allowed to
vote.
b) Non-voting members and guests will be invited to observe the plenary proceeding through a
streaming platform.
2) Delegates:
a) Accredited delegates shall sign into the webinar software to access all controls needed for debate
and voting and maintain internet access throughout the plenary when present; delegates must
sign out upon any departure prior to adjournment.
b) Alternates shall vote only when taking the place of a regular delegate and admitted to the plenary
after emailing Laura@lwvny.org. Alternates shall sign into the webinar software to access all
controls needed for debate and voting and maintain internet access throughout the plenary when
present.
c) Only delegates and members of the state board who have been assigned credentials by the
credentials chair may make motions and vote
3) Virtual Attendance: Each member is responsible for their connection to the internet. The loss of, or
poor quality of, a member’s individual connection preventing participation in the plenary shall not
impact the consideration of an issue or outcome of an action.
4) A Credentials report shall be given by the credentials chair at the beginning of each session. The
report shall include the number of delegates and alternates. The credentials report shall be updated
as requested by the presiding officer of the Convention or upon motion of the Convention.
5) Privileges of the Floor: Only delegates and those authorized by the chair may address the
Convention.
a) Microphones shall remain on mute unless a member is recognized to speak. The chair may cause
or direct the muting or disconnection of a member’s connection if it is causing undue
interference with the plenary.
b) Delegates must be recognized by the chair before speaking. Each speaker shall announce name,
local League when addressing the Convention. Instructions on how to participate in the
proceedings will be provided in the Virtual Platform Guide.
6) Debate and Discussion: In debate, no person shall speak more than once until all others who wish to
speak have done so; no person shall speak more than twice on the same motion; debate shall be
limited to one minute per speaker. The chair will announce the total time allocated to each main
motion and associated discussion.
7) Quorum: The presence of a quorum shall be established by the online list of participating voting
members. In the event of major technical disruption in the plenary that affects quorum, the chair will
have the option to recess, or to fix the time to which to adjourn, for members to again login to
reconvene the plenary.
8) Voting:
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a) Raise Hand: This will be used when the Chair seeks a vote or unanimous consent. Instructions on
how to raise your hand in Zoom can be found in our Virtual Platform Guide. Raise hand votes
are tallied votes.
b) Answering a Poll Question – This may be used to vote on motions if a secret ballot is requested.
c) Proxy voting is permitted as outlined in the bylaws. When a vote is in process, no one may enter
or re-enter the Zoom session.
9) Motions: A member intending to make a main motion or offer an amendment shall submit it in
writing via the method provided by LWVNYS.
10) Introduction of Proposed Program: The proposed LWVNYS Program shall be moved for adoption
by a member of the LWVNYS Board. Debate and action on the Proposed Program shall take place
during the 2nd plenary session at a time designated by the Chair. During the times specified in the
agenda for Program consideration and Program debate, the chair will divide the time equally among
the program items that have been granted consideration.
11) Consideration of Non-Recommended Program Items: Any delegate may move for consideration of
non-recommended Program items at the first plenary session immediately following the introduction
of the Proposed Program. Presentations shall be limited to five minutes. No additional motions or
debate are in order at this time. If a non-recommended item is moved for consideration, any delegate
may request a statement from the LWVNYS Board, limited to five minutes, giving the reasons for
not recommending the item.
a) After all non-recommended items have been moved for consideration, a vote for consideration of
each shall take place in the order in which the items were moved for consideration. No additional
motions or debate are in order at this time. A majority vote is required to consider a non-
recommended item.
b) Debate and action on non-recommended Program items shall take place at the same plenary as
debate and action on the proposed Program as designated by the Chair.
12) Adoption of Program: shall take place at the second plenary session.
a) Action on the proposed Program, concurrence proposals, and any non- recommended program
items voted for consideration by the delegates and moved for adoption shall take place at a time
designated by the chair. Proposals for concurrence are debatable but not amendable.
b) A majority vote is required to adopt the proposed Program.
c) A 3/5 vote is required for adoption of non-recommended items.
d) Amendments to wording for editorial purposes, clarification, or emphasis may be made at this
point but may not change the scope or meaning of the item.
13) Resolutions: Resolutions express the will of the Convention body during the time of its convening.
The following criteria will be used by the Resolutions/Action Motions Committee to judge the
appropriateness of proposed resolutions.
a) Resolutions may be offered by any League at least four weeks before the Convention.
b) The resolution must be consistent with LWVNYS Bylaws, principles, and positions and may not
circumvent the program planning process.
c) They must address a single, topical issue and be likely to have an impact on that issue.
d) It should also require time-sensitive state governmental action consistent with the current stated
LWVNYS priorities and
e) It can be implemented using existing League resources.
f) The League offering the resolution shall send notice of the proposed resolution and its text to all
local Leagues and to the LWVNYS Board. The League supporting the proposed resolution must:
i) provide the LWVNYS position on which the resolution is based,
ii) background information on the issue,
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iii) the rationale, including the pros and cons for the resolution,
iv) evidence that the issue is a current legislative priority and
v) evidence that the issue is time-sensitive and requires state governmental action.
vi) The League offering the resolution shall have delegate(s) participating in Convention.
g) During the times specified in the agenda for resolution consideration, the chair will divide the
time equally among the resolutions moved for adoption.
h) Adoption of a resolution requires a majority vote.
14) Action Motions -An action motion is a means for the delegate body to speak in concert on a matter
of importance to the organization. It proposes action on a legislative or administrative matter at the
state level and directs the League to take a specific action (e.g., sending a letter to the
Governor). Action motions shall be referred to and considered by the Resolutions/Action Motions
Committee appointed by the Chair before the first plenary session of the Convention.
a) Action motions must be completed and submitted by 5:00 pm on Friday. Action Motions must
be emailed to Laura@lwvny.org.
b) To be recommended by the committee, the action motion must:
i. be consistent with League positions and
ii. must not conflict with ongoing advocacy work.
iii. The committee may also consider whether the action will help further an adopted League
priority and
iv. whether the proposed action is likely to have a measurable impact on the outcome of the
matter.
c) Action motions recommended by the Resolutions/Actions Motions Committee require a majority
vote for adoption.
15) The Resolutions/Action Motions Committee and Process: At least four weeks before the
Convention, the LWVNYS President shall have appointed a Resolutions/Action Motion Committee
consisting of one member of the LWVNYS Board of Directors and two registered Convention
delegates.
a) The Resolutions/Action Motions Committee shall meet remotely on Saturday morning to
consider whether each submitted resolution and action motion meets the criteria, timing, and
process requirements. The time and method for joining the meeting will be announced with the
Convention schedule. A representative of the League submitting a resolution or action motion
shall have an opportunity to explain the resolution/action motion to the Resolutions/Action
Motions Committee if the representative so requests.
b) The Chair of the Resolutions/Action Motions Committee will announce the recommendations of
the Committee to the Convention during the 2nd plenary session. Any resolution or action motion
reported affirmatively to have met the criteria for resolutions or action motions by the
Resolutions/Action Motion Committee may be moved for consideration of the Convention.
16) Nominations: Any candidate who is nominated from the floor shall give consent and be allowed to
address the delegates for one minute immediately after their name is placed in nomination.
17) Elections - The credentials committee shall present a final report to the Convention or the election
committee before the election procedure begins.
18) Rules - After adoption, these rules may be amended or suspended by a two-thirds vote. Roberts
Rules of Order, Newly Revised, will govern all matters not covered in the rules or in the bylaws.
19) Minutes- The minutes of the LWVNYS Convention shall be approved by the LWVNYS board of
directors, at their next meeting upon recommendation of a committee appointed to review and
correct the minutes.
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PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Suzanne Stassevitch, President
Change is the byword for our last biennium. We had a trial run of changes made in elections laws in
2019, especially early voting, in some municipal elections in November. While we were in high gear to
GOTV in 62 New York counties for early voting for the April 2020 primaries and the November general
election the unimaginable struck and we were in the middle of a catastrophic worldwide pandemic.
Covid 19 upset the health and welfare of all the people and economies of the world. The pandemic
wrought changes in the way we went through our daily lives upstate and down, no corner of the state
untouched by Covid 19. We changed the way we communicate with each other and how we reach out to
voters and our communities. Virtual communication, through multiple platforms became our lifeline to
our families, our communities and the voters we were trying to reach to engage and educate and fulfill
the mission of the League of Women Voters, to Empower Voters and Defend Democracy. We adapted.
More changes, the April presidential primary is moved to June, executive action changes some election
procedures and access to voting to help people gain access and be safe from the virus while still
participating in the election. November, more changes, more fears of Covid, and the League joins many
others reminding people to plan to vote. Empowering Voters. We adapted.
Changes, more changes and we met them, together, in New York state. Board members had regular
conversations with local Leagues, local League leaders had regular virtual chats with members, Leagues
in rural communities formed a caucus, League leaders had regular calls across the state sharing
information and strategies to get the job done. Plans and more plans, adapting plans to give voters the
information they needed to plan to vote, safely, in this important election cycle. We adapted.
Changes, for Leagues across the state who joined others in their communities to make sure we
completed the count for the 2020 Census even when we couldn’t get out into neighborhoods. And now,
across the state working together with multitudes of community organizations, Leagues are using their
power and persistence to help make sure we end up with fair, people powered maps from the 2021
redistricting process. Defending Democracy. We adapted.
Changing how we talk about voting when it becomes a partisan issue, countering mis-information and
disinformation. The Leagues’ non-partisanship policy, a policy that helps shape who we are and how we
do our work, was constantly put on the spot. We had to pivot, to really stay on top of messaging to
counter misinformation and disinformation before, during and after the general election. And the
ongoing lies about the legitimacy of our elections remains a messaging challenge for the League. I am
grateful that the national League is taking a lead and reaching out to Leagues across the country to
address difficult messaging to meet concerted and vile attempts to delegitimize our election process.
Defending Democracy. We persisted.
Fostering change in the LWVNY we adopted a DEI policy and began the journey to assess and create a
plan of action. With members from across the state we created a DEI task force to do the hard work to
build Leagues that are diverse and inclusive and demand equity in the policies that we champion and
support. Defending Democracy. We change.
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I never imagined our democracy could be as threatened as it is now with such a fractured political
playing field. The insurrection on January 6, 2021, at the Capital continues to reverberate for me as the
starkest possible reminder that the work we do, the work most of us in the League volunteer to do, to
engage people in their government, to vote, is more important than ever. Going forward the increased
work we are planning for outreach and education of our youth will be critical. The gift you give your
community volunteering to do the hard work required to promote and protect our right to vote is
immeasurable.
I thank you all for your commitment and persistence during the last 2 very challenging years. Together
we will continue to Empower all Voters and Defend our Democracy.
VOTER SERVICES REPORT
Judie Gorenstein, Vice President for Voter Services
Voter Services Committee: Sheila Miller Bernson, Jane Colvin, Kate Doran,
Nancy Rosenthal, Suzanne Stassevitch
During the past year, the LWVNYS Voter Service Committee remained committed to overcome any
challenges we faced and work together with local Leagues, MALS and ILOS to fulfill our mission of
registering voters, educating voters and GOTV especially in low voter turn-out communities. We were
in the midst of a pandemic. In the summer and fall of 2020, we were faced with the challenge of helping
our Leagues to not only register voters, but to educate them, hold candidate events, and GOTV at a time
when New Yorkers were mainly staying at home, needing to social distance when they did go out, and
learning of new changes in Election Laws and voting procedures. All this was occurring at the time of
an historic presidential election. Although we had thought that in 2020 we would be able to focus on
GOTV, since our Leagues were experienced in registering and educating voters and holding candidate
events (we had completed toolkits for registering voters and candidate events the year before), the
pandemic made it necessary for Leagues to do things differently. The usual ways of registering voters
and holding candidate events were no longer possible. Fortunately, a LWVNYS Voter Service
Committee had been put in place the year before. Members of the committee were assigned as liaisons
to all the local Leagues and had contact on a regular basis. Zoom meetings were scheduled and held
where all voter service chairs and presidents were encouraged to attend which allowed a greater than
ever ability to share ideas and highlight successes. Three separate zoom meetings were held and 3
toolkits were completed: Voter Registration in the Time of Social Distancing, Virtual Candidate Events,
and GOTV in the Time of Social Distancing. All contained templates and ideas contributed by local
Leagues, MALS and ILOs.
Were Leagues able to accomplish their mission? The answer was a resounding yes. In fact, Leagues
surpassed our expectations. Forty Leagues responded to our November 2020 Voter Service Survey.
They were able to register, educate and GOTV in the midst of a pandemic.
The pandemic did NOT prevent Leagues from reaching out to underserved communities. Training
people from other groups was even more important than ever before as our members could not go into
the communities and be at events. 15 Leagues provided virtual training to many underserved
communities by networking with various organizations. They used creative ways to engage voters. In
fact, 14 Leagues made their own videos.
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The pandemic did NOT prevent Leagues from holding candidate events. 20 Leagues organized a total
of 44 virtual candidate forums, mostly using a zoom webinar platform, recording it and then having it
posted. The extraordinary takeaway from the virtual forums was the number of people who watched, far
exceeding the number of people who ever attended an in-person candidate event.
The pandemic did NOT prevent Leagues from working with their County Boards of Elections. Leagues
had been encouraged by LWVNYS to reach out and have contact with their BOEs and in fact only 2
Leagues did not have contact.
The pandemic did NOT prevent voters from contacting their local Leagues. The pandemic and changes
to absentee ballots caused confusion and uncertainty. Voters had questions as to how, when and where
they voted. When voters were uncertain, they trusted their local Leagues who all together fielded more
than 3,000 questions. In addition, Leagues used their websites and social media sites to keep voters
informed of deadlines and changes.
The pandemic did NOT hinder our Leagues from GOTV. In fact, all Leagues (unlike in the past)
reported making efforts to GOTV, although only 4 reported being able to measure the results of their
efforts. Leagues indicated that they found the toolkits and zoom meetings helpful. However, they
needed more guidance in gathering data and finding out if indeed their efforts made an impact on voter
turn-out.
This then is one of the challenges for 2021. How can Leagues gather and evaluate data to know if all
their efforts are making an impact on GOTV particularly in communities where turn-out has been the
lowest? Which populations and communities should they focus on? What are the best ways to engage
people in those areas? When will they use social media and virtual formats and when will they hold in
person? What are the benefits of each? How will they continue to build on the relationships with
organizations with whom they networked last year? What data do they want to collect and how they can
collect it? What is the baseline they will use to see if they have made an impact?
A second challenge is that this year is local elections, when voter turnout is usually extremely low.
Although it now appears that COVID is under control and things may be getting back to normal,
allowing for Leagues to hold in-person events and activities as they had before the pandemic, we cannot
be certain of this. We also know that the tools and networking we did in 2020 allowed us to reach
greater numbers of people. When should Leagues use social media and virtual formats rather than or
combined with in-person event? How can Leagues continue to build on the relationships with
organizations and groups they developed last year?
In January this year, the LWVNYS Voter Service Committee realized that early planning would be
crucial and LWVNYS voter service resource materials had to reflect current needs of our Leagues. We
replaced Road to the Voting Booth with three new toolkits:
• A Toolkit for Voter Registration Drives: How to Organize a Successful Voter Registration Drive
• A Toolkit for Candidate Events: How to Hold a Successful Candidate Event
• A Toolkit for GOTV: How to Successfully Get Out the Vote
These toolkits were emailed to all local Leagues and were also posted on the LWVNYS website. They
should help Leagues plan for all their VS activities. They provide the information to help reach out to
those communities and groups where there has been low voter turnout and also gather useful data that
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can help in measuring and evaluating your efforts. This is not only needed to secure grants but will also
be helpful in assessing which activities to continue with in the future, which to modify, and which to
eliminate.
On April 15, LWVNYS Voter Services Committee held a zoom meeting for all voter service chairs and
other interested members to highlight some of the Leagues who reached out to those underserved
communities: ie, low turnout areas, communities where English is the second language, youth, and
people with disabilities. This meeting was a huge success. The presentations were excellent and
included how the Leagues were looking at data. The 80+ attendees had an opportunity to hear and learn
from each other. At this year’s convention the Voter Service Committee is hosting two different
workshops, another opportunity for members to hear what other Leagues are doing and have their
questions answered.
Yes, 2021 will be another challenging year for voter services, but as in the past, we are certain we can
and will meet the challenges. Together we can do so much. Our democracy works best when everyone
participates!
VOTE 411
Jennifer Wilson, Deputy Director
Our 2020 guide provided candidate information for all candidates running for President, Congress, State
Supreme Court, State Senate, State Assembly, and many local races. Unlike prior election statewide
years, the State League covered all Congressional, State Senate and Assembly races for Vote411 for the
November election. We have uploaded and invited 483 candidates to participate in the guide. In total we
had 248,722 visitors for NYS from January to November. We were one of the top 5 states in terms of
Vote411 visitors.
2021 is a local election year and Leagues across the state are already preparing for the June primary. The
state League will also be posting several ballot referendums that all New York State voters will have the
opportunity to vote on.
ISSUES AND ADVOCACY
Sally Robinson, Vice President for Issues and Advocacy
Jennifer Wilson, Legislative Director
Voting and Elections
Funding for New Election Expansions
The League advocated for greater funding for early voting and for new funding for expansions to
absentee voting following the COVID-19 pandemic. The League testified before the Joint Budget
Committees on Public Protection in 2020 and 2021 and encouraged our members to hold meetings with
their Assembly Members and Senators advocating for these funds. Together with our voting coalition
partners, the League successfully secured $2 million for early voting expansions; $5 million for the State
Board of Elections to implement new election programs; and $20 million for county board of elections
to reimburse the cost of technology and equipment upgrades.
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Early Voting
The League advocated for both funding for early voting and amendments to the new process including
expanding access to early voting poll sites. The League supported a new law to mandate county boards
of election to have at least one early voting poll site in the county's largest municipality. The bill also
increases the maximum mandated cap on early voting poll sites from 7 to 10. The legislation was passed
in July of 2020.
25-Day Registration Deadline Lawsuit
The League is continuing to work on a lawsuit the reduce the 25-day voter registration deadline to the
state constitutionally mandated 10-day deadline. This lawsuit has been ongoing since before the first
passage of the constitutional amendment to allow for same day voter registration.
Although a constitutional amendment to allow for same day registration has been passed by two
successively elected legislatures, it must be approved by voters in November 2021 before the State
Constitution can be amended and implementing legislation needs to be passed. The League will continue
to work on this important lawsuit and we still hope to have a positive settlement in time for the next
election.
Absentee Ballot Disqualification Lawsuit Settlement
In 2020 the New York State League successfully settled a lawsuit to allow voters to address and correct
issues with their absentee ballots. Under the League's settlement, voters will no longer have their ballot
invalidated if they complete their ballot in non-black or blue ink, mark outside the designated areas, or
seal the inner ballot envelope, also called an affirmation envelope, with tape or other sealing agent.
Voters also now have the opportunity to correct issues with their affirmation signature and witness
declaration including:
• if the affirmation envelope is unsigned;
• if the affirmation ballot envelope signature does not match the voter's registration signature;
• if the affirmation envelope does not have the required witness signature for voters who had
assistance completing their ballot;
• if the ballot is returned without an affirmation envelope in the return envelope;
• if the affirmation envelope is signed by the person that has provided assistance to the voter but is
not signed or marked by the voter him/herself; or
• if the voter has failed to sign the affirmation envelope and someone else has signed the
affirmation.
The settlement specifies that the Board must contact voters by phone, email or mail. Voters can resolve
any issues raised by the Board by returning a cure affirmation form and providing their name, date of
birth, and voter registration address to affirm their identity.
These new changes are above and beyond what was passed by the legislature in the summer of 2020.
With these additional protections, voters will not have to worry about their ballots being invalidated for
small errors and will have the opportunity to ensure their ballot will not be rejected if there are issues
with their signature.
COVID-19 Voting Reforms
Although the pandemic shut down the State Capitol Building, the League continued to advocate for
voting reforms to ensure all voters would have access to the ballot without risking their health to vote in
person. The League helped advocate for the following reforms in July of 2020:
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• S.8015D (Biaggi)/A.10833 (Dinowitz) Allow any voter to use "temporary illness" to request
their absentee ballot (applies from 2020 - 2022)
• S.8370B (Myrie)/A.10830 (Lavine) Allows voters to address issues with their absentee ballots
so that their vote can be counted
• S.8783A (Myrie)/A.10807 (Taylor) Allows Boards of Elections to accept absentee ballot
requests more than 30 days before an election
• S.8799A (Gianaris)/A.10808A (Bichotte) Allows Boards of Elections to accept ballots received
within the deadline even if they do not have a legible postmark
Automatic Voter Registration
In addition to specific legislation to expand absentee voting during the pandemic, the League also
supported legislation to enact automatic voter registration in New York State. In July the legislature
passed a reform to allow for automatic voter registration whenever an eligible New Yorker interacts
with the DMV, New York City Housing Authority, Department of Justice, Office of Temporary
Disability Assistance, Department of Labor, vocational and educational services for individuals with
disabilities, county and city departments of social services, and any other agency designated by the
Governor. This legislation will be fully implemented in 2023.
Restoration of Voting Rights for People on Parole
In 2021 the Legislature passed a law to allow any person on parole to have their right to vote restored
automatically upon release from incarceration. The law states that all individuals will be notified both
verbally and in writing that their voting rights will be restored, and that the person will be provided a
voter registration form and assistance in filling it out, along with voter education materials by the Board
of Elections. Either the person registering or the Department of Corrections will transmit the completed
registration application to the local board of the individual's residence. The League was supportive of
this measure and worked collaboratively with the Let NY Vote coalition in helping to get it passed.
Redistricting
In July of 2020 and January of 2021, the Senate and Assembly passed a constitutional amendment to
change New York State’s new redistricting process put in place since the last redistricting process. This
new amendment effectively cuts off all minority party influence on the redistricting process and
undermines the role of the Commission. The League opposed this amendment because it would
disempower minority party appointees to the Redistricting Commission and limit the input of minority
party legislators by changing the voting structure of the Commission and Legislature when voting to
approve maps. Under the new amendment, if both the Senate and Assembly are controlled by one party,
there is no longer a requirement of two thirds vote of support. Additionally, the amendment repeals the
requirement for a Commission's redistricting plan to be approved by at least one Commission member
appointed by each of the legislative leaders, including the two minority leaders. Lastly, it takes away the
voting rights of minority party-appointed Commission members in appointing the two co-executive
directors of the Commission
The League opposed first passage of this amendment in August of 2020 not only because it would strip
away any input from the minority party, but also because it would change the untested process before it
even has the chance to function. This is the first time the 2014 amendment establishing the commission
will be put into effect for a redistricting cycle. The amendment must be approved by the voters in the
general election before the amendment will be added to our state constitution
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In addition to policy advocacy, the League advocated for funding for the new Redistricting Commission.
The League partnered with 30 stakeholder organizations to call on the Legislature and Governor to
provide fair, independent funding to New York’s first ever Independent Redistricting Commission. After
several months of writing letters, testifying at budget hearings, and having meetings with Legislators and
staff, the League successfully secured $4 million for the Redistricting Commission to conduct its work.
Healthcare
Safe Staffing
After many years of advocacy, in 2021 the Legislature passed two safe staffing bills for nursing homes
and hospitals to ensure both patients and healthcare workers are protected requiring them to meet
minimum staffing levels of nurses and other health care staff.
Under the new laws, the state health commissioner will establish minimum staffing levels for nursing
homes and will impose civil penalties if the homes fail to meet the minimum standards. Each resident
would receive an average of 3.5 hours of care a day, with at least one hour from registered or licensed
practical nurses and two hours from certified nursing assistants.
The new legislation also sets up clinical staffing committees in hospitals to determine staffing guidelines
and decide the proper ratio between patients and staff. The panels would include hospital administrators
as well as registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and other staff members who provide direct
patient care.
The League has been supportive of this legislation since 2016 and we are pleased it has finally passed.
Environmental Conservation
Clean Air and Water Amendment
In 2020 and 2021 The League supported a constitutional amendment that would add a right to clean
water, clean air, and a healthful environment to the New York Constitution's Bill of Rights. The measure
passed in both houses and will now be a ballot referendum in November.
REDISTRICTING REPORT
Jennifer Wilson, Deputy Director
In 2020 the League launched our People Powered Fair Maps (PPFM) campaign to ensure fair maps are
drafted for the 2021-2022 redistricting cycle. PPFM is a national redistricting program of the League of
Women Voters that focuses on creating fair political maps in all 50 states and the District of
Columbia. The New York State League is working to engage the public in community mapping, and
encourage our members to work with diverse stakeholder organizations on congressional, state, and
local mapping.
In 2021 we engaged all of our 46 local Leagues from across the state by asking League leaders to select
"redistricting delegates". We then individually met with the delegates of each local League to talk about
what they might want to do to participate in the PPFM campaign. We identified stakeholders in each of
the local League's communities and created a stakeholder list for each League that included the name of
the organization, the organization's website, phone number, email, and if available a direct contact for
the organization. We also offered mapping software trainings and held two train the trainer events on
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redistricting 101 and engaging communities of interest. We also held a panel discussion featuring three
redistricting experts to discuss what sort of challenges may arise from this redistricting cycle.
In April we held a People's Hearing on Redistricting where we invited members of the public and
organizations to come and talk about why redistricting matters to them and their community of interest.
In total we had 325 attendees on our Zoom webinar and the event's livestream on Facebook has been
viewed more than 700 times. We had two cosponsors, LatinoJustice PRLDEF and APA Voice, and were
able to get an incredibly diverse group of speakers to present. After the hearing, the recording, written
testimonies, and transcript of the event were all shared on our nyredistricting.org website and sent to
New York's Independent Redistricting Commission.
In addition to our outreach and education work, the League worked to secure funding for the state’s first
ever Redistricting Commission. We partnered with more than 20 organizations to write letters to
legislative leaders and hold advocacy meetings with key legislative staff to emphasize the need to fair,
independent funding. In addition to our strategic meetings, we encouraged local League members to
meet with their own representatives. We held an advocacy training and created materials that could be
used by members when lobbying for these funds. In the end we were successful in securing $4 million
for New York’s Independent Redistricting Commission.
We are continuing to work with stakeholder organizations and our League members on monitoring the
Commission and ensuring the public is prepared to testify at upcoming hearings.
FINANCING EDUCATION REPORT
Marian Bott, Issue Specialist
Victory, at Last….
Most of you know that the League has been involved with the Campaign for Fiscal Equity (CFE, the
plaintiff) lawsuit for about two decades. It concerns the way New York State (the defendant) distributes
funds for public education. The Campaign had Albany office space at our former Maiden Lane
headquarters, and the League was paid to do grassroots lobbying throughout the state CFE. When I
joined the League in 2001, I learned that we had filed an amicus brief in the case, and within the first
two years we filed a second brief. In theory, the case was settled in 2006, thirteen years after it was
filed. However, the planned-for phase-in of additional funding, known as Foundation Aid, a three-year
phase-in beginning in 2007, never materialized due to economic conditions. Advocates have witnessed,
during this past twelve years, a complete side-stepping of Foundation Aid’s intent. This, year, at long
last, the aims of CFE were realized in the budget (but see below). A cause for celebration, to say the
least! Thanks to all of you who, over the years, have gone to your legislators to press them to fully fund
Foundation Aid, which is the cornerstone of adequate and equitable funding in our state school aid
formula.
A Difficult Two Years for State Finances Generally
The public education portion of New York State’s budget, nearly $30 billion out of a $212 billion total,
is always an important discussion in Albany. Because COVID’s onset occurred about two months into
the 2020 legislative year, and right in the middle of a school year, there were financial shocks to state
revenue estimates. Schools had to prepare for remote learning, and the inequities between poor families
and middle class families were brought into focus because of the lack of broadband access in the poorer
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households. Teachers, students, and parents were placed in a terrible position; resources were needed
and were only unevenly forthcoming. The Legislature was aware of these issues, and responded as I
will report below.
First, in both fiscal years, there were dire predictions of a massive state deficit, due to the pandemic. In
April 2020 state revenues were augmented by a federal relief package. This provided some, but not
generous, revenues for the State Fiscal Year ending March 31, 2021. Then, with COVID’s ravaging
effect continuing within our State, there were new concerns about the 2021-2022 revenue forecast and
how this would impact education spending. Finally, after the November 2020 election, a change of
federal administration, there was talk of a massive new stimulus package which would be directed
toward states and municipalities. Advocates were concerned that New York budget makers would
“supplant”, not “supplement” state revenues with federal dollars. Even at the third week of March 2021,
the fates of various revenue raising measures (wealth tax, increased income taxes, pied-a-terre taxes
among a few) were still unknown. The League supports “progressive” taxation according to our
Financing Education position statement but not specific revenue measures.
Uncertainty about education financing budget decisions continued through April 7, 2021 when the State
Legislature, under majority control by Democrats in both the Assembly and the Senate, and with the
Governor’s consent, signed off on a $1.4 billion one-year increase in education aid, as well as a
“language” promise for two more years to fund Foundation Aid as had been promised in the Campaign
for Fiscal Equity lawsuit. My consultation with the attorneys for the lawsuit shortly after the budget
passed in April 2021 lead me to believe that the “language” promise is a promise in name only. The
legislature could legally renege on its so-called statutory three-year pledge and, if the experience of 2009
serves as any example, if there is an economic downturn, they will do exactly that.
Due to COVID, the only time the League was visible to the State Legislature during these past two fiscal
years has been at the annual testimony. Last year, questions were asked by several legislators largely on
the topic of charter schools and their operations. This year, on January 28, 2021, during the Q an A after
our testimony, discussion about the role of federal funding took place. Keeping in mind the timeline
mentioned above, there was substantial concern about whether the year was going to be the worst in the
past twenty years. We expressed concern about some of the aspects of Title I funding that disadvantage
New York State, and promised to follow up on two key legislators’ questions in this regard. This has
been my main focus in the past three months.
As the federal government decides on a next COVID relief package, I am following very closely how
much aid will be forthcoming from the federal government. Federal budgets are “forward funded” as a
general matter, but if Congress decides to infuse more funding into states and cities, this could be very
good news for New York State’s school children. Stay tuned.
Other League Positions with State Finance: Property Tax Reform
Our State remains plagued by an uneven system of collecting property taxes and providing property tax
relief. We have positions on property tax assessment and collection as well as STAR. In this most
recent budget, the Legislature made changes by lowering most households’ income tax rates. That
legislation may, indirectly, help those whose property tax burdens are high.
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