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Please mark your calendars and join us for our
CONSENSUS MEETING
for the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Study
of the Ballot Question Process in Massachusetts
at the Sanborn House
15 High Street, Winchester
(next to Ambrose Elementary School)
on Sunday, January 6, 2019
from 1 - 3 p.m. Snow date: 1/13/19
It's YOUR chance to help shape league policy on this important subject.
We are pleased to be partnering with the Arlington League again this year.
Light refreshments will be served. Background and Scope: This study incorporates the intersection of the League’s areas of mission: voting and advocacy. The Massachusetts LWV has not studied the initiative and referendum process in Massachusetts and has no positions on this aspect of voting and elections. The scope of the study is to review the Massachusetts laws and regulations that govern statewide citizen-initiated ballot questions (comprising the initiative and referendum process); consider the consequences of current laws and regulations; and propose concrete next steps that the Massachusetts LWV could take to enact change, if the study results in recommended change.
Preparation: Materials to familiarize yourself with the issues and the questions before the meeting are on the Massachusetts League of Women Voters Website under "LWVMA Study Documents." A Study Guide is posted explaining the current situation Massachusetts and other states for each specific question, along with explanation of two points of view on every question. Lastly, if you still have it, bring your family's copy of the Massachusetts Information for Voters for the 2018 Ballot Questions, which was snail mailed to all households in MA by the Secretary of the Commonwealth before the election. It has a red cover.
Plans for the Consensus Process: We will provide copies of a short list of the 15 questions for everyone at the meeting. We will present a power point, prepared by the Massachusetts LWV Study Committee, which summarizes their 36 page Study Report. Then, we will separate from members of the Arlington League to conduct 2 unique consensus processes.
Please be sure to join us whether you have time to cover all the materials beforehand or not. We always learn a lot from each other at these stimulating discussions!
Please RSVP by January 2, 2019 to Patty Shepard, shepard.patty@gmail.com
Looking forward to working with you,
Meredith Crowley, Patty Shepard, and Robin Wolf,
Members of the LWVW Consensus Process Subcommittee
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