Not surprisingly, the National Convention of the League of Women Voters was a highly organized and well-run event.  The caucuses were informative and interesting; the plenary sessions were full of vibrant and civil discussion.

You might have read already that the National League hired consultants to assess its reputation and visibility.  These consultants determined that the League is trusted as a non-partisan organization, but that its goals are unclear.   They have recommended that we now use the following statement in all our communications:  “Hands-on work to safeguard democracy leads to civic improvement.”

I attended several caucuses.  One was a call for a Department of Peace and
Non-violence.  Another promoted a single-payer health care system. Another was an appeal for the League to support a National Popular Vote through a state-by-state initiative.  This is consistent with the League’s position to get rid of the Electoral College, but so far the League prefers to attempt this with a constitutional amendment.

The National Popular Vote proposal was discussed at one of the plenary sessions.
The NPV organization feels that if it can get a compact among enough states whose Electoral College votes equal a majority, the Electoral College will be defunct. These states would agree to give their Electoral College votes to the winner of the national popular vote, making the Electoral College meaningless.  There was a vote to do a study on this issue, which frustrated some of us since the New York and Arizona leagues have already conducted extensive studies on the issue and would be willing
to share their results with other leagues.

One of the main speakers was Dr. Ramanathan, who spoke on the dangers of climate change.  The League adopted this as a major issue and will create an on-line kit to help local leagues develop programs.

States gave brief overviews of some of their accomplishments.  Alaska can help other leagues defeat amendments restricting marriage to a man and a woman. Hawaii has a web site with an annotated version of the U.S. Constitution. Another state gives away bookmarks with the Bill of Rights printed on them.

The several days of the convention were filled with fascinating and informed
discussions.  It was an honor to be present and I thank the Winchester League for the privilege of attending.  I urge others to consider attending the 2010 convention in Atlanta.

                                                            - Jean Herbert