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LWVMI President Christina Schlitt
The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization meaning that it never endorses oropposes candidates or political parties.
LWV influences public policy through education and advocacy.
We encourage informed and active participation in government.
League Links
Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy. We envision a democracy where every person has the desire, the
right, the knowledge and the confidence to participate.
October 2019
LWVMI President's Message
The efforts local Leagues in Michigan put forth to educate the public on the merits of BallotProposal 2 and 3 last year helped bring the support by voters to a successful win. Now it is ourduty to educate the public on just exactly what they won.
LWVMI is facilitating our local Leagues to educate the public on the 2020 Census, its impact onthe Citizens' Redistricting Commission (CRC) including its successful implementation and thedetails of the new voting rights through a series of town hall meetings throughout the state. Inaddition, Betsy Cushman, VP Voter Services is working with partners to engage clerks toassist in the new voting laws and educating voters to be able to take advantage of the benefits.It seems that our work has only just begun.
When the Supreme Court declined to rein in partisan gerrymandering, the National Leaguepledged to launch a nationwide redistricting reform initiative. All 50 states and the District ofColumbia have signed on to the campaign titled People Powered Fair Maps ™ While each stateis at a different juncture in the plan, the goal is to promote a transparent and accountableredistricting process and end partisan practices. LWVUS "believes the responsibility for fairredistricting should be vested in independent special commissions with membership thatreflects the diversity of the unit of government." The first 100 years was based on the nationalmovement to ratify the 19th amendment; the next 100 years is to have fair maps.
We have many things to be proud of in Michigan: the CRC, a brand-new League in Marquette,strong membership, a vibrant voter service and advocacy program, a development plan tosustain the work of our missions and a skilled board to carry that through - to name a few!Please read more...
Local League Spotlight: Welcome LWV of Marquette County
Congratulations to LWV Marquette County! On October 12th the LWVMI Board approved theirapplication for Local League status and has submitted their application for LWVUS certification.Marquette reestablished as a Geographical Unit in 2017 under the mentorship of LWV Delta Countyand became a Member At Large Unit in February. They are a busy, energetic group with 82 membersand we are pleased they are once again a Local League. Thanks to LWV Delta County and MLDCoach Camilla Davis for their work in assisting the Marquette League.
Pictured below: LWV of Marquette Board of Directors (left to right Kim Winokur, Madalyn Koval, JanePajot, Darlene Allen, Pri Burnham, David Allen, Marge Forslin, Joanna Mitchell and Karen Schmitt. Pictured below that is Darlene Allen taking part remotely in the LWVMI Board Meeting, as PresidentChristina Schlitt and the board approve the motion to accept LWV of Marquette County and CamillaDavis, Marquette's MLD Coach, presents a cake.
LWVMI Voter Service DirectorMegan Chenoweth
Vote 411 Update
Congratulations, Michigan Leagues! You have published 211 races and 104 proposals for theNovember 5th general election! Most local Leagues published their guides in late September to make them available for voterswhen absentee ballots were mailed out. If you still have races to publish, it's not too late! Beloware a few guidelines for publishing.
Try to complete any remaining work by the week of October 21st. LWVUS locks out guideadministrators as the election approaches to ensure server capacity for voters. Megan Brownwill provide a final lockout date in the coming weeks.
Follow LWVUS's naming guidelines when naming your races. Race names should focus onlocation, seat (or brief proposal description), and ward if applicable.
When possible, call unresponsive candidates to encourage them to participate. It can be a greatopportunity to build relationships between candidates and your local League.
Contact Megan Brown ([email protected]) before publishing so that she can import your racesinto the national guide. For the fastest response, copy the help desk when you send an email
LWVMI VP Program andWebmaster Paula Bowman
outside of business hours: [email protected].
Use the LWVUS provided press release template to publicize VOTE411 to your local media. As always, you can contact Megan Chenoweth ([email protected]) or BetsyCushman ([email protected]) if you need any assistance with your local races.Thank you, and keep up the good work!
Visit the LWVMI Website
Info you need: Just a click away on the LWVMI WebsiteWhere can I get the new VOTE411 logo? How do we order a 50-Year certificate for a lifetimemember? Is there a New Member Handbook that's already developed? Is there a calendar ofresponsibilities for local League treasurers? Answers to these queries and other resources canall be found on our LWVMI website on the Member Resources pages.
On the "Current Projects" page, you can find the link to the Clerk Engagement Toolkit, multipleresources for VOTE411 (publicity, bookmarks, poster, etc) and a new section with ideas andmaterials to help your League celebrate our 100 year anniversary.
Take a spin around our website lwvmi.org to check out the topical information you may belooking for. You might be pleasantly surprised to find what you need as well as other supportmaterials that will be helpful to your League.
News from the Development Committee
LWVMI Development ChairDiana Neering
The Development Committee Wants You to KnowWhat is Development?It is a partner of philanthropy and makes philanthropy possible by bringing together a particularcause (in our case LWVMI) and individuals who are willing to invest in what we do.
Fundraising .... Development....what is the difference?Fundraising is an activity that is transactional in nature and focuses on solicitation. It is usuallyused by an organization to raise funds for a specific and short-term goal. These gifts are often-one time and modest. Sometimes they become yearly.
Development, on the other hand, is relational in nature. It encourages us to think in terms ofbuilding a relationship over time that is powerful and creates long-term connections between thephilanthropist and the organization. This process includes education and attentive stewardship,as well as appropriate solicitations. The development timetable is defined by the potential donor.We want these gifts to be life changing.
Fundraising and Development work together. We need both to be successful. Importantly,fundraising is essential as we seek to meet annual goals and budget pressure. Development isimportant to reaching our more aspirational and impactful goals and securing the future stabilityof the organization.
Simple request:As you think about your philanthropic goals for 2019 and 2020, we hope you will include theLeague of Women Voters of Michigan in your plans.
Development Committee's Current ProgramThe Development Committee's top priority is our three-year Pledge Program. While our focus iscurrently on this, the committee is also developing a calendar for increasing gifts to LWVMI andwe have established a new path for individuals to make gifts of stock. Why are we doing this?As we enter our second 100 years we want to strengthen the League of Woman Voters ofMichigan's capacity to Empower Voters and Defend Democracy. It will make it possible for usto leverage the important work of our members and it will provide us with the resourcesnecessary to further our mission: to educate and advocate. Most importantly, it will enable us to remain relevant, visible, and strong in our second century.
We began this effort in July (the beginning of our fiscal year) and we are pleased to tell you thatwe have made good progress toward our goal.
Assisting Local Leagues with Fund Development
LWVMI Local LeagueDevelopmentKen Manley
Shelly Hoffman,Executive Director
Greetings Leaguers! I am Ken Manley, Local League Development (fundraising) Director. Myresponsibility is to help you build your local development, so that you will have the funds to dothe work of your league that is so necessary today. Today that work is as critical as it has everbeen. Email me at [email protected]. It's time to take the League of Women Voters ofMichigan to the next level! I look forward to hearing from you.
Detroit Moving Forward
We congratulate LWV Detroit on their robust activity since becoming an independent Leagueearlier this year. The Detroit members are fully invested in Voter Service, membershipengagement and fundraising so that they can expand their activities. This past month, theywere granted free use of office space in the City County Building. This office will increase theirvisibility, provide small meeting space, reinforce their cooperative relationship with the CityClerk, and most importantly, allow them to increase their services to the community. Well doneLWV Detroit!
From the Desk of the Executive Director
As the calendar year comes to a close, you will probably find your mailbox overflowing withfundraising appeals from a variety of organizations seeking your support. Among those letterswill be one from the League of Women Voters of Michigan. It will be a single page with astraightforward request: Your state League is doing great work and we need your financialsupport to continue our upward path. While I am new to the League, I did not come to it unfamiliar with the impact of this venerableorganization. I knew the League through its non-partisan voter guides and candidate forums. I
knew it was an organization I could trust, and I turned to it regularly to help me with my mostcherished civic duty - voting. Now that I am here as your Executive Director, I know the otherimportant roles the League plays in our democracy. I know that LWVMI was behind the ballotinitiatives that reformed our voting rights and tried to put an end to gerrymandering. I know thatLWVMI provides education to assist Michiganders gain a better understanding of voting laws, orthe importance of the census. I know that we hold a variety of positions on the most pressingissues in our society and that we advocate to advance those issues. And I know there arededicated volunteers devoting countless hours to protect and defend our democracy. In short, I have become more familiar with the depth and breadth of the League of WomenVoters of Michigan's work and I am in awe of it. I know that as members of your local Leagues you contribute your time, your expertise, andyour passion to this work. I hope when you receive our letter you will also consider lending yourfinancial support to your state League. Together, we will empower voters and defend democracy.
Yours in League,Shelly L. Hoffman
Special Request of Local Leagues
The state office would like to keep up with what you are doing locally. If you haven't already, pleaseadd Executive Director Shelly Hoffman and President Christina Schlitt to your email distribution listsfor your newsletters and events.Christina Schlitt [email protected] Hoffman [email protected]
Thank you.
Calendar
October - Voter Education MonthOctober 12 - LWVMI Board MeetingOctober 24 - United Nations DayOctober 25-26 - LWV of Lake Michigan Region Annual Meeting
November 5 - General Election
Check Out What is Happening in Local Leagues in Michigan Alpena County
Ann Arbor Area (with Tecumseh & Brighton/Howell Geographical Units)Berrien/Cass Counties
Copper CountryDearborn/Dearborn Heights
Delta County Detroit
Eastern UP State (MAL) Unit Flint Area
Grand Haven AreaGrand Traverse Area (with Crawford County Geographical Unit)
Grosse PointeHolland Area
Jackson Area Kalamazoo Area (with Grand Rapids Geographical Unit)
Lansing Area Leelanau County
Macomb State (MAL) UnitManistee CountyMarquette County
Midland Area Mt. Pleasant
Northwest Wayne County (with Belleville Geographical Unit)
Oakland AreaSaginaw County
Troy
For more information go to www.lwvmi.orgor check out Facebook pages for state and local LWVs
LWVMI Board of Directors - 2019-2021
Christina Schlitt (Grand Traverse Area) - President Paula Manley (Kalamazoo) - Vice President for Membership Betsy Cushman (Dearborn/Dearborn Heights) - Vice President for Voter Services Sue Smith (Ann Arbor) - Vice President for Advocacy Paula Bowman (NW Wayne County) - Vice President for Program Denise Hartsough (Kalamazoo) - Treasurer Leah Bectel (Kalamazoo/Grand Rapids Geo) - Secretary Darlene Allen (Marquette MAL) - Director-at-Large Deborah Bunkley (Detroit) - Voter Service DirectorMegan Chenoweth (Northwest Wayne County) - Voter Services DirectorVicki Granger (Grosse Pointe) - Communications DirectorKen Manley (Kalamazoo) - Local League Development DirectorTera Moon (Oakland) - Membership/Leadership DirectorDiana Neering (Ann Arbor) - LWVMI Development DirectorMaria Rivera (Macomb State MAL) - Director-at-Large
Shelly Hoffman (Flint) - Executive Director
League of Women Voters of Michigan | 600 W. St. Joseph, Ste 3G, Lansing, MI 48933
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