"FOR THE RECORD"

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A synopsis of some of the more important activities of the League of Women Voters Duluth over the past five years (2007-20011)



SERVICES TO VOTERS:
Teaching and informing citizens about important civic issues, and providing nonpartisan information on candidates and policies prior to an election are top priorities for the Duluth League.



  • Each election year the LWV Duluth distributes over 5,000 voter guides, recruits poll monitors, carries out extensive voter registration efforts, broadcast the “Get Out the Vote” over radio, TV, Internet, and print media, issues voter information cards and bookmarks, hosts an election day hotline, and holds forums where ideas & views on issues are exchanged in balanced debate.
  • Civic Issue Forums (2007-20011): National Popular Vote , Can We Count on Minnesota Voting System?”, Instant Run-off Voting, Ranked Choice Voting – ballot issue“ , Healthcare Forum, Judicial Selection Forum
  • Sulfide Mining Forum (2010): presentation, documentary “Precious Waters,” followed by panel discussion
  • Climate Change Forum (2011):“How climate change is affecting Minnesota & Lake Superior”
  • Candidate forum (2007-2011): School Board, City Council, District House & Senate Candidates, County Attorney, District County Commissioner Candidates, Televised Gubernatorial Debates

REGISTERING VOTERS: (On going)                        
  • New Citizens Naturalization Ceremonies: presentation and register new voters
  • Connect the Dots: event works with five of the lowest-income neighborhoods in Duluth, register voters & information table
  • Juneteeth: register voters & information table
  • Duluth High Schools: new graduates

EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS & PROGRAMS:            
  • Yearly “Citizens in Action workshops”: citizenship training
  • 2007 Safer, More Compassionate World Project: program designed to elevate women’s voices in national security decision-making around                         counter-terrorism and national security 
  • 2007 Peace and Justice series: focusing on energy use and global warming issues
  • 2007 “How to Make A Difference”
  • 2008 The State of Democracy Judicial Selection Project “Sunshine Week”: disseminate information on Transparency in Government
  • 2009 Health Care Teach-in 
  • 2010 Redistricting: program panel discussion
  • 2010 National Popular Vote (NPV) 
  • 2011 Voter ID: panel discussion
  • 2011 Redistricting: workshop 
  • 2011 Impartial Judiciary: meeting with Senator Roger Reinert & Joint Religious Legislative Coalition
  • 2009 Privatization of Water Utilities: showed the film “Flo” + question/ answer session 
  • 2009 Census/ Duluth Complete Count: program
  • 2009 Sex Trafficking Symposium:  program panel discussion
  • 2008 Food Issue lecture series at the College of St. Scholastica
  • 2010 Global Warming: “10/10/10” event to raise awareness of reducing our carbon footprint
  • 2011 Troubled Waters: film + panel discussion with questions & answers
  • 2007 Immigration: LWVUS did an Immigration Study, and the Duluth league did a program 
  • 2010 Latino Voices: Immigration Program
  • 2011 Immigration Series:  (8 separate events) focusing on themes relating to possibilities & challenges of immigration. 

TABLING EVENTS distributing information
  • 2007 Millennium Project: “Why Africa Matters”, project information, goals, and history
  • 2007 Living Green Conference: information table; “ The Green Water Table” 
  • 2007 St. Louis River Watershed Festival
  • 2007 Earth Day booth at the Watershed Festival. 
  • 2009 Harvest Festival
  • 2009 Living Green Conference
  • 2009 Take Back the Night AWARENESS & ADVOCACY

  • Tuesday morning 8:00 a.m. KUMD radio station weekly broadcasts highlighting local issues of civic interest & importance
  • Legislative Roundtable: (on going) question/answer session with state legislators 
  • Day at the Capital: (on going)
  • 2010 Great Lakes Lobby Days: met with Congressional leaders

  • League of Women Voters is a member of the Healing Our Waters, Great Lakes Coalition (HOW) and partners with other coalition members to advance restoration goals and assist as advocates in public outreach and hosting conferences. 
  • C.A.F.E.: LWV Duluth is a member of this coalition advocating a new ERA


LWV Duluth annually holds an event to commemorate Women’s History Month and Black History Month  - showing a variety of inspirational films like “Not for Ourselves Alone”, “Iron Jawed Angels,” “Willmar 8” and also participates in observances at both UMD and St. Scholastica.
  • 2009 Martin Luther King Day celebration breakfast where particpants listened to the  speech of General Colin Powell on a large screen TV with a         live feed and then they participated in the march and rally at the DECC
  • 2007 We celebrated Women’s Equality Day by distributing bookmarks and information.
  • 2008 Lifehouse - Dragon Dance fundraiser
  • 2009 Women Rock in the Fight Against Breast Cancer- fundraiser

THE LEAGUE IN ACTION:

October 2007 The League began working on a study of Duluth Infrastructure systems. The study took two years to complete during which time the League monitored issues, collected data and met with government officials using a non-partisan fact-finding process with the eventual goal to take action to educate & influence public affairs to make a difference in our community, May 4, 2010 the League Consensus on this issue and took a position which is discussed in more detail elsewhere on this website.

WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP 

Leaders of Today and Tomorrow (LOTT): LWV Duluth sponsors candidates for this conference. Candidates are young college aged women who are interested in active citizen involvement in either government policy or possible government careers.
  • 2010 Go Run Training, White House Project 160 women from different states participated
  • (On-going) YMCA Women of Distinction Luncheon: Co-hosts & table captains  

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS

The LWV Duluth hosts Humphrey Institute International Fellows who come here to learn more about our city and it’s government. The fellows meet with local officials and agencies and observe the day-to-day operations of the civic systems. 
  • 2009 Fellow were from Colombia & Brazil.
  • 2010 Humphrey Law School: co-hosted participants interested in learning more about Human Trafficking & prostitution issues
  • 2007  International Relations: LWV Duluth representative, Joyce Benson went to Petrosavask, Russia and met with the Russian League of Women Voters President about how to do candidate forums.
  • 2008 Our International Relations committee received an Open World Grant to host 6 participants and 1 coordinator from the country of Tajikistan.
  • 2011 Question/answer presentation & Reception for young women from United Arab Emirates, Yeman, & Bahrain

COMMUNITY SERVICE:
April annual Clean up and care of Cascade Park

EVENTS FOR MEMBERSHIP & GUESTS:
  • Fall “Kick Off” food, fun and program event
  • New Members’ Luncheon
  • Annual Holiday Social
  • Annual EqualiTea celebrating women’s suffrage
  • Annual Meeting & Silent Auction fundraiser
  • Monthly Book Club
  • Mothers of Young Children Group 
  • Plant & Book Sale fundraiser, early June

TO LEARN EVEN MORE ABOUT THE LWV DULUTH read our newsletter the VOTER and visit us on Facebook