Hello LWVOR Members and Supporters! February is a short but intense month for LWVOR! The 2nd is Groundhog Day and the 2nd day of the 35-day 2022 Oregon Legislative session. There are some parallels with promising bills from last session returning for another try amid echoes of walkouts. Read our pre-session Legislative Report. Confirm your LWVOR subscription settings for our weekly Action News Summary Emails.
Please contact your local Voter Education Rep to help with the 2022 primary. Watch for more information in the winter 2022 LWVOR VOTER, arriving shortly.
IN THIS MONTH’S NEWS…
Voter Education, read for ways you can help!
Action is in full gear now and needs your help.
Upcoming Events, OR Council, US Convention, and Civics ED Public Library presentations
Congratulations to LWVOR for our organization advancing to the GuideStar Platinum Transparency status! Guidestar is an important tool that demonstrates our impact and helps amplify our voice as a nonprofit. Your League can sign up at guidestar.org.
VOTER EDUCATION
Contact your local League’s Voter Education rep to help your League with your local candidate and ballot measure entry for Vote411.org. Elections offices are gearing up to prepare for the primary, too.Check with your County Elections offices to help as temporary elections staff for this primary, probably training soon. Contact us at lwvor@lwvor.org for other information on how to help with this critical work.
Here’s a question from the LWVOR President’s INBOX:
I am with the LWV Klamath for over 30 years. What can we DO besides just send money to LWVUS? Oregon is one of the few states that maintains democratic principles, so there is not much work to be done here. BUT, I participate in VOTE FORWARD to encourage voters in other states to get to the ballot box. Why isn't LWVUS setting up a similar campaign or piggy backing on the Vote Forward work?
–A long time member
Hi long time League member,
Thank you for your devotion to League work over these many years!
I looked up Vote Forward and it seems to be GOTV (paper, USPS) letter writing outreach. This was popular with some local Leagues members during previous election cycles. LWVOR is not coordinating writing postcards at the state level. I haven’t heard of any LWVUS plans for this. Here are a few things we’re doing.
LWVOR Advocacy Our Action Committee to increase digital outreach, including advocacy to support the Oregon Secretary of State's proposed 2022 legislation to facilitate voter registration help from 3rd parties, something LWVOR has been advocating toward for a long time. Read our LRs for progress, details in this letter.
Outreach Circle We want League members to help expand digital networking outwards to our other circles, our families, friends, and other groups we belong to, who depend on us as trusted voices. Contact the LWVOR Outreach Circle Coordinator, Elizabeth Anderson, for details, via lwvor@lwvor.org.
County Elections Election Observer teams are important League functions around the country, including sometimes in Oregon. Observers monitor ballot processing steps including signature verification and ballot tallying. This year elections offices are again addressing anticipated staffing shortages. League members could be ideal workers given our awareness of the importance of our elections. Please see the staffing request in Voter Education.
Election Protection 1-866-Our-VOTE We fight voter suppression with League members taking calls during elections. LWVUS belongs to this coalition and yes, voters in Oregon call in here for help!
ACTION
Chair Alice Bartelt
We are getting ready for the legislative session, which begins TODAY, February 1st. We will meet on Tuesdays at 10:30 am. The session is supposed to address issues that cannot wait until the 2023 long session. Our committee members are already working on many bills of concern.
The Action Committee recommended and the LWVOR Board has endorsed these four ballot initiative petitions.
IP 43, 44 and 45 Campaign Finance Reform. Becky Gladstone is a chief petitioner on all three. These are similar in content. Which goes forward will be based on the coalition’s findings for which has the best chance of passing. LWVOR was instrumental in drafting the measures’ language.
IP 34 reintroduces IP 54 regarding redistricting, which failed to make the ballot in 2020. Norman Turrill is the chief petitioner.
Watch for an email summary linked to a full Legislative Report each week during the session (Subscribe). We will update the Issues for Action after the end of the short session.
Action needs several volunteers to serve as Coordinators. Our committee has grown, expanding needs for the intermediate level of oversight. We are missing a coordinator for education and for social issues. If you have any ideas of folks who might be interested in taking on those jobs, please let me know, Alice Bartelt (contact via lwvor@lwvor.org.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Please check the LWVOR calendar for your local events. If you don’t see them, send us details to post so we can help publicize them!
LWVOR Council [May 20-22, Newport OR, hosted by Lincoln Co League]. We are currently planning an in-person event, and will change to virtual if need be. With program planning underway, we invite you to submit your ideas for caucuses and workshops. Contact the LWVOR Events Chair, Robin Tokmakian, forwarding via lwvor@lwvor.org.
LWVUS Convention June 23-26, 2022 Read for varied instructions for proposing bylaws changes, sponsoring caucuses, etc. I hope all our Leagues updated their membership rosters by the end of January deadline for your League’s membership roster to get full delegation voting access!
Civics Education Partner Events
Toni Lampkin, LWVOR Civics Education Director, and Donna Cohen, presenter, are coordinating with the Oregon State Library for regional presentations. Here’s the update.
Citizen Activism 101, and The Constitution: Fulfilling Democracy’s Promise?
– Democracy, the Constitution and Representation in Congress.
Three library districts (Umatilla, Jackson and Deschutes) and Harney County will enlist multiple libraries from their four regions. Nine libraries are currently planning to participate.
Corvallis PL
Oregon City PL
Umatilla County SLD
Hillsboro PL
Deschutes PL District
Eugene PL
Salem PL
Jackson County LD
Harney County PL (drawing from other eastern Oregon counties)
Here are some of Donna Cohen’s free virtual February workshops.
Misinformation, Fake News
and Political Propaganda.
Feb 1 (TODAY!) TU, 7-8:30pm. Albany Public Library. REGISTER
Feb 16 W 6:30-8pm. Cedar Mill Public Library. REGISTER
Feb 27 Sun, 2-3:30pm. Hillsboro Public Library. Registration available mid-February.
Beyond Voting:
Elections and Campaign Finance
Feb 26, Sat 11am-12:30pm. Hood River County Library District. Registration available mid-February.
Recommended Reading
Oregon’s February weather is often great for indoor reading! This month’s recommended reading came to me from Santa and is newly relevant with SCOTUS Justice Stephen Breyer’s recent retirement announcement.

For February, consider reading JUSTICE ON THE BRINK, the Death of Ruth Bader Ginsberg, the rise of Amy Coney Barrett, and twelve months that transformed the Supreme Court, by Linda Greenhouse. Please send your recommended reading!
Thank you for reading this. I am so grateful for the many ways our members work together! Perhaps some of us will be able to safely see each other in person soon, locally, or at the LWVOR Council or LWVUS Convention. I am sending virtual chicken soup as I hear of friends contracting omicron. I hope you all have been vaccinated and boosted to help ease the severity of symptoms in case you contract the disease.
Here’s to a healthy, productive February, Yours in League.
Becky Gladstone, President, LWVOR
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