September 2026 President's Update

Mark Kendall, LWVOR President

Usually, the summer months provide a brief respite from the pace of election and legislative seasons. However, this August has been another busy month for LWVOR, which has now surpassed 1,600 members statewide!

The statewide chapter has been hard at work facilitating our annual board retreat and ongoing organizational development. We have started to prepare for an initiative petition related to political campaign contributions in Oregon, launched a Promote The Vote poster contest led by the Youth Outreach team.

And, as another signal that election season is underway, VOTE411 is in high gear with ballot measure research and candidate question development.

We couldn’t be more ready for the midterm elections.

2026 Board Retreat: “Not More, But How?”

The LWVOR Board held its annual 2026 LWVOR Board Retreat: “Not More, But How?” on August 9-10, focused on how to integrate our eight strategic objectives into the fabric of our ongoing work. Twenty-eight people participated; 19 attended in person in Canyonville, OR, with the remainder participating virtually. Participants explored succession planning, organizational structure, portfolio purpose mapping, and annual activity planning.

Attendees were provided with a digital workbook to ground our discussion for the weekend, which included resources for local Leagues and Units, including succession planning tools, portfolio charters, organizational charts, and worksheets for turning strategic objectives into action.

Initiative Petition on Political Contributions

LWVOR is preparing to support an initiative petition addressing political campaign contributions in Oregon. Beginning in September, our state chapter will support an initiative petition alongside Honest Elections Oregon that would limit political campaign contributions to individuals. The proposal would seek to prohibit campaign contributions from corporations, political action committees, partnerships, trade associations, trusts, nonprofits, and unincorporated associations.

The initiative follows the approach of recently approved legislation in Hawaii and reflects an approach sometimes referred to as the “Montana Plan,” based on the idea that states can define the powers granted to corporations. States create corporations and establish, through statute or constitutional provisions, the powers those corporations may exercise. Most states, including Oregon, grant corporations broad general capacity to act, often including powers similar to those held by individuals when necessary or convenient.

Promote the Vote Poster Competition

Youth Outreach is sponsoring a statewide Promote the Vote poster competition, with winning posters expected to be available in October to encourage participation in the November midterm elections. The Youth Outreach portfolio is collaborating on a statewide Get Out the Vote poster competition that brings together youth creativity, the Voter Girl curriculum, and the Oregon Student Mock Election (OSME).

Girl Scouts in grades 6–12 statewide are invited to create an 11-by-17-inch Promote the Vote poster encouraging schools and students to participate in OSME. Through the program, students cast authentic mock ballots for the 2026 midterm general elections.

The competition will be adjudicated, and selected posters will be displayed in schools, libraries, and public buildings statewide to encourage voting among both adults and OSME participants.

Strengthening Our Financial Systems

Our Treasurer, President, and staff are also transitioning our bookkeeping and accounting systems to Jitasa Group, an independent nonprofit accounting firm. 

This spring, LWVOR received a positive management review letter from the independent Certified Public Accounting firm McDonald Jacobs PC. The review found no material misstatements or errors, and they confirmed that LWVOR’s checks and balances met generally accepted accounting practices. The firm also provided recommendations for documenting accounting procedures.

This is a credit to the careful work and service of Kermit Yensen, who has served as LWVOR Treasurer for the past four years. Thank you, Kermit.

As part of our strategic objective to strengthen fiduciary responsibility, LWVOR decided to outsource bookkeeping, reconciliation, and tax preparation to the national nonprofit accounting firm Jitasa Group. The transition is underway, with Kermit, incoming Treasurer Linda Mallardi, and LWVOR staff working to implement the new system.

This change will provide several benefits, including stronger support for portfolio budgeting, additional training opportunities that may be valuable to local Leagues and Units, and more opportunity for the Treasurer to focus on strategic financial leadership and fiduciary education rather than day-to-day bookkeeping.

Looking Ahead

It is a busy and exciting time at LWVOR. In the coming months, you will hear more about Charters for our portfolios, including Action, Membership, Voter Service, Development, Communications, Membership Leadership Development, Youth Outreach, Issues and Positions, DEIJ, and Events.

These charters will clarify each portfolio’s purpose, objectives, roles, relationships, and connections with the public. They will serve as valuable resources for new state-level volunteers and as an essential part of effective succession planning.

And keep an eye out for open volunteer position descriptions in LWVOR portfolios and on the board. There are many opportunities ahead to get involved.

In League,

Mark Kendall

LWVOR President