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Dear LWVOR Members, September means back to school and continuing election prep! Please read for our state ballot measure positions, Oregon Student Mock Elections news, Volunteer Opportunities, and ongoing Columbia River Treaty work from Action. Please be sure everyone you know is aware of our work to include all Oregon candidates in our Vote411 and various Voters’ Guides! As we face the pressing issues coming for this fall’s elections, I am so proud of our members for stepping up and Making Democracy Work! Yours In League! Becky Gladstone LWVOR President Thank you to the LWV of Coos County for the invitation to join their first board meeting of the fall, with many board members meeting each other for the first time, as new members and in-person! The two photos on the right are from LWVPDX, on Women’s [In]Equality Day, August 26, 2022. Please send your pictures from your League activities, too. THIS MONTH… Oregon Student Mock Elections (LWVOR OSME) Speakers' Bureau, A Voter Service Action - Ballot Measure Positions, LWVOR Advocacy Volunteering News Recommended Reading OSME, OREGON STUDENT MOCK ELECTIONS Coming to a school near you! The 2022 Oregon Student Mock Election Day will be October 18th, with ballot choices from Oregon’s exciting November 2022 mid-term elections. We are so grateful to the Oregon Department of Education, long-time OSME friends, for forwarding information to Oregon educators. The League will provide Mock Election Tool Kits including a Google Form to tabulate results. We will share the Mock Election results with schools and the press! If you are available to drop off Voters’ Guides at your local school in October, please email Diana DeMaria. Teachers Love the Oregon Student Mock Elections: ∙ “The students felt like they were part of something bigger than just a classroom activity or assignment. They felt it was important. They felt like they had a voice, one of the most important aspects of being a citizen.” ∙ “Well done Mock Election. I feel it is very important to model our democratic system to our youth. We can hope that by giving them a "feel" for the importance of voting and having their individual voice heard as a young person that they will continue that lesson into their adult life.” Everyone CAN HELP! Click on Student Mock Elections with Civics ED curriculum for more information to talk to students you know and their teachers! They may not be aware that an Oregon law passed in early 2015 lowered the Oregon voter registration age to 16! Oregon’s voter registration deadline is 21 days before election day, on October 18th, 2022 for this year's mid-term elections. Voter registration criteria are: Be a United States citizen Be a resident of Oregon Be at least 16 years old to become eligible to receive your first ballot in the mail when you are at least 18 years old. SPEAKERS' BUREAU - A STRONG VOTER SERVICE Contact your own League to pitch in and help, close to home and for the state! Your needs may vary but you can help! Our local Leagues have a legacy of providing speakers as a public service to help explain state ballot measures. LWVOR ballot measure researchers are analyzing this fall’s four state measures for our Voters’ Guides and the 2022 Speakers’ Bureau, for public presentations. The Speakers’ Bureau Handbook will be available with everything members need to know to make the 2022 presentations. My home League in Lane County knows that League members’ families, neighbors, friends, and community groups all count on us to help them be well-informed! Lane asks all members to attend the Speakers’ Bureau orientation. You can also help by following ongoing press coverage to update our Speakers’ Bureau up to the November 8th election. For info, email Peggy Bengry, LWVOR Voter Service Chair. ACTION - OREGON BALLOT MEASURES 2022 Contact your own League to pitch in and help, close to home and for the state! Your needs may vary but you can help with collecting candidate and local ballot measure data for Vote411.org. The Lane County League decided a few years ago that since everyone depends on League members for voting information, they offered Speakers’ Bureau training to ALL MEMBERS! These four measures will be on all Oregon ballots this November and this is where the League stands (our positions). The League studies issues, reaches member consensus, and then we adopt positions. Read About Our Positions! We refrain from supporting or opposing measures if we have not studied the issue. The board voted to accept the Action Committee recommendation for these: #111 Oregon Right to Health Care Amendment - SUPPORT Legislative Referral 111 (read the text) Amend the Oregon Constitution: the State must ensure affordable healthcare access, balanced against requirements to fund schools and other essential services. #112 Remove Slavery and Crimes from the Oregon Constitution - SUPPORT Legislative Referral 112 (read the text) Amend the Oregon Constitution: Remove language allowing slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for crime. This legislative referral applies to prisoners working without getting paid. #113 Oregon exclusion from re-election for absenteeism. [no position] Ballot Measure 113 (read the measure) Amend the Oregon Constitution: Disqualify Legislators with ten unexcused absences from floor sessions from holding the next term of office. #114 The Reduction of Gun Violence Act - SUPPORT Ballot Measure 114 (read the measure) Requires permit to acquire firearms; police maintain permit/firearm database; criminally prohibits certain ammunition magazines. LWVOR has purchased space in the state Voters’ Pamphlet to enter a statement of support, including, for the first time, sending the statement in Spanish, with thanks to our translators, Cross Cultural Now, for translating quickly to address the Secretary of State rules notice, with a next day deadline. The League will also be listed on this list as a supporter for Measure 114, which may be the only gun safety measure on November 2022 ballots around the country. Plus hundreds of religious leaders, hunters, gun owners, District Attorneys, police chiefs, military veterans, and many, many more… Find a full list of supporters and get your questions answered at VoteYesOn114.org VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES Last month we included this request for data processing volunteers and it inspired us to start revamping our website! We will start listing Volunteer Opportunities, short-term, committee openings, etc. This is a work in progress and we expect it to be constantly changing! For example, Congratulations to Voter Service Chair, Peggy Bengry, for recruiting researchers for the four state ballot measures! Thank you, the positions have been filled! Meanwhile, help is still needed: The LWVOR is part of and is a leader of the People Not Politicians coalition. You may already know that PNP is planning to refile its redistricting initiative for 2024. We need volunteers to help add signers of the previous redistricting initiative petitions to a database that can then be used for mailing new petitions and other purposes. You can do this volunteer work from home using your home computer and a website. Very little computer skill is needed for this work, and you may do the work as you have time available. If you want to help, please contact Chris Cobey or Norman Turrill. COLUMBIA RIVER TREATY LETTER Did you know that the state Leagues from Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana have been working together since 2013 to influence cooperation on Columbia River issues? We have just confirmed another joint letter, sent to officials in the US State Dept., the Bonneville Power Administration, the Chief Negotiator for the Columbia River Treaty, and the Commander of the Portland District, US Army Corps of Engineers. Here's the first paragraph: The Columbia River is one of the most important trans-boundary rivers in the world. Although the river has been heavily developed for hydropower and flood management, including by dams built pursuant to the U.S.-Canada Columbia River Treaty, it still functions as a single system, within a single watershed. The League of Women Voters of Oregon, along with the Leagues of Washington, Idaho and Montana, adopted a position on the Columbia River Basin in 1979: “In order to meet the present and future water needs within the Columbia River Basin, the League of Women Voters believes comprehensive planning on a basin-wide basis for conservation, development, and management of the water is essential to the optimum utilization of our water resources.” LWVOR TASK FORCE - NOMINATING COMMITTEE The Task Force we began at the LWVOR Council, to address shared nominating committee concerns, has not met since our last newsletter. In some ways, August was a good time to take a breath! We do want to share leadership recruitment and membership, the value of our MLD Committee, and look forward to news from this group soon. Watch for an invitation and send your Nominating Committee and Membership folks to join this group. RECOMMENDED READING For readers of American History, the death of David McCullough in august deserves a nod of appreciation for his accomplishments, including two Pulitzer prizes. Read through this homage from The Post and consider which of these you might like to put on your reading list. David McCullough, master chronicler of American history, dies at 89, The Washington Post, August 8, 2022. Thank you for reading the state League update. Thank you for being informed, and here’s to doing what we can for these issues we care so deeply about! Our strength is in working together and I am so very grateful that there are so many of us pitching in to help. Thank You! Becky Gladstone, President, LWVOR Thank you for reading this newsletter! You can Manage Your LWVOR Subscriptions yourself for this monthly President’s Newsletter, the Legislative Reports, and the quarterly VOTER.

We are looking for an experienced nonprofit campaign coordinator with a passion for youth and community engagement. Successful candidates will be knowledgeable about best practices in program and event management. The League of Women Voters® of Oregon (LWVOR) is a grassroots, nonpartisan civic organization that encourages informed and active participation in government in order to build better communities statewide. LWVOR’s purpose is to influence public policy through education and advocacy and to provide support for League members and the League organization. The League seeks to empower citizens to understand governmental issues and to engage in the political process. We provide balanced, accurate, nonpartisan information to all Oregonians. The LWVOR Mock Election program encompasses multiple civics education services provided across Oregon. These include planning and hosting Student Mock Elections, both virtual and in the classroom, updating and distributing curriculum material, planning voter education events and more. Role The role oversees the entire LWVOR Mock Election program, including planning, community outreach, publicity coordination, and program execution both virtually and in person. The Mock Election Coordinator is expected to maintain documentation, update materials for distribution, and generate reports on program success. Key Responsibilities Confirm and establish partnerships with Oregon associations. Update (or oversee update) of website and materials for new election cycles. Notify teachers of available materials, attend workshops, visit schools. Work with Youth Outreach Committee, staff, and LWVOR Board to update the Civics ED curriculum, establish school contacts, identify potential public officials and locations for program participation. Communicate with local Leagues on outreach for their local schools. Oversee production of any printed material to be distributed to participating classrooms; awards for teachers, students, and volunteers. Coordinate with Voter Service Reps for Voters’ Guide use. Coordinate or oversee Mock Elections, track voting activities, and distribute and review evaluations. Plan and prepare for events at participating schools. Prepare final report and share with LWVOR Board. Who are you? To excel in this position you must have at least 3 years of experience in nonprofit campaign management or similar roles. This multi-tasking position requires excellent organizational and interpersonal skills; attention to detail and time management; independent and team work; written and verbal communication; business and technical writing; strong computer, data, and content delivery skills; and commitment to the League of Women Voters mission. A successful candidate will be flexible, cooperative, self-directed and able to set priorities to reliably follow through in a timely manner. Experience essential in this role: Organization and the ability to set priorities to complete a wide variety of tasks. Attention to detail to ensure tasks are completed thoroughly, correctly, and within deadline. Experience managing all aspects of event planning and execution. High integrity - you need to be responsive and service-oriented and simultaneously able to make your own decisions. Technically savvy in operating event equipment and using other common digital tools. A keen understanding of the political process in Oregon and experience with voter engagement and education is a huge plus. LWVOR is an equal opportunity employer. Diversity, equity, and civility are among our core values. We encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply for these jobs, including people of color, LGBTQ+ people, and people with disabilities. This is a contract position, approximately 20-30 hours per week from September through November 1. Monthly rate is $3,250. Review of applications will start on August 17. Position open until filled. Please submit a cover letter and CV to hresources@lwvor.org. We look forward to hearing from you!

Dear LWVOR Members, August means Election Work! Oregon’s 2022 general election is a major one, despite not being a Presidential election year. Everyone agrees that holding an Oregon Student Mock Election this year would be an important service from LWVOR, given the unusual features of this election: the most important governor's race nationally, already projected at >$40M, extremely high state legislative turn over intensifying voter engagement, and the newly redistricted CDs, with nationally targeted seats. By the way, we’ve filed 2024 Campaign Finance Reform initiatives with the LWVOR President signed as a Chief Petitioner. I hope you are all keeping cool in this further alarmingly hot summer. Please take care! Becky Gladstone LWVOR President THIS MONTH… Youth Outreach! Mock Elections and More! LWVOR Board Openings, LWVOR Nominating Committee Task Force Voter Service Climate Change Ballot Measure News, Local Help and Events Staff Transitions Action Recommendations, Redistricting Volunteer Recommended Reading YOUTH OUTREACH Our Youth Outreach group is moving forward! Contact Mimi Alkire to get onto our list. Projects are advancing! Student Mock Elections with Civics ED curriculum – We got an OCF Grant last week to fund a Mock Election Coordinator this fall! We will post the opening but send a resume ASAP to Becky Gladstone if you’re interested! We have superb materials and networking via the OR Dept of Education, used by K-12, citizenship classes, also community college and even a university Poli Sci class. The Coordinator can help update materials and our Spanish translation service is standing by! Youth Election Observer Training – This PSU project, with LWVOR endorsement, is hoping for an NSF grant to pilot in Multnomah County and provide a template for training around the state. Students – Send Your Forum Questions! – Local Leagues hold candidate and ballot measure events, including candidate video interviews. Send questions you’d like to ask and we’ll add them to the lists we share! There may also be volunteer opportunities - ASK! Youth Liaison on the LWVOR Board – The LWVOR Board is establishing a Nominating Committee Task Force. A Youth Member would be very helpful for the task force and also on the LWVOR Board! Girl Scout Outreach – We understand that the Girl Scouts have or are developing a Civics ED badge! Let’s work together! P.S. Boy Scouts? Let us know how you’d like to help pitch in, too! LWVOR TASK FORCE: NOMINATING COMMITTEE The LWVOR Board has openings. Aside from the Program / Studies Chair, these are positions developed recently and we would welcome volunteers with experience: Program /Studies – OPEN! We need a program chair to promote the timeline for competitive local League study proposals for next May’s LWVOR Convention. HR Chair – OPEN! Ideally, experience with managing employees would be a real plus. Nominating Committee – We need a 2nd rep from the LWVOR Board. Communications – OPEN! Youth Liaison Our LWVOR Council in May 2022 was directed to convene a task force to examine our Nominating Committee process. The Board has discussed this and a group will convene August 1st at 10am. We will consider the guidelines from the LWVUS Convention presentation. They changed their process and were faced with the enviable problem of evaluating 100 applications, ranging from Excellent to Very Excellent. Send your Nominating Committee and Membership folks to join this group. VOTER SERVICE Contact your own League to pitch in and help, close to home and for the state! Your needs may vary but you can help with collecting candidate and local ballot measure data for Vote411.org. The Lane County League decided a few years ago that since everyone depends on League members for voting information, they offered Speakers’ Bureau training to ALL MEMBERS! CLIMATE CHANGE Thank you to LWVOR Climate Change Advocates! Arguably, they are the driving force behind the! Join by clicking the QR CODE: Take a look and consider joining one of the 10 “Issue Teams”! Tell them Oregon is proud of pulling our weight! Click on the Issue Teams thumbnails to learn more: BALLOT MEASURE RESEARCH Ballot measure researcher assignments will be made this week, not too late for you to help! There are only four state measures this fall, so hop to it and email Peggy Bengry, Voter Service Chair, for an assignment before they’re all taken! We encourage teamwork, so new researchers are very welcome - join in and help. Follow the instructions provided to assemble information from official postings, get pro and con statements, then assemble for our online Vote411.org and Voters’ Guides. This is ideal for students, before school starts! You can also help by following ongoing press coverage to update our Speakers’ Bureau up to the November 8th election. These have qualified for Oregon state ballots this November. # 111 – Oregon Right to Health Care Amendment Legislative Referral 111 (read the text) Amend the Oregon Constitution: The State must ensure affordable healthcare access, balanced against requirements to fund schools and other essential services. #112 – Remove Slavery and Crimes from the Oregon Constitution Legislative Referral 112 (read the text) Amend the Oregon Constitution: Remove language allowing slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for crime. This legislative referral applies to prisoners working without getting paid. #113 – Oregon Exclusion from Re-election for Absenteeism. Ballot Measure 113 (read the measure) Amend the Oregon Constitution: Disqualify Legislators with ten unexcused absences from floor sessions from holding the next term of office. #114 – The Reduction of Gun Violence Act Ballot Measure 114 (read the measure) Requires permit to acquire firearms; police maintain permit/firearm database; criminally prohibits certain ammunition magazines. OREGON PROPERTY OWNER WILDFIRE RISK MAP Take another look – This important real-time Oregon Wildfire Risk Explorer Map can help Oregon communities to decide and plan for mitigating wildfire risk. Read about the wildland-urban interface (WUI) and statewide wildfire risk map through the Oregon Explorer, as required by Senate Bill 762 (2021). STAFF TRANSITIONS Welcome Raezhelle Madison, on the left, as Office Support Specialist to join Office Manager Abigail Hertzler, on the right! We bid farewell to Amanda Crittenden, center, leaving to expand to full time computer science studies. ACTION Oregon Ballot Measures 2022 The League studies issues, reaches member consensus, and then adopts positions; read about our positions! We refrain from supporting or opposing measures if we have not studied the issue. The board will vote, likely to accept an anticipated Action Committee motion for these: #111 SUPPORT – Oregon Right to Health Care Amendment #112 SUPPORT – Removing Slavery and Crimes from the Oregon Constitution #113 No position – Exclude legislators from re-election for absenteeism. #114 SUPPORT – Reduce Gun Violence Act Redistricting Volunteers Needed for Summer Work at Home! The LWVOR is part of and is a leader of the People Not Politicians coalition. You may already know that PNP is planning to refile its redistricting initiative for 2024. We need volunteers to help add signers of the previous redistricting initiative petitions to a database that can then be used for mailing new petitions and other purposes. You can do this volunteer work from home using your home computer and a website. Very little computer skill is needed for this work, and you may do the work as you have time available. If you want to help, please contact Chris Cobey or Norman Turrill. RECOMMENDED READING I am now into my fourth year as LWVOR President and I’m getting ducks in a row for a smooth transition at our LWVOR Convention 2023. I am looking forward to having a little more time on my hands and want to get back to reading more, including Warren Easley’s Cal Claxton mystery series. Yes, that name may sound familiar, Warren is married to Marge, past LWVOR President and hot-button issue advocate for LWVOR! Thank you both! For this month’s recommended reading, I have to admit that I’ve been swamped and will just share some pleasure reading with you. I’m reading for the upcoming 2023 legislative session and I’m comparing notes on the LWV study process with leaders around the country discussing a study of energy sources with Climate Change pressing on us. I really appreciate seeing the improvements in “lateral communications”, like the LWVOR Development Committee reaching out to host quarterly chats with local fundraisers. Sharing the work can make it easier, more efficient, and even FUN! More time for leisure reading, too. 😊 Thank you for reading the state League update. Becky Gladstone, President, LWVOR Thank you for reading this newsletter! You can Manage Your LWVOR Subscriptions yourself for this monthly President’s Newsletter, the Legislative Reports, and the quarterly VOTER.

Spring Voter 2022 IN THIS ISSUE PRESIDENT’S COLUMN UPDATING LOCAL LEAGUE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES JOSEPHINE COUNTY CHARTER UPDATE LWVOR CONCURRENCE FOR LWVUS CONVENTION 2022 1ST CALL TO COUNCIL ELECTION THREATS NEED LWVOR’S EXPANDED ADVOCACY IN MEMORIAM: REMEMBERING BARBARA ROSS, A PILLAR OF OUR COMMUNITY PROFILE OF NEW LWVOR OFFICE MANAGER, ABBY HERTZLER PRESIDENT’S COLUMN By Becky Gladstone, LWVOR President LWV grassroots work begins with you! Please reach out to friends and colleagues and invite them to step up! DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) is a League priority. We want liaisons to bring their voices to the League. We need to expand our diversity from local grassroots up through boards. Native outreach is a focus for a grant we’ve crossed our fingers for. We would like a Youth member on our board. Now is the time! Please contact us! Voter Education Reps and LWVOR staff, with hired LWV Mississippi support, are hard at work organizing VOTE411.org for the Primary Election, including our various Voters’ Guides! Be sure you send your campaign events to LWVOR at lwvor@lwvor.org . Encourage your local candidates to look for their Vote411 invitation emails and to write to Vote411@lwvor.org with any questions. UPDATING LOCAL LEAGUE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES – PORTLAND CHAPTER By Debbie Kaye Separate from our Bylaws, the LWV of Portland has a “Policies and Procedures” document. Other League chapters around the state may have a similar document. Our “P & P” document starts by stating, “Policies as used here are procedures or practices that become established through experience and usage and are subsequently adopted as the best means of carrying out the purposes … as stated in its Bylaws”. Because our League is both a 501(c)(3) and a 501(c)(4), we have two sections: General Policies and Education Fund Policies. Examples of sections within the General Policies include the Nonpartisan Policy and how it pertains to specific roles within the League; Action, including who may speak for the League; Financial Controls; Reaching Member Agreement; Interest Groups; Diversity; and Anti-Discrimination. The Education Fund sections include rules about Recording League Meetings and Sponsorship of Candidate Forums. Read the full article here. JOSEPHINE COUNTY CHARTER UPDATE By Dorothy Yetter The Commission was created on 28 April 2021 by the Board of County Commissioners with Order No. 2021- 018. Nine members were appointed and our first meeting was held on 9 September 2021. We set ourselves up for business, electing officers and hammering out bylaws, by 1 December 2021. After a few attempts to wrap our arms around the enormity of the task, we settled on a read-through and ‘mark-up’ of the existing document. Even as we do that, we have discovered that we need to invite experts to provide us with their observations in their areas of expertise such as finance (for instance, what is the actual budget process in use?) or administration (for example, what recourse do exempt personnel have to political reprisal?) Read the full article here. LWVOR CONCURRENCE FOR LWVUS CONVENTION 2022 By Rebecca Gladstone LWVUS Convention is scheduled for June 23-June 26, 2022. LWVOR is taking our Privacy and Cybersecurity advocacy position (in segments) for adoption by concurrence at the 2022 LWVUS Convention. Their priority is to relate “recommended items” to elections so we are presenting with that perspective. Photo by Lewis Kang’ethe Ngugi on Unsplash Cybersecurity races to keep up with increasingly sophisticated and challenging threats. When LWVOR adopted our “election security” position in 2021, we didn’t foresee the need to link cyber warfare or other critical infrastructures like power and communications to elections. LWVOR advocated in February for elections workers and candidates’ personal privacy and harassment protection. Now we need to promote our position to protect elections from social media “MDM” interference, with thanks to the CISA MDM for the “Mis, Dis, and Mal-Information” social media campaign applied to Election Security Infrastructure . Read the full article here. 1ST CALL TO COUNCIL By Robin Tokmakian Every even-numbered year, The League of Women Voters of Oregon holds their required state- wide council meeting. In addition to the LWV Oregon Board, each local league sends two delegates and each member-at-large group sends one delegate. The business of the council includes the election of the 2nd Vice President, the treasurer, and three at-large members of the board as well as a budget for the upcoming year. A quorum of 15 delegates, in addition to the LWVOR Board of Directors, is required for all decisions on the agenda. Only emergency changes to the program may be considered and such changes require eight weeks of notification to the membership. This year, the LWV Oregon Council will be during the week of May 9-14 and will be virtual. The business portion of the meeting in the afternoon of May 14, 2022. If you are interested in volunteering to help with Council, please contact Robin Tokmakian at rtokmakian@lwv.org. ELECTION THREATS NEED LWVOR’S EXPANDED ADVOCACY By Rebecca Gladstone LWVOR is advocating adoption of our privacy and cybersecurity position for elections. We have applied our position to protecting election workers’ privacy and to Legislative reports of crippling cyber-attacks. Social media’s “liar’s dividend”, which causes doubt in real news, calls for our attention, as well. Election cybersecurity is based on emergency preparedness. For example, an Oregon wildfire burned down a USPS site, affecting vote-by-mail there. Oregon’s power grids and transportation infrastructure are all vulnerable. Cyber attacks can disrupt elections by disrupting airports, GPS networks, traffic signals, bridges and dam-water controls, services from special districts, state agencies, and many businesses and organizations. We must safeguard cell and internet access. Democracy depends on us protecting all of our critical infrastructures. More information about LWVOR’s cybersecurity position can be found at LWVOR Cybersecurity and Privacy Today . IN MEMORIAM: REMEMBERING BARBARA ROSS, A PILLAR OF OUR COMMUNITY By Marion McNamara Our devoted and beloved League member, Barbara Ross, died April 4, on the 54th anniversary of the death of Martin Luther King Jr. Like Dr. King, Barbara’s life work focused on making the world more just and compassionate, albeit on a smaller canvas. She began her career as a social worker, and by the late 1970’s added public service to her resume, serving as a Benton County Commissioner, a Corvallis school board member, and a state representative. She brought her passion for fairness to every job she undertook. Barbara‘s family has always been a support to her, and she to them. Her children, grandchildren, and greatgrandchildren were an important part of her life, and were able to be with her in her last days. Barbara was mentor to many of those she met throughout her long career. She had a reliably good sense of spotting talent and introducing people to opportunities for service and growth. Several current state legislators got their start in politics with Barbara’s advice and occasional gentle pushes. The gift of her guidance was not limited to those who were up and comers. Read the full article here. PROFILE OF NEW LWVOR OFFICE MANAGER, ABBY HERTZLER Greetings! My name is Abby Hertzler and I am thrilled to be joining the League of Women Voters of Oregon as the new office manager. Although I was born in the Midwest and raised on the East Coast, I have called Oregon my home since 2014 when I moved to Salem and fell in love with the beauty of the state and the wonderful community I found here. Living in the state capital afforded me the opportunity to live and work in the “room where it happens,” and I loved seeing the view of the Capitol building framed by the blooming cherry trees every spring. My first event at the Capitol was Oregon’s birthday bonanza, a lively and cheerful event that sparked my interest in the processes that are undertaken in those hallowed halls. I find the League’s work in building more informed communities, empowering citizens and utilizing education and advocacy to influence public policy in Oregon to be of the utmost importance in these uncertain times, and I have a deep admiration for the work that the League does to work towards building a better Oregon. The passion and dedication I have seen in my first weeks here has been inimitable, and I am thrilled to be joining such a wonderful group of talented and kind individuals. I look forward to using my years of administrative, communications and organizational experience to support the League in its laudable mission. Connect with us A printable version of this newsletter can be found on our website here. League of Women Voters of Oregon | 1330 12th St. SE, Suite 200, Salem, OR 97302

Dear LWVOR Members, Oregon’s LWVUS Convention 2022 delegation saw the SCOTUS Roe v. Wade repeal coming and rallied in Denver last week. This profound abortion rights loss threatens to topple a stack of other rights that, frankly, threaten our democracy, especially chilling with J6 insurrection news. Don’t take this sitting down! We have more information about what you can do here . There’s plenty to do, keep reading! This 4th of July weekend is Critical for IP 17 signatures ! (DEADLINE July 7!) Summer used to be slow for League work. Make it a Happy 4th of July! Be well, stay safe, and pace yourselves for the busy fall elections ahead, with so many important races! THIS MONTH… LWVOR Board Openings, LWVUS Convention ! 😊 Ballot Measure News, Researchers Being Accepted Action, Read About Just-Posted Oregon Wildfire Risk Map LWVUS Oregon Delegation Comments and Photos CASE Method Teacher Nominations Accepted till July 15 Recommended Reading LWVOR BOARD The board is short-handed and setting up for the Nominating Committee revamp Task Force requested at our LWVOR convention. The LWVUS Nominating Committee shared their successful best practices. They reconfigured to assess needs, with detailed recommendations we will share with local League leaders. Contact us if you have skills to offer for these LWVOR OPENINGS: Program/Studies–OPEN! We need a program chair to promote the timeline for competitive local League study proposals for next May’s LWVOR Convention. HR Chair–OPEN! Ideally, experience with managing employees would be a real plus. Communications–OPEN! BALLOT MEASURES Read about why League volunteers matter more than ever, from PEW: Pandemic Petition Woes Derail Candidates, Ballot Initiatives , June 28, 2022 . Retirements Cut Ranks of Scarce Frontline Workers , Feb 4, 2022. Want to DO SOMETHING?! There will be more volunteer opportunities in the August newsletter. You don’t need to wait! Here are volunteer opportunities: This weekend : Collect IP 17 signatures , deadline, July 7th. Research Ballot Measures : The Secretary of State has sent FEC (Financial Estimate Committee) news with four ballot measures, a good indication of strong footing for November elections. Researchers could start now. Contact Voter ED Chair, Peggy Bengry or staff , to apply. IRR 401, a constitutional amendment related to affordable healthcare access, school funds and essential services . IRR 402, a constitutional amendment related to removing language allowing slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for a crime. IP 14, a constitutional amendment related to legislator unexcused absences . IP 17, related to firearms permits, firearm database, and ammunition magazines. ACTION League Action and Voter Education intersect with Ballot Measures! ACTION (for some) : Collect petition signatures Endorse Ballot Measure V Fight for abortion rights! VOTER EDUCATION : Research state Ballot Measures Produce Vote411 & Voters’ Guides Speakers’ Bureau OREGON PROPERTY OWNER WILDFIRE RISK MAP This important real-time Oregon Wildfire Risk Explorer Map was released June 30. Expect slow download times given the heavy usage. Read about the wildland-urban interface (WUI) and statewide wildfire risk map now available through the Oregon Explorer , as required by Senate Bill 762 (2021). The map can help to decide and plan for mitigating wildfire risk for communities throughout Oregon. Oregon State University produced the map based on administrative rules adopted by the Board of Forestry at their June 8 meeting. The rules—developed in consultation with a rulemaking advisory committee comprised of 26 members representing a wide variety of stakeholder interests—outline: boundary criteria for the WUI, how each of five wildfire risk classes is assigned to individual properties how property owners in the extreme and high risk classes are to be notified how property owners may appeal their assigned risk class. LWVUS CONVENTION 2022 The LWVOR delegation organized with prep ZOOMs and group messaging, attended both virtually and in-person, and marched to the Denver state house to protest the SCOTUS repeal of Roe v. Wade. See our Facebook for the video overview from first-time attendee, Amber Nobe from Portland. We presented a caucus and concurrences for Privacy & Cybersecurity , partnering with LWV Colorado, who presented an election security concurrence, derived from our position. Neither was recommended by the LWVUS Board, nor did they pass, among 67 non-recommended items. The LWVUS Structural Transformation Plan was adopted, see full coverage in an upcoming edition of The VOTER. We are collecting delegation comments to share in The VOTER, watch for it! CASE METHOD The Case Method Institute’s August 20th Workshop for League-nominated teachers is still open for teacher nominations, welcomed on a rolling basis. The FINAL deadline to nominate teachers is 5pm Friday, July 15th 2022 (Eastern). To nominate teachers, send teachers’ names, email addresses and school affiliations to Deirdre Kamlani at: civics@lwvgreenwich.org . The team at the Case Method Institute will be in touch shortly thereafter to set up an introductory phone call. Leagues should look for enthusiastic teachers of US history, government, or civics (grades 9-12). We can only consider active high school teachers in these subject areas . This unique and exciting program includes: An afternoon of live, online training with Harvard Business School Professor David Moss on Saturday, “History of American Democracy” course and the case method teaching approach. A full curriculum of Harvard cases free of cost from “ History of American Democracy .” An 4-hour training program, case method teaching. A certificate from the Institute detailing 32 hours of professional development , delivered upon successful completion of the course and related training and implementation. The training is the entry-point to a sustained partnership with the Case Method Institute for Education and Democracy, which aims to help teachers more effectively deliver on the democratic promise of a high school education. By completing the training, teachers gain access to the full curriculum of cases (which can be taught individually or as a stand-alone course) as well as ongoing support from the program staff to help with implementation. The Case Method Institute provides everything entirely free of charge . RECOMMENDED READING The LWVUS Convention 2022 Keynote Speaker, Valerie Jensen, JD, is the VP of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) for Planned Parenthood North Central States. She talked about CRT (Critical Race Theory) and recommends a book she loves: Inclusion On Purpose It sets out a DEI journey with a roadmap for each of us as individuals. From the author, Ruchika Tulshyan: “My focus is always on understanding and dismantling systems of oppression, rather than blaming individuals. The problem isn’t men, it’s patriarchy. The problem isn’t white people, its white supremacy. The problem isn’t straight people, it’s homophobia. Read this book to learn cutting-edge inclusion best practices.” Thank you for reading the state League update. Becky Gladstone, President, LWVOR Thank you for reading this newsletter! You can Manage Your LWVOR Subscriptions yourself for this monthly President’s Newsletter, the Legislative Reports, and the quarterly VOTER.

Written by Trish Garner, LWVOR Action Committee The Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health has overturned 50 years of precedent and deprives women of the ability to participate equally in our Nation's economic and social life. Its disregard for women's health, privacy and reproductive rights is shocking and untenable. The reasons SCOTUS used to justify this decision? First, the word "abortion" isn't explicitly stated in the Constitution. Secondly, it held that because the right to abortion wasn't "deeply rooted" in the law of the land when the 14th Amendment was ratified by "the people" in 1868, the right to abortion can't be protected by the 14th Amendment's guarantee of liberty. Of course, as noted by dissenting Justice Sonia Sotomayor, in 1868 "people" didn't include women. The fact that the right to an abortion has long been the law of the land also failed to convince the Court to adhere to its own " stare decisis " doctrine, which is Latin for the concept that court rulings should remain as decided unless there is a very good reason for change. The rationale behind this doctrine is that the people need to be able to rely on consistency and integrity in judicial decision making. In fact, the Dobb s ruling thrusts many previous decisions onto precarious ground. Although Justice Samuel Alito's opinion summarily dismisses concerns that the Dobbs ruling jeopardizes other decisions based on the 14th Amendment right to liberty, logic dictates otherwise. Justice Sotomayor characterizes this assurance at the level of "Scout's honor." In fact, the Dobb s ruling thrusts many previous decisions onto precarious ground. Some of these decisions involve rights to: marry a person of a different race ( Loving v Virginia , 1967); make decisions about the education of one's children ( Pierce v Society of Sisters , 1925); obtain contraception ( Griswold v Connecticut , 1965); live in nontraditional family units ( Stanley v Illinois , 1972); not to be sterilized without consent ( Skinner v Oklahoma ex rel Williamson, 1942 ); to marry a person of the same sex ( Obergefell v Hodges , 2015); and more. At least in his concurring opinion, Justice Thomas is more forthright. He indicates the Court should reconsider all these precedents. What can we do? Demand that Oregon enact a state Constitutional Amendment guaranteeing reproductive rights. Support the Women's Health Protection Act, which would provide federal protections to reproductive health services. Be vigilant and make our voices heard.

June is for fresh beginnings! Thank heavens for the extended rains; here’s hoping for a calm, beautiful summer! I hope COVID is diminishing. LWVOR is sending a hybrid delegation to the LWVUS Convention 2022 this month, half the size of our all-virtual, full 2020 delegation. The board is thrilled to resume an in-person retreat in a couple of weeks, even though we are short-handed! We are in very good financial help and enviably covered in Voter Education and Action (always room for more!). Please keep reading for news, keep in touch, be well, stay safe, and enjoy some strawberries! THIS MONTH… LWVOR Board Hail & Farewell, Openings, find one that fits you! 😊 Action, Oregon Revenue Forecast June Events, LWVUS Convention Voter Education, May Primary 2022 Recommended Reading LWVOR BOARD HAIL AND FAREWELL! Civics ED & Mock Elections–OPEN! A couple of committee helpers need a Board Director to oversee this important function, well-supported by staff and the Social Studies person at the Oregon Department of Education. Outgoing Chair, Retired Social Studies teacher Toni Lampkin is happy to help with the transition! Thank you, Toni! Program /Studies–OPEN! This lull time is perfect to learn the ropes to oversee the study process! We have two well-run study committees wrapping up now and will begin recruiting study proposals this fall for adoption at our May 2023 Convention. Professor Sheila McGinnis is stepping down from this well-organized process, happy to help with the transition. Thank you, Sheila! HR Chair–OPEN! Our staff are really good with project timelines and we need a liaison for staffing on the board. Ideally, experience with managing employees, perhaps labor or nonprofit law would be a real plus but is certainly not necessary 😊. We are recruiting and interviewing applicants again as staffer Amanda Crittenden leaves for school in July. We have an almost complete HR Handbook in the works. Thanks to outgoing but not departing HR Chair Kathleen Hersh, who kept us on track for staff meetings, thank you! Communications–OPEN! We are developing this committee and want a Chair to coordinate high-level vision for our extensive communications, from newsletters written by the president and VOTER Editor, Direct Mail from the Development Committee, Social Media overseen by our Digital Media staffer, and website, etc. The work is all being done smoothly, an informative communications survey has been done. We invite you to step in and whip this into shape! Technology–OPEN! We invite a tech savvy professional or motivated amateur with a little time to donate monthly, to step up and initiate progress on problems we may not even be aware of! We are not talking about helping members install printers or software. 😊 We need professional advice to adopt a security plan and as a responsible nonprofit advocating for Cybersecurity and Privacy nationally. We are looking forward to hearing from you! Co-Secretary–OPEN! Amelia Nestler is continuing as a Co-Secretary, covering but needing a partner to share taking minutes for our monthly virtual meetings! We use a minutes template to record decisions and usually have the simple draft right after meetings. This is an important job, but not a heavy lift if this is your skill set. Thanks to Amelia for continuing, along with having a toddler, being our officially appointed member of the Oregon Drinking Water Advisor Board, and wrapping up the Biocides & Pesticides study! Thank you for smooth transitions for these offices! Development Freddi Weishahn, from Lane, will work with continuing Development Chair, Jackie Clary. Freddi is already picking up on grants and direct mail letter work, thank you! Treasurer and Budget (musical chairs) Kermit Yensen is incoming Treasurer, taking over from our long-serving wonderful Treasurer, Ruth Kistler. With our deepest gratitude, we bid farewell to Ruth! Kathleen Hersh has been elected as off-board Budget Chair, a position she’s been looking forward to, now taking over from Kermit. We are in good hands, thank you! Membership, MLD Lisa Bentson, from Lincoln, will be Membership and MLD Chair, taking the reins from Kathleen Hersh. Lisa asked for more info during our LWVOR Council. After several chats about board work scope and time commitment, and the upcoming board retreat, the board voted to welcome her as an incoming director, in a separate vote after Council. Her Lincoln-League mate Ruth Kistler and I reassured her that her local League would really appreciate having a direct line of communication and influence on the state board. Welcome, Lisa! ACTION, REVENUE FORECAST The bottom line is: Unexpected revenue growth this year leaves us with unprecedented balances this biennium, followed by a record kicker into 2023-25. The projected personal kicker is $3 billion, to be credited to taxpayers when they file their Spring 2024 returns. The projected corporate kicker is $931 million, and that will be retained for educational spending. Even so, if balances are not spent, net resources for the 2023-25 biennium will have increased by $427 million relative to the March 2022 forecast. Thanks to Peggy Lynch for this update! Note: Action needs a number of volunteers with specific interest to learn or expertise already, for example, Revenue, Health Care, Forestry, Mental Health, Judicial Issues, and more! Follow our Legislative Reports! JUNE EVENTS The LWVUS Convention 2022 will convene virtually and in-person, June 23-26, anticipating a much smaller in-person gathering. An ambitious 67 non-recommended items will be considered, a logistics absurdity, honestly, with 11 concurrent caucuses scheduled, for example, to try to educate and persuade delegates to support them. LWVOR will present a caucus for Privacy & Cybersecurity concurrence toward two sections of our position, partnering with LWV Colorado, who will also present an election security concurrence, derived from our full position. None of these were recommended by the LWVUS Board, which is focusing on Voting Rights, Fair Elections, Redistricting, and Campaign Finance Reform. We submit that protecting our elections as critical cybersecurity infrastructure is an emergency priority! The LWVUS Structural Transformation Plan is a hot topic for Bylaws consideration at convention. At issue are simplifying the confusing 3-level membership issue, national, state, and local, with “PMP” (per member payments) funds all over the map, additionally confusing with donations. Our delegation will meet by ZOOM on Wednesdays beforehand to collaborate on issues like this and how to give a fair shake to all of those concurrence recommendations! Thank you to Mimi Alkire for organizing our delegation into a WhatsApp group! Stay tuned for reports on proceedings in the next few months, including news from our Board after the retreat. VOTER EDUCATION, MAY PRIMARY 2022 Thank you to our dedicated team of local League Reps around the state, to our Voters’ Guide production team, including our staff, with help from Jan Watson, the Vote411 pro, stepping in to help from LWV Mississippi! We don’t have analytics yet from our Voting In Oregon LWVOR website but we do have preliminary VOTE411 usage analytics for the weeks before our primary. Our Vote411.org numbers for April 11 to May 18, tracked clicks from 155 Oregon locations. The average reading time was almost 7 minutes, with almost 7,000 visits. That is a LOT of serious interest from voters! Thank you to voters for reading, to candidates for adding their campaigns, and to our volunteers and staff for working on this! RECOMMENDED READING Here’s to summer reading, the precious, healthy escapism, taking a breath and diving into a great book! I hope you can open this NYT’s essay, Did the Pandemic Change Summer Reading for Good? I Hope So. And make time for some of her suggestions. Then consider a look back at Madeleine Albright’s 2018 book, Fascism, A Warning. Last week’s Washington Monthly review includes references to Putin invading Ukraine, abortion, book-banning, shaping children into loyal supporters, and rejecting facts, like “Don’t Say Gay”. From the review: "Fascism is not an ideology, nor is it a political party. It does not belong to the right or left, nor to one region of the globe. Fascism is a commitment to obtain and retain power using whatever means necessary, even violence." Between us, I support a favorite local independent bookstore and I also want to rebuff a *simply wrong* comment floating in social media about the irrelevance of public libraries today! My public library has an eAudiobook, 3 print copies, another large print copy, and an eBook from Library2go. The paper copies are all on the shelf and the audio and digital copies have waiting lists! Thank you for reading the state League update. Becky Gladstone, President, LWVOR Thank you for reading this newsletter! You can Manage Your LWVOR Subscriptions yourself for this monthly President’s Newsletter, the Legislative Reports, and the quarterly VOTER.

Date: May 18th, 2022 To: All League Members From: Rebecca Gladstone, LWVOR President Marge Easley, Gun Safety Portfolio Chair Signatures Needed for IP 17, Safer Firearm Owners and Less Lethal Ammunition As we all know, gun violence has reached a crisis point in our state and in the nation. It is up to all of us to find solutions. Several days ago, the LWVOR Board voted to endorse IP 17, a statewide gun safety initiative sponsored by Lift Every Voice Oregon (LEVO). The initiative is now in the signature-gathering phase with the goal of being placed on the November ballot. The campaign is relying heavily on volunteer support, and we are asking League members for their help before the July 6 deadline. Here’s a brief summary of the initiative: Requires a permit-to-purchase for all firearm purchases, which includes classroom and live-fire safety training. This is the gold standard for gun safety regulations and has a proven track record of reducing gun violence where enacted. Requires a background check before purchasing a firearm, and no sale is complete before the check is completed. Includes an improved database system to assist the tracking of guns that are lost, stolen, or used to commit crimes. Prohibits the manufacture, sale, transfer, and possession of magazines over 10 rounds, with exceptions for law enforcement and military. Nine states and D.C. have already enacted such bans. ACTION REQUESTED: Please go to www.lifteveryvoiceoregon.com . If you’re willing to gather multiple signatures, click “Train to Gather Signatures” and follow the instructions provided. If you’d like to download and sign a one-signature petition sheet, please click “Sign Initiative Petition from Home.” After signing, you must also complete the circulator information at the bottom before mailing to the address provided. Please get the word out to friends and family members about IP 17 and how they can be part of the solution to prevent gun violence. Questions? Please contact Marge Easley, marge.easley@frontier.com

Date: May 6th, 2022 To: All League Members From: Rebecca Gladstone, LWVOR President Peggy Lynch, Natural Resources Coordinator Housing Planning Regional Forums Mark your calendars! The Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) would like to invite you to provide your feedback on housing planning in Oregon. In the coming months, DLCD staff will be hosting a series of regionally-based forums to discuss housing issues and policy solutions. The feedback from these events will be used to inform legislative recommendations the agency has been directed to develop and submit to the Oregon Legislature for consideration in the 2021-23 legislative session. To learn more about this effort, please review a Framework Report our team prepared in February outlining the legislative direction and parameters of the process. In these forums, DLCD staff will be facilitating discussion to hear your feedback on housing issues facing your community and potential proposals or solutions to address those issues. All forums will be held virtually. To attend a meeting, please visit the following Zoom link at the date and time associated with your geography listed below: Topic: Housing Planning – Regional Forums https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85288162044?pwd=djhVblkwV1pWS1dlN2pDV0hCT3Fkdz09 Time: See below for the schedule Meeting ID: 852 8816 2044 Passcode: 748783 One tap mobile +12532158782,,85288162044#,,,,*748783# US (Tacoma) +13462487799,,85288162044#,,,,*748783# US (Houston) Regional Forums by Date and Time Monday, May 9 - 3-5PM South Coast – Coos County and Coastal Douglas/Lane Counties Thursday, May 12 - 10am-12PM North Willamette Valley – Marion/Polk/Yamhill Counties Thursday, May 12 - 2-4PM Southern Oregon – Josephine/Jackson Counties Tuesday, May 17 - 1-3PM Central Oregon – Subregion Wednesday, May 18 - 1-3PM South Coast – Curry County Tuesday, May 24 - 1-3PM Southern Oregon – Douglas County Thursday, June 2 - 2-4PM North Coast – Clatsop/Lincoln/Tillamook/Columbia Counties Friday, June 3 - 1-3PM Central Oregon – Subregion Tuesday, June 7 - 1-3PM South Willamette Valley – Benton/Lincoln/Lane Counties Wednesday, June 8 - 1-3PM Metro Satellite Communities – Washington, Multnomah, and Clackamas Counties outside of the Metro Wednesday, June 22 - 1-3PM Metro Region - Washington, Multnomah, and Clackamas Counties within the Metro Thursday, June 23 - 2-4PM Eastern Oregon Thank you. If you have questions about any upcoming forums or would like an Outlook calendar invitation for a specific forum, please reach out to housing.dlcd@dlcd.oregon.gov

IN THIS ISSUE PRESIDENT’S COLUMN UPDATING LOCAL LEAGUE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES JOSEPHINE COUNTY CHARTER UPDATE LWVOR CONCURRENCE FOR LWVUS CONVENTION 2022 1ST CALL TO COUNCIL ELECTION THREATS NEED LWVOR’S EXPANDED ADVOCACY IN MEMORIAM: REMEMBERING BARBARA ROSS, A PILLAR OF OUR COMMUNITY PROFILE OF NEW LWVOR OFFICE MANAGER, ABBY HERTZLER PRESIDENT’S COLUMN By Becky Gladstone, LWVOR President LWV grassroots work begins with you! Please reach out to friends and colleagues and invite them to step up! DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) is a League priority. We want liaisons to bring their voices to the League. We need to expand our diversity from local grassroots up through boards. Native outreach is a focus for a grant we’ve crossed fingers for. We would like a Youth member on our board. Now is the time! Please contact us! Voter Education Reps and LWVOR staff, with hired LWV Mississippi support, are hard at work organizing VOTE411.org for the Primary Election, including our various Voters’ Guides! Be sure you send your campaign events to LWVOR at lwvor@ lwvor.org. Encourage your local candidates to look for their Vote411 invitation emails and to write to Vote411@lwvor.org with any questions. UPDATING LOCAL LEAGUE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES – PORTLAND CHAPTER By Debbie Kaye Separate from our Bylaws, the LWV of Portland has a “Policies and Procedures” document. Other League chapters around the state may have a similar document. Our “P & P” document starts by stating, “Policies as used here are procedures or practices that become established through experience and usage and are subsequently adopted as the best means of carrying out the purposes … as stated in its Bylaws”. Because our League is both a 501(c)(3) and a 501(c)(4), we have two sections: General Policies and Education Fund Policies. Examples of sections within the General Policies include the Nonpartisan Policy and how it pertains to specific roles within the League; Action, including who may speak for the League; Financial Controls; Reaching Member Agreement; Interest Groups; Diversity; and Anti-Discrimination. The Education Fund sections include rules about Recording League Meetings and Sponsorship of Candidate Forums. We update our P & P document when the stated policies no longer match our current needs and practices. For example, our current P & P doesn’t describe our process for Program Planning. We also noticed that the sections on Local League Autonomy, Reimbursements, Financial Controls, Social Media, and Recording Meetings are outdated. In March 2022, our Board held an online Zoom retreat to conduct a deep review of this document. We are incorporating the recommended updates and will vote on the revised P & P at our June retreat. Then it will replace the outdated document on our website. JOSEPHINE COUNTY CHARTER UPDATE By Dorothy Yetter The Commission was created on 28 April 2021 by the Board of County Commissioners with Order No. 2021-018. Nine members were appointed and our first meeting was held 9 September 2021. We set ourselves up for business, electing officers and hammering out bylaws, by 1 December 2021. After a few attempts to wrap our arms around the enormity of the task, we settled on a read- through and ‘mark-up’ of the existing document. Even as we do that, we have discovered that we need to invite experts to provide us with their observations in their areas of expertise such as finance (for instance, what is the actual budget process in use?) or administration (for instance, what recourse do exempt personnel have to political reprisal?) While that is the meeting-to-meeting activity, we have a few over-arching questions considering if the current structure of county government is adequate to the task. That currently manifests as: How many commissioners? Some advocate our county is small enough and homogeneous enough to be governed by the current 3, elected at large. Others think the county is more diverse and needs more commissioners actually from those diverse communities – either resident in that community or elected specifically by that community. Does the county need a County Executive? It would separate powers, split the administrative (executive) functions from legislative, but is it more overhead than we need? Is our product to be a report of recommendations or as a complete re-write of the charter? If a re-write, what form would that take? We know that those questions exist but before we tackle them, we do need to nail down the products of county government. County Counsel will be providing us with the statutory requirements but beyond that, there are the things some would like our county government to do. After deciding on those, then we have to determine what government structure will give us the tools to effect those objects. Right now, the Commission is going through the current charter, finding little things that should be cleaned up. We have not addressed the BIG question of “balance” but that question is wrapped up in the points above (number of commissioners and county executive). LWVOR CONCURRENCE FOR LWVUS CONVENTION 2022 By Rebecca Gladstone Photo by Lewis Kang’ethe Ngugi on Unsplash . LWVUS Convention is scheduled for June 23-June 26, 2022. LWVOR is taking our Privacy and Cybersecurity advocacy position (in segments) for adoption by concurrence at the 2022 LWVUS Convention . Their priority is to relate “recommended items” to elections so we are presenting with that perspective. Cybersecurity races to keep up with increasingly sophisticated and challenging threats. When LWVOR adopted our “election security” position in 2021, we didn’t foresee the need to link cyber warfare or other critical infrastructures like power and communications to elections. LWVOR advocated in February for elections workers and candidates’ personal privacy and harassment protection. Now we need to promote our position to protect elections from social media “MDM” interference, with thanks to the CISA MDM for the “Mis, Dis, and Mal-Information” social media campaign applied to Election Security Infrastructure . We hope for enthusiastic concurrence support, especially from the Oregon delegation! If you will attend, register for program information . You may need to log in to see the LWVOR details on the proposal page. LWVUS program planning advised us to segment our comprehensive position into smaller proposals: • Information Security and Personal Information Protection • Electronic Business and Social Media: Cybersecurity Responsibilities • We are working with LWV Colorado, which has excerpted from us and slightly revised an Election Security concurrence Our LWV Convention caucus request was accepted on April 5th. Please plan to attend! Scheduling details will be forthcoming. 1ST CALL TO COUNCIL By Robin Tokmakian Every even-numbered year, The League of Women Voters of Oregon holds their required state- wide council meeting. In addition to the LWV Oregon Board, each local league sends two delegates and each member-at-large group sends one delegate. The business of the council includes the election of the 2nd Vice President, the treasurer, and three at-large members of the board as well as a budget for the upcoming year. A quorum of 15 delegates, in addition to the LWVOR Board of Directors, is required for all decisions on the agenda. Only emergency changes to the program may be considered and such changes require eight weeks of notification to the membership. This year, the LWV Oregon Council will be during the week of May 9-14 and will be virtual. The business portion of the meeting in the afternoon of May 14, 2022. If you are interested in volunteering to help with Council, please contact Robin Tokmakian at rtokmakian@lwv.org . ELECTION THREATS NEED LWVOR’S EXPANDED ADVOCACY By Rebecca Gladstone LWVOR is advocating adoption of our privacy and cybersecurity position for elections. We have applied our position to protecting election workers’ privacy and to Legislative reports of crippling cyber-attacks. Social media’s “liar’s dividend”, which causes doubt in real news, calls for our attention, as well. Election cybersecurity is based on emergency preparedness. For example, an Oregon wildfire burned down a USPS site, affecting vote-by-mail there. Oregon’s power grids and transportation infrastructure are all vulnerable. Cyber attacks can disrupt elections by disrupting airports, GPS networks, traffic signals, bridges and dam-water controls, services from special districts, state agencies, and many businesses and organizations. We must safeguard cell and internet access. Democracy depends on us protecting all of our critical infrastructures. More information about LWVOR’s cybersecurity position can be found at LWVOR Cybersecurity and Privacy Today . IN MEMORIAM: REMEMBERING BARBARA ROSS, A PILLAR OF OUR COMMUNITY By Marion McNamara Our devoted and beloved League member, Barbara Ross, died April 4, on the 54th anniversary of the death of Martin Luther King Jr. Like Dr. King, Barbara’s life work focused on making the world more just and compassionate, albeit on a smaller canvas. She began her career as a social worker, and by the late 1970’s added public service to her resume, serving as a Benton County Commissioner, a Corvallis school board member, and a state representative. She brought her passion for fairness to every job she undertook. Barbara‘s family has always been a support to her, and she to them. Her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren were an important part of her life, and were able to be with her in her last days. Barbara was mentor to many of those she met throughout her long career. She had a reliably good sense of spotting talent and introducing people to opportunities for service and growth. Several current state legislators got their start in politics with Barbara’s advice and occasional gentle pushes. The gift of her guidance was not limited to those who were up and comers. Working with her church, she was part of an effort to help people get back on their feet, providing material and emotional support. She volunteered to help with re-entry for people leaving incarceration, spending several hours a week conversing with them. And most recently, Friday evenings would often find her delivering food, clothing, and conversation to homeless women. Everyone who worked with Barbara valued her focus, determination, analytical abilities, kindness, and effectiveness. Her most recent work with the League was leading the Police Accountability study through a rapid research, interview and production process. She attracted a large and very capable committee; they completed the study in under a year. She went on to co-lead the Justice Interest Group with James Ofsink. This group continues to monitor many police-related organizations and to advocate using our position. At our annual business meeting last year, the Board was pleased to present the Volunteer of the Year award to Barbara. Here is the wording from the award: PROFILE OF NEW LWVOR OFFICE MANAGER, ABBY HERTZLER Greetings! My name is Abby Hertzler and I am thrilled to be joining the League of Women Voters of Oregon as the new office manager. Although I was born in the Midwest and raised on the East Coast, I have called Oregon my home since 2014 when I moved to Salem and fell in love with the beauty of the state and the wonderful community I found here. Living in the state capital afforded me the opportunity to live and work in the “room where it happens,” and I loved seeing the view of the Capitol building framed by the blooming cherry trees every spring. My first event at the Capitol was Oregon’s birthday bonanza, a lively and cheerful event that sparked my interest in the processes that are undertaken in those hallowed halls. I find the League’s work in building more informed communities, empowering citizens and utilizing education and advocacy to influence public policy in Oregon to be of the utmost importance in these uncertain times, and I have a deep admiration for the work that the League does to work towards building a better Oregon. The passion and dedication I have seen in my first weeks here has been inimitable, and I am thrilled to be joining such a wonderful group of talented and kind individuals. I look forward to using my years of administrative, communications and organizational experience to support the League in its laudable mission.

Hello LWVOR Members and Supporters! Remember Happy May Day, baskets of flowers on doorknobs? Let’s reconnect in-person! LWVOR is working on the May 17th primary, the Council to welcome new Board members, organizing Action to collaborate for the 2023 legislative session, then an in-person Board retreat in June. Local Leagues–you should have delegations set for both the LWVOR Council and the LWV Convention . THIS MONTH… Voter Education Upcoming Events LWVUS UN News Action Civics Education Recommended Reading VOTER EDUCATION For this May 17 Primary Election, contact us at lwvor@lwvor.org to help with this critical work. Please help your local Leagues to GOTV: Get Out The Vote! Promote VOTE411.org . For direct digital GOTV support through Outreach Circle, contact Elizabeth Anderson . We do not endorse, support or oppose candidates or political parties. This Chicago area League sent donuts for Election Worker Appreciation Day! LWVOR will continue legislation with the Secretary of State to strengthen harassment protections for Oregon’s elections workers, which is a tougher job than it should be. Think of ways your League can support our elections workers! UPCOMING EVENTS Please see the LWVOR calendar for local and other events as we receive them. LWVOR Council 2022 Our Council will again be virtual, Friday May 13 and Saturday May 14. I will miss being in Newport, seeing our delegates in-person, but invite you to a President’s Meet & Greet on Friday from 6-7pm, also our Workshop Friday, The Future of the League in Oregon . Our Saturday business session will conduct the required League business of voting for some officers and adopting the budget, for example. Presidents, register your delegates here. If you want to observe the proceedings, register here. LWVUS Convention 2022 We will coordinate and brief our delegation virtually before the hybrid virtual and in-person meeting in Denver, June 23-26. We will convene as a delegation to prepare and are counting on LWVOR delegates to lobby for support for our (unfortunately “not recommended”) two cybersecurity and privacy concurrences. We urgently need these to protect our elections, for example by protecting our critical cybersecurity infrastructures: DEFENDING DEMOCRACY is our League Mission! Our caucus will discuss defending elections , voting rights, and personal privacy through cybersecurity. We need the Oregon concurrence proposals today. IMPROVE ELECTIONS , a true critical infrastructure, by defending against cyberattacks. Today we must rally for cybersecurity to protect our elections, the heart of our Democratic process, and the multiple critical infrastructures that enable us to vote. Elections can be crippled by cyberattacks to power grids, communications, and directly to governments and elections. From airports to stoplights, to all government services, including elections, to the private sector and to each of us – we are all vulnerable to cyber-attacks. These can profoundly affect our elections and democracy at large. Cyber-retaliation for sanctions against Russia may be linked to supply chain disruption here but cyber-attacks in Ukraine knocked out government sites. We need to be ready with positions to protect these critical infrastructures. VOTING RIGHTS & REDISTRICTING Cybersecurity and privacy directly affect a confluence of elections vulnerability. Voter suppression from inaccurate census data needs strong cybersecurity. Census participation barriers included privacy concerns. Foreign interference in our elections, through bad social media, is well established. The new CISA “MDM” Team aims directly at defending elections from Mis-, Dis-, and Malinformation in social media, a welcome elections improvement. Our moderation aim is for civil discourse, not censorship. MONEY IN POLITICS The Oregon League has testified to numerous bills with these positions and we look forward to talking with you about them. LWVUS UN League members: Now is the time to consider attending the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP27) in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt Nov-7-18, 2022. If interested, please contact Robin Tokmakian ( rtokmakian@lwv.org ) to request an application form ( or download attached form ) or more information. This is a self-funded opportunity. Deadline is July 1, 2022. ACTION Advocacy at the BALLOT BOX! Be sure to vote and help others for May 17! Our Voter Education volunteers will research state ballot measures (to be certified in August) and prepare Voters’ Guide and Speakers’ Bureau coverage for voters. The Action Committee will decide which measures may merit taking a League position, then forward those recommendations to the board. Our Voter Education never simultaneously presents any League measure positions. Please SHARE: The League never supports or opposes candidates or political parties. Sometimes, we support or oppose ballot measures based on our studied, nonpartisan positions. Legislative Advocacy We need more volunteers to observe hearings and report to us, and to help with research. We need your expertise (or willingness to learn) about issues including health care, broadband, and many others listed in our Legislative Reports ( Subscribe ). Our member experts write testimony to influence legislation by applying League positions and perspectives. Please apply your knowledge! Step up and find a way to help. Contact us today! CIVICS ED From Toni Lampkin: The LWVOR‘s online Civics Education curriculum is being updated and will be available to all students and teachers. Included in these materials is information for teachers to conduct a class or school Mock Election. We are hoping to also provide an online Mock Election available for this fall. Oregon teachers and Leagues are continuing to participate in the Case Study Method Institute to expand their teaching skills. This program was previously known as the Harvard Case Study Method. By expanding to a virtual training, they have been able to accommodate many more teachers. Applications are still open for the August 2022 workshop. From Donna Cohen: See this website to register for these events. Patrons/members who live in the Library/sponsor areas get registration priority, then it opens to others, a couple of weeks in advance. Civics for Adults: To Enhance Civic Knowledge and Inspire Political Engagement Free. Virtual. More info: https://www.civicthinker.info/ Citizen Activism 101—Making Change Happen Thursday, May 19. Evening; time TBA. Sponsor: Tigard, OR, Public Library. Register . Beyond Voting: Elections and Campaign Finance Wednesday June 1, 11-12:30. Sponsor: Wilsonville, OR, Public Library. Register: TBA The Constitution: Fulfilling Democracy’s Promise? - Democracy, The Constitution and Representation in Congress. Tuesday, June 21, 6-7:30 EST . Sponsor: Schenectady, NY, Public Library. Register: TBA RECOMMENDED READING For May 2022, our “recommended reading” is to use, share, and promote our voting information. See our Voting in Oregon webpages, which include our Voters’ Guides, in English and Spanish, audio for each, our Vote411.org access, and Video Voters’ Guide interviews and event recordings. From my desk to yours, please take care and find something to appreciate every day. We send condolences to our Rogue Valley League, for Shiena Polehn . We are a grassroots political organization and, importantly, our members mentor and support each other. I am counting on that being easier with things opening up in warmer spring weather. Thank you for making a difference with the League! Becky Gladstone, President, LWVOR Thank you for reading this newsletter! You can Manage Your LWVOR Subscriptions yourself for this monthly President’s Newsletter, the Legislative Reports, and the quarterly VOTER.

LWV grassroots work begins with you! Please reach out to friends and colleagues and invite them to step up! DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) is a League priority. We want liaisons to bring their voices to the League. We need to expand our diversity from local grassroots up through boards. Native outreach is a focus for a grant we’ve crossed fingers for. We would like a Youth member on our board. Now is the time! Please contact us! THIS MONTH… Voter Education Upcoming Events Action Recommended Reading Have you seen our SHOP ? VOTER EDUCATION Voter Education Reps and LWVOR staff, with hired LWV Mississippi support, are hard at work organizing VOTE411.org for the Primary Election, including our various Voters’ Guides! Be sure you send your campaign events to LWVOR at lwvor@lwvor.org . See the calendar info below. Encourage your local candidates to look for their Vote411 invitation emails and to write to Vote411@lwvor.org with any questions. This is a screen shot of the recent Lane League debate with the Springfield City Club, tip o’ the hat to Paula Grisafi! Please check for local and other events and promote them to the LWVOR calendar . If you don’t see your events, send them to us! Want a brief sprint volunteer task? Our Voter Education volunteers research state ballot measures after certification in early August to prepare Voters’ Guide and Speakers’ Bureau coverage for voters by September. We never simultaneously present Voter Education and advocacy positions. Please SHARE: The League never supports or opposes candidates or political parties. Sometimes, we support or oppose ballot measures based on our studied, nonpartisan positions. The LWVOR may take positions on the November 2022 state ballot measures , after certification in August. UPCOMING EVENTS LWVOR Council This will be a virtual event, registration details here . Local League leaders should register their two delegates. Observers can register themselves - registration information coming soon. The business meeting will be held on Saturday afternoon, May 14th. LWVUS Convention 2022 LWVOR has filed to present concurrences for our Privacy and Cybersecurity position. LWVUS encouraged us to bring smaller portions of our very comprehensive full position. LWV Colorado will bring a portion as Election Security, nearly as we developed it a few years ago. Please stand by to bring your support! ACTION Volunteer organizers are needed! Please contact Chair Alice Bartelt, lwvor@lwvor.org . The League Redistricting and Campaign Finance Reform initiative work is now working toward 2024 ballots. Please be ready to help collect initial filing signatures later this spring. The LWVOR may take positions after certification in August. Recommended Reading From Yale U Press: "A fresh, persuasive and deeply disturbing overview of the baleful and dangerous impact on the nation of widely disseminated false speech on social media. Richard Hasen, the country’s leading expert about election law, has written this book with flair and clarity.”—Floyd Abrams, author of The Soul of the First Amendment What can be done consistent with the First Amendment to ensure that American voters can make informed election decisions and hold free elections amid a flood of virally spread disinformation and the collapse of local news reporting? How should American society counter the actions of people like former President Donald J. Trump, who used social media to convince millions of his followers to doubt the integrity of U.S. elections and helped foment a violent insurrection? What can we do to minimize disinformation campaigns aimed at suppressing voter turnout? With piercing insight into the current debates over free speech, censorship, and Big Tech’s responsibilities, Richard L. Hasen proposes legal and social measures to restore Americans’ access to reliable information on which democracy depends. In an era when quack COVID treatments and bizarre QAnon theories have entered mainstream, this book explains how to assure both freedom of ideas and a commitment to truth. LWVOR Store Have you seen our stuff? Show your League support! Check it out here. Thank you for reading this newsletter! You can Manage Your LWVOR Subscriptions yourself for this monthly President’s Newsletter, our Legislative Reports, and the quarterly VOTER. Here’s to Spring! From my desk to yours, Thank you for making a difference with the League! Becky Gladstone, President, LWVOR

Date: February 26, 2022 To: All League Members and Supporters From: Rebecca Gladstone, LWVOR President The League strongly urges immediate support to fund Oregon cybersecurity defense: FUND HB 4155: Oregon cybersecurity defense, League testimony; We are not protected . DEADLINE: Session ends in days, contact your legislators to heed these dire warnings! All of us are vulnerable to impending cyberwar, now beyond cyber criminals, with active cyber-retaliation threats against US sanctions to protect Ukraine. Delaying HB 4155 to the 2023 session would truly make us “sitting ducks”. We must act now. Do cyber-attacks affect you? Think of Ukraine this week. Cyber attacks knocked out their government sites. Global markets are destabilizing for Energy, Technology, Finances, and Communications. Crippling cyber-attacks ( committee video last week ) are already in Oregon, with news partly veiled because we lack adequate defense. We need to safeguard our cell and internet access. Oregon's power grids, financial sector, transportation- from airports to stoplights, bridges and dam-water controls, services from Special Districts, School Boards, cities, counties, and state agencies, to many businesses and groups - are all vulnerable . Oregon elections are a well-documented target. “One legislator on the committee said, “If you aren’t scared, you’ve had your audio off during these hearings.” We urge the Legislature MOST STRONGLY to protect us. Now budget funding is the only avenue left for HB 4155, despite extensive collaboration and broad bipartisan support. House Revenue Chair Nathanson, urging also on behalf of the Joint Information Management and Technology Committee, calls for funds while $15M in federal funds are still available to leverage. “Oregonians and our “critical infrastructures”, anything connected digitally, are not adequately protected.” LWVOR’s Privacy and Cybersecurity study showed that rapid changes require more urgent attention from our policymakers. We don’t need technical expertise to understand that cyber-attacks choose the most vulnerable targets. Cybersecurity defense funding cannot wait. Contact your legislators to support funding for HB 4155, the cybersecurity omnibus bill.

Date: February 4, 2022 To: All League Members From: Rebecca Gladstone, LWVOR President Josie Koehne, LWVOR Forestry Portfolio We are asking local League members throughout the state, especially in southern, eastern and central Oregon: Support: SB 1534, Natural and Working Lands and Waters Contact: Your Legislators To Support SB 1534, This Very Important Bill Deadline: TU Feb. 8 public hearing in Senate Natural Resources and Wildfire committee SB 1534 proposes state policy to increase carbon storage and resilience in our natural and working forest, range and agricultural lands and in Oregon’s coastal wetlands and marine waters. The bill is the result of the Oregon Global Warming Commission (OGWC)'s 2021 Climate Change and Carbon Proposal and its carbon sequestration goals. SB 1534 will enable Oregon’s natural and working lands to be voluntarily managed as a resilient and robust carbon sink while supporting the health of our economy and communities and enhancing social equity and quality of life. Senate Bill 1534: Defines natural and working lands (N&WL) in Oregon statute. Declares it state policy to advance N&WL strategies based on equity and land manager interests, resourced with incentives and technical assistance support. Directs the Commission to create an Advisory Group to inform its N&WL efforts. Directs the OSU Institute for Natural Resources and certain state agencies to support the Commission in: Developing a carbon baseline and activity-based metrics by 4/30/23. Advancing a N&WL carbon inventory. Completing a N&WL Workforce and Economic Development study. Directs Reporting: From agencies on the carbon inventory and metrics to the OGWC. From the commission on progress toward these targets and metrics in its Biennial Report to the Legislature on a changed date. SB 1534 lays the foundation to ensure that Oregon is investing to protect our rural economies, fish and wildlife, and drinking water supplies as we navigate changing environmental conditions. Carbon sequestration supports a strong economy, especially for timber-dependent communities in rural parts of the state. The bill will pave the way for a strong, incentive-based program to help small forest owners thrive and make sure our forestlands are not only protected but are economically resilient. Read the Bill . We welcome your testimony in support. Please call or email your legislators today ! Ask them to support SB 1534! For more information, contact Josie Koehne .

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 Recommended Reading 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

Happy New Year, LWVOR Members and Supporters! I hope you had wonderful holidays and are excited to get to work in the new year! LWVOR’s top priority is voter education and advocacy, and we need volunteers to support the 2022 midterm elections. Watch for more information in the winter 2022 LWVOR VOTER, coming in early February. Please remember, as a grassroots organization, League work begins with you! Please reach out to friends and colleagues who may be interested in our work and invite them to join our work! IN THIS MONTH’S NEWS… Voter Education , contact your rep to help locally with Vote411 and campaign events Action never pauses. Our 2022 legislative advocacy needs your help. Studies are progressing and some are thinking about new ones! LWVUS Convention, concurrence Events and Civics Education Recommended Reading Have you seen our SHOP ? The above photos were taken at Deschutes County League’s Holiday Party! VOTER EDUCATION Voter Education Reps will meet this month to coordinate nonpartisan candidate outreach for VOTE411.org . We are already answering new requests; we do not endorse candidates and we do not support or oppose candidates or political parties. After primary election candidate filing closes on March 7th, we will invite all Oregon candidates whose filings include contact emails to publicize their information on our VOTE411 site. Please encourage and remind your candidates to look out for their VOTE411 invitation! If you enjoy event planning (forums) and/or database work (harvesting data from county and municipal elections websites), contact us at lwvor@lwvor.org for information on how to help with this critical work. UPCOMING EVENTS Please see the LWVOR calendar for local and other events as we receive them. LWVOR Council The Lincoln County League will host, June 17-19, hoping for in-person, subject to change as needed. More soon. LWVUS Convention 2022 The “first call” for June 23-26 and other information is posted. Note the end of January deadline for your League’s membership roster to get full delegation voting access! LWV Webinar : WED January 19, 10 am : Democracy, Disinformation & Distrust: How do we Break Through to Advance Truth & Build Trust? Explore ways to build resilience to the impact of mis / disinformation. LWV Civil Discourse Network & the National Institute for Civil Discourse. Civics Education partner events The LWVOR has met with Oregon State Library staff to facilitate federal funding to underwrite Oregon Libraries Civics ED presentations later this year, partnering with the Oregon State Library and League member Donna Cohen, who would present them. These would be designed for attending library patrons. You may recall Donna’s Fall Workshop presentation several years ago, not recorded at her request. Her topics and schedule are on her website, www.civicthinker.info . For example: Misinformation, Fake News, and Political Propaganda (registration listings at the individual libraries). Thursday, January 20, 6:30-8 pm, Tualatin Public Library Tuesday, February 1, 7-8:30 pm. Albany Public Library Wednesday, February 16, 6:30-8 pm. Cedar Mill Public Library Sunday, February 27, 2-3:30pm. Hillsboro Public Library ACTION Advocacy at the BALLOT BOX! The League is on firm ground to defend and push for these national and global efforts: Voting Rights, safeguard our elections Climate change, prepare to adapt where prevention deadlines have elapsed The Right to Choose League leaders are Chief Petitioners pushing Redistricting and Campaign Finance Reform initiatives to Oregon’s November 2022 ballots. See “People Not Politicians” ( IP 34 ) , and see Honest Elections, Fight Political Corruption and Require Transparency, parts I ( IP 43 ) , II ( IP 44 ) , and III ( IP 45 ) . Please watch for volunteer calls to collect petition signatures. Our Voter Education volunteers will research state ballot measures certified in August and prepare Voters’ Guide and Speakers’ Bureau coverage for voters. The Action Committee will decide which measures may merit taking a League position, then forward those recommendations to the board. Our Voter Education never simultaneously presents any League measure positions. Please SHARE: The League never supports or opposes candidates or political parties. Sometimes, we support or oppose ballot measures based on our studied, nonpartisan positions. Legislative Advocacy Action volunteers virtually attended 2022 pre-session hearings last week. We need more volunteers to observe hearings and report to us, and to help with research. We need your expertise (or willingness to learn) about issues including health care, broadband, and many others listed in our Legislative Reports ( Subscribe ). Our member experts write testimony to influence legislation by applying League positions and perspectives. Please apply your knowledge! Step up and find a way to help. STUDIES Most of our study committees took some holiday time and are still on track with timelines. Recommended Reading For directly sourced reading instead of interpreted analysis, here’s the Congressional January 6th Report . From Kathleen Hersh, with thanks: Our Marion and Polk County book group started in 2000. Each year in August participating members suggest a book they have read and think others might enjoy. Some years the group agrees on an overall theme such as Oregon authors, and other years our list is eclectic. We have two rules: the member must have read their selection and our library should have at least one copy of the book on its shelves. In years past we met on the first Wednesdays, usually at a member’s home, shared tea and treats, and time to discuss the book. For the past two years, we’ve held a Zoom gathering. The member whose book is featured leads the discussion and begins with a brief explanation of why they selected the book. Then we do a round-robin, one minute for each member to talk about their major impression of the book. After that, the group begins discussion with the leader sometimes offering prompting questions. In October we read The Lathe of Heaven, a novel by Oregon author Ursula K. Le Guin. It was published in 1971 and is a science fiction classic. Le Guin set the story in Portland in the late 20th or early 21st century. She refers to many places we all know. The world is dealing with exponential population growth, pollution, racism, climate change, decimation of the land and its natural resources, warming of the atmosphere, and war between nations. The story is about a man, Orr, who is frightened when he realizes that his dreams can become reality, and about his therapist Doctor Haber, who is trying to treat him. The doctor, in an attempt to cure Orr’s problem, realized that he is able to alter the world through his suggestions to Orr when he enters a dream state. Haber can “improve the world” and his own life as he treats his patient. All this leads to many unintended consequences, such as every person being the same shade of gray, millions of people suddenly vanishing from the earth, and an alien invasion as a way to bring all the nations of the world together. Although it was written 50 years ago, these are contemporary problems for us today. Our discussion covered many topics such as unintended consequences of our actions in our own world today. Who has the authority or right to implement changes? What is ethical behavior? Are there solutions to our problems? How do we remain true to our core values in changing times? Whether our book is a work of fiction, or a book about the life of birds, or US diplomacy, we never lacked for discussion. LWVOR Store We’ve got new merch! Our store was looking a little bare and dusty, so we designed some new swag for you to show your League support! Check it out here. Thank you for reading this newsletter! You can Manage Your LWVOR Subscriptions yourself for this monthly President’s Newsletter, the Legislative Reports, beginning again in February, and the quarterly VOTER. Again, Happy New Year! From my desk to yours, please take care and find something to appreciate every day. That can be knowing you are making a difference with the League! Becky Gladstone, President, LWVOR

LWVOR is deeply grateful for the support of our members, volunteers, and donors who continue to show up for democracy. All that we accomplish is thanks to your support. We are proud to do this vital work protecting democracy - together! As we look back on our 2021 accomplishments, we are also preparing for the work ahead. Here’s a look at some highlights: VOTER EDUCATION In 2021 we hosted several election-related events, including a People Powered Fair Maps online redistricting presentation to educate and encourage Oregon voters to make their voices heard in the process. This fall Rebecca Gladstone, LWVOR President, spoke at the USC Election Cybersecurity Initiative to share tips with regional partners on how to make our elections more secure. And LWVOR is already preparing for the 2022 midterms, building teams and outreach strategies to extend our election coverage to reach more voters across the state with our nonpartisan resources. STUDIES Our League studies propel us forward with fresh ideas and perspectives to strengthen our communities through education, and ultimately through advocacy. In 2021, LWVOR Convention delegates approved two new initiatives: a Childcare Restudy and an Election Systems Study update. Work is well underway for both. We invite you to get involved! Contact lwvor@lwvor.org . In 2022, we plan to bring our Privacy and Cybersecurity position to LWVUS, where we hope to effect real policy change to support election security, cyber safety, and privacy-related issues. ADVOCACY Topping this year’s advocacy list is LWVOR’s recent campaign finance reform ballot initiative filings, with our coalition partners. We firmly believe elections should be about voters, not big money interests. That’s why we’re working for fair elections for all Oregon voters and restoring voters’ confidence in democracy. We continue to push for an independent redistricting commission . Subscribe to our weekly League advocates’ email briefs and full Legislative Reports during the legislative session, from the state legislature, government task forces, linking to extensive League testimony. Our resources include ways you can help , too! As we reflect on all we’ve done last year, we are also planning ahead, thinking about how our advocacy can build and maintain more equitable communities. LWVOR will continue to empower voters to make their voices heard in every election. We will continue to hold our elected officials accountable, demanding they support legislation that works toward the common good. And we will continue listening to and learning from youth leaders and our diverse coalition partners across Oregon. We are preparing now to cover the 2022 elections through VOTE411.org , for candidates and ballot measures, including new opportunities for gun safety reform, establishing a right to healthcare for all Oregonians, and strengthening our democracy through campaign finance reform and independent redistricting. We look forward to speaking out and taking action with you in the new year. Thank you for your support. -LWVOR Leadership Team Help us continue bringing our nonpartisan resources to Oregon voters with a tax-deductible donation!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 7, 2021 PORTLAND, Oregon - Honest Elections Oregon, a coalition of pro-democracy groups and advocates, filed ballot initiatives to enhance the campaign finance system in Oregon, reduce the perception and reality of corruption, and empower more voices in Oregon’s elections. These measures: include large campaign contribution limits to reduce outsized big money influence require political ads to transparently reveal their largest funders create a small donor matching program to make smaller contributions matter and improve opportunities for candidates from historically marginalized communities “I am honored to support the ballot campaign finance reform initiatives filed today. These measures can help to restore voters’ confidence in healthy democracy. Voters must know that our elections are fair and free of undue influence by powerful dark money at the expense of voters. We can accomplish this and restore trust in our political system.” --Rebecca Gladstone, President, League of Women Voters of Oregon “I am proud of the measures we have filed and the extensive process we embarked on to craft the best policies possible with both local and national experts. We hope in the coming months, during the ballot title review process, to continue building a big tent to support these measures and to continue to work with historically marginalized communities. We know that voters want to take big money out of politics. These initiatives could move Oregon from the Wild Wild West of campaign finance to leading the way with one the best programs in the nation.” --Jason Kafoury, Honest Elections Oregon Honest Elections Oregon worked successfully to pass campaign finance reforms in Multnomah County (2016) and the City of Portland (2018), proving not only that such policies are needed and popular but also that they work. The goal is to simply limit the corrosive impact money has had in Oregon politics and hold accountable those who attempt to subvert the will of democracy by buying elections. The initiatives will start gathering qualifying signatures as soon as today. See Texts and Summaries of the Proposed Measures CONTACTS: Jason Kafoury jason@honest-elections.com ‭(202) 465-276 Gregory McKelvey greg@praxispolitical.com ‭(503) 459-1930

IN THIS ISSUE... PRESIDENT’S COLUMN ARE FIREARMS BANNED IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN YOUR COMMUNITY 2022 INITIATIVE PETITIONS TO REDUCE GUN VIOLENCE OREGON WILDFIRE RESOURCES 2021 BEYOND MEMBERSHIP THE PANDEMIC CHANGED THE WAY LWVOR SPENT FUNDS THIS YEAR THE LATHE OF HEAVE N COP26 SUMMARY TAKE ACTION WITH OUTREACH CIRCLE PRESIDENT’S COLUMN By Becky Gladstone, LWVOR President League communications are usually urgent. The LWVOR quarterly newsletter, The VOTER, is perfect for a deeper look than usual. This Winter 2022 edition features advocacy. Thanks to Robin Tokmakian for the COP 26 attendee view in Glasgow. We’re working on campaign finance reform and redistricting initiatives for November ballots. Our Legislative Reports are resuming, pre-session, with brief weekly emails, linked to the extensive online coverage. Now is the time to Manage Your Subscriptions . We are busy preparing for the 2022 elections. Midterm elections often get less voter attention than presidential elections. Oregon’s 2022 midterm will get plenty, from the six new redistricted congressional districts, the hot governor’s race, the unusually important legislative races with a new House Speaker, Senate President, and leaders, to unusually contentious local races. We will be busy with forums, candidate interviews, and our full online candidate and ballot measure coverage. We hope to again be distributing our printed state Voters’ Guides , in English and Spanish, also in multiple online formats, including audio, and Video Voters’ Guides. Our volunteers collect the Oregon content for the public VOTE411.org website, for ballot previews of all Oregon candidates and ballot measures. We search election websites, then using candidates’ filing email addresses, we invite them to share information. Behind the scenes, our VOTE411 software manages all of this. Nationally, many League signature values are under attack, with gerrymandering getting worse in places, and the freedom to vote and counting every vote being eroded, affecting many individual issues. In today’s disinformation climate, we value being well-informed from reliable sources. It is inspiring to hear directly from our board members and advocates. We want informed Oregonians to have a voice, from elections issues, to our economy, to so many aspects of our environment, and more. We can use your help. Please share this newsletter, and read and forward the email. As League members, always look for actions we can take, with hope for the future. Here’s to 2022, knowing we’re doing all we can. Yours in League, Becky Gladstone President, LWVOR 2022 INITIATIVE PETITIONS TO REDUCE GUN VIOLENCE By Marge Easley Although the League does not usually endorse initiatives until they qualify for the ballot, we do have strong positions on gun safety and would like to make you aware of two initiative petitions, sponsored by Lift Every Voice Oregon, that are currently circulating: IP 17 : Requires a permit to acquire firearms; police maintain permit/firearm database; criminally prohibits certain ammunition magazines. IP 18 : Prohibits manufacturing/possessing/transferring many semiautomatic firearms; criminal penalties; exceptions require firearm registration, restrict use. The complete text of each initiative, as well as instructions for circulating and/or signing the petitions and can be found here . E-petitions are also available that allow you to download and print single signature petitions. ARE FIREARMS BANNED IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN YOUR COMMUNITY? By Marge Easley Oregon’s 2021 gun safety bill ( SB 5541 ) gives school boards the authority to prohibit any person from intentionally possessing a loaded or unloaded firearm while in school buildings or grounds. Several local school boards, including Lake Oswego and Bend-La Pine, have recently done so, and it is hoped that more will follow. If your local school board is discussing a gun ban, and you would like information or help with League advocacy on this issue, please contact Marge Easley ( marge.easley@frontier.com ) , LWVOR Gun Safety Specialist. OREGON WILDFIRE RESOURCES 2021 By Chris Cobey Photo by Issy Bailey on Unsplash How did you like last fall’s process of the state legislators’ picking their own districts -- and voters? If you think that’s wrong, and many commentators did (one national redistricting analyst graded Oregon’s legislatively-drawn districts overall as an “F”), we have a solution! IP 34 , which would create a citizens’ independent redistricting commission and has been endorsed by the LWVOR, is currently in the ballot title phase of qualifying for the November 2022 ballot. IP 34 is an updated version of 2020’s IP 57 and would require redistricting in 2023, for the 2024 elections. Final clearance of IP 34 for qualifying signature circulation from the Oregon Supreme Court is expected by next month, with petitions available for circulation as early as March. Signature qualification requires gathering 149,360 valid signatures unless a court allows a lower qualifying number. The last day to submit signatures is July 8, 2022. BEYOND MEMBERSHIP A note from a member of the LWVOR Nominating Committee Seeking Candidates for Next Term’s LWVOR Board Why would someone want to be on a board? Perhaps they were bribed (as I once was, with a scone); perhaps they wanted out of the house (as I did more than once). Maybe they wanted to know more about, or have a say in, the bigger decisions that got made (bingo!). So, why am I on the LWVOR Board? Because someone asked me if I would like to be. I thought about it for a day and decided I could be a “liaison” of sorts to my local League, so I said yes. The experience has turned out to be so much more than I had originally thought. I have been an ardent League member for decades, but now I get to participate in a different way. Besides Zoom meetings (now, Board members can be anywhere to attend) participation has also meant being part of a larger discussion about what happens at the state level, and for me, how it might affect my local League. It has been revelatory and exciting. To quote a past LWVOR Board member, “So, when someone asks you to serve, think carefully, and then say, ‘YES’.” For information, to recommend someone, or to say yes, please contact: Jackie Clary , Nominating Committee Member jackieclary@gmail.com 541-479-4486 THE PANDEMIC CHANGED THE WAY LWVOR SPENT FUNDS THIS YEAR The absence of in-person meetings and events did away with spending for venue rent, catering, and mileage. Instead, we encountered more staff and internet service costs for the remote events that replaced them. Our loyal donors have continued to support us. Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash We are now increasing activity and concomitant spending for voter education ahead of the Spring Primary election. We’re producing, and paying for, Voters’ Guides and Vote411 support, including grants to local Leagues for advertising. We’re advocating for ballot initiatives for a redistricting commission and for campaign finance reform. And we’re planning an in-person Council 2022 in Newport. We should expect inflation will increase many of these expenses beyond what we budgeted. We are fortunate to have reserves that will allow us to meet the increased costs. THE LATHE OF HEAVEN By Amy Vandegrift Our Marion and Polk County book group started in 2000. Each year in August participating members suggest a book that they have read and think other might enjoy. Some years the group agrees on an overall theme such as Oregon authors and other years our list is eclectic. We have two rules: the member must have read their selection and our library should have at least one copy of the book on its shelves. In years past we met the first Wednesday of the month, usually at a member’s home, shared tea and treats and spent time discussing the book. For the past two years we have been meeting virtually via Zoom. The member whose book is featured is the discussion leader and begins with a brief explanation of why they selected the book. Then we do a round robin, one minute for each member to talk about their major impression of the book. After that, the group begins discussion with the leader sometimes offering prompting questions. In October we read The Lathe of Heaven , a novel by the Oregon author Ursula K. Le Guin. It was published in 1971 and is a science fiction classic. Le Guin set the story in Portland Oregon in the late 20 or early 21st century. She refers to many places we all know. The world is dealing with exponential population growth, pollution, racism, climate change, decimation of the land and its natural resources, warming of the atmosphere and war between nations. The story is about a man named Orr and his therapist Doctor Haber. Orr is frightened when he realizes that his dreams can become reality. The Doctor, in treating Orr’s problem, realized that he is able to alter the world through his suggestions when Orr enters a dream state. Haber can “improve the world” and his own life as he treats his patient. All this leads to many unintended consequences such as every person being the same shade of gray, millions of people suddenly vanishing from the earth and an alien invasion as a way to bring all the nations of the world together. Although it was written 50 years ago, these are contemporary problems for us today. Our discussion covered many topics such as unintended consequences of our actions in our own world today. Who has the authority or right to implement changes? What is ethical behavior? Are there solutions to our problems? How do we remain true to our core values in changing times? Whether our book is a work of fiction, or book about the life of birds, or US diplomacy, we never lacked for discussion. COP26 SUMMARY By Robin Tokmakian INTRODUCTION The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, more commonly referred to as COP26, was the 26th United Nations Climate Change conference, held at the SEC Centre in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom, from 31 October to 13 November 2021. The League of Women Voters was represented at this conference by ten local LWV members: • Carol Parker, North San Diego County • Alexis Juday-Marshall, formerly of Seattle, now in La Brea, CA • Emily Polakowski, Southeastern, CT • Rebecca Boyd, formerly of IL, now in MD • Lora Lucero, Central New Mexico • Ashley Raveche, California, at-large member • Elizabeth Lonoff, Fairfax, VA • Toni Ray Monette, Nebraska • Cynthia Bell, Mid-Hudson Region, NY • Robin Tokmakian, Portland, OR (delegation head). Some attended for the whole of the two weeks, but most attended for one week. Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash LWVUS aligns with the Women and Gender Constituency, one of 10 constituencies, made up of NGOs from around the world, focused on how women and other underrepresented groups are affected by changes to the climate. When allowed, this group made interventions” (statements) in the negotiation space to advocate for women’s rights, human rights, and a just transition. COP26 was a gathering of people from around the world to debate and educate others on every aspect of climate change. It was an opportunity to hear and learn from others, especially those from the global south, the disabled, the indigenous people, people from small island states, in addition to the big names such as Secretary John Kerry, and former President Barak Obama. The first two days was the World Leaders Summit, which resulted in limited access to the negotiations. (One of the most powerful speeches was from the President of Barbados.) It was a hybrid event and many of the negotiations and side events could be streamed online with the required pre-registration. While the UN leadership and the UK presidency of COP26 insisted that this COP was the most inclusive of all COPs, LWVUS observers found that it was less inclusive, more opaque than previous COPs, with limited access to negotiation rooms (partly due to COVID) and country delegations. NEGOTIATIONS SESSIONS “COP26” refers to the 26th convening “Conference of the Parties” who are signatories to the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – a treaty, signed by almost 200 countries. (It was signed by President George H. W. Bush in 1992, and ratified by the Senate.) These negotiations are the heart of COP26, with the side events added for broader engagement and information transfers. The first week of negotiations are called “informal” where various negotiators who are experts on a topic formulate language for country ministers to discuss, modify, and finally agree to in the second week. It was clear in the first week, that there would be some difficulties reaching compromise outcomes. At various points during these negotiations, the constituencies were allowed to intervene to give input to the member states. There was a strong push from constituencies to add language in support of disabled communities and for indigenous peoples. Most important was the discussion on providing funding to address “loss and damage” that developed countries imposed on developing countries, especially the global south, small island states, and indigenous peoples. The most controversial negotiation was on “Article 6”, the article in the Paris Agreement that addresses various forms of trading credits which should lead to reducing carbon emissions. Many newspapers have reported the outcomes of COP26. The Earth Negotiations Bulletin has written an excellent summary . In short, Article 6 can now be operationalized. There is a timeline for countries to submit and update their Nationally Determined Contributions (how a country will reduce its own emissions). Countries will discussion how to address and fund “loss and damage” in the next few years. The COP’s cover statement includes the phrase: “…accelerating efforts towards the phasedown of unabated coal power and phase-out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies…”. This is the first mention of the primary sources of carbon emissions in any UN climate agreement. In the end, international cooperation is a very slow process, with many different needs, viewpoints, and concerns. Perhaps the most effective way forward is to consider how we, here in the US, can effectively address the issue on a local, state, and federal level. Our first step should be for the LWVUS to ask the US to sign on to the UNICEF’s “ Declaration on Children, Youth, and Climate Action ”. SIDE EVENTS LWVUS was the co-sponsor (along with McGill Univ., Human Rights Watch, and the International Disability Alliance) and moderator of a side event entitled “ Disability-Inclusive Climate Action: Rights and Obligations." The panel included His Excellency Jan Walberg, Ambassador for Climate Change, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Finland; Katherine Lofts, McGill Univ; Susie Fitton, Inclusion Scotland; Pratima Gurung, Indigenous Persons with Disabilities Global Network; Cara Schulte, Human Rights Watch; Jose Viera, International Disability Alliance; and Sue Swenson, Inclusion International. Each panelist gave us their wisdom about how they or those close to them experienced the impacts of climate change or how we should be addressing the issue in climate policy, both at the local, state, or international level. It was satisfying to know that one of the outcomes of COP26 was the formation of a new NGO constituency for addressing issues related to the disabled. Other insights from side events: One member referred to the pavilion side-event area of COP26 as “a marketing extravaganza for countries, institutions and businesses”, as it is an area of large booths for countries to hold their own events. The first week included a large number of talks related to forests and reducing deforestation. At an event held at the US’s Pavilion ( all event s ), Secretary John Kerry stated that USAID has pledged money to aid foreign countries in saving forests and respecting indigenous people’s lands. Additionally, financial institutions that are part of the Forest Investment Club and the LEAF foundation as well as others that represent $9 trillion, pledged to divest of projects that cut forests for agriculture use by 2025. The WHO held a panel discussion entitled Healthy Climate . The panelist from International Council of Nurses spoke about respiratory illness due to diminishing air quality and natural disasters that result in the spread of infectious diseases, as well as depression, anxiety, grief, isolation and PTSD. He stated that “Nursing is the most trusted profession in the world” and as such, can be mobilized to influence policy. A panel of indigenous people from Nepal, Chad, Peru and elsewhere was organized by Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact and International Work Group Indigenous Affairs . In response to the question “Will market mechanisms kill the 1.5 C goal?” the Nepali representative noted (paraphrasing) that ‘carbon capture’ and the other tools that the governments are counting on don’t exist. Carbon markets have many limitations. It will depend on how these mechanisms are implemented in the future. Several LWVUS delegates attended a discussion related to litigation paths to addressing climate issues. A Greenpeace representative stated that to hold countries and companies accountable, litigation maybe the only way forward, especially to reduce “greenwashing” of companies’ policies on climate. Some examples of successful litigation include: • Advocates in an Amazonian case have been fighting for the past 30 years and making arguments about nature’s rights. Finally, lawyers have stepped up to help them with this fight. • In another case, a young man from Australia asked a representative from a pension fund what their plans and investment criteria are regarding climate. The fund representative was unable to provide answers. He took them to court and now investment firms and pension funds in Australia have changed their modus operandi regarding climate factors. President Obama spoke to a capacity filled plenary room about giving us, the attendees to COP26, especially the youth, a way forward. One of the things he listed as actions one could take was to vote, and to vote your interests (vote for those who know and understand the climate urgency). Vice President Gore also spoke to the youth to provide hope for the future. Several of LWVUS observers were able to be in the room for these speeches. Many of the side events have videos from COP26 and can be found here. TAKE ACTION WITH OUTREACH CIRCLE The League of Women Voters is now using Outreach Circle to make it easy for supporters to take action and learn more about League activities. To join, download the Outreach Circle app and then search for "League of Women Voters Oregon" and "League of Women Voters US" and any other League you're interested in following. Oregon Leagues are encouraged to use this free tool to share their message with their membership as well as others interested in taking action. Staff at LWV US are leading to help Leagues step-by-step as they begin to adopt this tool. Additionally, Elisabeth Anderson of LWV Corvallis is willing to assist Leagues by meeting with members, providing tips, and discussing the benefits of this application over the phone. You may contact her at e.anderson@lwvor.org . Learn more about Outreach Circle here: https://tinyurl.com/ye23ehdv Terry Styner DESIGNER: Allison Griffin

Dear League members, Happy Holidays! Here’s to celebrating life! This month's newsletter is a team effort--many thanks to a wonderful team of contributors. Here’s a quick overview: State Drug Prescription Price SURVEY (ASAP) Voter Education Election Prep News Volunteer Opportunities incoming! Civics ED , Dec 11th Harvard Case Study , share ASAP, & LWVPDX video! Action, news from COP26 and legislative summary Our LWVOR online shop , new “merch”! Recommended Reading Oregon 3rd Annual Prescription Drug Price— SURVEY The Drug Price Transparency Team, OR Dept of Consumer and Business Services department wants to hear how you and your family have been affected by rising prescription drug costs. Consumers are invited to ask questions and share their rising prescription drug price stories. ( Survey open NOW ) PUBLIC HEARING: on (rising) prescription drug prices and survey. 1pm - 3pm Wed, Dec 8th. More information and hearing registration . VOTER EDUCATION The LWVOR spoke on the record (video) for Election Security in Oregon, thanks to the Election Cybersecurity Initiative, USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy. Election PREP NEWS Thank you to Peggy Bengry: We have drafted a timeline and you can expect a request for volunteers to attend an organizational meeting in mid-January. As in the past, local league volunteers will power this effort by providing candidate contact information and candidate questions to Vote411, hosting candidate forums and interviews, registering voters and generally protecting democracy in your inimitable way. Questions for candidates will be on the agenda then; be prepared with some good ones! “Gerrymandering” and “voter suppression” are the words that seem to be most associated with the upcoming midterm elections news, but there is some good news, also. The state League is committed to helping voters make informed choices for the elections next year. The Vote411.org administrative interface and the page candidates see when they enter their information have both been improved. CIVICS EDUCATION, Harvard CASE NEWS Please share both the Teacher Registration Link for the December 11 event and the LWVPDX case study video , details below. LWVOR is on this elite list because Oregon sent the largest group of teachers, thanks to Toni Lampkin! From LVW CT Dear National Advisory Board Members, I am writing to a small group of you today, since I know you have been particularly active in nominating teachers to join the case method civics project. In fact, a number of you nominated teachers who were unable to make the April and August professional development workshops this year. I therefore thought you might like to be aware that Professor Moss has added a workshop on Saturday, December 11 from 12:15-6:15pm (Eastern) in response to the increased demand nationwide for case method training. We hope you will let any of your active high school teachers of US history, government or civics know about this opportunity. They should feel free to sign up directly on the link below, and once they do, a member of the Case Method Institute team will get in touch with them about next steps: Teacher Registration Link Thank you so much for your continued engagement with this project, and please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Kind wishes, Dr. Deirdre Kamlani , Civics Chair, LWV Greenwich Harvard CASE from LWVPDX LWVPDX urges members to use the letter template below to share this LWVPDX 7-minute video from their Harvard Case Study in October explains the value of teaching high school civics with the, along with scenes from the event. See the LWVOR Civics Education page . We would like to get this video distributed to public, private and charter high schools in Oregon. We think the best way to do this is to ask for help from LWVOR and local Leagues. I have already sent this to the Oregon Department of Education. I will be contacting as many high schools as possible in Multnomah County and sending them the video to distribute to their teachers. I will also contact the administrators for the school districts. If other Leagues could please contact school districts and schools in their areas, that would be wonderful for advancing civics education in our state. This could be done in December and/or January or whenever the local Leagues think is the best time to reach their teachers. Margaret Noel, Communications Chair League of Women Voters of Portland Please personalize this letter and send it to your schools and districts, with the video. LETTER TO SCHOOLS TEMPLATE Dear _____, Please forward this to current U.S. History, U.S. Government, and Civics teachers in your school. The Harvard Case Method of teaching history and civics has proven to be an effective way to engage high school students in learning about the significance of past events. Please click the link below to watch a LWV seven-minute video presentation about this method. The video explains how the case method works. In it, a trained Oregon high school teacher discusses the benefits of using this method in his classes, including comments from teachers and students who participated. The video concludes by explaining how teachers can apply for free training and support. This video is also available on the LWV of Portland website under “Learn”: https://lwvpdx.org/engaging-students-in-civics-us-history/ The Harvard Business School’s Case Method Institute offers free online training workshops several times a year. Teachers, register for the recently added December 11th event! Sincerely, (Name/position of Local LWV leader) ACTION Volunteer Opportunities, a new webpage! A new *Volunteer Opportunities* page is coming to LWVOR’s website! Keep an eye out for current volunteer requests, training, and connections, including one next Tuesday! Lift Every Voice Oregon is hosting a virtual signature gathering training session on Tuesday, Dec. 7th from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. Email office@lifteveryvoiceoregon.com to sign up, and go to lifteveryvoiceoregon.com for more information. 2021 Legislative Summary Briefs From the Peggy Lynch, on the Action Team: It can be challenging to track the Legislature’s accomplishments. Fortunately, at the end of each session, the Legislative Policy Research Office (LPRO) publishes the Legislative Summary Reports , highlighting policy measures that received a public hearing during the regular session. After the 2021 legislative session, LPRO also published a shorter, user-friendly Legislative Summary Briefs by Topic , highlighting substantive Oregon policy changes. See the Table of Contents on page 3 for links to each topic. These 18 individual briefs offer essential background information, organized by policy areas, identifying relevant legislative history, with related measures, agencies and programs. LPRO has also created this new legislation summaries web page , set up for browsing by policy topic, and if you prefer a compilation of topics, full summaries of legislation are available by year on the right side of the page. COP26 Daily Blogs Thank you to our First Vice President, Robin Tokmakian for sending daily reports from the League delegation at the COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow. LWVOR SHOP MERCH!! Do you know about the LWVOR online shop ? League pins, pens, mugs, and our new webcam covers! Be sure to order now in case of USPS delays . Recommended Reading My personal reading was Peril, ( Washington Post review ) for November, and currently The 1619 Project. This NYTs Magazine brief evolved into the book I’m reading. Thanks to Kathleen Hersh for sharing this, from the Deschutes and Portland League Book Groups! What Leaguers Are Reading A number of local Leagues have book groups. It is interesting to see what they are reading. Here is a report from Mimi Alkire from the LWV of Deschutes County League Freedom Readers. While we tend to read nonfiction, this past August we crossed that line ever so slightly and decided to read A Light in the Wilderness , by Jane Kirkpatrick. While technically listed as historical fiction, there is very little for which Jane has to use her imagination in writing this story. It is the story of the very real woman, Letitia Carson, who was the first Black woman to successfully secure a homestead in Oregon. She was a former slave who couldn’t read or write but made her way from Kentucky to Oregon in the early 1860’s and settled in Douglas County in 1863. As a single mother and widow, she had to go to court to win her right to keep her property. This is an incredible story written by an accomplished writer and historian! On a lark, I contacted the author through her website before our meeting and told her that the LWV of Deschutes County would be discussing her book. She agreed to join us and we had an enlightening and lively conversation about this fascinating early Oregonian. It was so wonderful to be able to ask questions about Letitia and get the historical scoop on her life. We are so lucky to have Jane living half the year in Deschutes County. After our discussion of Letitia, she joined LWVDC and is now a permanent member of the Freedom Readers! [Side note: an elementary school in the Corvallis area has changed its name to Letitia Carson Elementary . The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be this spring!] This month we are discussing Tangled Up in Blue: Policing the American City , by Rosa Brooks. What a great read that one is!! And a report from Betsy Pratt with Viva Libra from LWV of Portland As might be expected of a League book club, the Portland club reads serious social science literature. Our books this fall focused on America’s treatment of its black population and the cruelty and injustices suffered by black Americans. We first read Caste by Isabel Wilkerson, which proposes that many societies have embedded hierarchies that grant special privileges to those deemed to have high status and that treat those deemed to have low status with abuse and indignity. For its entire history, the US has placed black Americans in the lowest caste, based on long-standing assumptions about the relative worth of black and white people. It has been critical for insecure and struggling whites to maintain their belief that someone else is at the bottom of the social ladder and they have used skin color as a convenient marker for assigning social position. In November, we discussed The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America, which describes how deliberate public policies and legal actions by Federal, state, and local governments promoted the discriminatory policies that continue today. The author, Richard Rothstein, focuses on a handful of cities as case studies but it becomes clear that the patterns of manipulating zoning, restricting access to housing or schools, and promoting (or denying) access to jobs occurred widely across the county. He also documents the harmful, long-term effect of segregation and notes how difficult it will be to repair. For example: For low-income African American children, the social and economic disadvantages with which they frequently come to school make higher achievement more difficult. Consider just one example, asthma, an affliction from which African American children suffer at nearly twice the rate of white children—probably because African Americans live in or near residential-industrial neighborhoods with more dust, pollutants, and vermin. Asthmatic children are more likely to awaken at night wheezing and, if they come to school after an episode, can be drowsy and less able to pay attention. A child who has more frequent absences-from poor health, unreliable transportation, having to stay at home to care for younger siblings, or family instability—will have less opportunity to benefit from instruction. (pp 196-197). We found these books to be uncomfortable to read but agreed that they provide powerful explanations of America’s grimmer social history. Thank you for reading and enjoy December! Becky Gladstone, LWVOR President