What Would Alice Paul Do?

In episode 17, we discuss the value of equity and inclusion and the power of creating women-centered spaces in politics. We are again joined by Jessica Rohloff, justice advocate and board member of the League of Women Voters of the United States. 

• Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe to us on Stitcher

• Text of the belief statement: "We believe in the power of women to create a more perfect democracy."
• Listen to Episode 10 on more about the League of Women Voters' Transformational Journey
• Difference between equity and equality. See more at edtrust.org. Watch the "$100 to the winner of this race" video.
• Read "Women's Suffrage Leaders Left Out Black Women" by Evette Dionne on TeenVogue.com.

• New York Times story on the 50th Anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination
• Learn more about Ida B. Well-Barnett (pictured above)

• Follow us on Facebook
• Follow us on Instagram
• Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe to us on Stitcher

Music by OhmLab.

In episode 16, we take you on a crash course on how to run for public office. We are joined by Jessica Rohloff, justice advocate and board member of the League of Women Voters of the United States, who shares her experience of being a candidate. Learn more about why women need to step forward and run!

• Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts

• Subscribe to us on Stitcher

Find out more about our guest, Jessica Rohloff. As Jessica says, "No one talks to the mayor because everything is great."

• Campaign for others to get experience.

• Have a strong, dedicated team, including a highly organized treasurer.

• Make friends with the government office that oversees elections.

• Learn how to read and create campaign literature, including disclosures. (See more in this FEC.gov pdf)

• Be publicly available. Person-to-person contact is your most important campaign activity.

• Realize small things can be interpreted as political act. Always eat the sandwich.

• Get clear on your top three priorities.

• As a female candidate, you have many situations where being gracious is going to help.

• When people start taking you seriously, the knives will come out.

• Time is your most important commodity. You need strong time management skills. Check out Making Obama podcast: episode 2.

• Voters need to go to the polls and vote for you for their own self-interest.

• Stop asking people for a favor. This is an opportunity for them to make a difference with their vote and their time.

• You will come out stronger in public if you are taking care of yourself in private.

• Support other women running for office.

Check out the book, Run for Something: A Real-Talk Guide to Fixing the System Yourself, by Amanda Litman. See more at the author's website.

• Follow us on Facebook

• Follow us on Instagram

• Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts

• Subscribe to us on Stitcher

Music by OhmLab.

In episode 15, we talk about how to run a highly effective high school voter registration drive, and we share three activist alerts.

• Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts

• Subscribe to us on Stitcher

The board of the League of Women Voters of the United States has a approved a pilot program to waive the student per-member-payment at the national level. This promotion is effective immediately and extends through January 31, 2021. How a student is defined is available in the LWV bylaws. 

Are you ready to join? Find a League close to home!

• A 40-year study of teens finds Generation Z is unlike any past generation — here's what they're all about. Via Business Insider.

• We go into a deep dive of the Empowering the Voters of Tomorrow: Developing Winning High School Voter Registration Programs, Third Edition (2015) (PDF) by the League of Women Voters Education Fund. Be sure to check out all the goodies in the appendix! Includes sign-in sheets, pledge-to-vote papers, to-do list, planning worksheet, and more.

• Vote411.org - The one-stop voter tool by the League of Women Voters

• Rock the Vote: Voting Information state by state

• Nonprofit Vote: Webinars to get your ready for voter registration events

• League of Women Voters' Best Practices Voter Registration Webinar from 2016.

• LWV Voter Registration Sample Social Media Content

• A LWV of Arlington, VA, success story. Via Inside NoVa.com. See their event photos!

• Inspire USA: students registering other students!

• Make office visits on behalf of Dreamers!

• And the budget! One of the most important roles of Congress: Drafting and passing the budget. This time around they are trying to make a Citizens United 2.0 by allowing churches and nonprofits engage in campaign politics.

• Tell Congress to Pass Sensible Gun Laws

• Find your Congress members

Follow us on FacebookFollow us on InstagramSubscribe to us on Apple PodcastsSubscribe to us on Stitcher

Music by OhmLab.

In episode 14, we’re reflecting on some of the activist work we’ve seen and how you can bring some of the tactics into your work. We also share an activist alert.

NEVER MISS AN EPISODE! 

• Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts

• Subscribe to us on Stitcher

• Amy's fundraiser selling t-shirts to support the League of Women Voters' Education Fund.

• Information on creating a Making Democracy Work Award

• March for Our Lives: https://marchforourlives.com/

• How the Survivors of Parkland Began the Never Again Movement by The New Yorker

• One-by-one, Companies cut ties with the NRA

• Text Alerts: Moms Rising, ACLU Action Alerts, DailyAction.org

• Hashtags gaining force on social media: #neveragain and #enough

• LWV Florida's activism: Florida Coalition To Prevent Gun Violence Responds to Proposed Gun Legislation Packages in Wake of Parkland Tragedy

• Gun violence meme

• Sips and Tweet Virtual Hangout

• Postcard campaigns. Postcards for Political Action by Collective Vision. Remember to have talking points ready

• How to Reframe Issue by The Community Tool Box, a service of the Center for Community Health and Development at the University of Kansas.

Congress Must Pass the Dream Act NOW

• Follow us on Facebook

• Follow us on Instagram

• Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts

• Subscribe to us on Stitcher

Music by OhmLab.

In episode 13, we breakdown town halls. These moments don't last long, so we talk about strategies that will make a lasting impact.    

• Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts

• Subscribe to us on Stitcher

• LWV Money in Politics ACTION Kit

  • Questions to elected leaders

• LWV Redistricting ACTION Kit

  • Questions to elected leaders

• Find your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators.

• Find your state representative/delegate and state senator.

• Voting record of U.S. electeds.

• Investigate campaign cash of U.S. elected leaders.

• Virginia's campaign finance resource, VPAP.

1. Pre-Town Hall:

   • Sign up for the elected leader's newsletter and follow them on social media. Check out their website and what they support.

   • Sign up for Google Alert to stay up-to-date with statements, bills, articles and whereabouts of the elected.

   • Deep dive the records. Investigate voting records and campaign cash. Follow the money!

   • Find out when the next town hall is. If the date isn't on the member's website, then call their office. Keep calling until you have a date confirmed.

   • Organize with people. Invite friends, League members, fellow activists, and other organizations to help you make a big showing. Use social media to get the word out.

     • Create a Facebook event, Meetup.com and/or EventBrite.com link to make the event travel. Share the link far and wide.

   • Craft questions. Focus on your priorities. Address the elected leader's prior statements, voting record and campaign cash.

2. Day of the Town Hall:

   • Don't sit together. Shhh... You don't want the elected leader to know you're organized.

   • Don't wear matching t-shirts or buttons unless the message is to demonstrate a mass presence. There are benefits and limitations to looking like a large group; talk about both with your members, if you're going with a group.

   • For the record. Video the questions and answers. Assign one of your members to record the event using Facebook Live or Periscope (Twitter), or record it for Youtube. These will become useful later when engaging the community.

   • Stay visible. Raise your hands. Show the staff and elected leader you are engaged and you want to ask questions. If the staff attempts to take the mic from you, be polite but be strong. You need your elected to answer your question. If you don't get the answer, get a group member to follow up.

3. After the Town Hall:

   • Talk with the Press. During the event talk about what you heard and how you felt about the elected's responses to questions. After the event, use twitter to engage the press and talk about the town hall. Remember, use . before the @ of the reporter's Twitter handle to make the post public.

   • Follow-up with the elected leader. Make an appointment to talk with staff about what was or wasn't said at the town hall. Engage the elected on Twitter, too.

   • Write an article in the local newspaper and in your organization's newsletter. If you have a blog or if your organization has a blog, write about the event and share your video.

   • Social media spreads the word. Share pictures, video, and blog posts with the wider audience. Share with other groups' Facebook group pages, too. Civic and advocacy groups unite!

• Follow us on Facebook

• Follow us on Instagram

• Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts

• Subscribe to us on Stitcher

Music by OhmLab.

Happy 2018! In our special episode 12, we interview two new League of Women Voters members on why they selected this legendary civic organization to make a difference in their community.  

• Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts

• Subscribe to us on Stitcher

Special thanks to Andrianne Salvette and Alison Symons for sharing their insights with us!

• Become a member the Facebook Group, "Sips and Civility: Planning League Social Events."

• Active Listening: The Big 6: An Active Listening Skill Set by Center for Creative Leadership

• factcheck.org - A nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics.

• #deardavid - Consider innovative ways of storytelling like "#deardavid - Documenting the ghost in my apartment"

Big Asks from our panel:

• Contact your senators for your support of the We the People Democracy Reform Act - Senate Bill

• Go see government in action - attend a government hearing or visit a committee meeting at the local, state or federal level

• Train with the League of Women Voters to become a candidate/issue forum moderator. See the LWV Massachusetts' Moderator Handbook (PDF)

• Move conversations from social media to face-to-face interactions.

• Follow us on Facebook

• Follow us on Instagram

• Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts

• Subscribe to us on Stitcher

Music by OhmLab.

In episode 11, we talk about online tools that connect, energize and mobilize your volunteers and supporters. 

• Crafting with Feminism: 25 Girl-Powered Projects to Smash the Patriarchy by Bonny Burton

• Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist's Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations by Thomas Friedman

• Who Thought This was a Good Idea?: and Other Questions You Should Have When You Work at the White House by Alyssa Mastromonaco, Lauren Oyler

Help is on the Way! LWV Members' Resource page has hundreds of tools. We're here to help you find them. Resources by LWVUS, Nonprofit Marketing, League Easy Web, and LWV of California will get you ready for posting content that will inspire others to get involved.   

Created using Canva!

• Facebook Posting Guide for Local and State Leagues

• Recommended LWV Communication Resources

• LWV & Nonprofit Marketing 101

• LWV & Nonprofit Marketing: Communications Roles and Marketing Guide

• League Easy Web's Writing for the Web

• LWV of California's Six R of Relevant messaging

• LWV Online Organizing Toolkit

• Check out League of Women Voters of Texas! Their graphics are bold and impactful

• List of open source activist tools

• The Info-Activism How-To Guide: Strategies and Tools for Digital Campaigning

• The Networked Nonprofit: Connecting with Social Media to Drive Change by Beth Kanter, Allison Fine

• Measuring the Networked Nonprofit: Using Data to Change the World by Beth Kanter, Katie Delahaye Paine

• Voices app

• Set up Google Alerts

• MyLo makes it easy for setting up a League website

• Create graphics that pop! with Canva

• Write it in a blog

Let's keep the heat on Senate Bill 1880, We the People Democracy Reform Act. Give your lawmakers some attention and let them know a true American representative democracy is a priority! Write postcards, make appointments, Tweet and give your U.S. Senators a call. For information about the bill, click here! To learn who your U.S. Senator is and how to contact them, click here. 

• Follow us on Facebook

• Follow us on Instagram

• Subscribe to us on iTunes

• Subscribe to us on Stitcher

Music by OhmLab.

In episode 10, we recap the 2017 election, share updates from the League of Women Voters' transformational journey, and urge action on the We the People Democracy Reform Act (SB 1880).

• Virginia Candidates Pledge to Reduce the Power of Big Money (via EveryVoice.org)

• Danica Roem will be Virginia's first openly transgender election official (via Washington Post)

• Surge of women run for office in first major races since Trump's win (via Center for Public Integrity)

• Find out more about LWV Virginia’s Postcard Parties

• LWV Texas' GOTV Postcard Party Toolbox (PDF)

League of Women Voters of the United States has a new mission, vision and value Statement as part of the transformational journey

1. Vision: We envision a democracy where every person has the desire, the right, the knowledge and the confidence to participate.

2. Mission: Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy.

3. Value Statement: The League believes in the power of women to create a more perfect democracy.

Website Update - LWV.org has a new look!

Make your plans for the 2018 Convention in Chicago! 
 

Contact your senators for your support of the We the People Democracy Reform Act - Senate Bill

• Follow us on Facebook

• Follow us on Instagram

• Subscribe to us on iTunes

• Subscribe to us on Stitcher

Music by OhmLab.

In Episode 9, we talk about ways League of Women Voters members can take local action to make their communities better.

Suffragists picketing in front of the White House in 1917. (Harris & Ewing/Library of Congress). Learn more about "Alice Paul's Enduring Legacy of Nonviolent Action."

• What is Local Action?
• When you can speak "for the League"
   

Find out more about the Campaign to Make Democracy Work approved at 2016 convention

Start Your Local Advocacy efforts with these toolkits

1. Redistricting Action Kit
2. Money In Politics Action Kit 
3. Climate Change Toolkit

How to get started:

1. Find out how this issue affects your community.
2. Do research of League positions and other advocacy activities taken.
3. Put together a list of common concerns about this issue.
4. Learn about challenges and successes that previous efforts have faced.
5. Get a team together.
6. Make talking points to get you started, and use language from action alerts. Go to LWVUS action alerts or your state league’s action alerts.
7. Join forces with a group already working on this issue.
8. Let your elected officials know how you feel.
9. Hold a candidates’ forum.
10. Hold an educational forum.
11. Attend lobby day or rally.
12. Research which level of government to contact.
13. Focus on one issue at a time.
14. Be professional.
15.  Provide your contact info and the bill number.
16.  Be clear with your position. 
17. Be prepared to counter opposing argument.
18. Humanize with personal stories.
19. Being polite.
20. Encourage them to reach out if they have questions.
21. Cultivate relationships.
22. Leave a one-pager.
23. Flood the scene with your message.
24. Followup with staff.
25. Let your organizational partners know you are working on this issue.
26.  Post alerts on websites and social media.
27. Speak with one voice.

• League Urges U.S. House to Pass Clean Dream Act
• Learn more about the League of Women Voters' position in Immigration

• Follow us on Facebook
• Follow us on Instagram
• Subscribe to us on iTunes
• Subscribe to us on Stitcher

Music by OhmLab.

In episode 8 of the What Would Alice Paul Do? Podcast, we go in-depth about running voter registration projects and the importance of National Voter Registration Day, and we share an activist alert. 

• What We Do Now? Standing up For Your Values In Trump’s America, Dennis Johnson, editor
• You're More Powerful than You Think: A Citizen’s Guide to Making Change Happen, Eric Liu
• Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln Doris Kearns Goodwin

• Vote411 - http://www.vote411.org
• Voter’s Edge http://votersedge.org
• Ballotpedia https://ballotpedia.org

• National Voter Registration Day (NVRD) is a great opportunity to run a voter registration drive. It is an annual event on the fourth Tuesday in September.
• NVRD Partner Toolkit
• NVRD Communications Toolkit
• Ideas on where to celebrate: Community colleges, universities, clinics, big thrift shops, churches that are hosting an event, apartments, grocery stores, transit and bus stops that have a lot of traffic, laundry mart, grocery stores, football games, rainy Saturday at bowling alleys, naturalization ceremonies, community festivals and carnivals, and coffee shops or bars that have a lot of patrons.
• LWVUS Toolkit: Get the Most out of Voter Registration (PDF)
• New Voter Registration Training Webinars from LWVUS
• Nonprofit Vote: Hold a Successful Voter Registration Event (video)
• Be sure to know your state's laws before you register. Check with your state's Secretary of State or Elections Department page
• Plan the day! Visit the location beforehand, figure out how the table should be set up, think ahead to what your volunteers need to be successful and feel comfortable, bring free giveaways, have plenty of pens and clipboards, have iPads to online registration or for fillable forms that can be printed and signed, bring lots of signage and wear clothes that make you stand out!
• High School voter registrations are better for the spring, as more students are old enough to register. Concentrate on community colleges and universities in the fall.

League of Women Voters of the United States have given us more tools to fight Kris Kobach and his sham Election Integrity Commission. See the new talking points and Letter-to-the-Editor templates

• Follow us on Facebook
• Follow us on Instagram
• Subscribe to us on iTunes
• Subscribe to us on Stitcher

Music by OhmLab.