League of Woman Voters of Northampton Area

Election: 2nd Hampden/Hampshire District state senate seat
2020-05-19 07:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
VOTE BY MAIL. Apply now for your early mail-in ballot.
Vote for the person who will complete the term left by Senator Donald Humason, Jr. Humason is currently the mayor of Westfield.
Candidates are John Velis (D), and John Cain (R).

CANCELLED: Speaker: Susan Ware, author of Why They Marched: Untold Stories of the Women Who Fought for the Right to Vote
2020-05-03 13:00 - 15:00
Florence Civic Center

April 1, 2020 Census Count: Everyone Counts
2020-04-01 08:00 - 17:00
In mid March households will receive materials from the U.S. Census Bureau in the mail. Responding online is the preferred method.
It’s your choice: you can respond securely online, by mail, or by phone.
By law, your responses cannot be used against you.
Your census responses are safe and secure.

Massachusetts Presidential Primary & Northampton Override Vote
2020-03-03 07:00 - 20:00
Save the date! March 3, 2020

League of Women Voters 100th Anniversary Celebration--Bread Euphoria
2020-02-14 07:30 - 09:30
The League of Women Voters was founded on February 14, 1920. Join our celebration at Bread Euphoria, Rte. 9 in Haydenville, for coffee, tea, pastries and cake.

100th Anniversary book group
2020-02-11 18:30 - 20:00

Pioneer Valley Women's March: 3rd annual
2020-01-18 11:00 - 14:00
PIONEER VALLEY WOMEN’S MARCH
“The Pioneer Valley Women’s March is more than just a protest march, it’s an event that brings together women and allies for the betterment of us all,” wrote Jeannete Rivera of Chicopee, the regional outreach director of the march in a statement. “We want to call attention to the needs of the marginalized, offer support, and to provide a space for collective action.”
The focus will call for climate action as well as justice and equality for women and gender-oppressed people.
EVENTS
11:00 a.m. Gather at Northgate Plaza, 1985 Main Street, Springfield
11:00 – noon Music and speakers
Noon. March begins.
March ends at Springfield City Hall, 38 Court Street with a rally, activist fair and yoga for activists.

100th Anniversary Book Group
2020-01-12 15:00 - 17:00
Join us at the Lilly Library on January 12, from 3 – 5. We will select a new book to read from our book list.

Book Group: Why They Marched, Lilly Library
2019-12-10 18:30 - 20:00

Book Group: The Woman's Hour, Lilly Library
2019-11-07 18:30 - 20:00

Sojourner Truth Ceremony: Take "I VOTED" sticker
2019-11-05 13:00 - 14:00

Vote Nov. 5: Northampton School Committee and City Council Elections
2019-11-05 07:00 - 21:00
Northampton election for School Committee in Ward 3 and at large seats.
Northampton election for City Council in Wards 1, 5, and 7.

Taking Action in Western Massachusetts toward Reaching Climate Goals for 2050
2019-11-02 14:00 - 16:00

Women's Suffrage Book Group
2019-10-27 15:00 - 16:30
Women’s Suffrage Book Group
October 27, 2019
3 – 4:30 p.m.
Lilly Library, Florence, MA
Join us in our discussion of
The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote, Elaine Weiss, 2019.

Candidates' Night for Northampton City Council and School Committee
2019-10-22 19:00 - 21:00
JFK Middle School, Northampton

Northampton Area LWV Board Meeting: Members welcome
2019-10-16 19:00
Home of Lou Bouley.
Members are welcome.

Book Group: Suffrage Movement
2019-09-26 18:30 - 20:30

Global Climate Strike - Northampton March
2019-09-20 16:30 - 18:00

Annual Book Sale
2019-09-14 09:00 - 16:00
LWV Northampton Area’s Annual Book Sale Sat., September 14 Smith Voc, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Northampton City Council Candidate Forum (wards 5 & 7) on Climate
2019-09-12 18:30 - 20:30
Candidate Forum at Lathrop Community Wards 5 and 7
Candidate forum sponsored by Climate Action Now. Northampton Area LWV is a cosponsor.
6:30-7:20 p.m. Ward 5 candidate forum
7:20-7:30 p.m. Transition between forums
7:30-8:30 p.m. Ward 7 candidate forum

Northampton City Council Candidate Forum (Wards 1,2 & 4) on Climate
2019-09-11 18:30 - 20:20
Candidate Forum at Northampton Senior Center Wards 1,2, and 4
Candidate forum sponsored by Climate Action Now. Northampton Area LWV is a cosponsor.
6:30-7:20 p.m. Ward 1 candidate forum
7:20-7:30 p.m. Transition between forums
7:30-8:20 p.m. Ward 2 & 4 candidate forum

Representative Benson's climate bills
2019-09-09 18:30 - 20:30

Help sort books for the book sale
2019-07-08 09:00 - 2019-08-02 12:00
Book Sale Sept. 14
Book Collection and Sorting July 8th to Aug. 2nd.

Book collection:
Forbes Library, Cooper’s Corner, during their normal open hours,
and at front door of Smith Vocational High School, any time.
Book sorting:
Sorting can happen whenever the school is open (7-2 weekdays) but there will be an experienced sorter there to provide guidance from 9-1 weekdays.
To volunteer click here: Margie

July 4th Naturalization Ceremony
2019-07-04 11:00 - 12:00
On Thursday, July 4th, at 11 a.m. there will be a “New Citizen Ceremony” held
on the lawn at the corner of King St. and Main St by the old Northampton Court House.
The Northampton League will offer voter registration to these new citizens.
The Ceremony is a very touching and lovely event. Join us in welcoming these
new citizens and future voters.

Election Day Registration Hearing at State House
2019-06-20 13:00 - 17:00
Election Day Registration Legislative Hearing

Joint Committee on Election Laws
Thursday, June 20
Hearing starts at 1 p.m. in hearing room A-1
Massachusetts State House, 24 Beacon Street, Boston

Demonstrate that Election Day Registration has broad public support. Please join us and our partners in the Election Modernization Coalition when the Joint Committee on Election Laws holds a hearing on Election Day Registration (EDR) Thursday, June 20. Wear a League pin or shirt if you have one; we’ll have EDR stickers for you. Email Nancy Brumback if you can come.

If you can’t be with us at the State House, please call or email your Senator and Representative now and tell them you want to see Election Day Registration in Massachusetts. Contact information is here. And share this action alert with others who are interested.

If you or a family member has been turned away from the polls or had to cast a provisional ballot because of an error in your registration, consider testifying about that experience. We will help you. Contact Nancy Brumback. If you can’t testify, please share any such story when you contact your legislator.

EDR Talking Points

Election Day Registration is a proven and common-sense election reform; 21 other states already offer it.
Election Day Registration allows voters to fix problems with their registration. In states where it is offered, 70% of those using EDR are already registered to vote but encounter a snag with that registration when they go to vote.
Election Day Registration will make election administration easier in the long run by reducing the need for provisional ballots.
Election Day Registration is supported by the Secretary of the Commonwealth.

ROE Act Hearing at the State House
2019-06-17 13:00 - 21:00
Joint Committee on the Judiciary Hearing on the ROE Act
An Act to Remove Obstacles and Expand Abortion Access, S. 1209
ROE Act Legislative Hearing
Joint Committee on the Judiciary
Monday, June 17
Hearing starts at 1 p.m.
Volunteer arrival times: Noon, 3 p.m., and 6 p.m.
Massachusetts State House, Gardner Auditorium
24 Beacon Street, Boston
RSVP here

It’s time to be heard on abortion rights in Massachusetts! Anti-abortion forces are loud, persistent, and spreading misinformation. Your voice is needed to counter them.

If you cannot be at Monday’s hearing, you can still take important action to support this bill. Legislators are being bombarded by the anti-abortion side. They must hear from constituents who support this bill.

Please call or email your own Senator and Representative this week or Monday; contact information is here. Tell them you support H.3320/S.1209, the ROE Act, and you hope they will urge the Joint Committee on the Judiciary to report the bill favorably for a vote. Even if your legislators already support this bill, it is critical that they hear from constituents who are in favor of the bill to offset the anti-abortion blitz. It only takes a minute. Please take this action now.

ROE Act Talking Points

1. The ROE Act protects the health, safety, and privacy of young people. The ROE Act eliminates the requirement that teens obtain permission from a parent or judge to access abortion. This process causes teens to delay care or travel outside of the state, and is opposed by the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Massachusetts has one of the most restrictive parental consent laws in New England. Teens go to Vermont or New York, which do not have parental consent laws.
2. The ROE Act ensures medical decisions remain between patient and doctor. The ROE Act expands access to abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy to include cases of fatal fetal anomalies when the fetus will not survive. The current law allows abortion after 24 weeks only to protect the mother’s health. Someone needing to end a pregnancy in the case of a fatal fetal anomaly must travel to another state.
3. The ROE Act leads the way in ensuring equitable access to abortion. The ROE Act establishes safety net coverage for abortion for people excluded from MassHealth. Such coverage already exists for all other pregnancy-related care.
4. The ROE Act brings our abortion laws into the 21st century. The ROE Act reforms outdated state laws by removing medically inaccurate language, abolishing medically unnecessary abortion restrictions like an unenforced 24-hour waiting period, and codifying the principles of reproductive freedom into state law.

For additional information on the bill from Planned Parenthood, click here.

A recent statewide survey of nearly 2,000 registered voters, conducted by MassINC, found that 78% of voters (and 72% of Catholics) support a state law to guarantee a legal right to abortion. In addition, 76% of all voters (and 75% of Catholics) support adding an exception to the ban on abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy to protect a woman’s health or in cases where there is a grave fetal anomaly. Voters want Massachusetts to be a model for other states and the country; 85% of voters agree that Massachusetts should be a leader in ensuring that a woman who has made a decision to get an abortion is able to get safe, supportive, respectful care in her community.

With the right to safe and legal abortion at risk nationwide, it is important to do all we can in Massachusetts to expand and protect access. Come to Monday’s hearing if you can. Contact your legislators and tell them you support the ROE Act. Forward this email to your network.

Massachusetts LWV State Convention
2019-06-07 - 2019-06-08
The 2019 LWVMA Convention, “100 Years: Looking Back, Moving Forward,” will be held June 7 and 8, 2019 at the Westford Regency Inn and Conference Center in Westford, MA. Convention brings local League delegates together to hear distinguished speakers, approve program for the next biennium, elect a new board of directors, approve the budget, and network with leaders from across the state. We encourage every local League to send their voting delegates, and other members are urged to come as observers.
Noted environmentalist Bill McKibben will be the keynote speaker at the Friday night banquet. McKibben is an author, environmentalist, and activist. He is a co-founder and senior advisor at 350.org, an international climate campaign that works in 188 countries around the world. He is the Schumann Distinguished Scholar in Environmental Studies at Middlebury College and a former staff writer for the New Yorker who continues to write numerous magazine articles.
Details and Registration:

LWV Northampton Annual Meeting
2019-06-03 17:30
LWV Annual Meeting
June 3, 2019 at 5:30 pm
Northampton Elks Club
Dinner 6 pm
Guest speakers: Representative Lindsay Sabadosa and Senator Jo Comerford
rsvp: Lou Bouley

Crime Gun Trace Data Bill Lobby Day
2019-06-03 14:00 - 17:00
Join March For Our Lives: Boston as they lobby at the State House for passage of S.1388/H.2045, An Act Relative to Crime Bun Data Reporting and Analysis.
Join LWVMA, a member organization of the MA Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, on June 3, 2019 at 2:00PM in Room 428 at the State House to support March For Our Lives:Boston, as they lobby for passage of An Act Relative to Crime Gun Data Reporting and Analysis. We will hear from the chief sponsors of the bill Sen. Cindy Creem and Rep. Marjorie Decker and then meet with legislators. Haven’t lobbied before? We will show you how!
Register here https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2FJune3LobbyDay%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR0X0sjKOJm60mUTq6XKJc-JPEznQk-YRrEwIyCSPJh8BQaG-FRP1zF9svQ&h=AT1ZjSNO8wws1p-qzHjxHbqor31rd_NG1II88UrfUIEihHVaIOl7Crr-7dOGa-G9zh5CHtPJY6HyUKXKkbd77W5QA68x_haemGSquG-rYhSG10yL_EgG5P7nlHZE7mhk5ed0TNE4dI64cv1bpNql4WYvP2Wi4Q
Questions: jenmuroff@gmail.com

Post Card Workshop: May 11 at Bread Euphoria
2019-05-11 10:00 - 12:00
Workshop
Bread Euphoria, Haydenville, May 11, 10 a.m. – noon
Advocates For Change
Contact your legislators. Speak out for YOUR FUTURE.
Help us amplify our voices, as together we advocate for legislative change in Boston and in Washington, D.C.
In the workshops we provide all the necessary information on legislation, legislator contact info, stamped post cards and lively discussion. Come often. Legislation and policy issues are constantly changing. Check the Hampshire Gazette and the event list here for dates of workshops.
Bring cell phones and laptops if you prefer to call or send emails. We provide contact info.
