From February 8 — 14, we will celebrate the League's birthday and take action on our priority issues. In other years, we would gather in person in Augusta for lobbying, celebrating, and gathering for tea and panel discussion at the Blaine House. Instead, we've got a whole week's worth of online activities to make up for not being physically together at the Capitol. Check out the full schedule below!
Submit an entry to our raffle each day, and you could win a prize at the end of the week! Prizes include a copy of Let the People Pick the President or a Radical Tea towel featuring Votes for Women.
SCHEDULE:
Monday, February 8: Kick Off
Take Action #1: Help us reach our goal of 1,000 members! Membership is for people of all backgrounds, genders, and ages. With our “pay what you can” option, you can select the dues amount that works best for you. If you join this month, you’ll also help us meet the goal we set last February of achieving 200 new members before our 101st birthday.
Take Action #2: Watch the Veterans & Legal Affairs Committee at 9 AM. The legislative committee is considering bills, including LD148, which creates an ongoing absentee voting list. You can watch on youtube and/or sign up here to submit testimony.
Take Action #3: Check out this piece published to the New Yorker on what calling congress can achieve. It’s said to be the most effective way to petition the government, but does it really make a difference?
Event at noon: We're hosting a conversation with Maine's new Secretary of State, Shenna Bellows. You can watch a recording of this event here.
Tuesday, February 9: Federal Day
Take Action #1: It's time to pass the once-in-a-generation democracy reform package. It's time to pass H.R. 1, or For the People Act. Learn more about this crucial legislation here. Then, contact Representative Chellie Pingree, Representative Jared Golden, Senator Angus King, and Senator Susan Collins and urge them to support H.R. 1.
Take Action #2: Check out this piece published to the Atlantic, The Capitol Riot Was an Attack on Multiracial Democracy. Written by Adam Serwer, it examines the attack on the Capitol, the newness of multiracial democracy, and what the Founding Fathers intended.
Take Action #3: Also check out this piece written recently for the Portland Press Herald: Will Maine’s senators let my mom vote? Mainers can help bring democracy to our nation’s capital at long last. We must encourage Sens. King and Collins to sign on as co-sponsors of the D.C. Statehood bill.
Event at noon: Discussion with the D.C. League of Women Voters about their campaign for statehood and how Mainers can help. Missed the show? You can watch a recording of this event here.
Wednesday, February 10: State Advocacy Day
Take Action #1: What are you passionate about? Do you want to pass the National Popular Vote bill? Our Corporate Contributions Ban? Or how about Online Voter Registration? We'll provide sample messaging so that you can contact your Representative about one (or all!) of these critical issues. Go to our Take Action page, select the issue you care about, and use the links or forms provided to contact your lawmakers.
Take Action #2: Sign up for the League's Book Group! This Presidents' Day, join us in reading Let the People Pick the President: The Case for Abolishing the Electoral College by Jesse Wegman. Check out all the upcoming sessions here.
Take Action #3: Watch the Veterans & Legal Affairs Committee at 10 AM. The legislative committee is considering bills, including LD202, a constitutional amendment to expand Ranked Choice Voting. You can watch on youtube and/or sign up here to submit testimony.
Event at 6 PM: Tonight we'll host our third session of our 5-part Advocacy in the Maine Legislature series. We'll talk about how to track the issues you care about. That includes how to find legislative history, understand roll call votes, see sponsors, and understand how your legislator is voting. Register below and check out the full lineup here. Missed the show? You can watch a recording of this session here.
Thursday, February 11: Throwback Thursday
Take Action #1: Research the history of something that you're passionate about.
Take Action #2: Watch Ann Luther's presentation about the suffrage movement or Anne Gass's presentation called Voting Down the Rose.
Take Action #3: Dr. Kate McMahon shares the story of Sarah and Amos Peters who came to Warren, Maine in the early 1780s and established a large community of African American, Native American, and mixed-race people. Their story of hardships and triumphs can help us understand how early Mainers of color lived, worked, and formed communities that were sites of resistance to enslavement and racism.
Event at 6 PM: Much of the past year has felt like doom and gloom, but we still survived it! We still have so much to look forward to this coming year, and we keep busy with our advocacy and volunteer work. So let's take a break, come together, and do something that doesn't require as much brain power. Drop in anytime during this crafting hour to say hello to your fellow League members, catch up, and chat about anything and everything. Choose any kind of craft that you would like to work on! Missed the show? You can watch the recording here.
Friday, February 12: Local Day
Take Action #1: Look up the agenda from your most recent city/town council or select board meeting.
Take Action #2: Check out Maine Municipal Association's guide to town meetings.
Take Action #3: What do you know about Maine towns and local government? Test your skills and take our quiz.
Event at 6 PM: The Green New Deal was a package of ordinance referenda reforms that passed last November. This conversation on the Green New Deal will focus on housing, which includes new requirements for developing properties in Portland to meet new standards. That includes solar panels, minimum affordable units, and increase in labor pay for construction workers and installations. Joining this webinar will be Ethan Strimling, former mayor of Portland who helped put this referenda on the ballot, and Tim Wells, a developer in Portland.
Saturday, February 13: Generations of Change
Take Action #1: Ask someone of a different generation what they think about something you care about.
Take Action #2: Watch Noah Tesfaye's TEDx talk on restoring youth civic engagement.
Take Action #3: Check out this piece on the benefits of intergenerational organizing.
Event at Noon: Our Youth Council is hosting an intentional conversation between their own members and our not-so-young League members. Featuring a guest speaker who is championing an effort to lower the voting age in Maine to 16, the participants will model thoughtful conversation about an issue that could affect them differently. This will be a fishbowl conversation - a chance to watch, listen, and learn from intergenerational activists.
Sunday, February 14: Launching our Second Century
Take Action #1: It's our 101th birthday. We're launching our second century, and we want you to celebrate with us!
Take Action #2: Save the date for the League's upcoming Convention on Saturday, May 15, 2021.