Past Events

Please join the League of Women Voters of the Portland Area as we host a panel of experts to speak on the challenges that county government confronts as it works with town and city leadership. Learn about the various concerns that Cumberland County and the municipalities within the county share and the ways in which they collaborate on issues such as air quality, housing, human services, and transportation. Panelists include:

• Bill Whitten, Cumberland County Assistant Manager
• Neal Allen, Executive Director of the Greater Portland Council of Governments
• Moderated by Pamela Plumb, Vice Chair of the Cumberland County Advisory Committee and former Portland City Councilor and Mayor.

   

Join us for a book group discussion of Michael Pollan's award-winning 2006 nonfiction book, The Omnivore's Dilemma. Pollan follows each of the food chains that sustain us; industrial food, organic food, and food we forage ourselves; from the source to a final meal, and in the process writes a critique of the American way of eating.

Please join us, and bring a friend. Light refreshments will be served. Call 667-5863 to RSVP.

It's been a year now. How are the newly established Charter Schools doing? What have we learned thus far? Can we anticipate any changes to the legislation and the rules governing Maine's Charter Schools?

The League of Women Voters of the Portland Area will host a panel of experts to speak on these issues and more. Invited panelists include:

• Dr. Glenn Cummings, President and Executive Director of the Maine Academy of Natural Sciences
• Senator Rebecca Millett, Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs of the Maine Legislature
• Dr. Richard Barnes, Former Vice Chair of the Maine Charter School Commission

Blueberries have been an important part of the Maine economy for generations, but it's not like it used to be, and more big changes are coming.

Join the League of Women Voters-Downeast to talk with the experts on the past, present, and future of the "wild" blueberry industry in Maine, so vital to Hancock County.

We'll be joined by David Bell, Executive Director of the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine; Tom Taylor Lash, an organic blueberry grower and harvester, who is on the board of the Maine Farm Bureau; and Todd Merrill, president of Merrill Farms.

LWVME President, Barbara McDade, will appear on MPBN's Maine Calling at noon on Tuesday, October 29, talking about voter participation. She will be joined by Amy Fried of UMaine and Josh Reisert of Colby College.

Please plan to listen in and, if you're so motivated, call into the program with a question or comment for Barbara! 1-800-399-3566

Join the League of Women Voters for Part 2 of this timely discussion. Panelists will address two questions: why is there an increase in the number of unenrolled or independent voters —to the point that “unenrolled” voters now outnumber members of any political party both in Maine and in the United States; and why does a person run as an independent candidate and what does that mean both in running a campaign and then serving in a governing body. This time our panelists will speak from the perspective of the recognized political parties in Maine:

• Ben Grant, Chair of the Maine Democratic Party
• Jason Savage, Executive Director of the Maine Republican Party
• Betsy Garrold of the Maine Green Independent Party.

The Sacopee Valley Forum, a local discussion group, will host an event focusing on the Maine Clean Election Act and the influence of money in our elections. Participants include the ACLU of Maine, Maine Citizens for Clean Elections, the League of Women Voters, and the Maine Heritage Center.

Betting The Farm is the story of a group of Maine dairy farmers who--dropped by their national milk company--are suddenly confronted with the real possibility of losing their farms. Banding together, the farmers launch their own milk company. Farmers Vaughn Chase, Richard Lary, and Aaron Bell--along with their families--struggle to make ends meet as they get the company off the ground. But faced with slow sales and mounting bills, can the farmers hang together long enough for the gamble to pay off? Or will they be left worse off than before?

Maine People's Alliance and Maine Conservation Voters invite you to a special screening of the groundbreaking new documentary Citizen Koch, from Academy Award-nominated filmmakers Carl Deal and Tia Lessin.

The film uses the backdrop of the recall efforts in Wisconsin in 2012 to help expose the influence wealthy individuals and corporate interests have in our political process.

A Q&A discussion and reception will follow. Panelists include film director Tia Lessin, Amy Halsted of MPA, and Maureen Drouin of MCV. The panel will be moderated by Barbara Kaufman of the League of Women Voters.

Tickets are free but space is limited, so RSVP today!

The controversy is playing out right on the streets of Portland between anti-abortion protesters and Planned Parenthood. What are the Constitutional rights at stake for us all? The Portland Area League of Women Voters hosts a panel of experts regarding the conflicting rights at stake under our Constitution. Panel includes: Ed Suslovic, Chair of the City Council's Public Safety, Heath and Human Services; Mike Fink, Owner of the Guitar Grave; and John Branson, Attorney, who has expertise in first amendment rights.

The League of Women Voters of the U.S. has embarked on a study to update our 1986 position on agriculture. The League of Women Voters Downeast is participating in this effort. For our meeting on October 9th, some of us will be preparing reports on selective readings. Here's the list.

We hope you will pick one of these articles to read and share. Join us and bring a friend!

A noon library talk by Nicholas Carnes of Duke University. His research is on the class backgrounds of members of Congress and the ways the scarcity of member of Congress with working class backgrounds affects public policy. This talk is sponsored by The Maine Scholars Strategy Network and co-sponsored by the Bangor Public Library, the Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine, and the League of Women Voters of Maine

Join the League of Women Voters for this timely discussion. Panelists will address two questions: why is there an increase in the number of unenrolled or independent voters —to the point that “unenrolled” voters now outnumber members of any political party both in Maine and in the United States; and why does a person run as an independent candidate and what does that mean both in running a campaign and then serving in a governing body. Panelists:

• Jacki Salit, President, IndependentVoters.org
• Toby McGrath – Sen King’s Deputy Chief of Staff
• Jill Goldthwait – Four time Independent State Senator from Bar Harbor
• Eliot Cutler – Independent Candidate for Governor
• Ben Sprague – Independent Bangor City Councilor

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Join the League of Women Voters-Downeast for a free public screening of the award-winning documentary film, Betting The Farm. Light refreshments will be served, and a panel discussion will follow featuring dairy farmers Aaron Bell and Carly Delsignore and MOO Milk CEO Bill Eldridge. Read more.

Sponsored by League of Women Voters of Downeast Maine with co-sponsors WERU-FM Community Radio, Ellsworth Farmers Market, Everybody Eats, UUCE Peace and Social Action, Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine, Sustainable Harvest, Hancock County Transition Towns, Downtown Ellsworth Association, Alliance for Democracy, Hancock County AAUW, and Peninsula Peace & Justice.

A panel of expert public advocates will present proposals for expanding and strengthening voting rights, the options for majority elections, and efforts for amending and financing Clean Elections.

The panelists include Ann Luther of the League of Women Voters, Shenna Bellows of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine, and Andrew Bossie of Maine Citizens for Clean Elections. Barbara Kaufman from the League of Women Voters will moderate.

This event is sponsored by the Coastal Senior College and the League of Women Voters of Maine.

Our guest will be Tim McCormick of Ellsworth, a bee enthusiast who tends a number of hives here in Hancock County. He is actively involved with a number of local beekeeper organizations, and he will talk about general beekeeping, the current plight of bees, and how it affects the agriculture and the environment.

Join us -- and bring a friend -- for the first of in a series on agriculture technology and finance, part of a national League study to shape our federal policy position.

Register now for the League's biennial Convention 2013. It's sure to be the best yet! We'll reconnect with our heritage and look for ways to drive that energy into our future.

We'll hear from four fantasitic speakers. On Friday night: Posie Cowan and the Women's Suffrage Movement of the Early 1900s. On Saturday: Amy Fried, political science professor at the University of Maine and columnist for the Bangor Daily News; BJ McCollister, Program Director for Maine Citizens for Clean Elections; and Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap will address today's voting issues including money in elections, recent efforts to limit voting and allowing early voting and what that could mean.

Join us to take stock of what we've accomplished and look forward to what more we can do. We'll be there to elect a dynamic new board and plan out program for the coming two years. Read more about it and register today.

Join the League of Women Voters-Portland Area for a panel of three experts: Kyle Molton, from Representative Chellie Pingree's office; Nisha Swinton, of Food and Water Watch; and Valerie Kelly, a member of the League of Women Voters national Agriculture Study Committee.

Hot topic issues include genetic modification, seed patenting, food labeling, big agriculture monopolization, farm subsidies, fracking, and the sustainability of food systems. Discuss this and more with our panel of experts. This event is free and open to the public.

Register now for the League's seventh annual Quad States Leadership Development Conference! State League leaders from ME, NH, RI and VT have been developing an agenda for this year that is sure to be the best yet.

We will gather once again at the Hampton Inn in Wells, ME. Using the new LWVUS Agriculture Study as a case study, workshops will combine traditional skill-building with training in best practices from the LWVUS Membership and Leadership Development (MLD) program.

Join us as we watch the 30-minute documentary, "Seeds of Freedom," following that with a lively discussion on the issues surrounding agriculture. Topics of discussion will include genetic modification, seed patenting, farm subsidies, and food sustainability, to name just a few.

Sponsored by the Portland Area League of Women Voters.

Hear about the ideas behind the creation of the recent Portland City Charter Commission, the issues they confronted, and their final report and recommendations. An elected Mayor for the first time in 84 years and the Instant Runoff Election were best known outcomes from this commission. Were there differences of opinion? Should other offices be elected in this way? How is it working out? What are the issues facing City Governments today?

Pam Plumb and Jim Cohen will be our speakers on these issues and more.

Join MPBN and the League of Women Voters for to screen and discuss this provocative new Alex Gibney documentary.

Join MPBN and the League of Women Voters for to screen and discuss this provocative new Alex Gibney documentary.

Join us for the public hearing on Early Voting before the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, February 20, State House Room 437. Stick around for a press conference beginning at 12:00 noon at the State House Welcome Center. Learn more here.

The LWVPA has invited Jana Lapoint, Chair of the Maine Charter School Commision, to speak and discuss with us the issues surrounding Charter Schools in the State of Maine. Mark your calendars and join us.

Connect with organization that work on the issues that matter to Maine women and families.

Learn about the Coalition for Maine Women's priorities for the 2013 legislative session.
Make your voice heard in the halls of the State House

Please wear RED, to so people will know you are part of Maine Women's Day!