League of Women Voters of Montgomery County, MD
The LWV encourages informed and active participation in government to increase understanding of major public policy issues and to influence public policy through education and advocacy.
DISCUSSION GROUPS: Discussion Groups have started up - They run from September to May. For more information about the topic of the month, click here.
TRENDING TOPICS: Eliminating Institutional Bias: How New Montgomery County Public School Data and Inclusive Thinking Could Help. Join us for this important webinar on November 22, 2021, at 7:00 p.m. For more information click here. To register, click here."
REDISTRICTING MARYLAND! REDISTRICTING MONTGOMERY COUNTY!
The Time to Make Your Voice Heard is NOW.
Follow the proposals for Maryland Redistricting:
Maryland Citizen Redistricting Commission
The Commission has completed three rounds of virtual public meetings. Final draft Congressional, state Senate and Legislative maps drawn by the Citizens Commission can be found here. The final meeting of the Commission was held on November 3, during which they finalized votes on the final proposed draft maps.
Blog: Two Non-Partisan Groups Evaluate Maps Released by the Maryland Citizens' Redistricting Commission
Legislative Redistricting Advisory Commission
Beginning in August, the Legislative Redistricting Advisory Commission has been holding public hearings. Information regarding the hearings is posted on the Commission's webpage under the “Meetings” tab and on the General Assembly’s hearing schedule. Next hearing:
Follow the proposal for Montgomery County Redistricting:
Montgomery County Commission on Redistricting
The final meeting of the Commission on Redistricting took place on Nov 3. At their previous Commission on Redistricting meeting the Commission voted on the final redistricting map to be transmitted to the County Council. During this last session, the Commission met to approve the report which describes the Commission’s recommendations and plan (map) for redistricting. The report, including the map, will be transmitted by the Commission to the County Council at the end of the meeting. The next step will be for the County Council to approve the recommendations.
Stay Connected through LWVMD’s People Powered Campaign for #FairMaps
2022 CALENDARS ARE ON SALE NOW! Order yours today from our online store or click here for more information, including local stores selling them.
ICYMI- FALL LUNCH AND LEARN -Did you miss our October Trending Topics LWVMC to discuss the economic impact of COVID-19 on women in Montgomery County. Watch the recording on our YouTube channel. Be sure to Like, Comment and Share while you are there!
ICYMI- TRENDING TOPICS: DO YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT REDISTRICTING IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY? Did you miss our September Trending Topics "Redistricting in Montgomery County: Who’s Drawing the Lines"? Watch the recording on our YouTube channel. Be sure to Like, Comment and Share while you are there!
-
-
Voting in MoCo
BECOME A VOTER REGISTRATION VOLUNTEER
Projections are that in-person voter registrations will resume in the fall. Contact [email protected] to be an LWVMC volunteer registrant.
- General voter registration info for MD
- Next elections
- Candidate filing deadlines are February 22, 2022
- Offices on the ballot
DID YOU KNOW? As determined by a manual audit of 21 of 24 MD jurisdictions, the 2020 MD statewide vote discrepancy was 0.00013%.
Some GOOD NEWS for 2021
Montgomery County begins 2021 with two ambitious plans for creating a better county—plans that we as League members are studying and will observe in their implementation.
2021 will also see the completion of the MoCo 50 year general plan: Thrive Montgomery 2050.
- See the draft Climate Action Plan just released for public review. The plan moves the County to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 100% by 2035 and has a significant impact on residents’ daily life in the process.
- The Racial Equity & Social Justice Act creates a racial equity lens for evaluating how county bills and department actions are intentionally designed to guarantee equity and justice for all. The League’s Observer Corps and resource committees will follow the implementation of the RESJ Act.
Get involved: 2021-22
NEW STUDIES CONVENING: JOIN NOW
LWVMC 2021 Annual Meeting attendees voted to support new studies. Committees are forming; join now! Email [email protected].
New studies
• Get Out the Vote—what works and what doesn’t to increase voter turnout
• Plastics—what’s the status of plastic recycling in MoCo
• Police Services—the many dimensions of law enforcement in MoCo
Continuing studies
• Protecting agriculture in the MoCo Agricultural Reserve
• Workforce development in MoCo-employment needs and training
• Aging in MoCo-what issues impact all stages of aging and are local services adequate
• Local Revenue-what are MoCo’s existing and potential revenue sources
News from LWVUS
PRIORITY ACTION ISSUES IN 2021-2022
- Push Congress to pass For the People Act (H.R.1; S.1) and John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
- Promote the League’s national redistricting program: People Powered Fair Maps
- Encourage millions of women to get involved in all kinds of civic activities
- Expand the nearly 800 state and local Leagues
- Fight Voter Suppression
KUDOS FOR 2020 ACTIONS
- Protected more than 23 million voters in election-related litigation
- Combatted mis- and disinformation with facts
- Vote411, LWV’S nonpartisan election information site, accessed by over 6 million voters
