LWV-EMCO - League of Women Voters of East Multnomah County, Oregon

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS of EAST MULTNOMAH COUNTY
PO Box 122, Gresham, Oregon 97030, 503-665-4649 LWV-EMCO@hevanet.com

National League of Women Voters

June 13-17, 2008, at the Hilton, Portland, OR

48th National Convention of the LWVUS

All League members are invited and may participate fully in the Convention, except for voting privileges. Voting privileges reside with delegates representative of local leagues, with the number of delegates determined by the membership size of any local league.

The first plenary session startes on Saturday June 14 at 1:00 p.m. Other plenary sessions are held on Sunday through Tuesday, June 15 to 17, with adjournment probable at 12 noon on the 17th.

Phone : 202-263-1321 Fax: 202-429-4343 or 202-429-0854

Online Registration through May 30 available at www.lwv.org/convention After May 30, registration must be made on site.

Registration Fee (includes banquet) $295.00

Student Registration Fee (all sessions) $100.00

One-Day Registration Fee $125.00

Late Regiostration Fee (after May 23) $50.00

The public is welcome at all meetings. Unit meetings are discussion sessions on the topic presented at the Public Information Meeting. Discussion questions are provided for unit meetings.See the Newsletter for the Schedule of Meetings. Following adequate information and discussion, consensus may result in official LWV-EMCO action on the topic.

LWV ALERTS VOTERS ON SIGNING PETITIONS

"THINK BEFORE YOU INK"

The League of Women Voters of Oregon is encouraging its members and the public to be cautious during this period of circulation of initiative petitions.

Voters will be asked to sign a variety of initiative petitions "just to get it on the ballot so people can vote on it." The League is telling voters, “Your signature is valuable, more valuable than your vote, considering that far fewer signatures are required to qualify a petition for the ballot than votes to pass it on the ballot. Only sign an initiative petition that you believe belongs on the ballot.”

LWVOR lists six questions voters can ask themselves to help them determine whether or not to sign an initiative petition:

Is it complex? Some issues can be decided by a simple yes or no vote. Complex issues may need to be thoroughly examined and debated in a legislative arena.
Is it confusing? Some initiatives are not well written or contain conflicts that may require court resolution or interpretation.
Does it belong in the Constitution? If an initiative amends the Constitution, consider whether it really belongs there. Is it a fundamental law that should be protected from change? Correcting a constitutional amendment later would also require amending the Constitution, is cumbersome and costly, and requires another vote of the people.
How will it be funded? Is it an "unfunded mandate" that would require the Legislature to take funds from other essential programs? Consider the effect on the overall flexibility of a government budget with already limited revenue. An initiative should generally create its own revenue source, and not earmark, restrict, or obligate a specific percentage of the General Fund revenues.
Who is behind it? You can find out who are the real sponsors and opponents of a petition. Contribution and expenditure reports are available through the Election Division at 503-986-1518 and are also online in ORESTAR at http://www.sos.state.or.us/elections/.
Before you sign, ask to see identification of the signature gatherer. Paid signature gatherers are now required to carry and display a picture ID issued by the Secretary of State. Numerous instances of fraud have occurred that could have been avoided by insisting on seeing identification. And if a case of fraud is found, you will have information that could assist authorities.

The League of Women Voters of Oregon is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government. More information can be found on its web site, www.lwvor.org.

Join LWV-EMCO
About LWV-EMCO and The Review
What is the League of Women Voters?
National Organization of the League of Women Voters
League of Women Voters of Oregon

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages citizens to play an informed and active role in government. At the local, state and national levels, the League works to influence public policy through education and advocacy. Any person of voting age, male or female, may become a League Member. The purpose of the League of Women Voters of East Multnomah County is to promote political responsibility through informed and active participation of citizens in government and to act on selected governmental issues.

The Imaginary Press