FOREWARD
Impact on Issues is designed to help League leaders use LWVUS public policy positions effectively at the state and local levels.
In addition to the official statements of position for each program area, this guide brie y traces signi cant past actions and achievements and indicates links among positions. e LWVUS public policy positions “in brief” listed on pages - re ect the program adopted by the Convention of the League of Women Voters of the United States. is listing summarizes the official full statements of position, which are presented in bold type in the relevant sections of this guide.
Impact on Issues is an indispensable resource for League leaders. A clear understanding of LWVUS positions, how they interrelate and how they can complement and reinforce state, local and Inter-League Organization (ILO) positions will strengthen the League’s “Impact on Issues” at all levels of government.
In applying LWVUS positions to state, local and regional issues, it is the responsibility of the appropriate League board, depending on the level of action, to determine whether member understanding and agreement exists and whether the action makes sense in terms of timing, need and effectiveness. Please refer to “Legislative Action: Working Together to In uence Public Policy” starting on page for tools and procedures for an effective action partnership among the national, state and local levels of the League.
i SUMMARY OF PUBLIC POLICY POSITIONS League of Women Voters® of the United States
REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT Citizen Rights Promote an open governmental system that is representa- Citizen’s Right to Know/Citizen Participation - Protect tive, accountable and responsive (page ). the citizen’s right to know and facilitate citizen participa- tion in government decision-making (page ). Voting Rights Citizen’s Right to Vote - Protect the right of all citizens to Individual Liberties - Oppose major threats to basic con- vote; encourage all citizens to vote (page ). stitutional rights (page ).
DC Self-Government and Full Voting Representation - Constitutional Amendment Proposals - In addition to Secure for the citizens of the District of Columbia the rights League positions, consideration should be given to whether of self-government and full voting representation in both a proposal addresses matters of abiding importance, makes houses of Congress (page ). our political system more democratic or protects individual rights, could be achieved by less difficult legislative or po- Election Process litical approaches, and is more suited to a constitutional and general approach than to a statutory and detailed ap- Apportionment - Support apportionment of congressional proach (page ). districts and elected legislative bodies at all levels of govern- ment based substantially on population (page ). Constitutional Conventions - Concerned that there are many unresolved questions about a Constitutional Con- Redistricting - Support redistricting processes and enforce- vention. Certain conditions must be in place: limited to a able standards that promote fair and effective representa- single speci c topic, full transparency, delegates selected by tion at all levels of government with maximum opportunity population, and voting by delegates not by state (page ). for public participation (page ).
Public Policy on Reproductive Choices - Protect the con- Money in Politics - Campaign nance regulation should stitutional right of privacy of the individual to make repro- enhance political equality for all citizens, ensure transpar- ductive choices (page ). ency, protect representative democracy from distortion by big money, and combat corruption and undue in uence in Congress and the Presidency government. e League believes that campaign spending must be restricted but not banned. e League supports Congress - Support responsive legislative processes charac- public nancing, full disclosure, abolishing SuperPACs and terized by accountability, representativeness, decision mak- creating an effective enforcement agency (page ). ing capability and effective performance (page ).
Selection of the President - Promote the election of the e Presidency - Promote a dynamic balance of power be- President and Vice-President by direct-popular-vote. Sup- tween the executive and legislative branches within the port uniform national voting quali cations and procedures framework set by the Constitution (page ). for presidential elections. Support efforts to provide voters with sufficient information about candidates (page ).
1 Privatization Resource Management Ensure transparency, accountability, positive community Promote resource conservation, stewardship and long- impact and preservation of the common good when con- range planning, with the responsibility for managing natu- sidering the transfer of governmental services, assets and/or ral resources shared by all levels of government (page ). functions to the private sector (page ). Environmental Protection and Pollution Control INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Preserve the physical, chemical and biological integrity of Promote peace in an interdependent world by working co- the ecosystem with maximum protection of public health operatively with other nations and strengthening interna- and the environment (page ). tional organizations (page ). Air Quality - Promote measures to reduce pollution from United Nations mobile and stationary sources (page ). Support a strong, effective United Nations to promote in- ternational peace and security and to address the social, Energy - Support environmentally sound policies that re- economic and humanitarian needs of all people (page ). duce energy growth rates, emphasize energy conservation and encourage the use of renewable resources (page ). Trade Support U.S. trade policies that reduce trade barriers, ex- Land Use - Promote policies that manage land as a nite pand international trade and advance the achievement of resource and that incorporate principles of stewardship humanitarian, environmental and social goals (page ). (page ).
U.S. Relations with Developing Countries Water Resources - Support measures to reduce pollution in Promote U.S. policies that meet long-term social and eco- order to protect surface water, groundwater and drinking nomic needs of developing countries (page ). water (page ).
Arms Control Waste Management - Promote policies that reduce the gen- Reduce the risk of war through support of arms control eration and promote the reuse and recycling of solid and measures (page ). hazardous wastes (page ).
Military Policy and Defense Spending Nuclear Issues - Promote the maximum protection of pub- Work to limit reliance on military force. Examine defense lic health and safety and the environment (page ). spending in the context of total national needs (page ). Public Participation Promote public understanding and participation in deci- NATURAL RESOURCES sion making as essential elements of responsible and re- Promote an environment bene cial to life through the pro- sponsive management of our natural resources (page ). tection and wise management of natural resources in the public interest (page ). Agriculture Policy Promote adequate supplies of food and ber at reasonable Natural Resources prices to consumers and support economically viable farms, Promote the management of natural resources as interre- environmentally sound farm practices and increased reli- lated parts of life-supporting ecosystems (page ). ance on the free market (page ).
2 Federal Agriculture Policies - Provide nancial support to Health Care subsidize agriculture in speci c instances, enforce federal Promote a health care system for the United States that pro- antitrust laws to ensure competitive agricultural markets vides access to a basic level of quality care for all U.S. resi- and apply clean air and water regulations to all animal and dents, including behavioral health, and controls health care aquaculture production. e federal government should costs (page ). fund basic agricultural research to provide adequate safety of our food supply (page ). Immigration Promote reuni cation of immediate families; meet the eco- nomic, business and employment needs of the United SOCIAL POLICY States; be responsive to those facing political persecution or Secure equal rights and equal opportunity for all. Promote humanitarian crises; and provide for student visas. Ensure social and economic justice and the health and safety of all fair treatment under the law for all persons. In transition to Americans (page ). a reformed system, support provisions for unauthorized im- migrants already in the country to earn legal status (page Equality of Opportunity ). Education, Employment and Housing - Support equal ac- Meeting Basic Human Needs cess to education, employment and housing (page ). Support programs and policies to prevent or reduce poverty and to promote self-sufficiency for individuals and families Equal Rights - Support rati cation of the Equal Rights (page ). Amendment and efforts to bring laws into compliance with the goals of the ERA (page ). Income Assistance - Support income assistance programs, based on need, that provide decent, adequate standards for Federal Role in Public Education food, clothing and shelter (page ). Support federal policies that provide an equitable, quality public education for all children pre-K through grade Support Services - Provide essential support services (page (page ). ). Fiscal Policy Housing Supply - Support policies to provide a decent Tax Policy - Support adequate and exible funding of fed- home and a suitable living environment for every American eral government programs through an equitable tax system family (page ). that is progressive overall and that relies primarily on a broad-based income tax (page ). Child Care Support programs and policies to expand the supply of af- Federal Deficit - Promote responsible de cit policies (page fordable, quality child care for all who need it (page ). ). Early Intervention for Children at Risk Funding of Entitlements - Support a federal role in provid- Support policies and programs that promote the well-being, ing mandatory, universal, old-age, survivors, disability and development and safety of all children (page ). health insurance (page ). Violence Prevention Support violence prevention programs in communities (page ).
3 Gun Control Protect the health and safety of citizens through limiting the accessibility and regulating the ownership of handguns and semi-automatic weapons. Support regulation of re- arms for consumer safety (page ).
Urban Policy Promote the economic health of cities and improve the quality of urban life (page ).
Death Penalty e LWVUS supports abolition of the death penalty (page ).
Sentencing Policy e LWVUS believes alternatives to imprisonment should be explored and utilized, taking into consideration the cir- cumstances and nature of the crime. e LWVUS opposes mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses (page ).
Human Trafficking Oppose all forms of domestic and international human trafficking of adults and children, including sex trafficking and labor trafficking (page ).
PRINCIPLES Whatever the issue, the League believes that efficient and economical government requires competent personnel, the clear assignment of responsibilities, adequate nancing, co- ordination among levels of government, effective enforce- ment and well de ned channels for citizen input and review (page ).
4 LEGISLATIVE ACTION Working Together to Influence Public Policy
Effective congressional lobbying on national legislative is- Lobbying in Washington is vitally important, but direct sues depends on a partnership at all League levels—lobby- lobbying of MCs by constituents often is the key to per- ing in Washington and constituent lobbying at home. e suading them to vote the League position. e arguments Advocacy Department leads the organization’s federal lob- that League leaders and members make to their representa- bying work and provides information to state and local tives or senators can make the difference in how they vote. Leagues about advocacy priorities. MCs return to their states or districts regularly during con- gressional recesses. is is a good time to schedule meetings is department, working at the direction of the LWVUS with them or to talk with them at public events. Please in- Board, is responsible for developing and implementing form your state League and the LWVUS Advocacy Depart- strategies for lobbying on national issues and advancing ment of your lobbying efforts, along with any important LWVUS program priorities. In Washington, the LWVUS information uncovered during your lobby visit or call (re- president testi es on Capitol Hill and, with members of the ports may be sent to [email protected]). Board, lobbies members of Congress (MCs) through phone calls and office visits. Day-to-day lobbying of MCs, staff e LWVUS Grassroots Lobby Corps provides another members and committees is carried out by the LWV’s pro- good way for Leagues to keep in contact with their mem- fessional staff lobbyists. bers of Congress. is online network of activists gets the League message to Congress in a highly effective way. Mem- e LWVUS volunteer Lobby Corps (LC) of some bers of the network receive email action alerts from the Washington-area League members lobbies each month LWVUS and then respond by sending quick, targeted, and when Congress is in session. Each Lobby Corps member is sometimes last-minute, messages to members of Congress assigned speci c state congressional delegations. Contact on priority issues before key votes. League members are au- the LC chair through the national office for the name of the tomatically enrolled in the Grassroots Lobby Corps. LC member assigned to your delegation. e LWVUS grassroots lobbyists act as liaison between While it is the job of the LWVUS Board to take the lead in LWV lobbyists on Capitol Hill and local and state Leagues. national action and to keep League action synchronized e grassroots lobbyists work with LWV leaders and activ- with the U.S. Congress, national legislation is every ists in targeted states and congressional districts to help de- League’s and every member’s business. Each state and local velop and implement grassroots lobbying strategies. Call League president is expected to take whatever official action the LWVUS if you want to talk about lobbying strategies is requested in response to a national Action Alert. or have questions about LWVUS issues, and call if you would like written materials or want to schedule training Encourage your members and Board members to contact on grassroots strategies or on getting press coverage. their legislators on key League national issues because their action greatly enhances the League’s clout. It is important e LWVUS may call League presidents before critical to remember, though, that only a League spokesperson, votes in Congress or when in-depth and ongoing grassroots usually the president, speaks in the name of the League. lobbying is needed from your area. LWV presidents also Leagues and League members should only lobby their own will receive sample op-ed pieces and letters to the editor on legislators. Individual members can take action on their issues on which we are actively lobbying. own behalf.
5 League communications on priority legislative issues in- e LWVUS Board regularly reviews the legislative priori- clude: ties and is prepared to make adjustments should new op- portunities for effective action emerge. In even numbered Action Alerts - Members of the Grassroots Lobby Corps years, the LWVUS reviews its current program and posi- and local and state League presidents receive alerts by email tions through the program planning process. Convention at critical times in the legislative process. An alert not only delegates then vote on program content for the next bien- asks Leagues and League members to take action on a key nium. issue, but also provides substantive and political back- ground information. A quick and easy system for sending e LWVUS Bylaws provide that Leagues may act on na- an email directly to MCs also is provided. tional program only in conformity with positions taken by the LWVUS. State Leagues are responsible for determining Each state and local League is expected to take whatever action policies and strategies on state issues and ensuring official action is requested in response to a national Action that the League’s message is consistent throughout the state. Alert. A League Board may choose not to respond to a par- e LWVUS is responsible for a consistent national mes- ticular call to action, but may not take action in opposition sage. is helps ensure that the League speaks with one to a position articulated by the LWVUS on federal or na- voice and is essential for our effectiveness as an advocacy tional issues, or by the state League on state issues. Individ- organization. ual League members of course are always free to take action on whatever they choose as long as they do so in their own Requests from State/Local Leagues for Permission to Act name and leave no impression that they speak for the at the Federal Level - All action at the federal level must be League. authorized by the LWVUS board. is includes any effort aimed at in uencing a decision on a federal issue, such as Legislative Action Center on the Web - Current Action communicating with an elected or appointed official, join- Alerts, Legislative Updates and other advocacy tools are ing a coalition, taking part in a press conference or rally, or posted on the LWVUS website at www.lwv.org. writing a letter-to-the-editor. A state or local League wish- ing to work in this way on a federal issue or at the national e LWVUS Board annually adopts a set of advocacy pri- level must consult with the LWVUS about the intended ac- orities to guide its advocacy work in Congress. e goals tion. are: As part of this consultation process, the state/local League Enhance the League's effectiveness by concentrating is asked to provide the following information in writing: resources on priority issues Build the League's credibility and visibility by project- e proposed action and the message to be conveyed ing a focused and consistent image e LWVUS position on which the action is based Ensure that the League has sufficient issue and political Evidence that the issue is a priority for that state or lo- expertise to act knowledgeably cal League. Enable the League to manage resources effectively. Leagues are asked to provide this information on the Fed- In setting legislative priorities, the Board considers the fol- eral Action Request Form, which can be found on the lowing: LWVUS League Management Site forum.lwv.org.
Opportunities for the League to make an impact If a local League is requesting permission to contact its U.S. Program decisions made at Convention or Council Senator(s) on an issue that has not been the subject of an Member interest LWVUS Action Alert, it should also provide evidence that Resources available to manage effectively.
6 the action has been authorized by its state League. Appro- priate LWVUS Board and staff will review the action re- quest to determine that it is consistent with League posi- tions and that it will not interfere with LWVUS action on a priority issue.
7 REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT Promote an open governmental system that is representative, accountable and responsive.
Founded by the activists who secured voting rights for nance reform, diversity of representation, civic education women, the League has always worked to promote the val- and knowledge, and civic participation. e Conven- ues and processes of representative government. Protecting tion added “full congressional voting representation for the and enhancing voting rights for all Americans, assuring op- District of Columbia” to the campaign. State and local portunities for citizen participation, working for open, ac- Leagues measured the health of democracy in their com- countable, representative and responsive government at munities, reported the results and worked with other every level—all re ect the deeply held convictions of the groups to seek change. e LWVUS report “Charting the League of Women Voters. Health of American Democracy” took a nationwide meas- ure and made recommendations for change. In the s, the League worked courageously to protect fundamental citizen rights and individual liberties against In the s, this campaign continued. Convention the threats of the McCarthy era. In the s, attention decided to update the position on the Selection of the Pres- turned to securing “one person, one vote” through appor- ident, focusing not only on the electoral process but on the tionment of legislative districts based substantially on pop- other factors that affect the presidential race, e.g., money, ulation. In the s, members worked to reform the legis- parties and the media. e position was expanded and for- lative process and open it to citizen scrutiny, and to balance mally approved at Convention . congressional and presidential powers. e League also sought to reform the campaign nance system to reduce the In the second half of the s, the League supported leg- dominance of special interests, affirmed support for the di- islation to reform the lobbying process and to rebuild pub- rect election of the President and fought for full voting lic con dence in Congress. In , the House passed new rights in Congress for the citizens of the District of Colum- ethics procedures, including new ethics rules, disclosure re- bia. quirements for campaign contributions “bundled” by lob- byists, and a new ethics enforcement process. e League In the s and s, the League worked to break down also continued its work seeking full enforcement of the Na- the barriers to voting, rst through reauthorization of the tional Voter Registration Act. Voting Rights Act and then through a campaign for passage and implementation of the landmark National Voter Reg- In late and again in , the League and coalition istration Act. Campaign nance reform, with a focus on partners urged the Speaker to preserve and strengthen public nancing and on closing loopholes, again was a ma- House ethics rules and standards of conduct. jor activity at the federal and state levels, with the goal of enhancing the role of citizens in the election and legislative Campaign Finance in the s - e ve-year ght for processes. In the late s, the ght for DC voting rights campaign nance reform paid off in March when the was reinvigorated. President signed the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act into law. e League was instrumental in developing this legis- During that same period, the League worked to ensure the lation and pushing it to enactment, and remains vigilant in constitutional right of privacy of the individual to make re- ensuring the law is enforced and properly interpreted in the productive choices and opposed term limits for legislative Courts. offices. In the late s, the LWVUS was involved as a “friend of In the mid- to late s, the League launched its Making the court” in two pivotal U.S. Supreme Court cases: Caper- Democracy Work campaign, focusing on ve key indica- ton v. Massey and Citizens United v. FEC. In the latter case, tors of a healthy democracy: voter participation, campaign the League argued that corporate spending in elections
8 should not be equated with the First Amendment rights of Convention revised the League’s stand on voting sys- individual citizens. tems to assure that they would be secure, accurate, recount- able, accessible and transparent. In , the League reacted swiftly and strongly to the Su- preme Court’s adverse decision in the Citizens United case, Voter Protection in the s - In , the League which allowed unlimited “independent” corporate spend- launched its highly successful Public Advocacy for Voter ing in candidate elections. e League president testi ed Protection (PAVP) project and by the early s, the PAVP before the relevant House committee on the key steps that project had expanded to more than states as the League can be taken to respond, focusing on the importance of in- engaged in targeted state-based advocacy. e LWVUS col- cluding tighter disclosure requirements. e League con- laborates with state Leagues to enhance their public educa- tinues to urge passage of the DISCLOSE Act to ensure that tion and advocacy campaigns to ght barriers to voter par- corporate and union spending in elections is fully disclosed. ticipation and to ensure election laws and processes are ap- plied in a uniform and non-discriminatory manner. With the explosion of supposedly “independent” spending by outside groups in the years since Citizens United, the Since its inception, the PAVP project has helped to remove League is pushing for tougher rules on coordination, since or mitigate barriers to voting by underserved populations, much of the outside spending is not independent and in- and to advance the capacity of state Leagues to become even stead is coordinated with candidate campaigns. In addition, more effective advocates in ve focus areas identi ed by the the League continues to push for legislation to protect and League as essential to protecting the votes of all citizens and reinvigorate the presidential public nancing system and to improving election administration overall: institute congressional public nancing as well. e League also is working to reform the dysfunctional Federal Election Oppose photo ID and documentary proof of citizen- Commission (FEC), which has refused to enforce the law. ship Improve administration of statewide database systems Election Administration in the s - When the disputed Guard against undue restrictions on voter registration elections exposed the many problems facing our elec- Improve polling place management tion administration system, the League leaped into action. Improve poll worker training. Bringing our coalition allies together, the League worked to ensure that key reforms were part of the congressional de- League work includes advocating for compliance with ex- bate. In October , the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) isting laws and regulations, such as the National Voter Reg- was signed into law, authorizing funds for each state to im- istration Act of , and advocating for key reforms prove the operation of elections according to federal re- through education and advocacy, and litigation when nec- quirements. essary. League action has been directed toward legislators, state/local elections officials, other policy makers, the media e League continues to ght to ensure that the require- and concerned citizens, as appropriate. ments of HAVA are implemented in ways to assure voter access. In , the League created a public awareness cam- One of the most major threats tackled by Leagues through paign ings You Need to Know on Election Day, de- the PAVP project is onerous and restrictive voter photo ID signed to educate voters about the new requirements and requirements. As many as million Americans do not have the steps each voter could take to protect access. e cam- government issued photo identi cation, with minorities paign was highly successful, and has continued in subse- and low-income individuals disproportionately less likely quent election seasons with a particular emphasis on to have photo ID showing a current address. e League’s providing quality voting information to rst-time voters efforts to combat voter suppression require issue monitor- and traditionally underrepresented communities. ing and action by League advocates, often over multiple state legislative sessions, countless articles and opinion
9 pieces placed in national and regional media, and multiple overview of photo ID laws, overview of major court cases steps in the state and federal courts. League leaders and across the country, and a host of useful advocacy sugges- their partners have worked every step of the way to ensure tions and templates. that all eligible voters would have the opportunity to par- ticipate and have the tools necessary to overcome the con- e Ohio League received support in a challenge to rein- fusion that results from these drawn-out battles. state the “golden week” of early voting following the legis- lature’s action to cut it. In Georgia, a League-led coalition During -, the League’s efforts resulted in the defeat successfully stopped legislation that would have signi - of ve strict voter photo ID bills during state legislative ses- cantly reduced the early voting period. sions (CO, IA, ME, MO and NC), in successful court ac- tion to block restrictive ID laws from implementation in In early , the U.S. Supreme Court heard two important four more states (SC, TX, PA and WI) and in the success cases challenging the Voting Rights Act (VRA) and the Na- of the People’s Veto in ME in protecting same-day voter tional Voter Registration Act (NVRA), jeopardizing key registration. voting rights safeguards that have been in place for decades. e LWVUS submitted an amicus brief in each case, and On Election Day , Minnesota voters were the rst in the Arizona state League was a plaintiff in the NVRA chal- the country to soundly reject a proposed constitutional lenge. e League strongly supported the enforcement amendment that would have required government-issue mechanism in the VRA, and, in support of the NVRA, voter photo ID and eliminated Election Day Registration continued its opposition to a documentary proof-of-citi- in future elections. e League and its partners were instru- zenship requirement for voter registration. mental in securing this success for voters. During the - biennium, the LWVUS with state In the late summer and fall of , the League was also a Leagues successfully challenged purging rules in Florida leader in pushing back against illegal purging of voters from and sought to reverse a decision by the new Executive Di- voter registration lists in Colorado and Florida. Finally, rector of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to allow through additional court action, the League succeeded in documentary proof-of-citizenship requirements in Kansas, overturning onerous restrictions on limits to independent Georgia and Arizona, which, if allowed, could set a prece- voter registration in the state of Florida and quickly moved dent for other states to impose these restrictions. to ll the gap created by those restrictions. State Leagues in Kansas, North Carolina, Ohio and Wis- e years - brought renewed attempts to restrict consin were active participants and leaders in a variety of voting both nationally and in state legislatures. LWV staff lawsuits seeking to block voting restrictions in those states. assisted state League affiliates as they encountered voter suppression issues. Leagues were instrumental in advocat- ing against approximately strict voter photo ID bills dur- Preventing Election Day Barriers ing the - state legislative sessions. In the lead-up to Election Day , League volunteers LWVUS and state Leagues across the country undertook worked around the clock to protect the rights of voters. court action to block restrictive laws in Kansas, North Car- ey staffed English and Spanish language hotlines answer- olina, Ohio, South Carolina, Wisconsin and many other ing voters’ questions and troubleshooting for them. ey states, with several major victories prior to Election Day set up poll observing programs, worked as poll workers and . Multiple legal challenges are still ongoing. An up- reported challenges to the national Election Protection Co- dated “ID Toolkit” was distributed to ensure that a uni ed, alition. All of this was carried out with the goal of ensuring comprehensive and sustained message was disseminated by votes were successfully cast and counted. In states where re- Leagues across the country. e toolkit includes: national strictive photo ID laws had passed and were implemented,
10 the League actively sought out individuals who could have Redistricting to Convention , and it was adopted by difficulty getting the required ID for voting purposes to concurrence. provide assistance. Assistance included education about the requirements, transportation to DMVs, and help in obtain- Based on these new positions and the positions on Voting ing, and in some instances paying for underlying documen- Rights, the LWV launched a Campaign for Making De- tation (e.g. birth certi cates). As part of this effort LWV mocracy Work for the - biennium. Voter registra- printed tens of thousands of state-speci c voter education tion, education, mobilization and protection are key parts materials in the lead-up to Election Day . In alone, of this campaign, which extends to legislative reform at the the League’s work to protect and mobilize voters was fea- state and local levels as well as the national level. tured in more than , news stories.
Leagues also regularly met with elections officials to encour- age Election Day preparedness, poll worker training (espe- VOTING RIGHTS cially in states where changes had been made), and fair dis- tribution of resources so that all polling places are staffed and prepared for voters. Across the country hundreds of Citizen’s Right to Vote League volunteers staffed hotlines and worked as election observers to ensure voters’ rights were protected on Elec- e right of every citizen to vote has been a basic League tion Day itself. principle since its origin. Early on, many state Leagues adopted positions on election laws. But at the national level, When possible, Leagues also worked to improve voter reg- despite a long history of protecting voting rights, the istration database matching criteria, students’ right to vote League found itself in the midst of the civil rights struggle using their campus address, increasing the effectiveness of of the s without authority to take national legislative public assistance office voter registration, and fair and eq- action on behalf of the Voting Rights Act of . uitable implementation of early voting and vote centers. Since , LWVUS has promoted ve key proactive elec- Stung by the League’s powerlessness to take action on such tion reform priorities: a signi cant issue, the Convention adopted a bylaws amendment enabling the League to act “to protect the right Secure online voter registration to vote of every citizen” without the formality of adopting Permanent and portable statewide voter registration voting rights in the national program. is unusual deci- Expansion of early voting sion re ected member conviction that protecting the right Improvement of polling place management to vote is indivisibly part of the League’s basic purpose. Electronic streamlining of election processes. When the Convention amended the Bylaws to provide that all League Principles could serve as authority for action, the separate amendment on voting rights was no longer Key Structures of Democracy needed.
At the Convention, delegates voted an ambitious pro- e Convention’s adoption of Voting Rights as an in- gram to examine “ree Key Structures of Democracy”: re- tegral part of the national Program and the con rma- districting reform, amending the Constitution, and money tion of that decision underlined the already existing author- in politics. rough League studies, new positions were de- ity under the Principles for the League to act on this basic veloped on Money in Politics, Considerations for Evaluat- right. In May , the LWVUS Board made explicit the ing Constitutional Amendment Proposals, and Constitu- League’s position on Voting Rights, and the Conven- tional Conventions under Article V of the U.S. Constitu- tion added Voting Rights to the national Program. e tion. A League task force recommended a new position on Convention affirmed that a key element of protecting the
11 right to vote is encouraging participation in the political Increased accessibility to the electoral process is integral to process. e Convention affirmed that the LWVUS ensuring a representative electoral process and the right of should continue emphasis on protecting the right to vote every citizen to vote. e League’s grassroots campaign to by working to increase voter participation. secure national legislation to reform voter registration re- sulted in the House passage of the National Voter Reg- Leagues lobbied extensively for the amendments to istration Act (NVRA), “motor-voter,” but the bill did not the Voting Rights Act of . In , the League was part reach the Senate. of a successful coalition effort to extend the act and expand its coverage to language minorities. In , the League was In , the effort to pass national “motor-voter" legislation a leader in the ght to strengthen the act and extend its intensi ed, and the National Voter Registration Act of major provisions for years. In , the League success- was introduced in the Senate. Leading a national coalition, fully sought reauthorization of the language assistance pro- the League executed a high visibility, multifaceted, grass- vision for an additional years. In , the League spon- roots drive, resulting in passage by both houses in . But, sored a major public initiative to support the Fannie Lou the President vetoed the bill and the Senate failed to over- Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights ride. Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of . After months of action by Leagues across the country, the bill was In May , the years of concerted effort by the League passed and signed into law. and other organizations paid off when both houses passed and the President signed the National Voter Registration In response to threats to voting rights, the League has ac- Act. e President gave one of the signing pens to the tively pursued litigation and administrative advocacy. In LWVUS and saluted the League and other supporters as , the League led comments objecting to proposed reg- “ ghters for freedom” in the continuing effort to expand ulations that would weaken the administrative enforcement American democracy. e “motor-voter” bill enabled citi- provisions of Section of the Act. And with other amici zens to apply to register at motor vehicle agencies automat- curiae, the League successfully urged the U.S. Supreme ically, as well as by mail and at public and private agencies Court to adopt a strong interpretation of Section for chal- that service the public. lenges to minority vote dilution. League members quickly turned to ensuring effective im- From to , building on a pilot project to mon- plementation of the NVRA by states and key federal agen- itor compliance with the Voting Rights Act in states cov- cies. In early , the LWVEF sponsored a “Motor Voter ered by Section of the Act, the League of Women Voters Alert” conference of representatives from more than Education Fund (LWVEF) conducted projects to apply state Leagues, other grassroots activists, and representatives monitoring techniques in jurisdictions considering bailout of civil rights and disability groups. roughout , while from Section , to establish the League as a major source of the LWVUS successfully lobbied the President and the Jus- information on bailout and compliance issues. Since , tice Department for strong federal leadership, state Leagues the LWVEF worked with state and local Leagues to encour- kept the pressure on their legislatures to pass effective ena- age full participation in the census and to ensure that sub- bling legislation by the January deadline. On Septem- sequent reapportionment and redistrictings complied with ber , , the President issued an Executive Order re- one-person, one-vote requirements and the Voting Rights quiring affected federal agencies to cooperate to the greatest Act. extent possible with the states in implementing the law by providing funds, guidance and technical assistance to af- In and , the LWVUS worked against congres- fected state public assistance agencies and agencies serving sional “English-only” legislation that would have effectively the disabled. repealed the minority language provisions of the Voting Rights Act.
12 In and , state and local Leagues worked to ensure arguing that the program was not necessary, would not effective state enforcement of the NVRA, as the LWVUS work and would depress voter participation. lobbied against congressional amendments that would have weakened or undermined the new federal law. On related issues, the League has supported efforts to in- crease the accessibility of registration and voting for people A report on the rst-year impact of the NVRA indicated with disabilities in federal elections and undertaken major that million citizens registered to vote under required efforts to encourage citizens to participate in the electoral NVRA motor voter, agency-based and mail-in programs in process. Since , the LWVEF has been coordinating . State Leagues and other organizations joined the Jus- broad-based voter registration drives for general elections, tice Department in ling lawsuits against states that refused combining national publicity and outreach with grassroots to implement the NVRA. By summer , Illinois, Penn- activities by state and local Leagues, other groups and pub- sylvania, California, South Carolina, Virginia, Michigan lic officials. Since , the League has served on the na- and Kansas had lost Tenth Amendment states-rights argu- tional working committee that oversees National Voter ments against the NVRA in federal court. Registration Day, a major national initiative that has brought together thousands of partners to register hun- A noncompliance suit led by the state League against New dreds of thousands of voters each September. In , more Hampshire was dropped early in when Congress than Leagues from states participated in National passed a legislative rider exempting New Hampshire and Voter Registration Day and registered more than , in- Idaho from the NVRA by extending the law’s deadline for dividuals to vote, making the League the single largest on- state exemptions based on having election-day registration the-ground participant for the fth year in a row. programs. e LWVUS opposed the New Hampshire ex- emption. e League also has worked to change aspects of the cover- age and conduct of campaigns that may frustrate voter par- e LWVUS urged state elections officials and Congress to ticipation. From -, the LWVUS sought to pressure give the NVRA a chance to work before proposing changes. broadcasters not to air projections of election results before e League opposed a Senate NVRA “unfunded mandate” all the polls in a race have closed. In , the LWVEF con- amendment that would have blocked state compliance by vened a symposium of scholars, journalists, campaign con- requiring the federal government to pay for implementa- sultants and activists to examine the role of negative cam- tion. e League also opposed amendments that required paigning in the decline in voter participation and possible proof of citizenship to register to vote. All but the New grassroots remedies. Hampshire exemption were defeated or withdrawn. e symposium led to a comprehensive effort to return the As a complement, not a substitute, for the NVRA, the voter to the center of the election process. A campaign to League continues to support shortening the period between “Take Back the System” coordinated League activities to registration and voting or same-day voter registration. e make voter registration more accessible, provide voters with LWVUS has worked with state Leagues interested in pro- information about candidates and issues and restore voters’ moting such reforms. con dence and involvement in the electoral system. e program included LWVUS efforts on voter registration and Despite the fact that the NVRA helped more Americans campaign nance reform, an LWVEF presidential primary register to vote for the election than at any time since debate, a National Voter Registration Drive, voter registra- records have been kept, the LWVUS continued to ght tion efforts aimed at young citizens, a Campaign Watch pi- congressional attempts to cripple the law. For example, the lot project to help citizens deter unfair campaign practices League lobbied and testi ed against the Voter Eligibility and grassroots efforts to register, inform and involve voters. Veri cation Act, which sought to create a federal program to verify the citizenship of voter registrants and applicants,
13 In , the LWVEF launched a “Wired for Democracy” evision and “advertorials” in major magazines featuring ce- project, anticipating the potential of the Internet for lebrities and their friends talking about the importance of providing voter education and opening government to cit- voting. izens. In , the League focused its energies to getting voters to the polls. In , the League tested two online systems to make trustworthy, nonpartisan election information readily avail- Original research sponsored by the LWVEF found that vot- able to web users. e LWVEF chose the DemocracyNet ers and nonvoters differ in several key respects: nonvoters (DNet) as its nationwide online voter information platform are less likely to grasp the impact of elections on issues that and worked with state and local Leagues to expand the sys- matter to them, nonvoters are more likely to believe they tem to all states for the elections. By the elec- lack information on which to base their voting decisions, tion, DNet was the most comprehensive source of voter in- nonvoters are more likely to perceive the voting process as formation and one of the top online sites for unbiased elec- difficult and cumbersome, and nonvoters are less likely to tion information, offering full coverage of all federal elec- be contacted by organizations encouraging them to vote. tions as well as thousands of state and local candidates. VOTE replaced DNet in . In , nearly . mil- In , Leagues nationwide conducted targeted, grassroots lion users visited VOTE to nd the most up to date facts get-out-the-vote (GOTV) campaigns armed with this mes- to help them overcome confusion and have the information sage, “It’s about your children’s education, your taxes, your they need to cast a vote. Social Security, your Medicare and your safe streets. It’s about you and your family. Vote.” Focusing on racial and When the election exposed the many problems facing ethnic minorities and other underrepresented populations, the election system, the League began to work relentlessly Leagues worked in coalition with other organizations to ex- on election reform and bringing its importance to national pand their reach and let voters know they have a stake in attention. e LWVUS helped draft and pass the Help the system. Despite an overall downturn in voter participa- America Vote Act of (HAVA), working closely with a tion in , precincts targeted by the League’s effort civil rights coalition in developing amendments and lobby- posted increased voting rates. ing for key provisions.
In the elections, the LWVEF worked with state and e LWVUS took a leadership role in forming an election local Leagues on intensive GOTV campaigns in com- reform coalition to develop recommendations on HAVA munities, targeting underrepresented voters. Training high- implementation and testi ed before both houses, stressing lighted new ways to engage citizens to work in coalitions the importance of substantial new federal funding for elec- with diverse communities. e League also participated in tion reform efforts. e League used its special expertise to forming Youth Vote , a nonpartisan coalition of or- argue for improved voting systems and machines, provi- ganizations committed to encouraging greater participation sional balloting and other safeguards, and improvements in in the political process and promoting a better understand- voter registration systems and poll worker training and ad- ing of public policy issues among youth. ministration.
Also in , the League launched its “Take a Friend to e LWVEF worked to heighten public awareness about Vote” (TAFTV) campaign, based on research showing that election administration problems and to provide informa- nonvoters are most likely to vote if asked by a friend, family tional and action materials to state and local Leagues. In member, neighbor or someone else whom they respect. e , the LWVEF hosted three “Focus on the Voter” sym- TAFTV campaign featured toolkits with reminder post- posia and worked with Leagues to design and complete a cards and bumper stickers, a website, PSAs on Lifetime Tel- survey of election administration practices in local jurisdic- tions. Four hundred and sixty Leagues from states and the District of Columbia responded to the survey. A report
14 of the ndings was released at a post-election symposium aimed at sharing successful election administration stories in November , and it concluded that “good enough is with local officials throughout the country. not good enough.” e League’s respected voter education tool, Choosing the In and , Election Administration Reform: A President: A Citizen’s Guide to the Electoral Process, was re- Leader’s Guide for Action, the Election Toolkit and Nav- vised in and . e edition was also trans- igating Election Day: What Every Voter Needs to Know were lated into Russian and Arabic and was the basis for Electing made available to state and local Leagues for voter educa- the President, a -page education supplement created and tion activities. In late , the LWVEF convened a con- distributed to schools in collaboration with the Newspapers ference, sponsored by the McCormick Tribune Foundation, in Education Institute. Electing the President was updated in to explore emerging issues in election reform. and again in and distributed to schools in collab- oration with the Newspapers in Education Institute. In the th Congress, the key issue was funding for HAVA, as the President initially proposed that HAVA not be fully In every major election year since the League has funded. A joint lobbying effort of state and local govern- made available its attractive VOTE brochure, a succinct, ment organizations, civil rights groups and the League pre- step-by-step guide to voting and Election Day, designed to vailed in achieving full funding for the rst two years of reach out to new, young and rst time voters. e ings implementation. You Need to Know on Election Day card has also provided hundreds of thousands of voters with simple steps to ensure In mid-, the LWVUS published Helping America Vote: their vote is counted. e brochure and card continue to be Implementing the New Federal Provisional Ballot Require- popular and useful to the present. ment, which examined and made key policy recommenda- tions for states and localities in implementing HAVA’s pro- At the Convention, the League determined that in visional balloting requirement. Another report followed in order to ensure integrity and voter con dence in elections, , Helping America Vote: Safeguarding the Vote, which the LWVUS supports the implementation of voting sys- outlined a set of recommended operational and manage- tems and procedures that are secure, accurate, recountable ment practices for state and local elections officials to en- and accessible. State and local Leagues may support a par- hance voting system security, protect eligible voters, and en- ticular voting system appropriate to their area, but should sure that valid votes are counted. evaluate them based on the “secure, accurate, recountable and accessible” criteria. Leagues should consult with the Also in , the League of Women Voters conducted a LWVUS before taking a stand on a speci c type of voting survey of local and state elections officials in a number of system to ensure that the League speaks consistently. targeted states to identify potential problems with HAVA implementation that could put the votes of eligible voters At Convention , delegates further clari ed this posi- at risk. e League identi ed the Top Five Risks to Eligible tion with a resolution stating that the Citizens’ Right to Voters in , including voter registration problems, erro- Vote be interpreted to affirm that the LWVUS supports neous purging, problems with the new voter ID require- only voting systems that are designed so that: ment, difficulties with voting systems and a failure to count provisional ballots, and asked elections officials for resolu- ey employ a voter-veri able paper ballot or other tion before the election. League leaders in various states paper record, said paper being the official record of the were at the forefront of high-pro le battles over HAVA’s voter’s intent. implementation. e voter can verify, either by eye or with the aid of suitable devices for those who have impaired vision, In , the League released inking Outside the Ballot that the paper ballot/record accurately re ects his or Box: Innovations at the Polling Place, a comprehensive report her intent.
15 Such veri cation takes place while the voter is still in In , the League also launched the Public Advocacy for the process of voting. Voter Protection (PAVP) project, and the League has un- e paper ballot/record is used for audits and recounts. dertaken concerted nationwide efforts to promote voter e vote totals can be veri ed by an independent hand protection and education to prevent the development of count of the paper ballot/record. processes and laws that threaten to disenfranchise voters, to Routine audits of the paper ballot/record in randomly educate the public on new election procedures, and provide selected precincts can be conducted in every election, voters with the information they need to cast a vote and be and the results published by the jurisdiction. sure that vote is counted. e period - brought unprecedented challenges, and successes, to the PAVP pro- At Convention , delegates added the principle of trans- gram, with participating Leagues ultimately defeating doz- parency, so that the League would support voting systems ens of onerous barriers that threatened the right to vote. In that are secure, accurate, recountable, accessible and trans- for the rst time, LWVEF supported state League’s parent. efforts to call more than , people to encourage their participation in the election and make sure they had In , the League launched VOTE.org, a "one-stop- accurate information about early voting and identi cation shop" for election related information, providing nonparti- rules. san information to the public with both general and state- speci c information including a nationwide polling place As part of the PAVP effort, in , the League opposed locator, absentee ballot information, ballot measure infor- state legislation that would require documentary proof of mation, etc. In and , the LWVUS accomplished citizenship or picture ID to register to vote, as well as to consecutive overhauls and improvements to this award- vote. e League also led a “friend-of-the-court” brief in winning voter education website, making it the most com- a Supreme Court case regarding ID requirements in Indi- prehensive, easy-to-use online tool for voters. e site is at ana. In , the League led an amicus brief in the Arizona the heart of the League’s campaign to prepare voters. voter ID case, Gonzalez v. Arizona, asking the th Circuit Court of Appeals to recognize that the National Voter Reg- Since launching VOTE in , approximately mil- istration Act of prohibits a proof-of-citizenship re- lion people have bene ted from the information available quirement when using the national mail voter registration on the site. is support has seen expanded access to infor- application form. e League again led an amicus brief mation about candidates at the state and local levels with when the case was nally argued before the Supreme Court every consecutive election year. In partnership with hun- in . e League and its allies nally prevailed. In the dreds of state and local Leagues, VOTE has successfully renamed ITCA v. Arizona, the Court agreed that the NVRA provided voters with information on where tens of thou- preempts state law. For more PAVP project information see sands of candidates stand on the issues and up-to-date elec- page above. tion rules for all states in every election year. One hun- dred percent of voters who visited VOTE before the In , the League worked to support voting rights by general election were able to nd a partial listing of publicly requesting that Secretaries of State across the coun- the candidates that would be on their ballot and approxi- try designate veterans’ health facilities as voter registration mately of voters found a complete ballot. And for the agencies as provided for in the National Voter Registration rst time in , the statements from the Presidential can- Act. In - this work continued as LWVUS and didates were available in English and Spanish languages. many state Leagues worked to ensure the state healthcare exchanges created under the Affordable Care Act were des- e League president testi es regularly before the U.S. ignated as voter registration agencies. Election Assistance Commission and congressional com- mittees, providing feedback on the success of HAVA imple- In , the LWVEF produced Engaging New Citizens as mentation and other voting issues nationwide. New Voters: A Guide to Naturalization Ceremonies, which
16 detailed how Leagues could get involved in such ceremo- In , the Supreme Court in the case of Shelby County v. nies. In , LWVEF built off this effort and supported Holder reversed key voting rights protections that had been targeted local Leagues with grant funding and strategic sup- in place for decades. e Court ruled that the Voting Rights port in order to successfully register new citizens at natural- Act (VRA) formula for determining which jurisdictions ization ceremonies and underrepresented community col- would have to clear their election law changes with the fed- leges. In , LWVEF released a brand-new toolkit de- eral government was based on old data and was therefore signed to support Leagues in their work to engage new cit- unconstitutional. izens as rst-time voters. Leveraging this new toolkit in , LWVEF launched its largest nationwide grant funded e League immediately took action urging Congress to re- effort to support state and local Leagues in registering pair and restore the effectiveness of the VRA. is work newly naturalized citizens, ultimately resulting in in tens of continued into and , with active participation thousands of new registrants at hundreds of citizenship cer- from state and local Leagues in targeted districts backing emonies nationwide. up the LWVUS lobbying efforts to enact a new Voting Rights Advancement Act, restoring key elements of the In , an Election Audit Task Force was appointed to re- VRA while extending new protections nationwide. port to the LWVUS Board on the auditing of election pro- cedures and processes. e report is available at Also in the s, Leagues worked in their state legislatures www.lwv.org. Leagues should nd this report useful in talk- with other concerned organizations for bills to re-enfran- ing with their legislatures and elections officials about elec- chise former felons, believing that excessive disenfranchise- tion auditing. ment undermines voting rights as well as the reintegration of former felon into the community. Since , the League has aimed through its national Youth Voter Registration project to bring more young peo- ple, especially in communities of color, into the democratic THE LEAGUE’S POSITION process. Local Leagues in dozens of targeted communities The League of Women Voters believes voting is a fun- have received LWVEF grant funding and strategic support damental citizen right that must be guaranteed. to successfully assist tens of thousands of students to regis- ter to vote. e League used data and feedback provided by Statement of Position on Citizen’s Right to Vote, as An- participating Leagues to determine effective strategies and nounced by National Board, March . produced a groundbreaking and widely utilized train- ing manual “Empowering the Voters of Tomorrow” for Leagues and other groups interested in registering high DC Self-Government and Full Voting Representation school students. e guide was updated and republished in early and again in . e League of Women Voters, born in out of the struggle to get the vote for women, began early to seek re- All aspects of the League’s - work was encom- dress for another disenfranchised group: the citizens of the passed into one major national initiative entitled Power the District of Columbia (DC). e League has supported DC Vote. rough the Power the Vote effort, Leagues worked self-government since . Realization of these goals has at all levels to leverage resources and the League’s powerful been slow, but, since , DC residents have made some voice to protect, register, educate and mobilize voters to gains in the drive for full citizenship rights. e remaining participate. e League’s - efforts are summarized goals of voting representation in both the House and Senate in the whitepaper Power the Vote: How a new initiative and full home-rule powers were made explicit in the launched results for millions of voters. It and many corre- LWVUS program in March . sponding training and planning resources are available at www.lwv.org.
17 e League has applied a wide variety of techniques, in- congressional review remains in force, the League continues cluding a massive petition campaign in , to persuade to urge members of Congress to oppose appropriations bills Congress to change the status of the “Last Colony.” League that undermine the right of self-government of DC citizens, support has been behind each hard-won step: in , the including restrictions on abortion funding. right of DC citizens to vote for President and Vice-Presi- dent through rati cation of the rd Amendment to the In the th Congress, the League worked with DC Vote to Constitution; in , the right to elect a nonvoting dele- develop legislation providing voting rights in Congress to gate to Congress; and in , a limited home-rule charter DC residents. A hearing was held in spring to discuss providing for an elected mayor and city council, based on four different legislative approaches to gaining representa- the District of Columbia Self Government and Gov- tion in Congress. ernmental Reorganization Act. e League supported the last two reforms as interim steps until voting representation In , members of Congress took the DC voting rights in Congress and full home-rule powers are achieved. issue on with more enthusiasm than had been seen in years. Under a new legislative plan, Utah would receive an addi- On August , , the Senate con rmed the House-ap- tional fourth seat in Congress while congressional voting proved constitutional amendment providing full voting rights in the House of Representatives would be provided representation in Congress for DC citizens. State and local for American citizens living in Washington, DC. is bal- Leagues took the lead in rati cation efforts. However, when anced approach, developed by Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA) and the rati cation period expired in , only states of the supported by the DC City Council and Mayor, would pro- necessary had rati ed the amendment. vide voting rights for District citizens without upsetting the partisan balance of the House. In , at the request of the LWV of the District of Co- lumbia, the LWVUS Board agreed that DC statehood As momentum for this plan increased, the League worked would “afford the same rights of self-government and full tirelessly to encourage members of Congress and the public voting representation” for DC citizens as for other U.S. cit- to take action on DC voting rights. izens. Accordingly, the League endorsed statehood as one way of implementing the national League position. In , the League continued to work hard in support of the proposed plan. e League president traveled to Ohio e LWVUS was instrumental in the formation of the Co- to tell key Congressmen that their leadership was vital to alition for DC Representation in Congress (now DC Vote), the future of DC voting rights. While in Ohio, the presi- which seeks to build a national political movement sup- dent met with members, voters and the media to shed light porting full representation in Congress and full home-rule on the DC voting rights issue. powers for the citizens of DC. At the same time, the LWVEF launched a DC Voting Convention adopted a concurrence to add to the Rights Education project, aimed at building public aware- LWVUS position support for the “restoration of an annual, ness of the unique relationship between Congress and DC predictable federal payment to the District to compensate citizens, speci cally the lack of full voting rights. As part of for revenues denied and expenses incurred because of the the project, selected Leagues throughout the country began federal presence.” work to educate voters and local leaders on the DC voting rights issue through summer . In April , the LWVUS Board agreed that the existing LWVUS position on DC voting rights also includes sup- Despite the League’s hard work and progress in the th port for autonomy for the District in budgeting locally and th Congress toward passing DC voting rights legis- raised revenue and for eliminating the annual congressional lation to provide House voting rights to District voters, suc- DC appropriations budget-approval process. While such cess ultimately eluded supporters.
18 THE LEAGUE’S POSITION state legislatures for a constitutional Convention. Success- The League of Women Voters believes that citizens of ful efforts to fend off inadvisable constitutional amend- the District of Columbia should be afforded the same ments have left the responsibility for work on this position rights of self-government and full voting representation at the state and local levels. Successive League Conventions in Congress as are all other citizens of the United States. have reaffirmed the commitment to an LWVUS Appor- The LWVUS supports restoration of an annual, pre- tionment position to be available for action should the need dictable federal payment to the District to compensate arise. After the census, state and local Leagues used for revenues denied and expenses incurred because of this position to work for equitable apportionment of state the federal presence. and local representative bodies.
Statement of Position on DC Self-Government and Full Leagues conducted projects to encourage the widest possi- Voting Representation, as Revised by National Board, ble participation in the census as a way to ensure the March and June . most accurate population base for apportionment and re- districting. Leagues also work for equitable apportionment and redistricting of all elected government bodies, using techniques from public education and testimony to moni- THE ELECTION PROCESS toring and litigation.
Behind the League position on Apportionment is a convic- Apportionment tion that a population standard is the most equitable way of assuring that each vote is of equal value in a democratic e apportionment of election districts was a state issue un- and representative system of government. e term “sub- til and Supreme Court rulings, requiring that stantially” used in Supreme Court decisions allows ade- both houses of state legislatures must be apportioned sub- quate leeway for districting to provide for any necessary lo- stantially on population, transferred the issue to the na- cal diversities, and to protect minority representation under tional arena. ese rulings, spelling out the basic constitu- the League’s Voting Rights position. tional right to equal representation, prompted introduction in Congress of constitutional amendments and laws to sub- In -, the League urged Congress to fully fund the vert the Court’s one-person, one-vote doctrine. Leagues in census and to support scienti c sampling as the states already had positions on the issue when, in , means to ensure the most accurate count. State Leagues also the League’s national council adopted a study on appor- have worked to ensure that scienti c sampling is used for tionment. By January , the League had reached na- redistricting within the states. tional member agreement on a position that both houses of state legislatures must be apportioned substantially on pop- In , the LWVEF was an official partner of the U.S. ulation. e Convention extended the position to Census, with the goal of getting everyone counted. LWVEF cover all voting districts. staff worked closely with national partners (such as civil rights and Latino groups), and provided information and League action on both the national and state levels during support to state and local Leagues in their efforts to mini- the late s had a signi cant role in the defeat of efforts mize an undercount. to circumvent the Court’s ruling. e League rst lobbied in Congress against the Dirksen Amendment, which would have allowed apportionment of one legislative house based THE LEAGUE’S POSITION on factors other than population, and later worked to de- The League of Women Voters believes that congres- feat resolutions to amend the Constitution by petition of sional districts and government legislative bodies should be apportioned substantially on population.
19 The League is convinced that this standard, established Redistricting should not dilute the effective representa- by the Supreme Court, should be maintained and that tion of minority citizens. the U.S. Constitution should not be amended to allow Efforts that attempt or result in partisan gerrymander- for consideration of factors other than population in ing should be opposed. apportionment. In , the League joined other groups in holding a non- Statement of Position on Apportionment, as Announced partisan redistricting conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. As by National Board, January and Revised March . a result of that meeting, the League and partners released a report “Building a National Redistricting Reform Move- See also the position on Voting Rights, which applies to ap- ment” which looks at lessons learned from unsuccessful re- portionment issues. Leagues applying the Apportionment districting reform attempts in and suggests strategies Position should be aware that the Voting Rights position to pursue and pitfalls to avoid in future reform efforts. (and League action supporting the Voting Rights Act) rec- ognizes that both the Constitution and the Voting Rights Leagues across the country continue to press for redistrict- Act require that reapportionment not dilute the effective ing reform at the state level and the LWVUS has gone to representation of minority citizens. the Supreme Court with “friend-of-the-court” briefs in landmark cases against political and racial gerrymandering. In , the LWVEF hosted a unique redistricting confer- Redistricting ence that brought together experts and stakeholders from across the nation to discuss how to work together to in u- Political and racial gerrymandering distorts and under- ence the results of the state redistricting processes following mines representative democracy by allowing officials to se- the Census. e participants agreed upon several core lect their voters rather than voters to elect their officials. principles and wrote a report emphasizing the importance When done for purposes of racial discrimination or to en- of transparency in the redistricting process. sure the dominance of one political party, or even to ensure the election of a particular legislator, gerrymandering runs In the s, the League expressed concern about “prison- counter to equal voting rights for all. based gerrymandering” in which inmates are counted as residents in the district where the prison is located instead For much of the League’s history, redistricting has been of at their home addresses. Working with other organiza- seen as a state and local issue, but as state Leagues have be- tions, the League sought better information from the Cen- come more active and the political gerrymandering of the sus to support the push to end such gerrymandering. U.S. Congress has become more apparent, the LWVUS has provided assistance and, in the - biennium, devel- In and , state Leagues played pivotal roles in ad- oped a nationwide position statement. vocating for improved redistricting processes through a na- tionwide funded Shining a Light project. Leagues hosted In , the national Board affirmed that Leagues at all lev- public events, delivered much-quoted testimony before de- els may take action under LWVUS positions relating to re- cision-making bodies, presented alternative maps, districting. Using the positions on “Apportionment,” “Cit- launched major public education and media campaigns, izen’s Right to Vote,” and “Congress,” Leagues should work and engaged key allies to promote transparent and fair re- to achieve three goals consistent with those positions: districting processes. Key League priorities included: advo- cating for adequate public comment periods before and af- Congressional districts and government legislative bod- ter the introduction of redistricting proposals; disclosure of ies should be apportioned substantially on population committee timelines and other important details; and op- (“one person, one vote”). portunities for community groups, especially those repre- senting diverse voices, to get involved.
20 Following the redistricting process, several state Wishing to give redistricting a higher pro le for League ac- Leagues engaged in litigation or statewide ballot initiative tion, the national program on Key Structures of De- campaigns to challenge unsatisfactory redistricting out- mocracy called for a Task Force on Redistricting which sur- comes. e Texas League and LWVEF jointly submitted veyed existing state League positions and recommended a comments urging the US Department of Justice to object new concurrence statement to the convention. to VRA Section preclearance of what the League deemed a discriminatory redistricting proposal. Elsewhere, the North Carolina League joined other civil rights groups in THE LEAGUE’S POSITION challenging a redistricting plan that would negatively im- The League of Women Voters believes responsibility for pact minority and other voters, the Arizona League led an redistricting preferably should be vested in an inde- amicus brief which successfully urged the state Supreme pendent special commission, with membership that re- Court to protect that state’s independent redistricting com- flects the diversity of the unit of government, including mission, and the Pennsylvania League participated in a suc- citizens at large, representatives of public interest cessful citizen’s appeal of a state plan. groups, and members of minority groups.
In California, League leaders worked throughout and Every redistricting process should include: to defend and ensure success for that state’s new Inde- pendent Citizens Commission process in California, and Specific timelines for the steps leading to a redis- also provided a detailed analysis and recommendations for tricting plan future redistricting commissions. In Florida, the League Full disclosure throughout the process and public spearheaded multiple legislative and legal efforts to ensure hearings on the plan proposed for adoption that the integrity of new, groundbreaking redistricting cri- o Redistricting at all levels of government must be teria would be upheld. e League prevailed in court when accomplished in an open, unbiased manner with it challenged the redistricting plan for violating the citizen participation and access at all levels and new criteria. e Florida League garnered an impressive ar- steps of the process, and ray of statewide and national media coverage for its efforts. o Should be subject to open meeting laws. A provision that any redistricting plan should be In Ohio, the League led a high-pro le yet ultimately un- adopted by the redistricting authority with more successful effort to pass a November ballot initiative than a simple majority vote. that would have instituted an independent redistricting o Remedial provisions established in the event commission. that the redistricting authority fails to enact a plan. Specific provisions should be made for Public opinion polling has shown high public support for court review of redistricting measures and for taking the redistricting process out of the hands of partisan courts to require the redistricting authority to legislatures, and many Leagues continue to consider how act on a specific schedule. best to achieve more representative processes. Leagues re- . Time limits should be set for initiating court main engaged in pending legal challenges or appeals in sev- action for review. eral states and continue to pursue a range of reform oppor- . The courts should promptly review and rule tunities to reform the redistricting process. In early , on any challenge to a redistricting plan and LWVEF published “Shining a Light: Redistricting Lessons require adjustments if the standards have not Learned,” which lays out key League priorities related to been met. redistricting reform. e publication has been shared widely with Leagues and partners nationwide. The standards on which a redistricting plan is based, and on which any plan should be judged, must:
21 Be enforceable in court limits on candidates’ spending, if they used private nanc- Require: ing, and limits on independent expenditures. e Court o Substantially equal population also ruled that the method of selection of the Federal Elec- o Geographic contiguity tion Commission (FEC) was unconstitutional, because it o Effective representation of racial and linguistic allowed Congress to encroach on the President’s appoint- minorities ment power. After the Court’s decision, the League success- Provide for (to the extent possible) fully lobbied for a new law creating an independent and o Promotion of partisan fairness constitutionally acceptable FEC. o Preservation and protection of “communities of interest” In response to budget attacks on the FEC in the th Con- o Respect for boundaries of municipalities and gress, the League testi ed and lobbied in support of the counties FEC’s Fiscal Year budget request and against efforts to Compactness and competitiveness may also be con- undermine the agency’s core enforcement and disclosure sidered as criteria so long as they do not conflict programs through funding cuts. with the above criteria Explicitly reject e League’s position on Campaign Finance re ects con- o Protection of incumbents, through such devices tinuing concern for open and honest elections and for max- as considering an incumbent’s address imum citizen participation in the political process. e o Preferential treatment for a political party, League’s campaign nance reform strategy has two tracks: through such devices as considering party affili- ation, voting history and candidate residence. Achieve incremental reforms where possible in the short-term Statement of Position on Redistricting, as Adopted by Con- Build support for public nancing as the best long- currence, June . is position does not supersede any term solution. existing state League redistricting position. Although provided under current law for presidential elec- tions, public funding of congressional elections, which the Money in Politics League supports, has been an elusive goal. Current law does embody other League goals: full and timely disclosure of After the Convention approved “further study of Con- campaign contributions and expenditures; one central gress,” the Council—spurred by spending abuses in committee to coordinate, control and report nancial congressional and presidential campaigns—focused on transactions for each candidate, party or other committee; campaign nance. Accelerated study and agreement in an independent body to monitor and enforce the law; and led to the Campaign Finance position, which applied the encouragement of broad-based contributions from cit- League Principles supporting an open and representative izens. government to political campaigns. e League continues to look for ways to limit the size and e League initiated a petition drive and lobbied inten- type of contributions from all sources as a means of com- sively for the campaign reforms embodied in the Federal bating undue in uence in the election process. League ac- Election Campaign Act of (FECA). When the law was tion on this issue is built on a careful assessment of all pro- challenged in court, the League, together with other organ- posed changes in campaign nancing law. e League con- izations, intervened as defendants. In , the Supreme tinues to assess proposals to equalize government services Court upheld portions of the law providing for disclosure, for challengers and incumbents so that candidates can com- public nancing and contribution limits, but it overturned pete more equitably. e League favors shortening the time period between primaries and general elections.
22 In -, the League fought for comprehensive cam- cost broadcasting and postal services, for participating can- paign nance reform to address the abuses in the existing didates; aggregate limits on the total amounts candidates system, supporting bills that curbed special-interest contri- could receive from political action committees (PACs) and butions and provided public nancing for candidates who large individual contributions; and closing the loopholes accepted voluntary spending limits. e League called for that allow huge amounts of special-interest money to in u- limits to donations from political action committees (PAC) ence the system. and large contributors, for closing the soft-money loophole and for public bene ts for candidates such as reduced post- Also in this period, the LWVEF launched a comprehensive age and reduced broadcasting costs. program for articulating a public voice on campaign - nance. e Money + Politics: People Change the Equation Both houses of Congress enacted reform bills in , but project brought citizens together to debate the problems in a conference committee was unable to resolve the differ- the system and discuss possible solutions. ences before adjournment of the st Congress. Both houses passed strong reform measures in , and the bill In , opponents of League-favored reforms, arguing that that emerged from the conference committee promised the politics is underfunded, sought to increase the amounts of most far-reaching campaign nance reform since Watergate. special-interest money owing into the system by loosening e President vetoed the bill, and an attempt to override many existing contribution limits. e League and its allies was unsuccessful. soundly defeated this approach in the House but were un- able to overcome opposition from most congressional lead- In -, the League defended the system of public - ers in both parties. Reformers did build bipartisan support nancing for presidential candidates through check-offs on for reform outside the leadership circles. income tax forms. Faced with an impending shortfall in the Presidential Election Campaign Fund, the League coun- e near collapse of the federal campaign nance system tered with an attack on many fronts: an appeal to taxpayers during the election focused national attention on the and preparers to use the check-off; testimony before the need for reform. In December , the LWVUS endorsed House Elections Subcommittee to increase the check-off the goals of a reform proposal developed by a group of ac- from . to ., with indexing for in ation; opposition ademics. e approach focused on closing gaping loopholes to IRS regulations that would weaken the system; support in the law that allow special interests, the political parties for a House bill guaranteeing matching funds for quali ed and others to channel hundreds of millions of dollars into presidential primary candidates; and participation in an candidates’ campaigns. Among the key goals: a ban on “soft amicus curiae challenging, unsuccessfully, Treasury Depart- money,” closing the sham issue advocacy loophole and im- ment regulations that subvert the language and congres- proving disclosure and enforcement. sional intent of the presidential public nancing system. e LWVEF mounted a major advertising and grassroots In , the presidential check-off was increased to ., education initiative calling attention to achievable cam- with support from the League, assuring continued viability paign reforms. Working with experts from diverse political for the fund. e League also supported comprehensive views, the LWVEF published a blueprint for reform: Ideas campaign nance reform, which stalled in partisan wran- for Practical Campaign Reform. Other efforts included ads gling. in major newspapers, a PSA featuring national news anchor Walter Cronkite and citizen caucuses in states. In and , the League continued its support for comprehensive reform through lobbying, testimony, grass- An unrelenting push by the LWVUS and other reform ad- roots action and work with the media. Members pushed for vocates succeeded in shifting the campaign- nance debate voluntary spending limits; public bene ts, such as reduced- in the th Congress from a deadlock over spending limits to real movement to close the most egregious loopholes.
23 e League supported the bipartisan McCain-Feingold bill measures were on the ballot in Missouri and Oregon, in the Senate and the counterpart Shays-Meehan bill in the but fell short. House, bringing grassroots pressure to bear against efforts by congressional leaders to stonewall real reform. Leagues e LWV and other reformers succeeded in putting cam- responded to Action Alerts and lobbied their members of paign nance reform on the front burner of the national Congress to defeat parliamentary maneuvers blocking votes political agenda. In January , in Nixon v. Shrink Mis- and to support meaningful reform. souri PAC, the Supreme Court upheld limits on state cam- paign contributions that were analogous to the federal lim- In summer , reformers succeeded in forcing the House its. e LWVUS joined an amicus brief in the case. e Speaker to schedule a vote on reform bills, including Shays- Court’s decision restated the constitutional underpinning Meehan. Despite concerted efforts to defeat it, the bill for campaign nance reform formulated in Buckley v. Valeo, passed the House by a vote of - in August . despite arguments by reform opponents. League members immediately urged senators to support a cloture vote on campaign nance reform legislation and to In -, League members supported -year-old Do- vote for real reform. However, in September the Sen- ris Haddock, “Granny D,” in her walk across the country ate once again failed to break a libuster preventing a vote. to promote campaign nance reform.
In , the LWVEF launched a campaign nance reform e battle for meaningful campaign nance reform has project Strategies for Success in the Midwest, working with been long and hard. e Senate debated the McCain- state Leagues in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minne- Feingold-Shays-Meehan bill for more than a week in . sota, Ohio and Wisconsin. Efforts focused on educating e League pushed successfully for the strengthening citizens on practical ways to reform campaign nance and amendment from Senator Wellstone (D-MN) and to pro- to offer citizens an opportunity to participate in the debate. tect against a raft of weakening amendments. On the In , the LWVEF distributed “Make the Link” materials House side, the leadership once again tried to use the rules to state Leagues, drawing the connection between cam- to block reform. Our allies in the House, with strong sup- paign nance and key issues such as the environment, teen port from the LWVUS, had to resort to a discharge petition smoking and health care. to force action.
On the Hill, House leaders again worked to block the e LWVUS worked with the bill’s sponsors and lobbied Shays-Meehan bill in the th Congress. Using a discharge swing members of the House and Senate to achieve cam- petition, reformers forced the leadership to move, and the paign nance reform. e LWVUS conducted two rounds bill passed on a strong vote. Senate passage once again of phone banking, asking League members in key districts proved elusive, despite citizen pressure. However, the to lobby at key junctures in the congressional debate. e League and other supporters were successful in achieving LWV participated in many press conferences and rallies to passage in June of so-called “” legislation, requir- make the citizen’s voice heard on campaign nance reform. ing political organizations set up under Section of the IRS code to disclose the identity and amounts given by On March , , the League’s ve-year campaign for their donors and how they spend the money. the McCain-Feingold-Shays-Meehan bill reached fruition when the President signed the legislation into law. e bill, As the League continued to focus on reducing the corrupt- which became known as the Bipartisan Campaign Reform ing in uence of big money in elections, League work at the Act (BCRA), closed the most signi cant loopholes in cam- state level contributed to real progress. Public nancing, the paign nance regulation: the “soft money” loophole that “Clean Money Option,” was adopted in several states, in- allowed unlimited corporate, union and individual contri- cluding Arizona and Maine; other state reform efforts have butions and the “sham issue ad” loophole that allowed un- made progress in Massachusetts and Vermont. Reform disclosed contributions to campaign advertising advocating
24 particular candidates. e League was instrumental in de- In and , the League continued to promote cam- veloping this approach and pushing it at the grassroots and paign nance reform as well as public funding for presiden- in Congress to nal enactment. tial elections. In December , the League president spoke at a Capitol Hill conference titled “e Issue of Pres- With the passage of BCRA, the League turned its attention idential Public Financing: Its Goals, History, Current Sta- to legal challenges to the law, which continue to the present tus and Problems.” In , the LWVUS joined with other day. e LWVUS led an amicus brief on “sham issue ads” organizations in a letter to U.S. Representatives urging for the Supreme Court case McConnell v. FEC. e brief them to cosponsor and support the Meehan-Shays bill that explained why it is important that funding for attack ads in would make a series of important reforms to the presiden- the nal days of an election not be used to circumvent the tial public nancing system. “soft money” ban in BCRA. In September , the League organized a rally at the Supreme Court to demonstrate pub- roughout , the League urged members of Congress lic support for the law. In December, the Supreme Court to vote against the Pence-Wynn and other bills that aimed upheld all the key components of BCRA in McConnell v. to undermine existing campaign nance regulations. In FEC, including the “sham issue ad” provisions briefed by December, the League joined other groups in submitting League. an amicus brief in the Supreme Court case Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc. v. Federal Election Commission, which chal- In the rst half of the th Congress, the League urged Sen- lenged the application of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform ators to cosponsor the “Our Democracy, Our Airwaves Act” Act to the nancing of television ads in Wisconsin. introduced by Senators McCain, Feingold and Durbin. e LWVUS helped targeted Leagues organize in-district lobby rough , the League continued to support meaning- visits in support of the Act, and through the National ful campaign nance reform, urging Representatives to vote Lobby Corps lobbied selected Senators requesting co-spon- for a ban on leadership PACs as well as support a bill that sorship of the bill. would close soft money loopholes.
e League, along with partners, conducted a national During the presidential campaign, the League pressed public education campaign “Our Democracy, Our Air- all the candidates to support reform of the presidential pub- waves,” studying the role of television in elections, the cost lic nancing system. of accessing these public airwaves and the importance of strengthening public interest information coming from In and , the League endorsed legislation to x broadcasters. e LWVUS put together organizing tools for the public nancing system for president and to establish local Leagues to use while creating educational campaigns congressional public nancing for the rst time. e in their communities. League also supported banning leadership PACs and con- tinued to press the courts to properly interpret and enforce In the second session of the th Congress, the League con- campaign nance law. tinued its work on improving the presidential public - nancing system. e LWVUS sought cosponsors to legisla- In the late s, the LWVUS was involved as a “friend of tion introduced by Senators McCain and Feingold and the court” in two pivotal U.S. Supreme Court cases: Caper- Representatives Shays and Meehan to x the system. e ton v. Massey and Citizens United v. FEC. In the latter case, LWVUS also joined a coalition project that sought pledge the League argued that corporate spending in elections commitments from the presidential candidates to should not be equated with the First Amendment rights of support the public nancing system’s reform if elected. In individual citizens. and , the League again urged taxpayers to check the box to support the Presidential Election Fund. In , the League reacted swiftly and strongly against the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. FEC. e
25 League president testi ed before the relevant House com- gures), public nancing for congressional and presidential mittee on the key steps that can be taken to respond, focus- elections and reform of the FEC in order to create an effec- ing on the importance of including tighter disclosure re- tive enforcement agency. quirements before the elections. e League continues to urge passage of the DISCLOSE Act to counter the Court’s decision. THE LEAGUE’S POSITION The League of Women Voters believes that the methods In early , the LWVUS Board appointed a Campaign of financing political campaigns should: Finance Task force to examine legislative and constitutional efforts to achieve campaign nance reform. Convention Enhance political equality for all citizens. reaffirmed the League’s commitment to campaign - Ensure maximum participation by citizens in the nance reform by passing a resolution that called for advo- political process; protect representative democracy cating strongly for campaign nance measures including from being distorted by big spending in election but not limited to constitutional amendments. campaigns. Provide voters sufficient information about candi- In the summer of , the League ran radio ads in Tennes- dates and campaign issues to make informed see and Maine asking Senators Corker, Alexander, Snowe choices; ensure transparency and the public’s right and Collins to support campaign nance reform. e ads to know who is using money to influence elections. were timed in anticipation of Congressional action on the Enable candidates to compete equitably for public DISCLOSE Act. e ads garnered press coverage from out- office; ensure that candidates have sufficient funds lets in both states. to communicate their messages to the public; and combat corruption and undue influence in govern- In the elections, huge amounts of campaign spending ment. came from so-called independent groups, much of it from secret contributions. e League took on these issues, argu- The League believes that political corruption includes ing that much of the “independent” spending was actually the following: coordinated with candidate campaigns, and therefore ille- gal. e League also pointed to the secret “dark money’ and A candidate or officeholder agrees to vote or work pushed for enhanced disclosure. Also, the League continues in favor of a donor’s interests in exchange for a to push for legislation to protect and reinvigorate the public campaign contribution. nancing system for president. In addition, the League An officeholder or staff gives greater access to do- continues to work to reinvigorate the dysfunctional Federal nors. Election Commission (FEC) which has refused to enforce An officeholder votes or works to support policies the law. that reflect the preferences of individuals or organi- zations in order to attract contributions from e - National Program on Key Structures of De- them. mocracy focused increased attention at every level of A candidate or office holder seeks political contri- League on Money in Politics and included a new study to butions implying that there will be retribution un- provide additional detail to the League’s position. less a donation is given. The results of the political process consistently fa- Based on the new position statement and previous action vor the interests of significant campaign contribu- on campaign nance reform, the four major elements of the tors. League’s MIP plan focus on: disclosure, stopping super PACs (a political committee that can solicit and spend un- In order to achieve the goals for campaign finance reg- limited sums of money. to campaign for or against political ulation, the League supports:
26 Public financing of elections, either voluntary or as well as general elections. It also may be applied to mandatory, in which candidates must abide by rea- state and local campaigns. sonable spending limits. Enhanced enforcement of campaign finance laws Statement of Position on Campaign Finance, as An- that includes changes to ensure that regulatory nounced by National Board, April . agencies are properly funded, staffed, and struc- tured to avoid partisan deadlock in the decision- making process. Selection of the President Abolishing Super PACs and abolishing spending coordinated or directed by candidates (other than a A League study of the presidential electoral process culmi- candidate’s own campaign committee) nated in a position supporting direct election of the Restrictions on direct donations and bundling by President by popular vote as essential to representative gov- lobbyists, which may include monetary limits as ernment. e League testi ed and lobbied for legislation to well as other regulations. amend the Constitution to replace the Electoral College with direct election of the President, including provisions Until full public financing of elections is enacted, limits for a national runoff election in the event no candidates on election spending are needed in order to meet the (President or Vice-President) received percent of the League’s goals for protecting democratic processes. vote. e measure, which passed the House and nearly Among the different entities that spend money to in- passed the Senate in , has been revived in each Congress fluence elections, the League supports the following without success. In , the LWVUS again called for abo- comparative limits: lition of the Electoral College and for direct election of the President and Vice-President in testimony before the Higher spending limits for political parties, genu- House Subcommittee on the Constitution. inely non-partisan voter registration and get-out- the-vote organizations and activities, and candi- e League has supported national voting quali cations dates’ spending money raised from contributors and procedures for presidential elections to ensure equity Mid-level spending limits for individual citizens for voters from all states and to facilitate the electoral pro- (including wealthy individuals), Political Action cess. Committees (with funds contributed by individuals associated with the sponsoring organization, such In February , a memo was sent to the state and local as employees, stockholders, members and volun- Leagues outlining the League’s position on the Electoral teers), and candidates spending their own money College under the LWVUS position on Selection of the Lower spending limits for trade associations, labor President. unions and non-profit organizations from their general treasury funds e League believes strongly that the Electoral College Severely restricted spending by for-profit organiza- should be abolished and not merely “reformed.” One “re- tions spending from their corporate treasury funds form” which the League speci cally rejects is the voting by No limits on spending by bona fide newspapers, electors based on proportional representation in lieu of the television, and other media, including the Internet, present “winner-takes-all” method. Such a system would except to address partisan abuse or use of the me- apportion the electoral votes of a state based on the popular dia to evade campaign finance regulations vote in that state. Instead of making the Electoral College more representative, such proportional voting would in- This position is applicable to all federal campaigns for crease the chance that no candidate would receive a major- public office: presidential and congressional, primaries ity in the Electoral College, thereby sending the election of the President to the House of Representatives where each
27 state, regardless of population, would receive only one vote. Statement of Position on Selection of the President, as An- Election of the President by the House further removes the nounced by National Board, January , Revised March decision from the people and is contrary to the “one person, , Updated June and Revised by the Conven- one vote” principle. e League also does not support re- tion. form of the Electoral College on a state-by-state basis be- cause the League believes there should be uniformity across the nation in the systems used to elect the President. CITIZEN RIGHTS e Convention voted to expand and update the po- sition. e League came to concurrence on a new position in June , which takes into account the entire presiden- Citizen’s Right to Know/Citizen Participation tial selection process and supports a process that produces the best possible candidates, informed voters and optimum e League has long worked for the citizen’s right to know voter participation. and for broad citizen participation in government. League support for open meetings was rst made explicit in the e Convention voted to conduct a study of the Na- Congress position. In , Leagues were empowered tional Popular Vote proposal, which would establish the to apply that position at the state and local levels. In , popular election of the President through a compact among the Convention added to the League Principles the requi- the states governing how they would cast their votes in the site that “government bodies protect the citizen’s right to Electoral College. e Convention adopted a concur- know by giving adequate notice of proposed actions, hold- rence to support the National Popular Vote compact as an- ing open meetings and making public records accessible,” other method of selecting the President until such time as and decided that Leagues could act on the Principles, with the Electoral College is abolished. the necessary safeguards of member understanding and support. e League supported the Government in the Sunshine law to enhance citizens’ access to information. THE LEAGUE’S POSITION The League of Women Voters believes that the direct- In the s, the League monitored and lobbied to revamp popular-vote method for electing the President and the way federal rules and regulations are made. e League Vice-President is essential to representative govern- supports broad public participation at every stage of the ment. The League of Women Voters believes, therefore, rule-making process. that the Electoral College should be abolished. We sup- port the use of the National Popular Vote Compact as e LWVUS, in coalition with numerous other organiza- one acceptable way to achieve the goal of the direct pop- tions, opposed efforts in by the Office of Management ular vote for election of the president until the abolition and Budget (OMB) to restrict the political advocacy activ- of the Electoral College is accomplished. The League ities of nonpro t organizations and thereby limit citizen also supports uniform voting qualifications and proce- participation in federal policy making. e coalition’s op- dures for presidential elections. The League supports position resulted in a much less onerous OMB regulation. changes in the presidential election system from the candidate selection process to the general election. We As part of its concerns about citizen rights, the League sup- support efforts to provide voters with sufficient infor- ports lobbying disclosure reform to provide information on mation about candidates and their positions, public the pressures exerted on the national policy-making process policy issues and the selection process itself. The and guarantee citizen access to in uence the process. League supports action to ensure that the media, polit- ical parties, candidates, and all levels of government Early in , as part of the Contract with America, the achieve these goals and provide that information. congressional leadership launched a broad attack on citizen
28 participation in government decision making. Under the and to organize candidate forums for judicial candidates. In guise of “regulatory reform,” bills were introduced to make and , more than Leagues nationwide orga- it much more difficult for federal agencies to promulgate nized forums, meetings and workshops spotlighting regulations dealing with health, safety and the environment. their state court systems and the value of an independent ese bills were based on the premise that regulations judiciary. should be judged solely on their cost to the public and pri- vate sectors, and not on their bene ts to society. is project continued in - and evolved into Safe- guarding U.S. Democracy: Promoting an Independent Ju- e League responded quickly to this major threat, lobby- diciary, a program to increase citizen understanding of the ing both houses of Congress in opposition. Along with importance of our nation’s system of separation of powers members of other consumers, environmental and dis- and highlight the vital need for protecting a vibrant and ability rights organizations, League members met with their independent judiciary. In and , the project members of Congress and participated in media activities gained a new focus on promoting diversity at all levels of opposing these efforts. e opposition succeeded in stalling the state judiciary. In the rst year of e Quest for a More all regulatory reform legislation in the Senate in . Diverse Judiciary project, the Leagues in Kansas worked on this initiative and saw success in the new appointments that e League also responded to a major congressional attack followed. In the second year, South Carolina was added and in the th Congress, when an amendment to severely was very successful. In , the State of Washington was limit the ability of nonpro ts to speak out on public policy added with a more limited scope and in the same year the matters was added to several appropriations bills. League published “From eory to Practice: A Grassroots Known as the Istook amendment after its primary sponsor, Education Campaign,” a practical guide for those wishing Rep. Ernest Istook (R-OK), the amendment was designed to created state-wide education campaigns and illustrating to limit citizen participation by forcing nonpro ts to each step of the campaign with practical information choose between community service and public policy. learned in Kansas, South Carolina and Washington.
e League, with hundreds of other nonpro ts, organized In and , the LWVUS participated as amicus cu- a massive campaign to educate the public and members of riae in the case of Miller-El v. Cockrell. e League’s interest Congress about the serious implications of this legislation. in the case focused on the use of race-based peremptory e Istook amendment eventually was dropped from the challenges to jurors as a means to block citizen participation appropriations bills, but similar efforts continued in the in government. e Supreme Court agreed with the th and th Congresses. e League continues to mon- League’s position, but a lower federal court failed to carry itor attempts to gag nonpro t organizations. out this interpretation and the case was once again before the Supreme Court in late . In June , the LWVUS urged the Federal Communica- tions Commission (FCC) to issue requirements for broad- In the th Congress, the LWVUS endorsed the Openness casters to cover local public affairs. Promotes Effectiveness in our National Government (OPEN) Act which expands the accessibility and account- Beginning with a grant from the Open Society Institute in ability of the federal government by strengthening the Free- , the LWVEF has participated in the Judicial Inde- dom of Information Act and making information more pendence project. State and local Leagues, working in con- readily available to the public. junction with the national office, assess the levels of judicial independence in their state and develop citizen education e LWVEF has engaged in a number of efforts to assist campaigns to educate their communities about this im- Leagues in this area, and also to become more visible in portant issue. A key part of this program is encouraging federal transparency efforts. In , the League launched Leagues to include judicial candidates in their voter guides an Openness in Government: Looking for the Sunshine, a
29 project to broaden public awareness about the issues in- Statement of Position on the Citizen’s Right to Know/Cit- volved in, and the threats related to, accountability and izen Participation, as Announced by National Board, June transparency in government. e League developed educa- . tional materials about federal, state and local laws concern- ing citizen access, the extent and types of threats to these laws that have occurred in recent years, and data on the in- Individual Liberties creasing levels of information being put off-limits since - . e project was continued in , under the name Ob- Individual liberties, a long-standing League Principle, have serving Your Government in Action: Protecting Your Right been central for the League during times of national tension. to Know. e “witch hunt” period of the early s led the League Additional projects were initiated in the following years. to undertake a two-year Freedom Agenda community edu- One focused on public document audits, providing nan- cation program on issues such as freedom of speech. Next, cial support to Leagues in states and a toolkit, “Surveying a focused study on the federal loyalty/security programs Public Documents: Protecting Your Right to Know.” In culminated in a position that emphasized protection of in- , work started on an online resource called “Sunshine dividual rights. .,” which will provide criteria for assessing the transpar- ency of local government websites and other online tech- e Convention incorporated the League’s individual nologies. liberties Principle into the national Program, thus author- izing the League to act against major threats to basic con- At the federal level, the League has been active in providing stitutional rights. Subsequent Conventions reaffirmed that advice to the Obama Administration as it implemented its commitment, and in the LWVUS Board authorized a Openness in Government Directive. In so doing, we have speci c position statement on individual liberties. also helped a number of good government groups work to- gether. In , the League contacted members of both houses to express concern about several far-reaching provisions of the e League has served as a cosponsor of the annual Sun- USA PATRIOT Act, passed in October , asking mem- shine Week since , taking part in kickoff events in bers of Congress to scale back some of them. e League Washington, DC. Sunshine Week sponsors a nationwide lobbied on behalf of the bipartisan Security and Freedom live webcast to stimulate public discussion about why open Ensured (SAFE) Act in , which addresses many of the government is important to everyone and why it is under PATRIOT Act’s problems, while still allowing law enforce- challenge today. Leagues are encouraged to participate. ment officials broad authority to combat terrorism.
Late in the th Congress, the League lobbied against the THE LEAGUE’S POSITION House version of legislation to overhaul the organization of The League of Women Voters believes that democratic U.S. intelligence operations because it went beyond the government depends upon informed and active partici- scope of the September th Commission’s recommenda- pation at all levels of government. The League further tions, expanding the government’s investigative and prose- believes that governmental bodies must protect the cit- cutorial powers and infringing upon civil liberties. When izen’s right to know by giving adequate notice of pro- the bill was passed, as the National Intelligence Reform Act, posed actions, holding open meetings and making pub- in December , it had been amended and a number of lic records accessible. the troubling provisions that the League opposed were eliminated.
30 At the Convention, League delegates voted to make THE LEAGUE’S POSITION civil liberties a top priority in the next biennium. e The League of Women Voters believes in the individual LWVUS appointed an Advisory Task Force and created an liberties guaranteed by the Constitution of the United online discussion list to foster dialogue about the League’s States. The League is convinced that individual rights course of action. now protected by the Constitution should not be weak- ened or abridged. In , the LWVUS also expressed concerns about reports of torture by the United States military and actively sup- Statement of Position on Individual Liberties, as An- ported the “McCain amendment,” banning cruel, inhu- nounced by National Board, March . man or degrading treatment or punishment of anyone un- der custody or control of the U.S. armed forces. e amendment passed as part of the Department of Defense Constitutional Amendment Proposals appropriation. Following the January meeting, the League of Women During the th Congress, the League continued to lobby Voters board announced a new position outlining consid- in support of the SAFE Act and in opposition to the pend- erations for evaluating constitutional amendment pro- ing reauthorization of speci c provisions of the USA PA- posals. State Leagues can use this new position, as well as TRIOT Act. While nal reauthorization did not address the new position calling for safeguards to govern the con- many of our concerns, there was limited improvement in stitutional convention process, to address the ongoing de- some critical provisions. bates in many legislatures regarding constitutional conven- tions, in particular as they related to the Balanced Budget In , the LWVEF sponsored a nationwide project, Local amendment. Voices: Citizen Conversations on Civil Liberties and Secure Communities, to foster public dialogue about the balance between civil liberties and homeland security. e League THE LEAGUE’S POSITION sponsored public discussions in ten ethnically, economi- The League of Women Voters will only support a pro- cally and geographically diverse cities. It released the nd- posed amendment to the U.S. Constitution if it ad- ings of these discussions and public opinion research on the vances and conforms to a LWVUS position. issue at the U.S. Capitol in September . In addition, the League believes the following should In -, the League fought legislation in both houses be considered in identifying an appropriate and well- that continued allowing the Executive branch to conduct crafted constitutional amendment: warrantless wiretapping without judicial review, and sup- ported legislation that would protect personal information Whether the public policy objective addresses mat- of citizens and limit the FBI’s authority to issue national ters of such acute and abiding importance that the security letters in lieu of judicial warrants to produce infor- fundamental charter of our nation must be mation and materials. changed. Amendments are changes to a document that provides stability to our system and should be In , the League joined other organizations in support undertaken to address extreme problems or long- of the JUSTICE (Judiciously Using Surveillance Tools In term needs. Counterterrorism Efforts) Act, legislation to amend expir- Whether the amendment as written would be effec- ing provisions of the US PATRIOT Act. tive in achieving its policy objective. Amendments that may be unenforceable, miss the objective, or have unintended consequences may not achieve the policy objective.
31 Whether the amendment would either make our The Constitutional Convention must be transpar- political system more democratic or protect indi- ent and not conducted in secret. The public has a vidual rights. Most adopted amendments have right to know what is being debated and voted on. sought to make our system more representative or Representation at the Constitutional Convention to protect the rights of minorities. must be based on population rather than one state, Whether the public policy objective can be one vote, and delegates should be elected rather achieved by a legislative or political approach that than appointed. The delegates represent citizens, is less difficult than a constitutional amendment. should be elected by them, and must be distributed In order to expend resources wisely, it is important by U.S. population. to consider whether legislation or political action is Voting at the Constitutional Convention must be more likely to succeed than an amendment. by delegate, not by state. Delegates from one state Whether the public policy objective is more suited can have varying views and should be able to ex- to a constitutional and general approach than to a press them by individual votes. statutory and detailed approach. It is important to The Constitutional Convention must be limited to consider whether the goal can best be achieved by a specific topic. It is important to guard against a an overall value statement, which will be inter- “runaway convention” which considers multiple is- preted by the courts, or with specific statutory de- sues or topics that were not initiated by the states. tail to resolve important issues and reduce ambigu- Only state resolutions on a single topic count when ity. determining if a Constitutional Convention should be called. Counting state requests by topic ensures Statement of Position on Evaluating Constitutional that there is sufficient interest in a particular sub- Amendment Proposals, as Announced by National Board, ject to call a Convention and enhances citizen in- January . terest and participation in the process. The validity of state calls for an Article V Constitu- tional Convention must be determined by the most Constitutional Conventions recent action of the state. If a state has enacted a rescission of its call, that rescission must be re- Following the January meeting, the League of Women spected by Congress. Voters board announced a new position calling for safe- guards to govern the constitutional convention process un- Statement of Position on Constitutional Conventions un- der Article V of the U.S. Constitution. State Leagues can der Article V of the U.S. Constitution as Announced by use this new position, as well as the new position outlining National Board, January . considerations for evaluating constitutional amendment proposals, to address the ongoing debates in many legisla- tures regarding constitutional conventions, in particular as Public Policy on Reproductive Choices they related to the Balanced Budget amendment. e Convention voted to develop a League position on Public Policy on Reproductive Choices through concur- THE LEAGUE’S POSITION rence. at fall, League members studied the issue and The League of Women Voters is concerned that there agreed to concur with a statement derived from positions are many unresolved questions about the powers and reached by the New Jersey and Massachusetts Leagues. e processes of an Article V Constitutional Convention. LWVUS announced the position in January . The League believes that such a convention should be called only if the following conditions are in place: In , the LWVUS successfully pressed for defeat of S.J. Res. , a proposed constitutional amendment that would
32 have overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court Webster did not deny the constitutional right to choose decision that the right of privacy includes the right of a abortion, it effectively overruled a signi cant portion of the woman, in consultation with her doctor, to decide to ter- Roe decision by upholding a Missouri statute that pro- minate a pregnancy. e League joined as an amicus in two hibited the use of public facilities, employees or funds for successful lawsuits challenging proposed regulations by the counseling, advising or performing abortions and required federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), doctors to conduct viability tests on fetuses weeks or thus thwarting attempts to implement regulations requir- older before aborting them. ing parental noti cation by federally funded family plan- ning centers that provide prescription contraceptives to e League supported the March for Women’s Lives in teenagers. . Also, the League joined an amicus brief in Turnock v. Ragsdale, challenging an Illinois statute that would have ef- e League has joined with other pro-choice organizations fectively restricted access to abortions, including those in in continuous opposition to restrictions on the right of pri- the rst trimester, by providing strict requirements for vacy in reproductive choices that have appeared in Con- abortion clinics. gress as legislative riders to funding measures. In , the League joined as an amicus in a lawsuit challenging a Penn- In , the LWVUS joined the national Pro-Choice Coa- sylvania law intended to deter women from having abor- lition and began work in support of the Freedom of Choice tions. In , the Supreme Court found the law unconsti- Act, designed to place into federal law the principles of Roe tutional, upholding a woman’s right to make reproductive v. Wade. choices. In -, the League, in New York v. Sullivan, opposed In , the League opposed congressional provisions to re- the HHS “gag rule” regulations that prohibit abortion in- voke the tax-exempt status of any organization that per- formation, services or referrals by family-planning pro- forms, nances or provides facilities for any abortion not grams receiving Title X public health funds. e Supreme necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman. In , the Court upheld the regulations, Leagues nationwide re- League unsuccessfully opposed regulations governing Title sponded in opposition, and the LWVUS urged Congress to X of the Public Health Service Act. e League reaffirmed overturn the gag rule. that individuals have the right to make their own reproduc- tive choices, consistent with the constitutional right of pri- e League Convention voted to work on issues deal- vacy, stating that the proposed rule violated this right by ing with the right of privacy in reproductive choices, do- prohibiting counseling and referral for abortion services by mestic and international family planning and reproductive clinics receiving Title X funds. health care, and initiatives to decrease teen pregnancy and infant mortality (based on the International Relations and In and , the League urged congressional commit- Social Policy positions). e LWVUS acted on a series of tees to report an appropriations bill for the District of Co- pro-choice legislative initiatives. It supported the Interna- lumbia without amendments limiting abortion funding. tional Family Planning Act, which would have reversed U.S. e League also supported legislation that would have policy denying family planning funds to foreign organiza- restored Medicaid funding for abortions in cases of rape or tions that provide abortion services or information. It op- incest. posed the Department of Defense policy prohibiting mili- tary personnel from obtaining abortions at military hospi- e League joined an amicus brief to uphold a woman’s tals overseas and supported the right of the District of Co- right of privacy to make reproductive choices in Webster v. lumbia to use its own revenues to provide Medicaid abor- Reproductive Health Services. In July , a sharply divided tions for low income women. Supreme Court issued a decision that severely eroded a woman’s right of privacy to choose abortion. Although
33 In and , the League continued to ght efforts to Congress in opposition to these back door attempts to limit erode the constitutional right of reproductive choice by reproductive choice. supporting the Freedom of Choice Act and attempts to overturn the gag rule. In coalition with other groups, In , the LWVUS lobbied extensively against attempts the League led an amicus brief in Planned Parenthood of to limit funding for family planning and, in , the Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, arguing that constitu- League lobbied the House to support funding for the tional rights, once recognized, should not be snatched away. United Nations Population Fund, which lost by just one In June , the Court decision partially upheld the Penn- vote. e League strongly opposed the passage of the so- sylvania regulations, seriously undermining the principles called Partial-Birth Abortion Act in , but it was passed of Roe. In response, Leagues stepped up lobbying efforts for and signed into law. the Freedom of Choice Act. e LWVUS Convention voted to continue work on all domestic and international In March , the LWVUS lobbied in opposition to the aspects of reproductive choice. Unborn Victims of Violence Act (UVVA), which conveys legal status under the Federal Criminal code to an embryo In , the League continued to support legislative at- and fetus, but Congress passed the bill and the president tempts to overturn the gag rule. In late , President Clin- signed it. ton signed an executive order overturning it and other re- strictive anti-choice policies. e LWVUS continued to e League cosponsored the March for Women’s Lives in work for passage of the Freedom of Choice Act and against Washington, DC, on April , , which demonstrated the Hyde Amendment. e LWVUS supported the Free- and drew widespread support for the right to make repro- dom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, a response ductive choices, including many state and local League del- to escalating violence at abortion clinics. e FACE bill egations. passed and was signed by the President in . In , the League led official comments with the HHS, During the - health care debate, the League voicing concern over “conscience” regulations that would pressed for inclusion of reproductive services, including limit reproductive health care options for women by allow- abortion, in any health care reform package. In , the ing physicians, pharmacists and other providers to sharply League again opposed amendments denying Medicaid limit their services according to their own views on repro- funding for abortions for victims of rape and incest. ductive health care.
In , the LWVUS opposed the Child Custody Protec- In , the League joined other groups urging rescission tion Act, federal legislation designed to make it illegal for of the “conscience” regulations. e HHS subsequently an adult other than a parent to assist a minor in obtaining modi ed the regulations to preserve women’s reproductive an out-of-state abortion. health care and the doctor-patient relationship.
In spring , the LWVUS joined an amicus brief in Sten- In , the League responded to attempts to allow any em- berg v. Carhart, urging the Supreme Court to affirm a U.S. ployer or provider who claimed an ill-de ned “religious or Court of Appeals ruling that a Nebraska law criminalizing moral” objection to a health care service, such as reproduc- commonly used abortion procedures was unconstitutional. tive health care, to be exempted from providing such cov- e Court’s affirmation of the ruling in June was piv- erage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). e League otal in further de ning a woman’s right to reproductive opposed this exemption which would undermine the very freedom. premise of the ACA that all persons, regardless of gender, should be eligible for health services under the ACA, and As Congress continued to threaten reproductive rights with that failure to do so is discrimination based on sex. legislative riders to appropriations bills, the League lobbied
34 e League also lobbied Congress in support of fully fund- members urged Congress to open the doors to its commit- ing the Title X Family Planning program in response to tee and hearing rooms, free up access to leadership positions proposed cuts to Title X, which has provided family plan- and coordinate its budgetary processes. ning and reproductive health care services to millions of low-income individuals and families. League support of procedural changes and the Budget Reform and Impoundment Control Act led to many im- In , the LWVUS submitted comments opposing reli- provements: gious exemptions for contraceptive services. is debate continued in the courts and the League joined with other New committee procedures that modi ed the seniority concerned organizations in opposing broad “religious ex- system and made committee membership more repre- emptions” to the requirement that all insurance plans pro- sentative of diverse interests vide access to contraception as basic care in the Supreme Rule changes for more adequate staffing Court case of Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores. Electronic voting Modi cation of the Senate cloture rule Moves to open all committee meetings and proceed- THE LEAGUE’S POSITION ings to the public, except when matters of national se- The League of Women Voters believes public policy in curity are involved a pluralistic society must affirm the constitutional right Reorganization of the budget process, so that Congress of privacy of the individual to make reproductive can establish priorities and evaluate the budget package choices. as a whole
Statement of Position on Public Policy on Reproductive e League has continued to assess proposals for additional Choices, as Announced by National Board, January . procedural changes in Congress. In , the League urged the Senate to provide for radio broadcast and trial closed- circuit television coverage. In , the LWVUS success- fully urged the House to enact an ethics reform package CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENCY that included limits on honoraria and outside income. In , the League joined national groups in urging the Senate Majority Leader to eliminate the use of “secret holds” Congress in the Senate. e League and other groups endorsed draft legislation to put Congressional Research Service re- Congress has been a part of the League agenda for many ports and products on the Internet. years. In , the League adopted as a Program focus: “Strengthening governmental procedures to improve the In , the League announced its opposition to term limits legislative process and relationship between Congress and for members of the U.S. Congress on the grounds that such the Executive.” In , the LWVUS worked successfully limits would adversely affect the accountability, representa- for passage of the Legislative Reorganization Act. In , tiveness and effective performance of Congress, and, by de- the League unsuccessfully called on Congress to coordinate creasing the power of Congress, would upset the balance of and simplify its budgetary procedures. power between Congress and an already powerful presi- dency. e LWVUS Convention reaffirmed opposi- In , the League undertook a comprehensive study of tion to term limits and authorized state and local Leagues Congress, leading to a position on speci c changes to to use national positions to take action on term limits for make Congress more responsive to citizen needs. League state and local offices.
35 In -, the Leagues of Washington and Arkansas par- In and again in and , the League and coali- ticipated in suits challenging state term limits laws based on tion partners sent a letter to the Speaker urging him to pre- the U.S. Constitution. In , after hearing the Arkansas serve and strengthen House ethics rules and standards of case, the Supreme Court agreed that term limits imposed conduct. by states on the U.S. House and Senate are unconstitu- tional. Proposals to amend the Constitution to allow or set federal term limits failed to receive the necessary two-thirds THE LEAGUE’S POSITION majority in both houses. e League vigorously opposed The League of Women Voters believes that structures the proposed amendment through testimony, lobbying and and practices of the U.S. Congress must be character- grassroots action. In , the League again successfully ized by openness, accountability, representativeness, lobbied House members on this issue. decision making capability and effective performance. Responsive legislative processes must meet these crite- In , the LWVUS and the LWV of Missouri led an ria: amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals in Cook v. Gralike, challenging a Missouri law requiring the phrase “disre- ACCOUNTABILITY - A Congress responsive to citizens and garded voters’ instruction on term limits” to appear on the able to hold its own leaders, committees and members ballot next to any candidate’s name who had not taken cer- responsible for their actions and decisions tain actions related to term limits. e law was struck down by the Appeals Court, both because it was a backdoor at- REPRESENTATIVENESS - A Congress whose leaders, com- tempt to impose term limits and because it burdened the mittees and members represent the nation as a whole, election process. e state League and the LWVUS subse- as well as their own districts and states quently led amicus briefs with the Supreme Court while the case was considered on appeal. DECISION MAKING CAPABILITY - A Congress with the knowledge, resources and power to make decisions that In and , the League responded directly to con- meet national needs and reconcile conflicting interests gressional scandals that demonstrated a failure in the mech- and priorities anisms that regulated ethics and lobbying. e League pushed Congress to enact lobbying reform measures: to set EFFECTIVE PERFORMANCE - A Congress able to function fundraising limits on lobbyists and lobbying rms; change in an efficient manner with a minimum of conflict, the gift, travel and employment relationships among Mem- wasted time and duplication of effort bers of Congress, lobbyists and lobbying rms; and insti- tute new and effective enforcement mechanisms. OPEN GOVERNMENT - A Congress whose proceedings in committee as well as on the floor are open to the fullest In , the House passed new ethics procedures, including extent possible. new ethics rules, disclosure requirements for campaign con- tributions “bundled” by lobbyists, and a new ethics en- Statement of Position on Congress, as Announced by Na- forcement process. e League also supported strengthen- tional Board, April and Revised March . ing the investigative powers of the new Office of Congres- sional Ethics by providing access to subpoena power so in- vestigators would be able to compel cooperation from out- The Presidency side entities and individuals, congressional staff and Mem- bers. In view of growing public concern about presidential pow- ers, the Convention adopted a two-year study of the executive branch with emphasis on presidential powers,
36 succession and tenure. e position tied closely to ear- EMERGENCY POWERS - Presidential authority to declare a lier positions on Congress and enabled the League to take state of national emergency should be subject to peri- action to promote a dynamic balance between the powers odic congressional review. The President should trans- of the President and those of Congress. Such a balance, ac- mit to Congress yearly notice of all existing national cording to member agreement, requires elimination of un- emergencies and significant orders issued under each. necessary secrecy between the branches, periodic congres- Congress should review the emergencies and significant sional reviews of executive agreements and states of national orders issued under each. Congress should review the emergency, and proper use of the procedures spelled out in emergencies every six months and should have the the War Powers Resolution. LWVUS support of anti-im- power to terminate them at any time by concurrent res- poundment measures in also was consistent with the olution. All states of emergency now in existence emphasis on the balance of power between the two should be terminated after a grace period for adjust- branches. ment.
In , the League opposed the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings FISCAL POWERS - The President should exercise executive Balanced Budget and Emergency De cit Control Act as a responsibility for sound management of public funds in threat to this balance of power. In , the Supreme Court a manner consistent with the programs and priorities declared unconstitutional the key part of the law that pro- established by Congress. This requires procedures for vided for automatic budget cuts to be decided by the congressional consideration of the budget as a whole Comptroller General if de cit targets were missed. A revi- and measures for congressional disapproval of presiden- sion of the law met the separation-of-powers objection of tial impoundment of funds. the Court. SUCCESSION AND TENURE - The League of Women Voters of the United States supports the succession procedures THE LEAGUE’S POSITION spelled out in the th Amendment. However, the The League of Women Voters believes that presidential League favors a limit on the amount of time Congress power should be exercised within the constitutional may take to confirm the Vice-President. The League framework of a dynamic balance between the executive also favors retention of a two-term limitation on presi- and legislative branches. Accountability and responsi- dential terms of office. bility to the people require that unnecessary secrecy be- tween the President and Congress be eliminated. Statement of Position on the Presidency, as Announced by Therefore, the League supports the following measures: National Board, January and Revised March .
EXECUTIVE AGREEMENTS - Presidential authority to nego- tiate international executive agreements should be pre- served. Accountability to the public requires that the PRIVATIZATION President report to Congress the text of all such agree- ments and that Congress review them periodically. Convention delegates voted to undertake a study of WAR POWERS - The President should be required to seek the issue of Privatization. Local and state Leagues across the the advice of the Congress before introducing U.S. country participated in the study and a position was an- armed forces into situations where hostilities are immi- nounced in June . nent, to report promptly to Congress any action taken, and to obtain within a specified time congressional ap- proval for continued military activity.
37 THE LEAGUE’S POSITION multiple providers if a service is specialized (e.g., The League of Women Voters believes that when gov- high tech, airports) ernmental entities consider the transfer of governmen- Cost-benefit analyses evaluating short and long tal services, assets and/or functions to the private sec- term costs of privatization, including the ongoing tor, the community impact and goals of such transfers costs of contract administration and oversight must be identified and considered. Further, the League An understanding of the impact on customers, the believes that transparency, accountability, and preserva- broader community, environment and public em- tion of the common good must be ensured. ployees An open, competitive bidding process with clearly The League believes that some government provided defined criteria to be used in selecting a contractor services could be delivered more efficiently by private A provision and process to ensure the services or entities; however, privatization is not appropriate in all assets will be returned to the government if a con- circumstances. Privatization is not appropriate when tractor fails to perform the provision of services by the government is necessary A data-driven selection of private entities whose to preserve the common good, to protect national or goals, purposes, and means are not incompatible local security or to meet the needs of the most vulnera- with the public well-being ble members of society. While the League recognizes The careful negotiation and drafting of the control- that the definition of core government services will vary ling privatization contract by level of government and community values, services Adequate oversight and periodic performance mon- fundamental to the governance of a democratic society itoring of the privatized services by the government should not be privatized in their entirety. These services entity to ensure that the private entity is complying include the electoral process, justice system, military, with all relevant laws and regulations, contract public safety, public health, education, transportation, terms and conditions, and ethical standards, in- environmental protection and programs that protect cluding public disclosure and comment. and provide basic human needs. The League believes that the enactment of state laws The decision to privatize a public service should be and issuance of regulations to control the process and made after an informed, transparent planning process delivery of privatization within a state’s jurisdiction is and thorough analysis of the implications of privatizing often appropriate and desirable. Best practices for gov- service delivery. While specific criteria will vary by ser- ernment regulation of the privatization process should vice and local conditions, the League believes the fol- include the following requirements: lowing considerations apply to most decisions to trans- fer public services, assets and functions to the private An open process that allows for citizen input and sector: oversight in a timely manner A reasonable feasibility study and project evalua- On-going and timely communication with stake- tion appropriate to the size and scope of the project holders and the public The establishment of carefully crafted criteria for Statement of the circumstances as they exist and selection of the private-entity (beyond the lowest what is to be gained cost bid) Definition of the quality, level and cost of service Additional consideration for local bidders in order expected to support the local economy Assessment of the private market; whether there are The retention of liability and responsibility with providers to assure competitive pricing and delivery the government entity recognizing that in some cases, there may not be Allowance for and promotion of opportunities for innovation and collaboration
38 Provision for employment, benefits and training plans on behalf of employees displaced as a result of privatization.
Statement of Position on Privatization as announced by the National Board in June .
39 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Promote peace in an interdependent world by working cooperatively with other nations and strengthening international organizations.
A commitment to international cooperation as an essential former Soviet Union and extending to Africa and the path to world peace is deeply rooted in League history. Americas, the League experience has proved invaluable in Founded just after World War I, the League rejected a pol- developing the potential for citizen participation and non- icy of isolationism as “neither wise nor possible for this na- governmental organizations (NGOs) in democratic systems, tion.” e League’s commitment has taken many forms. especially for women leaders. Action to support free trade began during the Depression and support for aid to developing countries in the s. As In the s, the League expanded its “global democracy” World War II ended, the League launched a nationwide program and updated its positions on the United Nations campaign to build public understanding of the agreements and International Trade. e League continued its strong setting up the United Nations and was proud to be one of support for the United Nations, added its support for the the nongovernmental organizations rst affiliated with the International Criminal Court and endorsed enhanced UN, a relationship that continues to this day. peace operations. e League reiterated its support for measures to expand international trade, while recognizing In the s, the League played an important role in edu- the importance of protecting environmental, labor and po- cating citizens and creating the climate for normalization litical values. of U.S. relations with the People’s Republic of China. Also in the s, after a reappraisal of trade policy, the League took action to reduce trade barriers while supporting assis- tance for economic adjustment in the United States. UNITED NATIONS roughout the s, the League was active on trade issues, working for the history-making multilateral process that built a new structure for international trade. At the rst League Convention in , delegates called for “adhesion of the United States to the League of Nations In the s, positions on Arms Control and on Military with least possible delay,” in recognition of the need for a Policy and Defense Spending added new dimensions to the mechanism to facilitate settlement of international disputes. League’s international relations efforts. With these posi- When the issue of U.S. participation in the League of Na- tions, the League supported international negotiations and tions turned into a bitter partisan battle, active League sup- agreements to reduce the risk of war and prevent the devel- port did not materialize until . opment and deployment of nuclear weapons, and worked against the costly, technologically suspect and destabilizing During World War II, the League, conscious of its earlier national missile defense program. hesitancy, began to study “U.S. participation in the making and execution of plans for worldwide reconstruction and Adoption of a U.S. Relations with Developing Countries for a postwar organization for peace to eventually include position in provided further de nition to the League’s all peoples, regardless of race, religion or political persua- efforts to promote peace, with special emphasis on human sion.” In , the League supported “U.S. membership in rights, sound management of natural resources and eco- an international organization for the peaceful settlement of nomic development. disputes, with the machinery to handle economic, social and political problems.” In the s, the League launched training and education projects to build political participation in emerging democ- Even before the United Nations (UN) was formally estab- racies. Beginning in nations from Eastern Europe and the lished, the League launched an unprecedented nationwide
40 campaign to help build public understanding of the Dum- support of “continuing efforts to reduce the risk of war,” barton Oaks and Bretton Woods agreements to establish the League has lobbied for Senate rati cation of certain dis- the United Nations, the World Bank and the International armament measures, notably the UN-negotiated nuclear Monetary Fund. e League trained more than , nonproliferation treaty. Leagues’ efforts in their communi- speakers and distributed more than a million brochures ties to develop public understanding and awareness of UN during a six-month period. At the UN Charter Conference accomplishments, limitations and potential took on special in , the League was one of nongovernmental organ- signi cance in when the League celebrated its th an- izations invited by President Truman to serve as consultants niversary and the United Nations its th. to the U.S. delegation. Since then, the League has main- tained a presence at the United Nations through its UN In , the League participated in the UN thWorld Con- Observers, working with UN agencies, member states and ference on Women and the NGO Forum on Women in other NGOs to advance LWVUS positions, and by period- Beijing, China, sponsoring workshops on Organizing Can- ically hosting “League Day at the UN” for League members. didate Debates and Making Democracy Work: Strategies for Grassroots Organization, Education and Advocacy. is e UN position evolved through continued study. By , was followed in with a League co-sponsored regional the League called for strengthening the UN and its special- conference of the President’s Interagency Council on ized agencies through increased use, adequate nancial con- Women : Beijing Plus Five, to prepare for the Special tributions and improved procedures. It also supported the Session of the General Assembly on Women : Gender UN’s peacekeeping functions. In , the League evalu- Equality, Development and Peace for the Twenty-First ated “means of strengthening the UN under present condi- Century, which our UN Observers were accredited to at- tions,” most notably heightened antagonisms between the tend in . United States and the Soviet Union. In , the League was granted Special Consultative Status In , the League reexamined the UN system “with em- with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, phasis on relations between developed and developing which provides the opportunity to make interventions on countries and their implications for U.S. policy.” Members issues the League supports. We joined other NGOs in sub- studied how world issues had changed alignments at the mitting an official statement on behalf of the Girl Child United Nations from a primarily East-West to an increas- that was presented at the UN Commission on the Status of ingly rich-nation/poor-nation focus and its effect on U.S. Women meeting in March . As a result of interven- participation in the UN system. e result was a resound- tions, the League has successfully launched and supported ing reaffirmation of support for a strengthened UN system the Working Group on Girls (WGG), a coalition of + and agreement that the United States should work con- NGOs dedicated to focusing governments on the plight of structively within the UN to further our foreign policy girls throughout the world. e International Day of the goals. Girl is also celebrated around the world as a result of League and WGG efforts. Women in Saudi Arabia enjoy the right e League consistently monitors U.S. actions at the UN, to vote after the League provided an intervention that engaging in programs at the U.S. Mission and providing linked women’s enfranchisement with GDP. support for mutually held policies. e League continues to urge adequate funding for the UN, both by regular as- League activity on women and girl-related issues continued sessments and voluntary contributions, full payment of U.S. in the s. In , the LWVUS submitted testimony to nancial obligations to the UN and full U.S. participation the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in support of Sen- in the UN system. ate rati cation of CEDAW (UN Convention for the Elim- ination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women). In addition to supporting increased use and strength of the e League joined other NGOs in official statements to the UN peacekeeping machinery, under the UN position in
41 UN Commission on the Status of Women: advocating pro- Summit Outcome Document, a historic effort to end tection of girls’ rights in a life cycle approach to gender is- global poverty, promote peace and strengthen the UN, and sues in ; emphasizing that nancing for girls’ equality urged Congress to reject the United Nations Reform Act. and for the empowerment of girls is a basic and sound strat- egy for the implementation of all human rights in . In , League members had the opportunity to directly e League also joined the United Nation’s Campaign voice their opinions and witness UN conferences through UNITE to End Violence against Women, -, the use of technology. By voting on the “Goals We Want,” whose overall objective is raising public awareness and in- LWV members had an opportunity to encourage the adop- creasing political will and resources for preventing and re- tion of post- goals seeking to eliminate severe world sponding to all forms of violence against women and girls poverty, encourage mandatory education for girls and boys worldwide. In , as the move to ratify CEDAW contin- at the primary and secondary levels and improve women’s ued, the LWVUS submitted testimony to the Senate Judi- economic and political empowerment. ciary Committee on Civil and Constitutional Rights.
Since then, the League, in coordination with WGG, devel- THE LEAGUE’S POSITION oped a comprehensive strategy to prevent sexual human The League of Women Voters supports a strong, effec- trafficking at major events. is strategy to Prevent Vio- tive United Nations and endorses the full and active lence Against Children was adopted by the Special Repre- participation of the United States in the UN system. sentative to the UN Secretary General in her work with The League supports UN efforts to: member states on preventing violence. Additionally, it was adopted by Brazil and implemented at its World Cup Promote international peace and security and Mardi Gras, as well as by the NJ Attorney General for Advance the social and economic well-being of the the Super Bowl. e United States has included com- world’s people ponents of the strategy in its Trafficking in Persons Ensure respect for human rights and fundamental Report. freedoms Foster trust and cooperation among nations by en- In June , the League formally adopted a position op- couraging adherence to conventions, treaties, and posing human trafficking. As a result of that position, e other international agreements LWVUS UN Observers are focusing efforts in the areas of Protect the integrity of the world environment demand and labor trafficking. Achieve the full and equal participation of women in all aspects of civil and political life. In , the League urged President George W. Bush to work with the UN to develop clear policy goals and actions The United Nations should be an important compo- with regard to the U.S.’s possible intervention in Iraq. On nent of U.S. foreign policy. The League supports U.S. initiation of combat operations, the League’s Board issued policies that strengthen the UN’s capacity to solve a statement saying that continued diplomatic efforts global problems and promote prosperity throughout through the UN would have better served international the world. The United States should work actively and unity, and military force should have been used as a tool of constructively within the UN system, exercising diplo- last resort. matic leadership in advance of decision-making. The United States should not place conditions on its partic- Leagues nationwide work to realize the United Nations' ipation in the UN, except in the most extreme cases, Millennium Goals outlined by UN Secretary General Ko such as flagrant violations of the Charter. Annan at the September Millennium Summit and adopted by states. In , the League urged the Ad- The League supports UN leadership in a comprehen- ministration to support the goals of the UN’s World sive, multi-faceted approach to promoting world peace
42 and security that includes ongoing efforts to eliminate Ensuring access to a basic education for all the underlying causes of conflict. UN peace operations Ensuring a basic level of health care for all should include such strategies as: Protecting the environment and the world’s natural resources. An increased emphasis on preventive diplomacy and the use of such techniques as an early warning The League supports efforts to strengthen the develop- system to identify possible threats to peace and me- ment and humanitarian work of the United Nations diation to help resolve disputes through greater coordination among agencies, more ef- Preventive deployment of UN peacekeepers to fore- ficient use of resources, additional funding as required, stall the outbreak of hostilities and more partnerships with NGOs and other non-state Enhanced capacity to respond rapidly and effec- actors. UN-sponsored world conferences are valuable tively to contain conflict and establish a just and forums for building international consensus and devel- stable peace oping practical plans of action to solve global problems. UN peacekeeping operations that have strong po- litical and financial support from the world com- The United States should provide strong leadership and munity and the consent of the local parties financial support to the UN specialized agencies, par- Military intervention, as a last resort, to halt geno- ticipate constructively in international conferences, and cide and other crimes against humanity and to pre- fulfill all agreed-upon commitments. vent the spread of conflict Protection of civilian populations, including pro- The League believes that world peace and progress rest tection of displaced persons in part on a body of international law developed Long-term commitment, both pre- and post-con- through conventions, covenants, and treaties and on flict, to establishing the institutions and conditions the judgments of international courts. Disputes be- needed for real economic and social development tween nations should be considered and settled in the Enhanced capacity at UN headquarters to plan, International Court of Justice, and its judicial decisions manage and support UN peace operations. should be honored.
The United States should support all aspects of UN The League supports the creation of a permanent inter- peace operations. Non-governmental organizations national tribunal, such as the International Criminal (NGOs) have an important role to play in peace opera- Court, to try individuals charged with crimes of geno- tions, including participating in behind-the-scenes dip- cide, war crimes, and other systematic crimes against lomatic efforts and providing humanitarian aid. humanity.
The League strongly supports the central role of the All court procedures must meet the highest judicial United Nations in addressing the social, economic and standards, including guarantees of due process protec- humanitarian needs of all people. The advancement tions and the integrity and impartiality of the courts’ and empowerment of women is fundamental to achiev- officials. ing peace and prosperity and should be a high priority for UN programs. Other areas for emphasis include: The League supports full U.S. participation in the in- ternational judicial system and U.S. ratification and ob- Eradicating poverty and hunger servance of international treaties and conventions con- Improving basic living standards worldwide sistent with LWVUS principles and positions. Promoting the well-being and potential of chil- dren, with special attention to the girl child The League supports the basic principles of the UN Promoting human and political rights Charter. The League supports one-nation, one-vote in
43 the General Assembly, the veto power in the Security relax restrictions on trade with Eastern Europe and the So- Council, and a strong, effective office of the Secretary- viet Union. e Convention, during a time of dollar General. The League supports measures to make the devaluation and balance-of-trade de cits, asked Leagues to Security Council a more representative body that better reexamine trade policies to nd new ways to help the econ- reflects the diverse interests of UN member nations and omy adjust to changing trade patterns, especially measures the world's people. The United States should work to to counter rising protectionist sentiment. e revised encourage member nations to consider the needs of the position in support of liberal trade policies placed a new world as a whole and avoid divisive politicization of is- emphasis on expanding and improving adjustment assis- sues. tance programs.
Member nations have the collective responsibility to e League vigorously supported the Trade Act of , provide the resources necessary for the UN to carry out which led to U.S. participation in the Tokyo Round of tariff its mandates, with each providing financial contribu- negotiations under the auspices of the General Agreement tions commensurate with its ability to pay. The United on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). In , the League mounted States should meet its financial obligations to the UN a major lobbying effort to assure implementation of the To- on time, in full, and without conditions. kyo Round of multilateral trade negotiations (MTN) agree- ments designed to establish a fair, open and disciplined Statement of Position on the United Nations, as An- trading structure for the next decade. roughout the ve nounced by National Board, June and Updated, June years of negotiations, the League worked to de ect protec- . tionist efforts in Congress to block the negotiations. rough its efforts, the League helped assure overwhelming passage of the Trade Agreements Act of , the largest single trade bill in U.S. history. Attempts to undermine the TRADE trade agreements have been vigorously opposed by the League.
e League’s long-standing interest in world trade has its e League also has been instrumental in promoting origins in a study of high postwar prices. is study measures to improve trade opportunities for developing and another on the economic causes of war convinced the countries and in defeating protectionist amendments to League that high tariffs and restrictive trade practices add foreign assistance appropriation bills. e League strongly to consumer prices, reduce competition in the marketplace supported the Trade and International Economic Policy and cause friction among nations. e Depression accentu- Reform Act of and worked to defeat restrictive amend- ated the impact of high tariffs and moved the League to ments. take action for the rst time on trade matters. Since then, the League has been involved with every major piece of In , the League voiced its opposition to providing the trade legislation, always strongly supporting measures that President with new negotiating authority for trade agree- expand rather than restrict trade. ments because the proposed authority did not adequately provide for protecting environmental, labor and political After an extensive reappraisal in the early s, the League values as part of trade agreements. urged that the United States systematically reduce trade barriers, delegate long-term, exible negotiating authority to the executive and use trade adjustment assistance as a THE LEAGUE’S POSITION positive alternative to import restrictions. In , the The League of Women Voters of the United States sup- League added another dimension: support for measures to ports a liberal U.S. trade policy aimed at reducing trade
44 barriers and expanding international trade. Such a pol- partners. These measures should not discriminate be- icy helps foster international cooperation, democratic tween domestic products and imports and should not values, and economic prosperity at home and abroad as be used as a pretext for restricting the flow of trade. The well as benefiting consumers through lowered prices, League believes that trade agreements should be nego- expanded choice and improved products and services. tiated multilaterally in the broadest possible interna- The League believes that U.S. trade policy should be tional forum. Regional and bilateral trade agreements based on the long-term public interest, not on special can be useful steppingstones to broader trade liberali- interests, and should advance the achievement of other zation but should not be allowed to block progress in important policy goals, including: multilateral negotiations nor to marginalize poor coun- tries. Improve of basic living standards worldwide Reduction of inequalities within and among na- The League believes the U.S. trade policy-making pro- tions cess should be open, transparent, and efficient and Protection of the environment and global natural should advance League trade policy goals. The Presi- resources dent should be given the authority to negotiate trade Respect for human, labor, religious and political agreements within prior guidelines and conditions set rights by Congress. Congress should have an adequate but Improve labor conditions around the world. limited time period to debate and accept or reject the resulting proposed agreements, without amendment. The League endorses the worldwide systematic reduc- Congress should take an active part in the policy-mak- tion of tariffs, subsidies and quotas. The League also ing process, establishing trade priorities and negotiat- supports the reduction of non-tariff barriers to trade ing objectives and observing and monitoring trade ne- consistent with the goals and strategies set forth in this gotiations. Congress should have the resources and staff position statement. Administrative and customs proce- expertise necessary to fulfill its trade responsibilities. dures should be efficient and flexible. The trade policy-making processes of both Congress and the executive branch should include meaningful The League supports U.S. participation in an interna- opportunities for input from a broad range of public tional trade organization aimed at promoting world- interest perspectives, as well as from business interests, wide economic growth via an open trading system. This and should include timely assessment of the impact of organization should have the power to hold nations ac- proposed trade agreements. countable for commitments made in multilateral trade treaties and should recognize the legitimacy of interna- The League supports a variety of trade-related strate- tional agreements in the areas of the environment, la- gies to protect the environment and promote labor, po- bor, and human rights. Its proceedings should be open litical, religious and human rights, including to scrutiny by the public, the press, and non-govern- mental organizations. The public should have timely Trade negotiations and trade agreements that lead access to a wide range of its documents, and its dispute to progress on environmental and social objectives settlement process should allow friend-of-the-court Monitoring and reporting of countries’ practices briefs. and performance in these areas Recognition of the legitimacy of multilateral envi- The organization should recognize the legitimacy of a ronmental agreements country’s measures in the areas of the environment, Strengthening the International Labor Organiza- health, labor and human rights that are more stringent tion (ILO) and promoting ratification of ILO core than international standards or than those of its trading labor rights
45 Promoting ratification of the Universal Declaration of developing countries in the areas of the environment of Human Rights and similar international agree- and human and labor rights. ments International sanctions aimed at ending egregious The League supports measures to address the adverse violations of human rights impact of international trade on domestic workers, Legitimate labeling and certification programs firms and industries. Training, education and safety net (e.g., eco-labeling) programs, such as cash assistance, relocation assistance, Protection of endangered species and health care, should be enhanced and made easily Elimination of environmentally and economically available to dislocated workers, whether or not a trade harmful subsidies and incentives (e.g., for fishing, connection can be made. Portability of health care cov- timber, agriculture) erage, pension rights and other fringe benefits should Codes of conduct to encourage responsible busi- also be assured. The League supports temporary trade ness practices in these areas (e.g., guarding against barriers consistent with international trade rules to per- abusive child labor) mit firms seriously injured by surging import competi- Domestic regulations and practices that advance tion to adjust to changed conditions. environmental and social goals and that are not a pretext for restricting trade Statement of Position on Liberal Trade Policies, as An- Aid to developing countries to improve their ability nounced by National Board, June and Updated, April to create and enforce national laws protecting the . environment and human and labor rights.
The League supports trade and related policies that ad- dress the special needs of developing countries, with U.S. RELATIONS WITH emphasis on economic growth and improving income DEVELOPING COUNTRIES distribution. The League supports such measures as:
Priority elimination of tariffs and quotas on ex- e League’s work on development issues began in the ports of developing countries s, when members studied the economic and social Longer adjustment periods and financial and tech- work of various international organizations. In , the nical assistance for implementation of trade com- League studied proposals for closer economic and cultural mitments relations between the United States and other American re- Special measures to ensure access to essential medi- publics, including possible nancial and technical coopera- cines tion. After World War II, the League supported the imple- Financial and technical assistance to enable devel- mentation of the Marshall Plan and President Truman’s oping countries to participate effectively in the Point Four technical assistance program as part of its com- world trading system mitment to international efforts to support the poor and Financial aid for infrastructure improvements emerging nations of Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin Policies that recognize the special circumstances of America. developing countries in the areas of food security and transition to the world trading system e League’s position on Development Assistance evolved through two restudies in and . e latter reiter- The League supports strong U.S. leadership in, and fi- ated the need for separating development from military aid. nancial support of, international institutions and pro- e League supported the “basic needs” approach man- grams that reduce poverty and address the special needs dated by Congress in and adopted by the Agency for International Development (AID).
46 In the s, the League’s Development Assistance position League of Women Voters in Bosnia and Herzegovina to was revised to re ect the results of the study of U.S. Rela- help women take an effective role in the post-war recon- tions with Developing Countries. Members reviewed cur- struction process. rent trends in trade, development assistance and the United Nations. ey also examined U.S. commitments to devel- Since , the League has participated in e Open World oping countries, criteria for evaluating development and Leadership Center’s Civic Hosting Program, rst introduc- military assistance and the role of U.S.-Soviet relations in ing Russian leaders to U.S. democracy and subsequently determining U.S. policies toward developing countries. hosting visitors from Ukraine and Central Asia.
e resulting position emphasizes development assis- tance over military assistance as the most effective means of Africa meeting the long-term social and economic needs of devel- oping countries and downplays the role of international Outreach in Africa started in the late s when the competition in determining U.S. policies toward develop- LWVEF joined Civitas Africa to share methodologies, tools ing countries. In , the League urged Congress to reject and experiences with civic education groups. A citizen ex- aid that included military assistance to Nicaraguan coun- change program in Sub-Saharan Africa with grassroots or- ter-revolutionaries (“contras”) and address the region’s ganizations and activists, e Woman Power in Politics: long-term social and economic needs. In , the League Building Grassroots Democracy in Africa program was ini- pressured Congress to increase development and humani- tiated with League members traveling to Africa as co-train- tarian aid in the foreign aid budget. ers in democracy-building skills until . e League also worked with four nongovernmental organizations in Ma- In the s, the LWVEF began a series of global outreach lawi to train thousands of poll monitors as civil society ob- projects which led to the current Global Democracy Pro- servers on Election Day . It joined with the National gram. “inking Globally” was designed to educate Amer- Council of Women of Kenya to sponsor the Kenyans icans about the links between their communities and the Working Together for Good Governance: Civil Society, developing world. Government and Members of Parliament program in , including an exchange program between Kenyan citizens and League staff. Europe
Outreach in Europe in the s led to the Global Com- The Americas munity Dialogue program in with the Building Polit- ical Participation in Poland initiative and subsequent citi- Outreach in the Americas began with the Making Democ- zen exchange projects to share grassroots skills with citizens racy Work in the Americas program at the Vital Voices of in Hungary, Russia, Ukraine, the American Republics and the Americas conference in , followed by the League Africa. hosting women civic leaders and officials from Latin Amer- ica in . In , the LWVEF opened a U.S. coordination office for absentee voting in the post-war elections in Bosnia and In the s, the League completed a successful program Herzegovina. In an unprecedented effort to enfranchise in Brazil called Women in Political Leadership, was invited Bosnian refugees and displaced persons residing in coun- by the International Foundation for Election Systems tries for elections in , and , the League (IFES) to join a team of International Election Observers worked with the Organization for Security and Coopera- for Paraguayan elections, sponsored the program Women tion in Europe on the Bosnian Citizen Get-Out-the-Vote in the Americas: Paths to Political Power, and participated Campaign. e LWVEF formed a partnership with the
47 in a State Department sponsored exchange titled Connect- The LWVUS strongly believes that development assis- ing Civil Society and Future Legislators from Colombia tance, which is designed to meet the long-term social and Brazil. and economic needs of developing countries, is the most effective means of promoting legitimate U.S. in- e League continued its efforts to work with women terests. Military assistance and the direct military in- around the world in -. During this period the volvement of U.S. forces are not appropriate means to League attended an international conference in La Havana, further the League’s stated paramount interests in de- Cuba, organized by the Gender Department of the Univer- veloping countries. sity of La Havana titled Women in the XXI Century. e League also accepted invitations to work with women in Developing countries should not be the pawns or the democratic transitions in Tunisia and Egypt in North Af- playing fields for geopolitical competition. The rela- rica; in Antananarivo, Madagascar, in Africa; in Dhaka, tionship between the superpowers should not be an im- Bangladesh in South Asia; and in Belgrade, Serbia in South- portant factor in determining U.S. policies toward de- east Europe. veloping countries. The LWVUS supports efforts to re- duce international competition in developing coun- In early citing the League’s outstanding record of non- tries, including: partisanship in advocating and promoting informed politi- cal participation in government, the U.S. Government se- Enhancing the role of the United Nations and lected the League to serve as its nongovernmental partner other multilateral organizations in the G Broader Middle East and North Africa Supporting regional approaches to conflict resolu- (BMENA) Initiative. tion. Encouraging cooperative efforts to promote the e year-long initiative had as its ultimate goal to achieve sound management of global resources and im- agreement among the G and region foreign ministers on prove the quality of life the language of the nal declaration of the th Forum for Promoting measures to reduce tensions and in- the Future, the culminating meeting of the initiative. e crease communication, including scientific and cul- second goal was to achieve civil society and private sector tural exchanges and other cooperative programs. agreement on the recommendations forwarded to the gov- ernments. Both goals were achieved due to a steady build- Statement of Position on U.S. Relations with Developing ing of trust among the participants as a result of the hard Countries, as Announced by National Board, April . work of the League, the U.S. Government, the Republic of Tunisia, and the three nongovernmental organizations.
The League of Women Voters believes that long-term THE LEAGUE’S POSITION requirements for world peace, humanitarian obliga- The League of Women Voters believes that U.S. inter- tions and long-range national interests demand U.S. ests in developing countries should reflect the reality of policies that help developing countries reach self-sus- global interdependence. Paramount among these inter- taining economic growth. ests are reducing the risk of military conflict, promot- ing the sound management of global resources, protect- League members understand that the development pro- ing human rights, stimulating economic growth and cess encompasses more than economic growth and urge improving the quality of life in developing countries. that the focus be on the human concerns of develop- U.S. policies toward developing countries should not be ment and on an improved quality of life for the people based on maintaining U.S. preeminence. of developing countries. U.S. development assistance policies should enhance human dignity and fulfill basic
48 human needs. The policies should be coordinated with for greater access to U.S. and other industrialized coun- other development efforts, and they should respect cul- tries’ markets, the League favors generalized, temporary tural differences. The League favors greater participa- preferential tariff treatment and certain commodity ar- tion by the recipient nations in the planning and exe- rangements for developing countries. The principle of cution of development programs. The development ef- reciprocity in trade agreements, which the League sup- fort should be one of a partnership between developed ports, should be waived in order to make special trade and developing countries. Development programs concessions to developing countries. should be long-range, adequately financed, effectively coordinated and administered. Statement of Position on International Development Assis- tance, as Announced by National Board, April and League members recognize that population pressures Revised, April . affect all other aspects of the development process. The League supports U.S. efforts to assist other nations in their population planning programs, in accordance with the culture and mores of each country. The League The League of Women Voters believes that private in- also emphasizes strongly the importance of programs vestment of U.S. capital in developing countries can be for nutrition, health, employment and education. an important supplemental means of helping these countries reach self-sustaining economic growth. In or- The League advocates that the proportion of U.S. assis- der to facilitate the flow of private capital to those de- tance given through multilateral channels should be veloping countries that most need it and that can use it substantially increased, with concurrent efforts being most advantageously, appropriate safeguards are neces- made to strengthen the multilateral agencies where nec- sary against risks for both the investor and the develop- essary. ing countries.
The League deems it essential that the trend of reduced In order to protect outside investors against risks, the aid be reversed and that U.S. contributions for devel- League favors continuation of governmental assistance, opment assistance be increased. such as pre-investment surveys, investment guarantees and investment loans. The League believes that tax League members believe that aid alone is not enough to credits on funds invested in developing countries could meet the needs of developing countries. Measures other provide additional encouragement. than direct grants and loans must be utilized. The League advocates such measures as reduced tied aid, In order to guard against risks for the developing coun- prevention and relief of debt burdens, and changed pat- try, the League believes that investors should be encour- terns of trade. The U.S. government must ensure that aged to engage in joint-venture type investments with its trade, monetary, political and military policies do local businesses, to seek matching investment funds not subvert the goals of its development policies. The within the country, to employ and train as high a pro- League also urges active participation in the develop- portion of local personnel as possible for responsible ment process by the private sector. positions, and to send to these countries carefully cho- sen and well-briefed U.S. representatives. The League The League recognizes the gross disparity in trading po- welcomes continued efforts by developing countries to sitions between developed and developing countries. encourage their citizens to invest more in their own The exports of developing countries must be expanded countries’ development efforts and to create a more fa- if they are to broaden their economic base and improve vorable climate for public and private investment their peoples’ standard of living. Because of their need through appropriate internal reforms.
49 International commodity arrangements serve as a ARMS CONTROL short-term supplement to long-run efforts to promote self-sustaining growth in developing countries. e League’s - national security study was intended Insofar as commodity arrangements can help moderate to add focus and direction to existing support for “efforts sharp fluctuations in the price of primary products and to reduce the risk of war, including negotiations on dis- help stabilize the export income of developing coun- armament and arms control” under the UN position. Once tries, they can serve a useful, though necessarily short- the position was reached, League action in support of term, purpose. arms control measures was immediate and effective, partic- ularly on the issues of the Strategic Defense Initiative Each commodity arrangement should be evaluated on (SDI)—a missile defense plan that undermines the its own merit. Such arrangements should be flexible Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty and anti-satellite weap- and open to renegotiation within a reasonable period of ons. e League has continued to play a key role in legisla- time. tive efforts to limit funding for unworkable and destabiliz- ing missile defense systems and to uphold the traditional Each arrangement needs careful supervision and regular interpretation of the ABM Treaty. review in order not to inhibit diversification within these countries of land, labor and capital or to distort Other arms control measures supported by the League in- international patterns of trade. These arrangements clude: negotiation of a bilateral, mutually veri able freeze might include such compensatory financing efforts as on the testing, production and deployment of nuclear those initiated under the International Monetary Fund. weapons to be followed by reductions; a comprehensive test ban treaty; and the Chemical Weapons Convention. If any commodity arrangement is to bear fruit, pri- mary-product countries should be encouraged through In , the League was successful in lobbying for Senate technical and financial assistance to diversify both their rati cation of the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty primary-product and industrial position. If diversifica- (INF), an unprecedented agreement between the United tion efforts are not to be frustrated, the developed States and the Soviet Union to eliminate an entire class of countries, including the U.S., need to open their export nuclear weapons. In October , the League urged the doors wider to a broader range of imports, whether raw Senate to ratify the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty. materials, semi-processed or finished goods. In order to help the U.S. meet new competition, greater use might e League lobbied for rati cation of the Comprehensive be made of trade adjustment assistance to affected U.S. Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) from until October industries and workers. when Senate arms control opponents brought the treaty up without full hearings and the Senate rejected the resolution The League recognizes that continuation of freer trade of rati cation. policies and reduction of various trade barriers are es- sential to improve the terms of trade of developing In , the League again worked in support of the ABM countries. Treaty and in opposition to deployment of a planned na- tional missile defense (NMD) system. Statement of Position on Private Investment and Com- modity Arrangements, as Announced by National Board, After extensive review by a Board-appointed task force, the April and Revised, April . League’s position was updated at Convention by con- currence of League delegates. In , the LWVUS success- fully lobbied for the new START Treaty between the
50 United States and Russia. In , the Treaty, which in- and to achieve limitations on the transfer or trade of all cludes new veri cation requirements for deployed strategic weapons. warheads as well as delivery vehicles, was rati ed and signed. The League of Women Voters also supports bilateral arms control efforts, which may be especially appropri- THE LEAGUE’S POSITION ate in negotiations to limit, safeguard and reduce quan- The League of Women Voters believes that arms control tities of weapons. The League believes that unilateral measures are essential to reduce the risk of war and in- initiatives are not the most appropriate means to crease global stability. achieve arms control.
Toward that end, the U.S. government should give the The League does not support tying progress in arms highest level of importance to arms control efforts that: control to other issues. The League believes that arms control is too important in and of itself and too crucial Limit or reduce the quantity of weapons to all nations to be linked to other foreign and military Limit proliferation and prohibit first use of nuclear policy goals. weapons Prohibit first use and possession of chemical, bio- The League of Women Voters believes that arms control logical and radiological weapons measures should be evaluated in terms of the following Prohibit explosive testing of nuclear weapons factors: Reduce tensions in order to prevent situations in which weapons might be used. EQUITY - The terms should be mutually beneficial, and each nation’s security and interests should be ade- While these objectives should receive the highest level quately protected, as should the security of all nations. of attention, the U.S. government also should negotiate Equity does not necessarily require equality in numbers measures that inhibit the development and improve- of weapons but may be achieved through a relative bal- ment of weapons, particularly nuclear weapons, that in- ance in capabilities. crease incentives to attack first in a period of crisis. VERIFIABILITY - Each party should be able to ensure that As a goal of international negotiations, the League sup- other parties comply with the terms of the agreement, ports the worldwide elimination of nuclear weapons. whether using national technical means (such as satel- lites, seismic sensors and electronic monitors) or on-site The League of Women Voters recognizes that peace in inspection. The League recognizes the role that multi- an interdependent world is a product of cooperation lateral and international institutions can play in assist- among nations and therefore strongly favors multilat- ing verification efforts and believes it is extremely im- eral negotiations. Leadership by the U.S. in advancing portant to ensure compliance, acknowledging that ab- arms control measures through negotiations and peri- solute certainty is unattainable. odic review is encouraged. EQUITY AND VERIFIABILITY – Both are critical in efforts to Given the potential for worldwide proliferation of nu- limit and reduce quantities of weapons and to prohibit clear technology, efforts involving all countries are es- the possession and spread of nuclear weapons. sential to limit the spread of nuclear weapons and to protect commonly held nuclear weapons-free regions CONFIDENCE-BUILDING - Each party should be assured of such as the seabed and outer space. Multilateral efforts the political or military intentions of other parties. Fos- are appropriate as well to achieve bans on the posses- sion of chemical, biological and radiological weapons,
51 tering confidence is vital in efforts to stem the develop- e League’s pursuit of bans on the possession or use of ment and proliferation of weapons and prohibit their weapons may apply to existing weapons or those not yet first use and to reduce tensions. developed.
WIDESPREAD AGREEMENT - All appropriate parties should e League seeks to reduce tensions through better means participate in and approve the results of the negotiating of communication, exchange of information or prior noti- process. However, the League recognizes that, in spe- cation of military tests and maneuvers in order to avoid cific cases, progress can be achieved even though some the risks of miscalculation or accident. Other measures sup- key parties do not participate. ported by the League to reduce tensions and create a cli- mate of trust among nations include: scienti c and cultural ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION - The quality of the earth’s exchanges, con ict resolution training, and strengthening environment should be protected from the effects of the UN and its supporting agencies. e League encourages weapons testing or use. Environmental protection has efforts to mediate regional issues and arrive at negotiated special significance in negotiations regarding all weap- settlements to minimize arms build-ups and avoid con icts. ons of mass destruction as well as conventional weap- e U.S. should keep lines of communication open. ons that have residual effects. e League supports efforts to inhibit the development and CONTINUITY - Negotiations should build on past agree- improvement of weapons through qualitative limits, in- ments and should be directed toward future negotia- cluding limits on testing of weapons. ese constraints may tions whenever feasible. Innovative thinking and new be selective or comprehensive in their application. approaches should, however, be encouraged when ap- propriate. Efforts to improve the arms control regime of international laws, oversight bodies and veri cation modalities are also Statement of Position on Arms Control, as Announced by supported, and U.S. engagement and leadership in this re- National Board, December and Updated by the gard is encouraged. e League supports diligence by the Convention. U.S. in meeting the terms of rati ed arms control agree- ments and in reviewing their effectiveness over time.
FURTHER GUIDELINES League’s support of arms control measures includes actions on proposals, negotiations and agreements. MILITARY POLICY AND DEFENSE SPENDING e League supports efforts to achieve quantitative limits e second part of the League’s - national security or reductions that focus on nuclear warheads, non-nuclear study focused on military policy objectives and defense weapons of mass destruction, missiles and other delivery spending, including spending priorities and links between systems, antiballistic missiles, conventional weapons or defense and domestic spending in the federal budget. troop levels. League members rst evaluated U.S. military missions, then scrutinized military forces and defense budget priori- e League advocates limits on the spread or proliferation ties. is comprehensive approach stemmed from the prin- of weapons, nuclear technology, and ssile materials. e ciple that weapons systems should re ect a nation’s military League opposes the proliferation of weapons, nuclear tech- policy, which in turn should be developed from basic mili- nology and ssile materials to non-state actors or to com- tary purposes or missions. e resulting April state- monly held areas such as the seabed or outer space. e ment related military policy and defense spending. League supports establishing effective international moni- toring, accounting and control of such transfers.
52 League action focused on congressional efforts to limit de- however, should be to ensure that nuclear weapons are ployment of the MX missile and to oppose funding for a never used. railroad based system. e League also has strongly op- posed funding for the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) NUCLEAR DETERRENCE since and has been part of successful efforts to limit The League believes that the United States should vig- spending increases for the SDI program. Since the mid- orously pursue arms-control negotiations in order to s the League has called on Congress and the President ensure that all nations reduce and eventually eliminate to focus on defense spending when making budget cuts for their stockpiles of strategic nuclear weapons. The de cit reduction. League does not support unilateral elimination of any leg of the strategic nuclear triad of intercontinental bal- As a result of the - study of U.S. Relations with listic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic Developing Countries, the Military Policy and Defense missiles (SLBMs) and long-range bombers. However, Spending position was revised to emphasize that “Military the League does not support any modernization of the assistance and the direct military involvement of U.S. forces land leg that would result in weapons systems that are are not appropriate means to further the League’s stated vulnerable or increase incentives to attack first. paramount interests in developing countries.” NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION (NATO) The League believes that the defense of NATO allies THE LEAGUE’S POSITION should continue to be a shared responsibility. The The League of Women Voters believes the U.S. govern- League supports the commitment of the U.S. to defend ment should seek to protect its interests at home and NATO allies with conventional forces. The League abroad through the use of nonmilitary measures, in- urges continued efforts to negotiate mutual and bal- cluding diplomacy, mediation and multilateral cooper- anced reductions in conventional forces in Europe. ation. These measures reflect the importance that the League attaches to U.S. efforts to strengthen interna- The League believes there is no appropriate role for tional organizations, reduce tensions among nations U.S. nuclear weapons in the defense of NATO allies. and minimize the risk of conflict worldwide. The League strongly opposes the policy of threatening to introduce nuclear weapons into a conventional con- The League believes that military force should be flict in Europe, a policy commonly referred to as “first viewed as a tool of last resort. Unquestionably, defense use.” Consistent with these views, the League opposes of the homeland is an appropriate military objective. In the deployment of U.S. nuclear weapons on European this context, conventional weapons are clearly prefera- soil. ble to nuclear weapons. Any decision to defend another nation militarily should be in support of clear foreign OTHER COMMITMENTS policy goals and tailored to specific circumstances. Mil- The League supports the U.S. commitment to defend itary assistance and the direct military involvement of Japan with conventional forces. Conventional forces U.S. forces are not appropriate means to further the also are appropriate for defending other allies. The League’s stated paramount interests in developing League rejects any nuclear role in defending Japan and countries. other allies, in protecting access to vital resources or in responding to military conflicts around the world. The League believes that nuclear weapons should serve only a limited and specific function, that of deterring DEFENSE SPENDING nuclear attack on the U.S., until such time as these The League believes that defense spending should be weapons are eliminated through arms-control and dis- examined in the same way as spending for other na- armament agreements. The goal of U.S. military policy, tional needs. Within any given level of defense funding,
53 the U.S. should move toward emphasizing readiness over investment. Preference should be given to opera- tions and maintenance expenditures and military pay as opposed to research and development, procurement of new weapons and construction of military facilities. The League believes that savings in the defense budget can be achieved through increased efficiency and im- proved accountability.
In summary, the League believes that national security has many dimensions and cannot be limited to military policy alone. It can be defined as ensuring domestic tranquility, providing for the common defense and pro- moting the general welfare. Key elements include the country’s ability to implement social and environmen- tal programs and to maintain cooperative relationships with other nations. Other important components are effective political leadership and a strong economy. Therefore, in decisions about the federal budget, polit- ical leaders should assess the impact of U.S. military spending on the nation’s economy and on the govern- ment’s ability to meet social and environmental needs.
Statement of Position on Military Policy and Defense Spending, as Announced by National Board, April and Revised, April .
54 NATURAL RESOURCES Promote an environment beneficial to life through the protection and wise management of natural re- sources in the public interest.
League members became concerned about depletion and issue in the late s, energy conservation, renewable re- conservation of natural resources as far back as the s sources and air pollution controls took on new signi cance and s when the League undertook a study of ood con- and the League’s interrelated approach to natural resource trol, erosion and the creation of the Tennessee Valley Au- issues proved farsighted. Understanding the need for global thority. Water resources were the focus of activities in the solutions to many environmental problems, the LWVUS s, and with the nascent environmental movement in has urged full U.S. participation in international efforts. the s, the League built a broad national program fo- cused on protecting and managing the interrelated aspects In the late s, the League lobbied vigorously for com- of air, water, land use, energy and waste management. Since prehensive legislation to control global climate change by then, the League has been in the forefront of the environ- setting a cap on greenhouse gas pollution and by encourag- mental protection movement, helping to frame landmark ing conservation and renewable energy. As part of an edu- legislation and seeking to preserve and protect life-support- cation and advocacy project on climate change, six state ing ecosystems and public health. Fighting to improve op- Leagues held forums with trips by the League President to portunities for public participation on natural resource is- speak at public events and meet with key Senators and staff. sues has always been a League theme, in addition to the In early , the LWVUS president was honored with a substantive concerns that the League has pushed. “Sisters on the Planet Climate Leader Award” by Oxfam America for the League’s grassroots work on climate change. e League’s citizen activists helped pass the landmark Clean Water Act in the early s and worked to protect, In the League launched the Clean Air Promise Cam- expand and strengthen it through the s. Water issues, paign. e campaign was developed to raise awareness of from groundwater protection to agricultural runoff to the the dangers of harmful pollutants like industrial carbon, Safe Drinking Water Act, have energized League leaders, mercury and other air toxicants that created a growing especially at the local level, for decades. Solid and hazardous threat to the health of our children and seniors. Seven state waste issues and recycling also have been the focus of strong Leagues engaged in the project and raised awareness in their state and local action, and the federal legislative ghts for local communities, at the state and local levels of their gov- the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and Super- ernments while generating media attention about the grow- fund focused on those issues as well. ing problem of climate change caused by industrial carbon pollution. e LWVUS released television ads in Massa- e League has been a leader in ghting back efforts to gut chusetts and Missouri that called attention to votes taken the Clean Air Act from the early s to the present. It by Senators Brown and McCaskill that would have blocked pushed for acid rain and toxics controls as the act was reau- new air pollution standards for carbon. By demonstrating thorized in , building on the successful work of the the political saliency of the climate change issue and the previous decade in controlling the worst air pollution from effects on human health, the ads succeeded in discouraging automobiles and industrial sources. In the s, the the Senate from taking up legislation that would under- League not only fought to protect the Clean Air Act, but mine efforts to address climate change. also turned attention to combatting global climate change. e League continues its strong advocacy on climate issues With its work on energy policy beginning in the late s, by supporting the Presidents Climate Action Plan. e cor- the League began a decades-long push for energy conserva- nerstone of the plan, controls carbon pollution from new tion and the use of renewable resources. As global climate and existing power plants, which are the largest source of change emerged as a key environmental and international industrial carbon pollution in the U.S. In addition, the
55 League voiced support for “putting a price on carbon” to RESOURCE MANAGEMENT compliment the regulatory effort.
In the – biennium, the League continued work to e League’s - water resources study was the basis ght climate change by supporting regulations from the for action on a broad range of resource management issues. Environmental Protection Agency, ghting legislation to By , the League had taken a position that, as rephrased stop or hurt progress on climate initiatives and by pushing and expanded in , has formed one of two foundations for the full rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline. e for League action on water ever since. e key concept is a League continued support for the EPA’s Clean Power Plan strong federal role in formulating national policies and pro- and New Source Pollution Standard by participating in cedures. eld hearings across the country and collecting comments from grassroots supporters in support of the regulations, all e issue of water management led the League toward later while working to ght legislation to overturn or weaken the interrelated positions on air pollution, solid waste disposal regulations in Congress. e League strongly supported the and land use, all focused on management policies to protect People’s Climate March in New York City and the UN natural resources. Paris Agreement, which was an historic international agree- ment that established a commitment to reduce carbon pol- In , the League recognized the need for federal control lution and ght climate change. Finally, the League en- of air pollution and adopted a position for control of air dorsed regulations from EPA to reduce the levels of ozone emissions. e Convention also authorized a study of in the atmosphere and regulate methane in the oil and gas solid waste disposal, which focused League attention on re- sector. use and recycling.
In , the LWVUS adopted a position on the role of the In , Convention delegates voted to “evaluate land-use federal government in U.S. agriculture policy, which local policies and procedures and their relationship to human and state Leagues also have applied to key action in their needs, population trends and ecological and socioeconomic jurisdictions. A second position on Federal Agriculture Pol- factors.” e three-year land-use study focused on achiev- icies was adopted in . ing optimum balance between human needs and environ- mental quality. Members agreed in that land owner- ship implies responsibilities of stewardship and considera- THE LEAGUE’S POSITION tion of public and private rights. ey concluded that every The League of Women Voters believes natural resources level of government should share responsibility for land should be managed as interrelated parts of life-support- planning and management, and that federal policies should ing ecosystems. Resources should be conserved and pro- enhance the capabilities of other levels. tected to assure their future availability. Pollution of these resources should be controlled in order to preserve Although efforts in to pass comprehensive land-use the physical, chemical and biological integrity of eco- legislation failed, the League has successfully supported systems and to protect public health. more specialized land-use laws, notably coastal-zone plan- ning and strip-mining controls. Statement of Position on Natural Resources, as Affirmed by the Convention, Based on Positions Reached from Since most action on land use issues has been at the rough . state and local levels. Many Leagues work on such issues as oodplain management, coastal-zone management, wet- lands protection, open-space preservation, facility siting, transportation, wilderness designations and offshore energy development.
56 In the s, the LWVUS lobbied for reauthorization and Worldwide recognition of the global nature of environmen- strengthening of the Coastal Zone Management (CZM) tal problems and the need for sustainable development program, which provides federal funds for planning at the came to the fore with the United Nations Conference on state level. e League also supports the Coastal Barrier Re- Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de sources System, legislation that would eliminate federal Janeiro, Brazil in . Leagues across the country hosted ood insurance subsidies to barrier islands and other coastal meetings to funnel citizen input into the UNCED agenda, areas subject to frequent storm action. and the LWVUS urged support for the Earth Summit’s rec- ommendations on global cooperation. In , the League provided testimony on Federal Recla- mation Policy in support of legislation to eliminate abuses e League opposed efforts in the th Congress to pass and close loopholes in the Reclamation Reform Act of . “takings” legislation that would seriously undermine envi- Speci cally, the League supported action to ensure compli- ronmental protections in the name of “private property ance with the acreage limitations of the act and to reduce rights.” While an extreme takings bill passed the House water subsidies that are uneconomical and environmentally early in , there was no Senate action. e League sup- destructive. In , the League supported broad reform of ported stewardship of critical resources, opposing congres- the National Flood Insurance Program to increase enroll- sional measures to transfer coastal lands from public to pri- ment and encourage risk management practices to reduce vate hands. future losses. In , the League urged Congress to oppose energy leg- League work on energy began in the early s. In , islation that would have wrongfully used the devastation of the LWVUS adopted a position supporting energy conser- Hurricane Katrina and other disasters as a pretext for un- vation as national policy. In , the LWVUS Board ap- dermining important environmental protections. proved guidelines to implement the position. Since then, the League has made conservation the crux of its energy roughout the s, the League continued its opposi- agenda, recognizing that the conservation of energy guar- tion to repeated efforts to drill for oil in the Arctic National antees major long-term environmental, economic and stra- Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). In , the League submitted tegic bene ts to individuals, the country and the world. comments to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) task force, urging its members to uphold the in- e Convention authorized a study to “evaluate tegrity of the original landmark legislation. sources of energy and the government’s role in meeting fu- ture needs,” which resulted in a broad position on en- Early in , the League declared its opposition to the pro- ergy policies and sources (including conservation) that is posed Keystone XL (KXL) Pipeline because of the need to the basis for action on a wide variety of energy issues at all put the U.S. on a path of emissions reductions, to protect government levels. e Council recommended that against climate change and to ensure safe drinking water for the LWVUS Board review application of the Energy posi- all Americans. Later that year, the League commended the tion to nuclear energy. e Board subsequently determined President’s decision to delay the approval of the pipeline that the League would work to minimize reliance on nu- until appropriate study and consideration could be taken. clear ssion. e League also worked to encourage the President to veto legislation from Congress in that would have forced e League advocates a national energy policy emphasizing the approval of the KXL pipeline. e League continues to increased fuel-efficiency standards for automobiles, opposi- encourage a full rejection of the pipeline by the Executive tion to oil drilling in environmentally sensitive areas in- Branch. cluding the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and support for government action in the development and use e League continues to lobby against legislation that of energy conservation and renewable energy sources. would undermine clean air standards, make global climate
57 change worse and fail to provide for needed energy conser- Coordination of the federal government's responsi- vation measures. bilities and activities Resolution of inconsistencies and conflicts in basic policy among governmental agencies at all levels THE LEAGUE’S POSITION Regional, interregional and/or international coop- The League of Women Voters believes resource manage- eration when appropriate ment decisions must be based on a thorough assessment Mechanisms appropriate to each region that will of population growth and of current and future needs. provide coordinated planning and administration The inherent characteristics and carrying capacities of among units of government, governmental agencies each area’s natural resources must be considered in the and the private sector planning process. Policy makers must take into account Procedures for resolving disputes the ramifications of their decisions on the nation as a Procedures for mitigation of adverse impacts whole as well as on other nations. Special responsibility by each level of government for those lands and resources entrusted to them To assure the future availability of essential resources, Special consideration for the protection of areas of government policies must promote stewardship of nat- critical environmental concern, natural hazards, ural resources. Policies that promote resource conserva- historical importance and aesthetic value tion are a fundamental part of such stewardship. Re- Special attention to maintaining and improving the sources such as water and soil should be protected. environmental quality of urban communities. Consumption of nonrenewable resources should be minimized. Beneficiaries should pay the costs for water, land and energy development projects. Reclamation and reuse of natural resources should be encouraged. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND POLLUTION CONTROL The League believes that protection and management of natural resources are responsibilities shared by all levels of government. The federal government should Since the s, the League has been at the forefront of ef- provide leadership, guidance and financial assistance to forts to protect air, land and water resources. Since the en- encourage regional planning and decision making to actment of the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Safe enhance local and state capabilities for resource man- Drinking Water Act and the Resource Conservation and agement. Recovery Act (RCRA), the League has worked for effective regulatory programs. The League supports comprehensive long-range plan- ning and believes that wise decision-making requires: e League’s pioneering focus on the interrelationships among air and water management issues forms the basis of Adequate data and a framework within which alter- efforts to ensure that government decision-making recog- natives may be weighed and intelligent decisions nizes that environmental protection must be a seamless web. made e evolution continues as the League’s efforts go beyond Consideration of environmental, public-health, so- ghting for pollution control and waste management strat- cial and economic impacts of proposed plans and egies to demanding pollution prevention and waste reduc- actions tion. Protection of private property rights commensurate with overall consideration of public health and en- During the s, the League fought hard to thwart at- vironmental protection tempts to weaken environmental protections through leg- islative and regulatory channels and severe federal budget
58 cuts. League members pushed for strong environmental e League has also worked for tighter fuel efficiency stand- safeguards in the reauthorization of the Clean Air Act and ards (Corporate Average Fuel Economy or CAFE standards) the Clean Water Act. A League-endorsed reauthorization of for automobiles to improve energy efficiency and reduce the Superfund program proved a major step toward contin- pollution. uing the clean-up of the nation’s hazardous waste sites. e s and s brought continued pressure to weaken en- In the s, antiregulatory legislation gave Congress un- vironmental legislation and underfund programs. e precedented authority to reject new regulations issued by League has continued to push for strong laws and full pro- federal agencies by passing a “resolution of disapproval.” gram funding for the U.S. Environmental Protection League members strenuously urged their members of Con- Agency, as well as for the defeat of across-the-board “regu- gress to oppose efforts to reject strengthened standards and latory reform” proposals that would weaken environmental the LWVUS strongly supported the EPA’s issuance of new protections. National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone and ne particulate matter to protect public health. e League worked successfully to defeat Air Quality amendments to the Intermodal Surface Transportation Ef- ciency Act (ISTEA) that would have allowed designated After beginning its study of air pollution in , the air quality funds to be spent on highway programs. League reached its position in support of federal air pollution controls on industrial production, government Following December treaty negotiations in Kyoto, Ja- installations, fuels and vehicles. e position opened the pan, on the Framework Convention on Climate Change, way for League action at the federal, state, regional and lo- the League applauded the President’s initiative to make the cal levels. United States a world leader in combating global climate change and to seek negotiated, fair reductions and mean- Ever since, the League has pressed for full implementation ingful participation by developing countries in reducing of the Clean Air Act of and for strengthening amend- greenhouse gases. League members lobbied against Senate ments, while ghting against attempts to weaken it. Early passage of a resolution to oppose the “Kyoto Protocol,” on, the League opposed the continued extension of dead- which called for nations to reduce their greenhouse gases, lines for meeting ambient air quality standards and auto- and they lobbied their senators to reject any actions that emission standards and supported visibility protection for undermine international negotiations to stop climate national parks and the prevention of signi cant deteriora- change. tion in program to protect air in relatively clean-air areas. EPA instituted major new initiatives to clean up the air dur- In the s, the Clean Air Act came under strong attack, ing -, and the League worked to see them prom- and the League helped lead the effort to protect and ulgated. e League commented on EPA’s proposed new strengthen it. Finally, in , League environmentalists emissions standards for SUVs (sport utility vehicles) and were rewarded with passage of the Clean Air Act, heavy vehicles, arguing for the importance of controlling which included major improvements to combat acid rain the mobile sources of air pollution that had largely gone and smog and to cut emissions of toxicants. e legislation unregulated. mandated major reductions in sulfur and nitrogen oxide emissions through the use of best available technology and In -, while Congress fought to a standstill over energy efficiency. It attacked both stationary and mobile clean air issues, the League produced a Q&A on Global sources of pollutants. e Act set national standards and Warming, a valuable resource for citizens on this key issue. helped cities and states deal with local problems. e e LWVUS believes that climate change is a serious prob- League at all levels worked to ensure full implementation lem that requires immediate international action. e of the revised Act. League believes the U.S. government should move ahead
59 immediately, without waiting for other nations, on initia- In December , the League was thrilled to participate tives to reduce emissions of heat-trapping gases. Such ac- on the international stage, sending an official non-govern- tions will reduce the threat of global climate change, com- mental organization delegation to Copenhagen, Denmark, bat air pollution, increase energy security and create new for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. jobs. In March , League leaders from as many states were brought to Washington to lobby congressional leaders on In the s, energy legislation became the primary vehicle strong climate change legislation. In addition, the Climate for attempts to weaken the Clean Air Act. e League Change Task Force developed and promoted a “Toolkit for worked throughout the s to block these efforts. In the Climate Action” to assist Leagues and League members later s, the LWVUS signi cantly increased its advo- throughout the country in the ght to combat global cli- cacy concerning global climate change legislation. In , mate change. the League and other concerned organizations submitted a statement to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency In , when the EPA proposed the rst-ever standards to urging strengthened air quality standards consistent with control industrial carbon pollution from power plants, the Clean Air Act. Later that year, the League joined other which causes global climate change and increases health groups in issuing a statement of principles on the im- problems, the League joined with its environmental and so- portance of reducing climate change. e League also cre- cial justice allies in collecting the largest number of com- ated a Climate Change Task force. ments ever submitted in review of an EPA regulation. More than three million comments were submitted in support of In , the League called on Congress to enact legislation the proposed rules for new power plants and urging EPA to to signi cantly cut the greenhouse gas emissions which take the next step and set carbon standards for existing cause global climate change and supported increased energy plants. efficiency and a shift to a clean, renewable energy. e League called for a moratorium on the building of new With Congress unable or unwilling to act on climate coal- red electric power plants and supported requirements change, in , the League launched an initiative to urge for utilities to produce a signi cant percentage of electricity the President to use his executive authority under the Clean from renewable resources. Air Act to control carbon pollution from both new and ex- isting power plants, which are the largest source of indus- e League supported the Climate Security Act of , as trial carbon pollution in the U.S. e League strongly well as amendments to strengthen the bill. is legislation urged the President to lead the world in the right direction provided for a cap and trade system, which would have cut in the face of the greatest environmental challenge of our greenhouse gas emission from electric power generation, generation: climate change. With the proposed rules on transportation and manufacturing sources. e emissions new power plants in limbo and standards for new plants cap would be reduced over time to meet pollution reduc- not yet proposed, the League used paid advertising, action tion goals based on the best-available scienti c information. alerts and new media tools to urge the President to get the ese emissions reductions could be traded on a market, job done. set up by the legislation, allowing polluters to buy, sell, bor- row and trade emission allowances to ensure economic ef- ciency in the program. e League also urged elected of- Water Resources cials to extend clean energy tax incentives. ough it passed the House, the legislation was side-tracked in the Passage of an expanded Safe Drinking Water Act in Senate by special interests. and the Clean Water Act of marked important mile- stones in the League’s effort to ensure safe drinking water for all Americans and safeguards against nonpoint pollu- tion.
60 Groundwater, virtually unprotected by national legislation, Workshop, bringing together members from states, na- became the focus of state and local League efforts in , tional environmental specialists and local leaders to explore when the LWVEF undertook a project to increase citizen the value of coastal and freshwater wetlands, highlight awareness of the importance of protecting groundwater measures and programs geared toward wetlands protection supplies, the source of percent of the nation’s drinking and examine methods for effective communication of wet- water. Leagues in states sponsored public forums, con- lands information in local communities. In -, the ferences, action guides and educational videos, “water- LWVEF provided pass-through grants to Leagues to ed- watcher” teams and media outreach. e local efforts were ucate their communities on wetlands. documented in a citizen handbook: Protect Your Groundwa- ter: Educating for Action. In , the LWVEF sponsored a In , the LWVUS supported the President’s proposed national videoconference on groundwater protection with action plan to crack down on polluted runoff and to restore more than downlink sites nationwide. e education and protect wetlands. In a related action, the League sub- efforts were complemented with LWVUS lobbying to ad- mitted comments to the Army Corps of Engineers urging dress groundwater concerns in the renewal of the Clean revocation of Nationwide Permit (NWP ), which Water Act of . sanctions the loss of thousands of acres of wetlands every year. Leagues across the country conducted surveys of local drinking water officials and held educational forums under In May , the LWVEF sponsored “e EchO Work- the LWVEF Safe Drinking Water Project. shop: An Introduction to the Watershed Approach,” where League activists learned how to take leadership in protect- e project’s publications, Safety on Tap and Crosscurrents, ing their local watersheds and educating the public about were used widely by Leagues and other citizen groups. In watershed protection. and , the League opposed amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act that would require EPA to conduct In February , the LWVUS submitted comments to the formal cost-bene t analyses with comparative risk analyses EPA on attempts to rede ne and limit the jurisdictional fo- for every regulatory action and urged Congress to restore cus of the Clean Water Act, noting that the Clean Water funding and adopt improvements to the act. Act covers all waters. “Whether large or small, they func- tion as an interconnected system; excision of parts of the In , the LWVEF sponsored a second, award-winning system [from regulation] will impair health and optimal videoconference, “Tools for Drinking Water Protection,” functioning of the whole.” e threat to streams and rivers featuring protection strategies and mechanisms at work in from mountaintop removal, a coal-mining technique that diverse communities around the United States. It was can bury those water bodies was fought by the League. downlinked to more than sites in the United States, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Canada and Brazil, and al- In , the League urged Senators to protect women and lowed citizens, officials, business leaders and nongovern- children from toxic mercury by supporting a bipartisan res- mental organizations to share information. It won the olution to reject the Environmental Protection Agency’s award for “Most Outstanding Broadcast for the Public (EPA) rule to delay reductions in mercury emissions from Good” from the teleconferencing industry. In , the power plants. LWVEF published Strategies for Effective Public Involvement in Drinking Water Source Assessment and Protection, a hand- Delegates at the Convention shared information book to facilitate the public involvement required by the about hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as “frack- Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of . ing,” a process by which high pressure water, sand and chemicals are pumped underground to fracture geologic e League also focused education efforts on wetlands pro- formations in order to release natural gas. is process, as tection. In , the LWVEF held a Wetlands Protection well as other fossil fuel extraction processes, poses a threat
61 to water and other natural resources. State Leagues, using During the s the League continued to support reau- LWVUS positions on natural resources, particularly clean thorization of these laws. water and drinking water, worked to reduce the environ- mental impact of mining processes that contaminate and e League closely monitored RCRA implementation, pollute. commenting on proposed regulations and working for ef- fective state programs. e League was a leader in efforts to In , the LWVUS made its voice heard to several regu- pass legislation prohibiting the injection of toxic wastes latory authorities of the federal government in relation to into and above underground sources of drinking water, set “fracking.” Comments went to the Environmental Protec- location standards for siting waste-treatment, storage and tion Agency (EPA), the Bureau of Land Management disposal facilities, and permit land disposal of untreated (BLM) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission hazardous waste only as a last resort for selected substances. (FERC). In , the League supported a set of ve bills referred to as the “Frack Pack.” e legislation would help In the - battle over reauthorization of RCRA, the protect the environment and public health from the risks League strongly supported the “reduce, reuse, recycle” hi- of hydraulic fracturing by ending exemptions for oil and erarchy. e League pushed for mandatory recycling gas production from major environmental laws such as the measures including minimum recycled-content standards, Safe Drinking Water Act. a national bottle bill and a pause in the construction of mu- nicipal incinerators. e League urged the Administration to issue executive orders to promote recycling. Solid Waste In , the LWVEF published Recycling Is More an Col- Work on solid waste began in , when Leagues studied lections, a grassroots investigation of recycling conducted by solid waste disposal in their home communities and then League volunteers across the country. e LWVEF contin- turned their attention to national policies on reuse, recla- ued its educational work with publication of e Garbage mation and recycling. By April , members had reached Primer and e Plastic Waste Primer in and with citizen agreement that solid waste should be regarded as a resource training programs. and that although the major responsibility should be at the state and local levels, the federal government should play a e League also supported pollution prevention and com- greater role in managing solid waste. Diminishing land ll munity access to information on emissions, as well as capacity and a growing awareness of the pollution hazards measures to enable state and EPA regulators to compel fed- of incineration brought concerns about interstate com- eral facilities to comply with RCRA standards. merce in waste and renewed enthusiasm for recycling in the late s. Leagues continue to support national and state In the League helped pass the Comprehensive Envi- recycling efforts, waste reduction measures and household ronmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act hazardous waste collection programs. (CERCLA), known as Superfund. e act authorized . billion over ve years for the clean-up of the nation’s toxic By the late s, League attention to hazardous waste re- waste sites. Over the years, the League repeatedly has gone sulted in two major victories at the federal level. e Re- to Congress to ensure that a reauthorized Superfund con- source Conservation and Recovery Act of (RCRA) tains adequate funding and safeguards to continue the job. provided for hazardous waste management programs, grants to states and localities for solid waste planning and implementation programs, and the Toxic Substance Con- trol Act of (TSCA) regulated products that pose an unreasonable risk to human health or the environment.
62 Nuclear Waste protection and anti-pollution goals aim to prevent eco- logical degradation and to reduce and control pollu- e League pushed for congressional passage of the Low- tants before they go down the sewer, up the chimney or Level Waste Policy Act in and the Nuclear Waste Pol- into the landfill. icy Act in to ensure a national policy that incorporates adequate environmental safeguards with a strong role for The League believes that although environmental pro- public participation in nuclear-waste repository siting deci- tection and pollution control are responsibilities shared sions. Leagues across the country have used League posi- by all levels of government, it is essential that the fed- tions to support their involvement in the siting of low-level eral government provide leadership and technical and nuclear waste sites, high-level waste sites and nuclear power financial assistance. plants. e LWVEF has published a wide range of materials, including the acclaimed Nuclear Waste Primer. Following The federal government should have the major role in passage of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of , the setting standards for environmental protection and pol- LWVEF sponsored a public policy training program and lution control. Other levels of government should have published e Nuclear Waste Digest. the right to set more stringent standards. Enforcement should be carried out at the lower levels of government, In , the LWVEF signed a ve-year cooperative agree- but the federal government should enforce standards if ment with the Department of Energy (DOE) to publish a other levels of government do not meet this responsi- third edition of e Nuclear Waste Primer () and to con- bility. Standards must be enforced in a timely, con- duct citizen education programs on nuclear waste. In , sistent and equitable manner for all violators in all parts the LWVEF launched a second ve-year cooperative agree- of society, including governmental units, industry, ment with DOE to focus educational and citizen involve- business and individuals. ment efforts on defense waste management issues. In June , the LWVEF held two regional intersite discussions on Environmental protection and pollution control, in- nuclear material and waste and issued a report to DOE. cluding waste management, should be considered a cost of providing a product or service. Consumers, taxpayers In , the LWVUS opposed congressional efforts to des- and ratepayers must expect to pay some of the costs. ignate Yucca Mountain, NV, as a permanent or temporary The League supports policies that accelerate pollution repository for nuclear waste prior to studies verifying suita- control, including federal financial assistance for state bility. e League urged Congress to oppose the Nuclear and local programs. Waste Policy Act of , which mandated an interim stor- age site at Yucca Mountain. In , the LWVUS lobbied The League of Women Voters supports: in opposition making Yucca Mountain a permanent repos- itory site for nuclear waste. Regulation of pollution sources by control and penalties Inspection and monitoring THE LEAGUE’S POSITION Full disclosure of pollution data The League of Women Voters supports the preservation Incentives to accelerate pollution control of the physical, chemical and biological integrity of the Vigorous enforcement mechanisms, including sanc- ecosystem and maximum protection of public health tions for states and localities that do not comply and the environment. The League’s approach to envi- with federal standards and substantial fines for ronmental protection and pollution control is one of noncompliance. problem solving. The interrelationships of air, water and land resources should be recognized in designing environmental safeguards. The League’s environmental
63 FURTHER GUIDELINES AND CRITERIA Maintaining deregulation of oil and natural gas prices Assistance for low-income individuals when energy AIR QUALITY policies bear unduly on the poor. e League of Women Voters supports: LAND USE Measures to reduce vehicular pollution, including in- e League of Women Voters supports: spection and maintenance of emission controls, changes in engine design and fuel types and develop- Management of land as a nite resource not as a com- ment of more energy- efficient transportation systems modity, since land ownership, whether public or pri- Regulation and reduction of pollution from stationary vate, carries responsibility for stewardship sources Land-use planning that re ects conservation and wise Regulation and reduction of ambient toxic-air pollu- management of resources tants Identi cation and regulation of areas of critical con- Measures to reduce transboundary air pollutants, such cern as ozone and those that cause acid deposition. Fragile or historical lands, where development could result in irreversible damage (e.g., shore-lands of rivers, ENERGY lakes and streams, estuaries and bays; rare or valuable e League of Women Voters supports: ecosystems and geological formations; signi cant wild- life habitats; unique scenic or historic areas; wetlands; Energy goals and policies that acknowledge the United deserts) States as a responsible member of the world commu- Renewable resource lands, where development could nity result in the loss of productivity (e.g., watersheds, aq- Reduction of energy growth rates uifers and aquifer-recharge areas, signi cant agricul- Use of a variety of energy sources, with emphasis on tural and grazing lands, forest lands) conserving energy and using energy-efficient technolo- Natural hazard lands, where development could en- gies danger life and property (e.g., oodplains, areas with e environmentally sound use of energy resources, high seismic or volcanic activity, areas of unstable geo- with consideration of the entire cycle of energy pro- logic, ice or snow formations) duction Reclamation of lands damaged by surface mining, Predominant reliance on renewable resources waste disposal, overgrazing, timber harvesting, farming Policies that limit reliance on nuclear ssion and other activities Action by appropriate levels of government to encour- Acquisition of land for public use age the use of renewable resources and energy conser- Identi cation and regulation of areas impacted by pub- vation through funding for research and development, lic or private investment where siting results in second- nancial incentives, rate-setting policies and manda- ary environmental and socioeconomic impacts tory standards Review of environmental, social and economic impacts Mandatory energy conservation measures, including of major public and private developments thermal standards for building efficiency, new appli- Review of federally funded projects by all government ance standards and standards for new automobiles levels with no relaxation of auto-emission control require- Conformance of federal land resource activities with ments approved state programs, particularly where state Policies to reduce energy demand and minimize the standards are more stringent than federal standards. need for new generating capacity through techniques such as marginal cost or peak-load pricing or demand- management programs
64 WATER RESOURCES Ample and effective opportunities for informed public e League of Women Voters supports: participation in the formulation and analysis of pro- posed projects Water resource programs and policies that re ect the Evaluation of economic, social and environmental im- interrelationships of water quality, water quantity, pacts in the basin of origin, the receiving area and any ground-water and surface water and that address the area through which the diversion must pass, so that de- potential depletion or pollution of water supplies cision makers and the public have adequate infor- Measures to reduce water pollution from direct point- mation on which to base a decision source discharges and from indirect nonpoint sources Examination of all short- and long-term economic Policies to achieve water quality essential for maintain- costs including, but not limited to, construction, deliv- ing species populations and diversity, including ery, operation, maintenance and market interest rate measures to protect lakes, estuaries, wetlands and in- Examination of alternative supply options, such as wa- stream ows ter conservation, water pricing and reclamation Stringent controls to protect the quality of current and Participation and review by all affected governments potential drinking water supplies, including protection Procedures for resolution of inter-governmental con- of watersheds for surface supplies and of recharge areas icts for groundwater. Accord with international treaties Provisions to ensure that responsibility for funding is PROPOSED INTERBASIN WATER TRANSFERS borne primarily by the user with no federal subsidy, Interstate and interbasin transfers are not new or unusual. loan guarantees or use of the borrowing authority of Water transfers have served municipal supplies, industry, the federal government, unless the proposal is deter- energy development and agriculture. mined by all affected levels of the League to be in the national interest. Construction costs of large-scale water transfers are high, and economic losses in the basin of origin also may be high. WASTE MANAGEMENT Environmental costs of water transfers may include quan- e League of Women Voters supports: titative and qualitative changes in wetlands and related sh- eries and wildlife, diminished aquifer recharge and reduced Policies to reduce the generation and promote the re- stream ows. Lowered water tables also may affect ground- use and recycling of solid and hazardous wastes water quality and cause land subsidence. Policies to ensure safe treatment, transportation, stor- age and disposal of solid and hazardous wastes in order As we look to the future, water transfer decisions will need to protect public health and air, water and land re- to incorporate the high costs of moving water, the limited sources availability of unallocated water and our still limited Planning and decision making processes that recognize knowledge of impacts on the affected ecosystems. suitable solid and hazardous wastes as potential re- sources In order to develop member understanding and agreement Policies for the management of civilian and military on proposals for large-scale water transfer projects, state and high- and low-level radioactive wastes to protect public local Leagues need to work together. e following guide- health, and air, water and land resources lines are designed to help Leagues jointly evaluate new pro- e establishment of processes for effective involve- posals for large-scale water transfers. ment of state and local governments and citizens in sit- ing proposals for treatment, storage, disposal and e process for evaluating the suitability of new proposed transportation of radioactive wastes interbasin water transfers should include: Full environmental review of treatment, storage and disposal facilities for radioactive wastes
65 Safe transport, storage and disposal of radioactive Fragile land areas, such as shorelines of rivers, lakes, wastes. streams, oceans and estuaries, bays or wetlands Rare or valuable ecosystems or geologic formations, CRITERIA FOR SITING WASTE DISPOSAL FACILITIES signi cant wildlife habitat or unique scenic or historic e following criteria are derived from the League’s Natural areas Resources positions. ey were developed to assist state and Areas with signi cant renewable resource value, such as local Leagues in reviewing speci c waste disposal sites and prime agricultural lands or grazing and forest lands to help state and local Leagues evaluate both the process that would be destroyed as a result of the siting of haz- employed in site selection and the suitability of a proposed ardous waste facilities site or hazardous and radioactive waste treatment, storage Residential areas, parks and schools and disposal facilities. is decision-making process should provide for: NUCLEAR ISSUES e League of Women Voters supports working construc- Ample and effective opportunities for public participa- tively for the maximum protection of public health and tion, including funding to conduct such participation safety and the environment and for citizen participation in Evaluation of economic, social and environmental im- the decision-making process at all levels of government. pacts so that decision makers and the public have ade- quate information on which to base a decision. In ad- e League opposes “increased reliance on nuclear ssion” dition to the actual site, secondary land use impacts but recognizes its place in the nation’s energy mix. To (e.g., buffer areas, adequacy of roads, sewers, water, achieve this objective: etc.) should be considered An examination of alternative sites and methods of State and local Leagues may oppose licensing for construc- treatment and disposal. Comparison of costs must in- tion of nuclear power plants on the basis of the national clude short- and long-term costs, such as liability in- position. surance, post closure maintenance, monitoring of ground and surface waters and air before and after clo- State and local Leagues may oppose licensing for operation sure, and potential loss of land or water resources due of these plants now under construction on a case-by-case to contamination basis, after careful consideration of the need for power and Participation and review by all government levels to as- of available alternatives and after notifying the national sure conformance with all adopted comprehensive Board. plans at each level of government Procedures for resolution of inter-governmental con- State and local Leagues may support licensing for construc- icts. tion and operation of nuclear power plants only in special cases and only with prior permission from the national Hazardous and radioactive waste treatment, storage or dis- Board. posal facilities should be sited in areas that pose the least amount of risk to the public and to sensitive environmental State and local Leagues may call for the closing of operating areas. ey should be located away from areas of critical nuclear power plants because of speci c non-generic health concern such as: and safety problems, but only with prior permission from the LWVUS. Natural hazard areas subject to ooding, earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes or subsidence SITING/STORAGE OF HIGH-LEVEL WASTES (HLWS) Drinking water supply sources, such as reservoirs, lakes e disposal of HLWs is a national concern, and national and rivers and their watersheds, and aquifers and their policy should govern selection of any facilities constructed, recharge areas
66 whether an Away-From-Reactor (AFR) interim storage fa- SITING/STORAGE OF LOW-LEVEL WASTES (LLWS) cility, a Monitored Retrievable System (MRS) facility or a e Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act of makes permanent geological repository. e Nuclear Waste Policy states responsible for the disposal of LLWs generated at Act of sets forth a program for selection, authorization commercial facilities within their borders. e act author- and licensing of permanent repository sites and outlines izes states to form regional compacts to establish disposal programs for possible MRS and AFR facilities. In taking sites, and it allows states to refuse wastes from other states any action on this issue, the LWVUS will work to ensure outside their compact region after January , . State leg- that HLWs are disposed of in a manner that protects public islatures must approve a state’s membership in a regional health and safety and the environment. compact, but a compact does not become operational and legally binding until Congress consents to the agreement. During the - congressional debate over disposal of nuclear wastes, the LWVUS made several statements re- APPROPRIATE STATE LEAGUE ACTION garding storage and disposal. e League testi ed that the Some state Leagues are participating in state-level or re- storage of HLWs from commercial reactors should be max- gional-level discussions/negotiations over regional com- imized at reactor sites. e League would support a utility- pacts and are seeking agreement on the compacts. e nanced AFR facility if one were needed to prevent nuclear LWVUS believes it is important for all state Leagues within power plants from being forced to cease operations because a proposed compact region to work together to resolve any of spent-fuel buildup. In addition, the League supports an differences and establish agreement. Clearly, that agree- active state role in the HLWs decision making process. ment must be in accord with national positions. Because ese concerns, in addition to LWVUS positions on the this is a national concern, the LWVUS must review and process and criteria for siting and storage of HLWs, provide approve any agreement reached among state Leagues in a the foundation for LWVUS action. compact region before state Leagues can take any action.
While only a limited number of facilities will probably be A state League in the proposed compact region that does built, the LWVUS recognizes that Leagues located in states not support the League agreement cannot act in opposition or communities under consideration as potential sites for to that agreement. For example, if a state League disagrees such facilities may wish to take action based on national with the approved League agreement, that state League can positions. In that event, the state League, or a local League only lobby its state legislature either to withdraw from the working in concert with the state League, must consult proposed regional compact, i.e., “go it alone,” or to join with the LWVUS before taking any action. In making any another compact region. A state League also may request action determinations on HLWs, the LWVUS will consider LWVUS permission to contact its U.S. senators and repre- three questions: sentatives at the time Congress considers rati cation of the regional compact to lobby them to withdraw the state from Is the proposed facility needed at this time? the proposed compact. Some individual state Leagues have Is the site suitable? undertaken studies of proposed compacts for their regions Did the selection process provide ample and effective and have reached consensus on a proposed regional com- opportunities for public participation? pact. Again, that consensus must be in accord with national positions. In addition, before taking any action, the state Leagues requesting LWVUS clearance for action should ad- League must obtain clearance from other state League dress these questions, particularly the assessment of the Boards in the proposed compact region because any action suitability of a speci c site. would involve government jurisdictions beyond that League. e state League also should consult the LWVUS State Leagues also should be alert to action opportunities before taking action. relating to the process of state consultation and concur- rence in the proposed sites.
67 A state League or a local League working with the state well as for civilian waste facilities. e League’s position on League can take action on a proposed LLW disposal site equivalent treatment of all wastes includes transportation based on the public participation process if it concludes the of defense wastes. Low-level defense wastes include wastes process was inadequate or based on a study of the environ- from military medical programs, naval shipyards that main- mental safety/suitability of the proposed disposal site (see tain nuclear-powered naval vessels and research facilities. siting criteria). If potential environmental impacts of a pro- e treatment of low-level defense wastes, however, is not posed site affect more than one League, clearance must be spelled out in the Low-level Waste Policy Act of . Most obtained from the relevant League Boards before any action low-level defense wastes are disposed of in special federal can be taken. If any unresolved differences develop among facilities; however, some are disposed of in existing com- Leagues, the LWVUS will decide the appropriate course of mercial sites. action. Leagues may take the same action on transporting, siting TRANSPORTATION OF NUCLEAR WASTES and storing defense wastes as on civilian wastes. Action on e League recognizes that transporting nuclear wastes in- defense wastes should be in accordance with any relevant creases the likelihood of accidents that could endanger pub- future National Security positions developed by the League. lic health. e League also recognizes that transportation is less risky than allowing these wastes to accumulate at an INTER-LEAGUE COOPERATION environmentally unsafe facility. Leagues contemplating action on nuclear waste issues should keep in mind that any action almost invariably will State and local Leagues can work to improve the regulation affect areas beyond their jurisdiction. us, in all cases, lo- of transportation of nuclear wastes, but they cannot sup- cal Leagues should clear action with the state League and port “blanket bans” on transporting nuclear wastes through the League Boards at the appropriate jurisdictional levels. a region or city. ere may be instances, however, in which a carefully thought-out ban, based on extensive League One example of necessary inter-League action on a regional study, would be appropriate for a speci c area. Such a study level is the low-level radioactive waste compacting process. should include the overall subject of transporting and man- e League believes this is an important national, state and aging nuclear wastes, including regulation of types of wastes, local concern aimed at responsible management and dis- packaging, escort, noti cation of routes to local and state posal of low-level wastes. Many state Leagues are actively authorities, effective emergency response, and the designat- participating in their regional processes, and some are tak- ing of routes that minimize health, safety and environmen- ing consensus on the issue. tal risks. e study should not be con ned to one aspect of the transportation issue, such as routes.
If, after a study of the wide-ranging issues involved, a PUBLIC PARTICIPATION League concludes that wastes should not be transported through an area, that League must discuss the results of the study and obtain clearance for any contemplated action While ghting for a broad range of environmental legisla- from all appropriate levels of the League. tion, the League has stressed citizen participation as a nec- essary component of decision-making at all levels of gov- DEFENSE WASTES ernment. In managing high-level nuclear wastes, the League supports equivalent treatment of civilian and military wastes. e In pressing for full implementation of the Clean Air Act of League supports the state consultation and concurrence , the League fought for greater citizen access to state process, consideration of environmental impacts of pro- plans for achieving national ambient air-quality standards. posed sites and NRC licensing for defense waste facilities as League efforts to educate and involve the public in waste
68 management issues at the state and local levels have in- talists and state officials. e LWVEF held two intersite dis- cluded support for mandatory beverage container deposit cussions in San Diego and Chicago on nuclear material and legislation, known as “bottle bills,” to promote recycling waste in and issued a report. and reuse. In supporting the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of , Leagues pushed for adequate state consultation and concurrence in nuclear waste repository siting decisions. In THE LEAGUE’S POSITION statements to the nuclear regulatory community, state The League of Women Voters believes public under- Leagues emphasized the need for citizen participation in standing and cooperation are essential to the responsi- nuclear power decisions. ble and responsive management of our nation’s natural resources. The public has a right to know about pollu- League efforts to promote household hazardous waste col- tion levels, dangers to health and the environment, and lection across the country, to ensure safe drinking water for proposed resource management policies and options. all and to protect groundwater also are all part of a contin- The public has a right to participate in decision-making uing focus on heightening citizen awareness and participa- at each phase in the process and at each level of govern- tion in decision making. ment involvement. Officials should make a special ef- fort to develop readily understandable procedures for Passage of the Emergency Planning and Community public involvement and to ensure that the public has Right-to-Know Act of (SARA Title III) gave Leagues adequate information to participate effectively. Public a new tool to combat pollution. is act gives communities records should be readily accessible at all governmental access to information from chemical facilities on releases levels. Adequate funding is needed to ensure opportu- and spills, allows “regulation by information” and encour- nities for public education and effective public partici- ages the development of emergency response plans and pation in all aspects of the decision-making process. strong pollution prevention measures by industry. During the s, the League continued the ght, advocating ex- The appropriate level of government should publicize, pansion of community right-to-know provisions in the re- in an extensive and timely manner and in readily avail- newal of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act able sources, information about pollution levels, pollu- (RCRA). It was also successful in defeating congressional tion-abatement programs, and resource management efforts to pass “regulatory reform” legislation aimed at crip- policies and options. Hearings should be held in easily pling the adoption and enforcement of environmental pro- accessible locations, at convenient times and, when pos- tection regulations. sible, in the area concerned. The hearing procedures and other opportunities for public comment should ac- In , the League joined public interest organizations tively encourage citizen participation in decision-mak- in supporting the President’s move to phase out the use of ing. methyl bromide, an extremely toxic pesticide. Also, the LWVUS and national, international and local organiza- The League supports public education that provides a tions jointly urged Congress to cosponsor the Children’s basic understanding of the environment and the social, Environmental Protection Act of (CEPA), which economic and environmental costs and benefits of en- sought to ensure a citizen’s right to know if there are harm- vironmental protection, pollution control and conser- ful toxicants in the environment. vation.
In , the Department of Energy asked the LWVEF to Mechanisms for citizen appeal must be guaranteed, in- help develop a National Dialogue on Nuclear Materials and cluding access to the courts. Due process rights for the Waste Management. Pilot eld workshops were held in affected public and private parties must be assured. , but the Dialogue was opposed by some environmen-
69 AGRICULTURE POLICIES provisions, continue the conservation reserve, and permit retention of base payments and de ciency payments when farmers le and implement an approved plan for farming In , the League undertook a two-year study and mem- with environmentally bene cial practices. e League also ber agreement process on the role of the federal government called for national standards of organic production and op- in U.S. agriculture policy, examining elements of federal posed the export of pesticides that are illegal in the United farm policy, and its contemporary setting and policy alter- States. In -, the LWVEF worked with Public Voice natives. e resulting position on agriculture policy for Food and Health Policy and state and local Leagues on supports policies for sustainable agriculture and action to a citizen education project on agricultural issues, including reduce the use of toxic chemicals on the farm. e League pesticide residues in food and water, sustainable agriculture, also supports targeting research programs and technological and research and technology. assistance to mid-sized farms and to sustainable agriculture. While many of the programs the League supports, such as At Convention , delegates voted to review and update farm credit at reasonable terms and conditions and pro- the LWV Agriculture position. A study committee was ap- grams to enable farmers to use sustainable agriculture, may pointed and in , Leagues reached member agreement bene t family or mid-sized farms, the League supports on a new position which was announced in May . these programs for all farms, regardless of size.
e position supports “decoupling” (moving away from di- THE LEAGUE’S POSITION rect payments based on production) as consistent with the The League Women Voters believes federal agriculture strong League consensus in favor of greater reliance on the policies should promote adequate supplies of food and free market to determine prices. Reliance on the free market fiber at reasonable prices to consumers, farms that are for price determination also can support a gradual reduc- economically viable, farm practices that are environ- tion in loan rates. e League does not envision total reli- mentally sound and increased reliance on the free mar- ance on the free market to determine agriculture prices. In ket to determine prices. assessing programs that move agriculture toward greater re- liance on the free market, consideration would include SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE problems peculiar to agriculture, such as severe climate or Federal policy should encourage a system of sustaina- natural disasters. ble, regenerative agricultural production that moves to- ward an environmentally sound agricultural sector. e League supports federally-provided farm credit, but be- This includes promoting stewardship to preserve and lieves the federal government should be the lender of last protect the country’s human and natural agricultural resort. e League position does not address supply con- resources. trols, capping payments to farmers, protecting farm income or any particular commodity program. It supports the con- RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT servation reserve program and opposes the removal of lands Agricultural research, development and technical assis- prematurely from the conservation reserve. tance should continue to be a major federal function. Resources should be targeted to developing sustainable In , the League opposed federal legislation that would agricultural practices and addressing the needs of mid- have preempted stricter state laws on the regulation of pes- size farms. ticides. In , it urged the House to pass a farm bill that would protect land and water resources, reduce the use of AGRICULTURE AND TRADE toxic chemicals, and target research and technical assistance U.S. efforts should be directed toward expanding ex- to developing environmentally sound agriculture practices. port markets for our agricultural products while mini- e League called for measures to strengthen conservation
70 mizing negative effects on developing nations’ econo- subsidy denied for marginal or environmentally sensi- mies. Consistent with the League’s trade position, mul- tive land. The premium subsidy for crop insurance tilateral trade negotiations should be used to reduce should be available for a wide range of crops, such as other countries’ barriers and/or subsidies protecting fruits, vegetables and specialty crops. Government their agricultural products. should limit the amount of the premium subsidy re- ceived by larger farms. AGRICULTURAL PRICES The LWVUS supports an increasing reliance on the free The League supports policies that increase competition market to determine the price of agricultural commod- in agricultural markets. Antitrust laws should be en- ities and the production decisions of farmers, in prefer- forced to ensure competitive agricultural markets. Al- ence to traditional price support mechanisms. ternative marketing systems such as regional hub mar- kets, farmers’ markets and farmers’ cooperatives should FARM CREDIT be promoted. Farmers should have access to credit with reasonable terms and conditions. Federally provided farm credit is Clean air and water regulations should apply to all an- essential to maintaining the viability of farm operations imal and aquaculture production and processing facili- when the private sector is unable or unwilling to pro- ties, and not just to the very large confined animal feed- vide the credit farmers need. ing operations (CAFOs). Such regulations should be designed in a manner that takes into account environ- Of these policies, the League believes the most essential mentally sound technologies and the scale of the oper- for the future of agriculture are: ation being regulated. Small size operations should not be granted automatic exemption from regulation. Encouraging sustainable agriculture Providing research, information and technical assis- The League believes that government regulatory agen- tance to agricultural producers cies dealing with animal and aquaculture production Increasing reliance on the free market to determine should have adequate authority and funding to: prices. Enforce regulations Statement of Position on Federal Agriculture Policy, as An- Gather information that supports monitoring the nounced by National Board, October . impacts of all animal feeding and aquaculture oper- ations on human and animal health and the envi- ronment.
The League Women Voters believes government should Government should fund basic research related to agri- provide financial support for agriculture that includes culture. Government funded research should also ad- disaster assistance, crop insurance, need-based loans dress the impact of new technologies on human health and incentives to adopt best management practices. and the environment prior to widespread adoption of Support should be extended to specialty crops, such as products developed with such technologies. Assessment fruits, vegetables and nuts; to new production methods, of products developed with new technologies should be such as organic, hydroponic, and urban practices; and conducted as transparently as possible, while respecting to farms that supply local and regional markets. intellectual property rights. Research should be funded to support the continuation of diversified and sustain- Subsidized crop yield insurance should be linked to im- able agricultural systems, such as seed banking and pro- plementation of best management practices with the moting and preserving genetic diversity.
71 To provide adequate safety of our food supply, govern- ment should:
Clarify and enforce pre-market testing require- ments for foods and food additives developed using any new chemical technology, such as genetic engi- neering or nanotechnology Require developers to monitor all such new food products developed after releasing to the market Require developers of such new food products to provide data and other materials to independent third parties for pre- and post-marketing safety as- sessment Fund independent third party risk assessment ex- amining how long term and multiple exposures to such new foods affect human health and the envi- ronment Withdraw marketing approval and require recall if such products are shown to be unsafe Require post-market monitoring of human health and environmental impacts for pharmaceutical ap- plications used in animal and aquaculture produc- tion Limit use of antibiotics in animal production to the treatment of disease Promote crop management practices that decrease dependency on added chemicals Fund, employ and train sufficient personnel for as- sessment and compliance functions of regulatory agencies.
The League supports government developing and re- quiring more informative and standardized definitions on product labeling. Food labeling and advertising should display only approved health and safety claims and an accurate representation of the required ingredi- ent and nutrition lists. The League supports consumer education about labeling of foods developed using any new technology.
Statement of Position on Federal Agriculture Policies as An- nounced by the National Board, May .
72
SOCIAL POLICY Secure equal rights and equal opportunity for all. Promote social and economic justice, and the health and safety of all Americans.
From its inception, the League has worked for equal rights availability of public transportation for access to employ- and social reforms. In the early years, the League was one ment and housing. of the rst organizations to address such issues as child wel- fare, maternal and child health programs, child labor pro- In the s, concern for violence prevention spurred a new tection and laws that discriminated against women. League position and brought strong support for com- monsense measures to control gun violence. e League In the s, with the nation’s unrest over civil rights, the supported the Brady bill and sought to close loopholes that League began building a foundation of support for equal undermine consumer safety. access to education, employment and housing. e ght against discrimination broadened in the s and s, e Convention voted to undertake a study on im- and the League supported the Equal Rights Amendment migration. After study and consensus, the new position was (ERA) in , ghting hard for rati cation by the states. nalized in and sent to Capitol Hill. As that effort fell short, support for the ERA undergirded action on issues from pay equity to Title IX, which required Given the growing crisis in health care delivery and nanc- equal educational opportunity for women. ing in the s, the League developed a comprehensive position supporting a health care system that provides ac- Based on s work to combat poverty and discrimination, cess to affordable, quality health care for all Americans and a two-year study evaluating public and private responsibil- protects patients’ rights. In , the League’s efforts saw ities for providing food, shelter and a basic income level success when the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed ended in and culminated in a position on Meeting into law. roughout the th Congress, the League con- Basic Human Needs. Programs to increase the availability tinued to defend the ACA from challenges in Congress and and quality of child care and protect children at risk re- the courts. mained a concern. At Convention , delegates voted to study the role of In the s, scal issues, from tax reform to entitlement the Federal Government in Public Education and, in programs and de cit reduction, were at the forefront of the March , the Board announced a new position. Dele- League program. e League was a major force in the tax- gates to Convention adopted by concurrence a new reform effort to eliminate loopholes and promote fairness. position on Sentencing Equality. It sought de cit reduction while protecting federal old-age, survivors, disability and health insurance. e League’s position on Human Trafficking was adopted by concurrence at Convention . In the late s and early s, the League worked to in- crease the availability of quality child care and adopted a position in favor of community and government programs to help children reach their full potential, including early EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY childhood education.
Leagues nationwide also work hard on transportation issues, By , the League had reached its rst position on com- focusing on environmental protection and ensuring the batting poverty and discrimination: support of policies and
73 programs to provide equal opportunity for all in education existing civil rights laws and policies. e League has ac- and employment. e position described general criteria tively opposed tuition tax credits, budget cuts in social wel- and speci c kinds of programs to further these goals. fare programs and large, untargeted block grants. At the same time the League has supported strengthened fair- “An evaluation of equality of opportunity for housing” was housing legislation and civil rights legislation to reaffirm in the proposed program slated for Convention con- congressional intent in passing Title IX of the Education sideration. Two events that spring caused delegates to alter Amendments of , that the law be broadly interpreted the normal sequence of study/consensus/position: the and applied. shock waves in cities following the assassination of Dr. Mar- tin Luther King, Jr., and the passage of a new civil rights e League’s Social Policy positions were revised in . bill that included fair housing. e Equal Access to Education, Employment, and Housing position was combined with Equal Rights into one Equal- Convinced that League members knew where they stood ity of Opportunity position. on fair housing, delegates amended the existing position at Convention, adding support for equality of opportunity for e Convention added language to the Equality of housing. And they redirected the study from an evaluation Opportunity position, stating that it referred to “all persons, of the concept to an evaluation of the means to achieve the regardless of their race, color, gender, religion, national goal. By December , members had endorsed criteria for origin, age, sexual orientation or disability.” In July , ensuring fair housing and adequate housing supply. the LWVUS joined the National Endorsement Campaign in calling for the extension of existing civil rights laws by e League has consistently supported federal programs local, state and federal legislation to prohibit discrimination aimed at combating poverty and discrimination and has against lesbians and gay men in jobs, housing and public worked at the community level for successful implementa- accommodations. In the th Congress, the LWVUS sup- tion. e list is long, starting with programs initiated under ported federal legislation targeting hate crimes. Convention the long-defunct Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO), added language to the Equality of Opportunity posi- legal services, community action agencies, Job Corps, ur- tion to equalize the rights of same-gender couples to those ban renewal, Model Cities and other programs designed to of heterosexual couples. provide equal access to housing, employment and educa- tion. Education When the federal government combined many categorical grant programs into block grants, the League found new INTEGRATION ways to work for the goals and policies it supports. In , e League is committed to racial integration of schools as the League began monitoring the impact of the General a necessary condition for equal access to education. Revenue Sharing (GRS) program on poverty and discrimi- nation. is resulted in reforms incorporated into the When busing became one means of achieving school deseg- GRS amendments that tightened weak antidiscrimination regation, Leagues worked to ensure that laws were obeyed provisions and expanded citizen participation and account- peacefully by building coalitions, running rumor-control ability requirements. But efforts to direct more funds to ju- centers, sometimes going to court to get compliance. At the risdictions in greatest need failed. national level, the League worked to oppose antibus- ing/anti-desegregation initiatives in Congress. Since the late s, threats to League goals and policies have taken the form of frequent legislative and executive e League served as an amicus in Supreme Court chal- attempts to drastically reduce federal funding of League- lenges to the desegregation process. e LWVEF main- supported programs, as well as persistent moves to dilute tained a desegregation clearinghouse and assembled League
74 leaders and national policy experts for a workshop on met- enforcement efforts. At the national level, the League was ropolitan school desegregation in -. active in major court challenges to Title IX, defending key provisions and urging a broad interpretation of the scope of QUALITY EDUCATION Title IX. In , the League led an amicus brief in Grove e - LWVUS Program included the phrase City College v. Bell, a major Supreme Court case that nar- “equal access to…quality education,” re ecting League rowed considerably the prohibitions of Title IX. In, af- recognition that “equality” and “quality” are inseparable. ter the Court’s decision, the League supported efforts in However, the LWVUS has never undertaken a process for Congress for new legislation clarifying congressional intent determining a common League de nition of quality educa- on the scope of coverage of Title IX and similar civil rights tion that could serve as a basis for action nationwide. ere- statutes. fore, when the de nition of quality is a key factor in a state or local community, a local or state League must conduct In , the League responded to a Department of Educa- its own study rather than relying on the LWVUS position tion effort to scale back Title IX. e LWVUS opposed at- to take action. Many Leagues that have member agreement tempts to weaken the law and lobbied in support of con- on quality education in speci c terms use their positions to gressional resolutions affirming that Title IX had made support an array of local and state educational reforms. A great progress in establishing equal opportunity for girls number of Leagues have used this position to oppose pri- and women in education and in school athletics. In July vate school vouchers. e LWVUS is a member of the Na- , the Department of Education affirmed its support for tional Coalition for Public Education, which opposes Title IX without change. In September , the LWVUS vouchers. signed on to an amicus brief in Jackson v. Birmingham Board of Education, supporting the original intent of Title IX of TUITION TAX CREDITS broad and effective protection against gender discrimina- e Convention directed the national board to oppose tion by ensuring that individuals who bring discriminatory tax credits for families of children attending private elemen- practices to light are protected from retaliation and reprisal. tary and secondary schools. Convention action was based on League support for equal access to education and sup- Under an LWVEF project to monitor sex equity in voca- port for desegregation as a means of promoting equal access. tional education programs in -, several state e League is concerned about the negative impact that tu- Leagues evaluated progress toward meeting federal sex-eq- ition tax credits would have on the public schools by en- uity mandates. Vocational education programs have signif- couraging ight, particularly from desegregated schools. icant impact on employment, particularly for women who e League also supports federal efforts through Internal have difficulty gaining access to training programs for Revenue Service (IRS) regulation to deny tax-exempt status higher paying jobs. In addition, the League promoted the to racially discriminatory “segregation academies.” enrollment of girls and young women in math and science courses to prepare them for the jobs of the future. FEDERAL PROGRAMS e League supports many federal education programs, EDUCATION FINANCING some designed to meet the special educational needs of the Many state and local Leagues have identi ed inequities in poor and minorities and others to give women and minor- education nancing during the course of their own pro- ities equal education opportunities. gram studies and have worked for reforms. Action on school nancing equity takes place predominantly at the e League worked for passage of Title IX of the Education state level, where school nancing laws are made. Amendments of , which prohibits sex discrimination in educational institutions that receive federal aid. Subse- quently, the League has focused on thwarting congressional attempts to dilute Title IX, as well as on advancing federal
75 Employment weaken regulations that govern the federal contract compli- ance program. During the - Supreme Court term, e League has supported federal job training programs the League led amicus briefs in three key affirmative action and is on record in favor of a full employment policy, i.e., cases: Local Sheet Metal Workers v. EEOC, Local Inter- the concept of assuring a job for all those able and seeking national Association of Fire ghters v. City of Cleveland, and to work. In , the League supported passage of the Wygant v. Jackson Board of Education. e Court reaffirmed Humphrey-Hawkins bill to promote full employment. the validity of voluntary race-based affirmative action in these cases. e League supported the public service employment (PSE) component of the Comprehensive Employment and Train- In , the LWVUS signed onto another amicus brief led ing Program (CETA) during the s and worked for the in the U.S. Supreme Court, Johnson v. Transportation passage of emergency jobs legislation in , spearheading Agency. In , the Court held that public employers may a Call to Action for Jobs for Women that resulted in more adopt voluntary affirmative action plans to attain work funding for the types of public-service jobs that women tra- force balances in traditionally segregated job categories. ditionally perform. In , the League unsuccessfully sup- is was the rst instance in which the Supreme Court up- ported passage of the Infrastructure Jobs Act and the Full held a gender-based affirmative action plan. Employment Opportunity Act, both targeted especially to urban areas. In , the League participated in a Supreme Court amicus brief in Patterson v. McLean Credit Union. In its deci- sion, the Court reaffirmed that Section of the Civil Nondiscrimination & Affirmative Action Rights Act of , which prohibits racial discrimination in contracts, applies to private acts of discrimination. How- rough legislative and regulatory approaches, as well as ever, the Court also held that Section does not apply litigation, the League advocates affirmative action programs to racial harassment or other discriminatory working con- for minorities and women. Action has included a lawsuit to ditions that arise after an employment contract has been compel the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to issue goals entered into. and timetables governing the employment of women in nontraditional jobs and apprenticeship programs and prod- Between and , the League was an active player in ding to ensure enforcement. e League has worked to successfully urging Congress to pass the Civil Rights Res- combat administrative initiatives to restrict the enforce- toration Act, which restored four anti-discrimination laws ment authority of DOL’s Office of Federal Contract Com- that were narrowed by the Supreme Court’s Grove City pliance Programs (OFCCP) and the Equal Employment v. Bell decision. Subsequently, the League endorsed the Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Since , the League Civil Rights Act, which reversed a series of Supreme has supported measures to combat employment discrimi- Court decisions that seriously weakened federal employ- nation in Congress itself. ment discrimination laws, and strengthened protections under federal civil rights laws. In , the bill passed both e League has been outspoken in supporting affirmative Houses of Congress but was vetoed by the President. In action programs and policies. at support has included l- a compromise bill was passed by Congress and signed ing amicus briefs in key affirmative action lawsuits, includ- by the President. e League did not actively support this ing Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corp. v. Weber in , bill, in part because it placed a monetary limit on damages Boston Fire ghters Union, Local v. Boston Chapter for sex discrimination, including sexual harassment. In , NAACP in , Fire ghters Local Union No. v. Stotts the League joined other groups in supporting the Equal in and Williams v. City of New Orleans in . e Remedies Act, which would remove the monetary limit on League has actively opposed attempts by OFCCP to damages in civil rights laws.
76 In response to continued congressional attacks, the League libustered in the Senate. Another attempt in - was joined other concerned organizations in the Leadership put on hold in light of more pressing civil rights issues. e Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) to reaffirm strong sup- League also supported reauthorization of the Home Mort- port for affirmative action programs. gage Disclosure Act (HMDA) in .
In and , the League opposed the “Federal Mar- LWVEF participation in a Department of Housing and Ur- riage Amendment,” which would permanently write dis- ban Development (HUD)-funded project in - en- crimination into the United States Constitution by limiting abled local Leagues to promote the entry of women into fundamental protections such as health care bene ts for the mortgage credit market and sparked interest in the same-sex partners. problems of single-headed households, displaced home- makers and discrimination against families with children. In , the League joined other organizations in support Also in the s, LWV supported prohibitions on housing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Amendments discrimination against families with children. Act of (ADAAA), designed to restore the ADA to its original intent and ensure coverage for disabled Americans In , the League urged Congress to create the Affordable in all aspects of society. e bill was passed and signed into Housing Fund, a long overdue step toward addressing the law. In , the League joined an amicus brief in an affirm- housing crisis that confronts very low- and extremely low- ative action case before the Supreme Court, urging the income families. It also urged House members to protect Court to recognize that diversity in higher education is cru- activities of the nonpro t groups providing the bulk of cial for the success of our multi-racial democracy. housing services for our poorest communities.
Pay Equity Equal Rights
League work on pay equity (equal pay for jobs of compara- In , shortly after congressional passage of the Equal ble worth) stemmed from member concern over the femi- Rights Amendment (ERA), the national Convention over- nization of poverty. e League played a key role at the na- whelmingly approved support of “equal rights for all re- tional level through its work with the broad-based National gardless of sex” as a necessary extension of the League’s Committee on Pay Equity in the s. In , the long-term support for equal opportunity for all. Delegates LWVEF participated in an amicus brief before the U.S. Su- also voted to support the ERA. With this decisive action, preme Court in the pay equity case, Bazemore v. Friday. e the League came full circle in giving priority support once Court ruled a state agency may be held liable for disparities again to equal rights for women and men. in salaries between blacks and whites, even if the disparities were caused by racial discrimination that occurred before e foremothers of the women’s movement, in their the Civil Rights Act. Conventions at Seneca Falls and Rochester, New York, rooted the movement in a demand for women’s equality State and local Leagues also have endorsed legislative efforts before the law. e right to vote came to be seen as the key to undertake job evaluation studies or to implement pay that would unlock the door to the others. is vision sus- equity for public employees. tained the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), the forerunner of the League.
Fair Housing When the th Amendment was passed in , suffrage leaders divided on strategy. Some founded the National e League made passage of the Fair Housing Amendments Woman’s Party, which sponsored the rst ERA, introduced a priority in . e legislation passed the House but was in Congress in . Others, the founders of the League
77 among them, decided not to push for an ERA. It is hard for In , lobbying for rati cation and against rescission on League members now to imagine the time in which the a state-by-state basis became a top League priority at the League actually opposed the ERA. It was not for lack of national and state levels. concern for women’s rights. e League’s record on that point speaks for itself. Rather, it was a problem in priorities. In , the LWVUS organized the National Business At the League’s Convention, delegates decided that an Council (NBC) for ERA, the rst formal structure to bring ERA might adversely affect new and hard-won state labor major business leaders into the ght for rati cation. In , legislation, which offered some protection to tens of thou- under an LWVUS/NBC partnership, a volunteer task force sands of women working in nonunionized, unskilled jobs. of advertising executives developed and produced radio ads designed to “sell” the ERA in seven unrati ed states. Moreover, though it was an organization of women, the roughout the media campaign, the LWVUS provided early League wanted to affirm strongly that its interests and extensive technical and nancial assistance to state Leagues lobbying activities were not con ned to women’s issues. and ERA coalitions, and worked to organize business ef- e League in the s and s set the stage for future forts in the states. program development by focusing on a broad range of so- cial issues. Many were, of course, of obvious concern for e rati cation process was not completed by the June , women: the Sheppard-Towner Act, which provided for fed- , deadline, but the League’s support of a constitutional erally funded infant and maternity care; the removal of dis- guarantee of equal protection under the law remains strong. crimination against women in immigration and naturaliza- e League supported reintroduction of the ERA in Con- tion laws; equality for women in the Civil Service Classi - gress in and helped lead a lobbying effort that culmi- cation Act; equal pay for equal work. During the same pe- nated in a narrow November defeat in the House. riod, local and state Leagues worked to eliminate sex dis- crimination affecting jury duty, property rights, the treat- In July , the League signed on to an amicus brief in the ment of women offenders and a number of other issues. Supreme Court case, J.E.B. v. T.B, which argued that sex discrimination in jury selection is prohibited by the Equal rough the s, the national League program included Protection Clause of the th Amendment. League partici- “removal of legal and administrative discriminations pation was based on support for actions to bring laws into against women,” but retained the statement in opposition compliance with the ERA. In , the Supreme Court to an ERA until when the national program was re- agreed, ruling that state laws allowing jury challenges based structured and it disappeared. solely on sex are unconstitutional.
As the League became active in the civil rights struggle of e League will continue to work to achieve the goals of the s, members grew acutely aware of the parallels be- the expanded ERA position. Issues cover action for pay eq- tween the status of women and minorities. Many state and uity and support for the Economic Equity Act, which in- local Leagues pursued women’s issues with new vigor, and cludes provisions to eliminate sex discrimination in pen- a strong push for women’s issues developed at the national sions and insurance. In , the League endorsed the level, culminating in the Convention action. Women’s Pension Equity Act, legislation designed to make pension law simpler and more even-handed. Meanwhile, Subsequent Conventions have reaffirmed the League’s the League continues to lay the groundwork for passage and commitment to the ERA. e Convention took the rati cation of the ERA. League’s commitment a step further, voting to use the ex- isting ERA position as a basis not only for rati cation ef- On the international front, the League of Women Voters forts, but also to work on gender-based discrimination supports the United Nations Convention for the Elimina- through action to bring laws into compliance with the goals tion of All Forms of Discrimination against Women of the ERA. (CEDAW) and is on the Steering Committee of the NGO
78 UNICEF Working Group on Girls at the UN, which Statement of Position on Equality of Opportunity, as Re- formed an International Network for Girls, a global advo- vised by the National Board in January , based on Po- cacy network. sitions Announced by the National Board in January , adopted by the Convention, Expanded by the Convention and the Convention. THE LEAGUE’S POSITION The League of Women Voters believes that the federal government shares with other levels of government the FURTHER GUIDANCE AND CRITERIA responsibility to provide equality of opportunity for ed- In more speci c terms, the kinds of programs the League ucation, employment and housing for all persons in the supports include: United States regardless of their race, color, gender, re- ligion, national origin, age, sexual orientation or disa- Programs in basic education, occupational education bility. Employment opportunities in modern, techno- and retraining when needed at any point of an individ- logical societies are closely related to education; there- ual’s working career fore, the League supports federal programs to increase Expanded opportunities in apprenticeship and on-the- the education and training of disadvantaged people. job training programs The League supports federal efforts to prevent and/or Child-care centers for preschool children to give par- remove discrimination in education, employment and ents the opportunity for employment housing and to help communities bring about racial in- Greatly increased educational opportunity through tegration of their school systems. compensatory programs for disadvantaged groups be- ginning at the preschool level and extending through The League of Women Voters of the United States sup- secondary education ports equal rights for all regardless of sex. The League Federal nancial aid to help needy students remain in supports action to bring laws into compliance with the high school and to take advantage of post-high school ERA: training and education A regional approach to problems of economically de- To eliminate or amend those laws that have the ef- pressed areas that cuts across state lines. is approach fect of discriminating on the basis of sex can be handled administratively by such means as in- To promote laws that support the goals of the ERA terstate cooperation or more formal interstate com- To strengthen the enforcement of such existing pacts or commissions made up of representatives of laws. state and federal governments. Development programs should re ect the needs of the particular area and can The League of Women Voters of the United States sup- include such measures as provision of education and ports equal rights for all under state and federal law. training for available jobs, encouragement of new in- LWVUS supports legislation to equalize the legal dustry in the area, development and conservation of rights, obligations, and benefits available to same-gen- natural resources and the building of public facilities. der couples with those available to heterosexual cou- Programs that would inform individuals of their civil ples. LWVUS supports legislation to permit same-gen- rights in education, employment and housing, and of der couples to marry under civil law. The League be- the opportunities open to them lieves that the civil status of marriage is already clearly Full use of mediation and conciliation in efforts to distinguished from the religious institution of marriage bring about integration of minority groups into full and that religious rights will be preserved. participation in community life
79 A federal clearinghouse for the exchange of infor- Programs may be closely related but should avoid un- mation on solutions communities have found to prob- necessary duplication. lems of integration in employment, education and housing FAIR HOUSING CRITERIA Programs to bring about effective integration of e following criteria should be applied to programs and schools through federal technical assistance such as policies to provide equal opportunity for access to housing training programs and institutes for teachers and without discrimination: school administrators Withholding federal funds from school districts that Opportunities for purchase or renting of homes and fail to meet realistic and effective guidelines and stand- for borrowing money for housing should not be re- ards for school integration stricted because of discriminatory reasons such as race, Withholding government contracts from businesses color, sex, religion or national origin. and industries that discriminate in employment Responsibility in the nationwide effort to achieve An effective federal fair employment practices agency. equality of opportunity for access to housing resides with government at all levels and with the private sec- EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT CRITERIA tor—builders, lending institutions, realtors, labor un- In evaluating federal programs that have been, or will be, ions, business and industry, news media, civic organi- established to provide equality of opportunity for educa- zations, educational institutions, churches and private tion and employment, the League will support those pro- citizens. grams that largely ful ll the following criteria: e continued existence of patterns of discrimination depends on the covert support of community leaders, e nationwide effort to achieve equality of oppor- institutions and residents. Award or withdrawal of fed- tunity in education and employment should include eral contracts and placement of federal installations participation of government at all levels and encourage should be used as levers to change this covert support. the participation of private institutions. After positive steps, such as mediation and conciliation State and local governments should contribute to the have been exhausted, the federal government should extent their resources permit. At the same time, ade- have the option for selective withholding of federal quate federal funds for the establishment and continu- funds where patterns of discrimination in access to ation of programs should be available if necessary. housing occur. In applying the option to withhold Programs should be carefully tailored to the educa- funds, the federal government should weigh the effects tional or employment needs of the people they are in- of its actions on the welfare of lower-income and mi- tended to reach. nority groups. People for whom community action programs are de- Federal programs should include provisions to guaran- signed should be involved in the planning and imple- tee equal opportunity for access to housing. Federal mentation of those programs. funds should not be used to perpetuate discrimination. e programs should be carried out by personnel com- In the enforcement of fair-housing laws, speedy resolu- petent to meet the speci c requirements of their jobs. tion should be ensured. Administrative procedures and Programs should assist people to become self-support- responsibilities should be clearly de ned and widely ing, contributing members of society. publicized. e programs should be nondiscriminatory with pro- Mediation and legal redress should be readily available. visions for enforcement. e process should ensure every possible protection for Research, pilot projects and continuing evaluation both complainant and persons or institutions against should be encouraged and, where feasible, built into whom complaints are lodged. Avenues for mediation programs. and legal redress should be widely publicized and should be easily accessible.
80 Funding should be adequate to provide trained and Provide a national assessment that clearly informs competent staff for public education to inform citizens teachers, parents and students about how well indi- of the provisions of fair-housing legislation, of their vidual students have mastered criteria established fair-housing rights and of procedures to be followed in at the national level securing them. Adequate funding should also be avail- Provide a national assessment that informs districts able for mediation and for all aspects of speedy en- how well their populations compare to other popu- forcement. lations similar to theirs ere should be continued evaluation to provide a ba- Provide a combination of competitive grants and sis for revision and strengthening of all procedures so non-competitive funding to states and local school that equality of opportunity for access to housing can districts to achieve equity among states and popu- be accomplished. lations.
The League of Women Voters believes that an equitable, quality public education is critical for students. While FEDERAL ROLE IN PUBLIC EDUCATION the League recognizes that there are instances where the federal government’s involvement is the only way to achieve universal change (desegregation, special needs Convention delegates voted to embark on a two-year population, gender equity), we also recognize that pri- study of the Federal Role in Public Education. Local and mary responsibility for public education resides with state Leagues across the country participated in the study the states. In accordance with the League of Women and a position was announced in March . Voters’ position on Equal Rights, the League continues to support equity in public education for all through:
THE LEAGUE’S POSITION Broad guidelines for accountability, leaving imple- The League of Women Voters believes that the federal mentation to the state and local education agencies government shares with other levels of government the Adequate funding sources that support the broad responsibility to provide an equitable, quality public goals of national standards education for all children pre-K through grade . A Mechanisms for local and state funding with ade- quality public education is essential for a strong, viable, quate federal support for mandates that require less and sustainable democratic society and is a civil right. burdensome, compliance-based reporting and regu- lations. The League believes that the role of the federal govern- ment should include the following: The League of Women Voters believes a basic role of the federal government in funding education should be to Provide leadership and vision to promote a quality achieve equity among states and populations on the ba- education for all children sis of identified needs. This should be done with full Provide broad common standards developed by ed- understanding that equity does not mean equal, given ucational experts upon which states and local edu- that some populations are more expensive to educate cation agencies can build than others and some localities have specific needs. Provide a suggested curricular structure or frame- work as a guide to state and local education agen- The League believes that the federal government should cies to develop their own curricula be primarily responsible for funding any programs mandated by the federal government on local education agencies. Although the League recognizes equity in ed-
81 ucation depends on meeting basic human needs of chil- Statement of Position on Federal Role in Public Education dren and of their families, the costs associated with as announced by the National Board in March . providing equitable access to safe neighborhoods and secure housing do not belong in the education budget. Major programs of federal funding for public education (i.e., Elementary and Secondary Education Act) should FISCAL POLICY be targeted toward children living in poverty and/or children with special needs. e Convention adopted criteria for evaluating federal The federal government has the responsibility to mon- tax policies as a League position and a two-year study of itor and support access to the following: U.S. scal policy. e three-part study focused on tax policy, de cit issues and entitlement funding. League members High quality teaching and learning, supported by completed the tax policy portion of the study in time to quality current learning materials and well main- position the League as a major force in the tax reform move- tained educational facilities ment of -. As Congress debated major legislation Access to health care needs (i.e., hearing, vision, to broaden the income tax base, the League became a rec- dental, immunization, school-based health clinics ognized leader in pushing for passage of reform legislation. at the secondary level, etc.) and nutritionally ade- e League achieved a major victory after mobilizing quate food (i.e., school-based meals under “free League members and activists to urge members of Congress and reduced meal programs”). to pass broad-based, fair and progressive legislation. As part of its strong legislative campaign, the League opposed a The League believes that the first five years of a child’s value-added tax as regressive. e League supported taxing life are crucial in building the foundation for educa- capital gains as ordinary income and urged the removal of tional attainment and greatly impact success or failure loopholes in the tax law. in later life. Additionally, the League believes quality, developmentally appropriate and voluntary early learn- e nal two stages of the study, concluded in , gave ing experiences should be available to all children, with the League new tools for responding to federal de cit and federally funded opportunities going first to children of budget issues. Under the de cit position, the League has poverty and/or with special needs. The League believes supported selective cuts in defense spending that target mil- that the federal government should support the follow- itary investment rather than readiness, in accord with the ing: LWVUS Military Policy and Defense Spending position.
Early childhood education programs that include In determining what national security crises might call for funding for parent education and involve child de- de cit spending, the League is guided by its International velopment, health, nutrition and access to other Relations positions, including U.S. Relations with Devel- supportive services, such as mental health care for oping Countries. e League also can, if necessary, support all children and their families selective cuts in nondefense discretionary spending. In de- Research that documents quality early childhood termining its stance, the LWVUS will be guided by its So- education programs cial Policy, Natural Resources, Representative Government Research that demonstrates the importance of link- and International Relations positions and priorities. ing state and local community partnerships with effective early childhood education programs and As Congress continued in to grapple with extraordi- services. nary federal de cits and budget dilemmas, the League took a comprehensive approach to the budget battle that com- bined support for increased funding for human needs, for
82 selective cuts in defense spending and for necessary revenue dangerously upset the federal balance of powers and hurt increases. e de cit position enabled the League to oppose the economy. a balanced budget constitutional amendment in March . In , the federal de cit began to shrink, but the push for a constitutional amendment to require a balanced budget e de cit position, like the tax policy position, applies grew. e League lobbied and brought grassroots pressure only at the federal level. us, LWVUS opposition to the to oppose this dangerous and misleading proposal, arguing line-item veto and to a constitutionally mandated balanced that it would hamstring the government’s ability to stimu- budget applies only to the federal government. Under the late the economy in time of recession and to respond to LWVUS de cit position, state Leagues will be expected to natural disasters. Amendment opponents prevailed then oppose state legislative resolutions and other actions calling and in -. League grassroots pressure was key in de- for a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced feating balanced budget Constitutional amendment efforts. budget. In December , the League and others signed a letter Since the state budgeting process occurs under different urging President Clinton to use the budget surplus to invest constitutional arrangements and laws, the conclusions of in programs that bene t the American people, including the federal de cit study do not overrule any current state education, health care, human needs and the environment. League positions on state budgeting processes, nor can they be used at the state level without separate state League study In , when debate over Social Security’s future heated and member agreement on the subjects. up with various proposals to “privatize” the Social Security system, the LWVUS endorsed the principles of the New e Funding of Entitlements position enables the LWVUS Century Alliance for Social Security, emphasizing Social Se- to support efforts to expand participation in the Social Se- curity’s central role in family income protection. e curity system (including participation by state and local League’s stance is based on support for a federal role in government employees and other excluded groups). e providing mandatory, universal, old-age, survivors, disabil- League is opposed to measures that allow individuals to opt ity and health insurance. out of the system or measures to substitute private pro- grams. e League opposes reducing Social Security bene- In the th Congress, the League joined with several hun- ts to achieve de cit reduction. dred other organizations, lobbying against tax cut legisla- tion because it was fundamentally unfair and jeopardized In , the LWVUS urged the President and Congress to the nation’s ability to meet its domestic and foreign respon- produce actual de cit reductions rather than masking the sibilities. problem, and prodded them to rely primarily on reductions in defense spending and increased revenues through pro- Responding to Congressional efforts to cut funding to the gressive taxes. In , the LWVUS urged the President and poorest of Americans during the th and th Congresses, Congress to address the recession and promote economic the League lobbied in support of principles and programs development. e League called for tax and budget reform that bene t low income Americans while opposing tax and for rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure. breaks for the wealthiest in the country.
As the federal de cit grew, the “balanced-budget” amend- ment to the Constitution was introduced in Congress as a political expedient to control the federal budget. e League successfully fought against passage in the House in and both houses in . e League argued it would
83 THE LEAGUE’S POSITION In evaluating speci c tax preferences, the League will use The League of Women Voters believes federal fiscal pol- the following criteria: icy should provide for: Whether the tax preference promotes equity and pro- Adequate and flexible funding of federal govern- gressivity ment programs through an equitable tax system Whether the tax preference effectively furthers League that is progressive overall and that relies primarily of Women Voters program goals on a broad-based income tax Whether the tax preference is the most efficient means Responsible deficit policies of achieving its purpose A federal role in providing mandatory, universal, Whether the revenue loss from the tax preference is old-age, survivors, disability and health insurance. justi able
TAX POLICY FEDERAL DEFICIT The League of Women Voters believes the federal tax e League of Women Voters believes that the current fed- system should: eral de cit should be reduced. In order to reduce the de cit, the government should rely primarily on reductions in de- Be fair and equitable fense spending through selective cuts and on increased rev- Provide adequate resources for government pro- enue through a tax system that is broad-based with progres- grams while allowing flexibility for financing fu- sive rates. e government also should achieve whatever ture program changes savings possible through improved efficiency and manage- Be understandable to the taxpayer and encourage ment. e League opposes across-the-board federal spend- compliance ing cuts. Accomplish its objectives without creating undue administrative problems. e League recognizes that de cit spending is sometimes appropriate and therefore opposes a constitutionally man- The League of Women Voters believes that the federal dated balanced budget for the federal government. e tax system, taken as a whole, should be progressive, not League could support de cit spending, if necessary, for proportional. stimulating the economy during recession and depression, meeting social needs in times of high unemployment and The League supports income as the major tax base for meeting defense needs in times of national security crises. federal revenues; believes that the federal income tax e League opposes a federal budget line-item veto. should be broad-based with minimal tax preferences and a progressive rate structure; opposes a value-added FUNDING OF ENTITLEMENTS tax or a national sales tax in the federal revenue system. e League of Women Voters believes that the federal gov- ernment has a role in funding and providing for old-age, Statement of Position on Fiscal Policy, as Adopted by survivors, disability and health insurance. For such insur- Convention and as Announced by National Board, March ance programs, participation should be mandatory and , January and June . coverage should be universal. Federal de cit reduction should not be achieved by reducing Social Security bene ts.
FURTHER GUIDELINES Under this position, the League of Women Voters would support tax measures that broaden the base and improve the equity of the income tax while working to incorporate progressivity into the tax system, taken as a whole.
84 HEALTH CARE and deductibles are acceptable cost containment mecha- nisms only if they are based on an individual’s ability to pay. In addition, cost containment mechanisms should not in- In , the LWVUS undertook a two-year study of the terfere with the delivery of quality health care. funding and delivery of health care in the United States. Phase studied the delivery and policy goals of the U.S. e position calls for a national health insurance plan - health care system; Phase focused on health care nancing nanced through general taxes, commonly known as the and administration. e LWVUS announced its initial “single-payer” approach. e position also supports an em- health care position in April and the nal position in ployer-based system that provides universal access to health April . care as an important step toward a national health insur- ance plan. e League opposes a strictly private market- e health care position outlines the goals the LWVUS be- based model of nancing the health care system. With re- lieves are fundamental for U.S. health care policy. ese in- gard to administration of the U.S. health care system, the clude policies that promote access to a basic level of quality League supports a combination of private and public sec- care at an affordable cost for all U.S. residents and strong tors or a combination of federal, state and/or regional agen- cost-control mechanisms to ensure the efficient and eco- cies. e League supports a general income tax increase to nomical delivery of care. e Meeting Basic Human Needs nance national health care reform. position also addresses access to health care. e League strongly believes that should the allocation of e health care position enumerates services League mem- resources become necessary to reform the U.S. health care bers believe are of highest priority for a basic level of quality system, the ability of a patient to pay for services should not care: the prevention of disease, health promotion and edu- be a consideration. In determining how health care re- cation, primary care (including prenatal and reproductive sources should be allocated, the League emphasizes the con- health care), acute care, long-term care and mental health sideration of the following factors, taken together: the ur- care. Dental, vision and hearing care are recognized as im- gency of the medical condition, the life expectancy of the portant services but of lower priority when measured patient, the expected outcome of the treatment, the cost of against the added cost involved. Comments from numer- the procedure, the duration of care, the quality of life of the ous state and local Leagues, however, emphasized that these patient after the treatment, and the wishes of the patient services are essential for children. and the family.
To achieve more equitable distribution of services, the As the LWVUS was completing Phase of the study, the League endorses increasing the availability of resources in issue of health care reform was rising to the top of the coun- medically underserved areas, training providers in needed try’s legislative agenda. In April , as soon as the study elds of care, standardizing the services provided under results were announced, the LWVUS met with White publicly funded health care programs and insurance re- House Health Care officials to present the results of the forms. League’s position. Since then, the League has actively par- ticipated in the health care debate. e LWVUS health care position includes support for strong mechanisms to contain rising health care costs. Par- e LWVUS testi ed in fall before the House Ways ticular methods to promote the efficient and economical and Means Subcommittee on Health, the Energy and delivery of care in the United States include regional plan- Commerce Committee and the Education and Labor ning for the allocation of resources, reducing administrative Committee, calling for comprehensive health care reform costs, reforming the malpractice system, copayments and based on the League position. e League joined two coa- deductibles, and managed care. In accordance with the po- litions—one comprised of consumer, business, labor, pro- sition’s call for health care at an affordable cost, copayments vider and senior groups working for comprehensive health
85 care reform, and the other comprised of groups supporting In , the LWVEF again partnered with KFF and state the single-payer approach to health care reform. and local Leagues on a citizen education project, this time focused on Medicare reform, patients’ bill of rights and roughout , the League actively lobbied in support of other health care issues. In the rst phase, more than , comprehensive reform, including universal coverage, cost citizens participated in focus groups, community dialogues containment, single-payer or employer mandate and a and public meetings. eir views were re ected in “How strong bene ts package. e League emphasized LWVUS Americans Talk about Medicare Reform: e Public Voice,” support for the inclusion of reproductive health care, in- presented to the National Bipartisan Commission on the cluding abortion, in any health bene ts package. Future of Medicare in March . e report emphasized that people value Medicare but recognize its aws. Fairness, e LWVEF initiated community education efforts on responsibility, efficiency and access were identi ed as im- health care issues with the Understanding Health Care Pol- portant values for any reforms of the Medicare system. icy project in the early s. e project provided training and resources for Leagues to conduct broad-based commu- In spring , the LWVEF and KFF developed and dis- nity outreach and education on health care policy issues tributed two guides, Join the Debate: Your Guide to Health with the goal of expanding community participation in the Issues in the Election and A Leader’s Handbook for Hold- debate. ing Community Dialogues. e project focused on ve issues under debate in the election: the uninsured, managed care In spring , the LWVEF and the Kaiser Family Founda- and patients’ rights, Medicare reform, prescription drug tion (KFF) undertook a major citizen education effort, Cit- coverage and long-term care. izen’s Voice for Citizen’s Choice: A Campaign for a Public Voice on Health Care Reform. e project delivered objec- In the late s, the LWVUS lobbied in support of a strong tive information on health care reform to millions of Amer- Patients’ Bill of Rights. Despite close votes in , Senate icans across the country through local and state Leagues opponents continued to block passage. At Convention sponsored town meetings in major media markets nation- , League delegates lobbied their members of Congress wide, involving members of Congress and other leading to pass a strong, comprehensive Patients’ Bill of Rights, but policy makers and analysts in health care discussions with it was shelved as Election drew near. citizens. In September , the LWVEF and KFF held a National Satellite Town Meeting on Health Care Reform, In the th Congress, the League lobbied in support of the with + downlink sites across the country. ey also un- Health Care Access Resolution. In , the League op- dertook a major television advertising promotion of public posed the Medicare Prescription Drug bill, which the Pres- participation in the health care debate. ident signed into law, because of provisions that under- mined universal coverage in Medicare. In , the LWVUS joined national, state and local organizations in successfully urging Congress to pass strong In May , the League urged Senators to oppose the bipartisan child health care legislation. In , the Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Afford- LWVUS began working for a Patients’ Bill of Rights, aimed ability Act (HIMMA), which purported to expand at giving Americans participating in managed care health healthcare coverage, while actually limiting critical con- plans greater access to specialists without going through a sumer protections provided in many states. gatekeeper, the right to emergency room care using the “reasonably prudent person” standard, a speedy appeals From -, the League urged reauthorization of the process when there is a dispute with insurers and other State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), rights. which provided health care coverage in to six million low-income children; the efforts were rewarded with reau- thorization in early .
86 In , two decades of League work to ensure access to policy goals should include the equitable distribution affordable, quality health care for all Americans and protect of services, efficient and economical delivery of care, patients’ rights celebrated success when the Affordable Care advancement of medical research and technology, and a Act (ACA) was signed into law. e League remains vigilant reasonable total national expenditure level for health in light of current efforts to repeal or diminish the law in care. Congress and the courts. BASIC LEVEL OF QUALITY CARE In the th Congress, the League continued to ght at- Every U.S. resident should have access to a basic level tempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and to limit pro- of care that includes: visions that provide health and reproductive services for women. State Leagues began to work with their legislatures The prevention of disease to implement the ACA and the LWVUS signed on to an Health promotion and education amicus brief in the challenge to the Affordable Care Act, Primary care (including prenatal and reproductive which was upheld by the Supreme Court. health) Acute care In , as opposition to the ACA was raised in the legisla- Long-term care tive, regulatory and judicial processes, the LWVUS submit- Mental health care ted comments opposing religious exemptions for contra- ceptive services. is debate continued in the courts and Every U.S. resident should have access to affordable, the League joined with other concerned organizations in quality in- and out-patient behavioral health care, in- opposing broad “religious exemptions” to the requirement cluding needed medications and supportive service that that all insurance plans provide access to contraception as is integrated with, and achieves parity with, physical basic care in the Supreme Court case of Burwell v. health care. Hobby Lobby Stores. Dental, vision and hearing care also are important but Judicial action continued in as supporters, including lower in priority. The League believes that under any the League, submitted an amicus brief in the case of Burwell system of health care reform, consumers/patients v. King, which challenged the availability of tax subsidies should be permitted to purchase services or insurance for people who purchase health insurance on a marketplace coverage beyond the basic level. administered by the federal government. e ACA gave states a choice not to administer its own marketplace. e FINANCING AND ADMINISTRATION brief outlined how tax subsidies are essential to women's The League favors a national health insurance plan fi- health and critical to the ACA's continued viability. nanced through general taxes in place of individual in- surance premiums. As the United States moves toward e League continued to support implementation of the a national health insurance plan, an employer-based ACA at the state level and expansion of the Medicaid pro- system of health care reform that provides universal ac- gram, as provided by the ACA. e League also continued cess is acceptable to the League. The League supports its strong support for continued funding of the Children’s administration of the U.S. health care system either by Health Insurance Program (CHIP). a combination of the private and public sectors or by a combination of federal, state and/or regional govern- ment agencies. THE LEAGUE’S POSITION The League of Women Voters believes that a basic level The League is opposed to a strictly private market- of quality health care at an affordable cost should be based model of financing the health care system. The available to all U.S. residents. Other U.S. health care League also is opposed to the administration of the
87 health care system solely by the private sector or the be allocated based on the following criteria considered states. together:
TAXES The urgency of the medical condition The League supports increased taxes to finance a basic The life expectancy of the patient level of health care for all U.S. residents, provided The expected outcome of the treatment health care reforms contain effective cost control strat- The cost of the procedure egies. The duration of care The wishes of the patient and the family COST CONTROL The League believes that efficient and economical de- BEHAVIORAL HEALTH livery of care can be enhanced by such cost control The League of Women Voters supports: methods as: Behavioral Health as the nationally accepted term The reduction of administrative costs that includes both mental illness and substance use Regional planning for the allocation of personnel, disorder facilities and equipment Access for all people to affordable, quality in- and The establishment of maximum levels of public re- out-patient behavioral health care, including imbursement to providers needed medications and supportive services Malpractice reform Behavioral Health care that is integrated with, and The use of managed care achieves parity with, physical health care Utilization review of treatment Early and affordable behavioral health diagnosis Mandatory second opinions before surgery or ex- and treatment for children and youth from early tensive treatment childhood through adolescence Consumer accountability through deductibles and Early and appropriate diagnosis and treatment for copayments children and adolescents that is family-focused and community-based EQUITY ISSUES Access to safe and stable housing for people with The League believes that health care services could be behavioral health challenges, including those who more equitably distributed by: are chronically homeless Effective re-entry planning and follow-up for peo- Allocating medical resources to underserved areas ple released from both behavioral health hospitali- Providing for training health care professionals in zation and the criminal justice system needed fields of care Problem solving or specialty courts, including Standardizing basic levels of service for publicly mental health and drug courts, in all judicial dis- funded health care programs tricts to provide needed treatment and avoid inap- Requiring insurance plans to use community rating propriate entry into the criminal justice system instead of experience rating Health education from early childhood throughout Establishing insurance pools for small businesses life that integrates all aspects of social, emotional and organizations and physical health and wellness Efforts to decrease the stigmatization of, and nor- ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES TO INDIVIDUALS malize, behavioral health problems and care The League believes that the ability of a patient to pay for services should not be a consideration in the alloca- tion of health care resources. Limited resources should
88 Statement of Position on Health Care, as Announced by CRITERIA FOR LEGAL ADMISSION TO THE UNITED STATES National Board, April and supplemented by concur- The League supports the following criteria for legal ad- rence, June . mission of persons into the United States:
Family reunification of spouses or minor children with authorized immigrants or citizens IMMIGRATION Flight from persecution or response to humanitar- In the th Congress, the League lobbied in support of the ian crises in home countries DREAM (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Economic, business and employment needs in the Minors) Act that would provide a path to citizenship for Unites States young immigrants who complete a college degree or serve Education and training needs of the United States in the military, thereby enabling them to be a fully produc- Educational program opportunities tive part of American society. e legislation passed the Lack of a history of serious criminal activity. House, but lacked enough votes to overcome a libuster in the Senate. ADMINISTRATION AND ENFORCEMENT The League supports due process for all persons, in- cluding the right to a fair hearing, right to counsel, THE LEAGUE’S POSITION right of appeal and right to humane treatment. The The League of Women Voters believes that immigration League supports: policies should promote reunification of immediate families; meet the economic, business and employment Improved technology to facilitate employer verifi- needs of the United States; and be responsive to those cation of employee status facing political persecution or humanitarian crises. Pro- Verification documents, such as status cards and vision should also be made for qualified persons to en- work permits, with secure identifiers ter the United States on student visas. All persons Significant fines and penalties for employers who should receive fair treatment under the law. hire unauthorized workers Improved technology for sharing information The League supports federal immigration law that pro- among federal agencies vides an efficient, expeditious system (with minimal or More effective tracking of individuals who enter no backlogs) for legal entry of immigrants into the the United States United States. Increased personnel at borders.
To complement these goals the League supports federal The League also supports programs allowing foreign policies to improve economies, education, job opportu- workers to enter and leave the United States to meet nities and living conditions in nations with large emi- seasonal or sporadic labor needs. grating populations. UNAUTHORIZED IMMIGRANTS ALREADY IN THE UNITED In transition to a reformed system, the League supports STATES provisions for unauthorized immigrants already in the In achieving overall policy goals, the League supports a country to earn legal status system for unauthorized immigrants already in the country to earn legal status, including citizenship, by The League supports federal payments to impacted paying taxes, learning English, studying civics and communities to address the financial costs borne by meeting other relevant criteria. While policy reforms, states and local governments with large immigrant pop- including a path to legal status, remain unachieved, the ulations.
89 League does not support deporting unauthorized immi- low-income energy assistance, child-care legislation, reform grants who have no history of criminal activity. of unemployment compensation and Aid to Families with Dependent Children programs, and housing subsidies. Statement of Position on Immigration, as Announced by Comprehensive child care remains an elusive but critically National Board, April . needed support service for women seeking employment. In each case the League has pressed for: uniform minimum federal standards of eligibility, uniform standards for bene- ts based on need and standards for quality of services. MEETING BASIC HUMAN NEEDS
Support Services After adopting the Meeting Basic Human Needs position in , the League reorganized the Social Policy program e League has opposed cutoffs of Medicaid funding for in . is reorganization combined several existing po- abortion as violating the supportive services provisions of sitions to address the basic needs of all people for food, shel- the Income Assistance position and because such actions ter, and access to health care and transportation. e Meet- clearly discriminate against economically disadvantaged ing Basic Human Needs position encompasses previous po- women. sitions on income assistance and transportation. e issue of housing supply was separated from the fair housing po- In the s, national League action on income assistance sition, which is still under Equality of Opportunity, and focused primarily on opposition to funding cutbacks, dilu- put under the Meeting Basic Human Needs position. tion of the federal role, and changes in eligibility require- ments for income maintenance programs and support ser- vices. Income Assistance In -, the League worked in support of welfare reform e Convention adopted a study of alternatives to legislation in Congress, culminating in passage of the Fam- welfare. As a result of the study, members agreed to support ily Support Act of . e League had supported the a system of federalized income assistance. e position, House version, the Family Welfare Reform Act, which in- adopted in , suggests criteria for such a system and for cluded provisions for education, training and employment minimum uniform standards of eligibility for both cash of welfare recipients. e nal bill followed the Senate ver- bene ts and supportive services (in-kind bene ts). e po- sion, the Family Security Act, which the League opposed. sition is closely linked with the Employment position in e League joined the national Coalition on Human Needs encouraging work and in emphasizing the responsibility of in opposing the nal bill, citing inadequate funding and the federal government to help those who cannot nd work, mandatory participation quotas. Since passage of the Act, those whose earnings are insufficient to meet basic needs or states continue to face implementation decisions. those who are unable to work. e League lobbied successfully in support of the Family Adoption of the position coincided with a congressional ef- and Medical Leave Act, designed to guarantee workers un- fort to make major changes in the welfare system in - paid leave for illness or the birth or adoption of a child. . e League mounted an all-out lobbying effort in sup- rough the years, the League has supported the Earned port of the legislation, despite recognized its shortcomings. Income Tax Credit as a necessary form of income assistance. In the late s, the League attempted unsuccessfully to strengthen a number of federal welfare reform proposals. Other League efforts include lobbying Congress in and e League has supported a variety of speci c programs for to pass the Mickey Leland Hunger Relief Act and the income assistance and in-kind bene ts such as food stamps, Freedom from Want Act, bills designed to alleviate hunger
90 in the United States. In -, the LWVEF coordinated Community Development Act, which consolidated federal an -month Hunger Advocacy Project designed to help assistance under a block grant approach. e League fought state and local Leagues develop and carry out model, tar- against congressional action to weaken the Community geted activities to document or alleviate hunger. A guide, Development Block Grant program through drastic cuts in Fighting Hunger in Your Community, provided information the full range of authorized low- and moderate-income sub- on replicating such activities. sidies for both rehabilitation and new housing.
In -, the LWVEF promoted discussion of a Ford roughout the s, the League continued to support in- Foundation report on social welfare, e Common Good. creased funding to add to and maintain the existing stock ree regional workshops were held on issues raised in the of federally assisted housing for very low-income persons. report, and local Leagues conducted related community ed- LWVUS efforts included working as a member of the Na- ucation activities. tional Low Income Housing Coalition to urge passage of legislation authorizing HUD’s low-income housing e League actively opposed welfare reform legislation pro- and community development programs, as well as endors- posed in the th Congress. During summer , the ing the Housing Now march on Washington. White House and Congress agreed on legislation to essen- tially hand over welfare to the states. Despite the League’s As a member of the Low Income Housing Coalition’s strong lobbying effort with a particular focus on the Presi- Women and Housing Task Force, the LWVUS endorsed dent, the bill was passed and signed into law in August . recommendations predicated on the conviction that every State Leagues across the country monitored the implemen- person and family should have decent, safe and affordable tation and effects of “reform” efforts at the state level to housing. State and local Leagues have worked to increase ensure that the bene ts were provided where needed and the supply of low and moderate-income housing through that recipients’ civil rights were protected. efforts to change zoning laws and to set up shared housing services. In fall , the League responded to the Hurricane Katrina disaster, urging Congress to protect basic human needs of In , the LWVUS formally endorsed legislation to es- those affected by securing the basics of jobs, income when tablish the National Housing Trust Fund which uses sur- work is not available, health care, food, education, child plus funds from the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) care, and housing, while also protecting and expanding the to create new housing for low-income families. capacity of the federal government to respond by preserving and increasing funding for vital services and not sapping revenues through misdirected tax cuts. Transportation
As the th Congress cut funding and changed eligibility LWVUS concern about public transportation grew out of formulas for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance efforts on behalf of equal opportunity for employment and Program, formerly the Food Stamp program), the League housing. e Air Quality position added another di- joined with other organizations to urge Congress to mension to this concern by urging “measures to reduce ve- strengthen, not weaken the program. hicular pollution and development of alternate transporta- tion systems.” In , the LWVUS Board responded to questions of interpretation by synthesizing the two posi- Housing Supply tions into a uni ed Transportation position. In , fol- lowing League concurrence on the Energy Conservation During the late s and early s, the League worked position, the LWVUS Board reaffirmed the national for a number of federal housing programs. In , League League’s Transportation position. In , the Urban Policy support was channeled into aspects of the Housing and position reinforced the theme that federal aid for highway
91 construction should be reduced; the Transportation posi- PREVENTING AND REDUCING POVERTY tion language was revised to make that point clear. In order to prevent or reduce poverty, the LWVUS sup- ports policies and programs designed to: e League rst put the position to work by backing a na- tional coalition’s efforts to amend the Federal Aid Highway Increase job opportunities Act of to permit nancing part of the costs of urban Increase access to health insurance mass transit from highway trust funds. e League also Provide support services such as child care and supported the National Mass Transportation Assistance Act transportation of . Later the focus shifted to prevent stalling or cutting Provide opportunities and/or incentives for basic of federal assistance to mass transit systems. or remedial education and job training Decrease teen pregnancy; ensure that noncustodial In response to the urgency to improve and promote public parents contribute to the support of their children. transportation systems, the Convention voted to give greater emphasis to the Transportation position. In , it ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE was incorporated into the Meeting Basic Human Needs po- The League believes access to health care includes the sition. Leagues continue to use the Transportation position following: with their own local or ILO positions to back local and re- gional moves to improve mass transit and support other al- Preventive care ternatives, such as express lanes for buses and carpools. Primary care Maternal and child health care Emergency care, catastrophic care THE LEAGUE’S POSITION Nursing home care and mental health care as well The League of Women Voters believes that one of the as access to substance abuse programs goals of social policy in the United States should be to Health and sex education programs promote self-sufficiency for individuals and families Nutrition programs. and that the most effective social programs are those designed to prevent or reduce poverty. ACCESS TO TRANSPORTATION The League believes that energy-efficient and environ- Persons who are unable to work, whose earnings are in- mentally sound transportation systems should afford adequate or for whom jobs are not available have the better access to housing and jobs and the League will right to an income and/or services sufficient to meet continue to examine transportation policies in light of their basic needs for food, shelter and access to health these goals. care. Statement of Position on Meeting Basic Human Needs, as The federal government should set minimum, uniform Revised by the National Board, January , based on po- standards and guidelines for social welfare programs sitions reached from through . and should bear primary responsibility for financing programs designed to help meet the basic needs of in- dividuals and families. State and local governments, as FURTHER GUIDELINES AND CRITERIA well as the private sector, should have a secondary role in financing food, housing and health care programs. CRITERIA FOR INCOME ASSISTANCE Income assistance programs should be financed primar- Eligibility of all low-income individuals for assis- ily by the federal government with state governments tance should be based on need. Eligibility should be assuming secondary responsibility. established through simplified procedures such as a
92 declaration of need, spot-checked in a manner simi- Wherever possible, these services should be conven- lar to that used in checking the validity of income iently located in the neighborhood. tax returns. Transportation systems should afford better access to Benefit levels should be sufficient to provide decent, housing and jobs and should also provide energy ef- adequate standards for food, clothing and shelter. ficient and environmentally sound transportation. Minimum income standards should be adjusted for Government programs that require recipients of as- regional differences in the cost of living and should sistance to engage in work-related programs would be revised periodically to take into account changes be acceptable only if the following protections are in the purchasing value of the dollar. Until a federal guaranteed to the participants: welfare program achieves an adequate level of bene- o Job training fits, some states will need to supplement federal pay- o Basic education ments. o Exemptions for primary care givers There should be increasing emphasis on cash assis- o Supplemental support services such as child care tance, but in-kind assistance (e.g., food stamps, and transportation housing subsidies, medical aid) should be continued o Equitable compensation to ensure that program to help assure that these needs are met. participants earn the same wages and benefits as Under a revised program participants should not other employees performing similar work have their benefits reduced. o A disregard of some earned income for purposes Privacy of participants should be protected. All ad- of calculating benefit levels. ministrative procedures should be conducted with respect for the rights and dignity of the individuals. CRITERIA FOR HOUSING SUPPLY Work should be encouraged. Participants’ total in- The following considerations can be applied to programs come should increase as earnings increase. Counsel- and policies to provide a decent home and a suitable liv- ing, realistic training for actual jobs and financial in- ing environment for every American family: centives should be the links between job programs and income assistance. The responsibility for achieving national housing goals rests primarily with the federal government, CRITERIA FOR SUPPORTIVE SERVICES which should: Supportive services should be available but not com- o Assure that our economic system is functioning pulsory for participants in income assistance pro- to produce and maintain sufficient decent hous- grams. Most important among these are child care, ing for citizens at all income levels counseling, transportation, and family planning, o Compensate for any failure or inadequacy of the health care and legal services. system by building, financing, renting and selling Fees for supportive services should be based on abil- homes to those citizens whose housing needs are ity to pay and be free where necessary. not being met Facilities and services for participants should be the o Give a variety of incentives to local jurisdictions same as for the general public. to encourage them to provide within their The federal government should exert leadership in boundaries an adequate supply of decent housing setting standards for eligibility, for the quality of ser- for low- and moderate-income groups vices and for adequate funding. o Withhold federal funds from communities that Participants in the programs should be included in fail to encourage such housing. program development and implementation, and the State and local governments should assist by estab- administration of social services programs should be lishing effective agencies to aid, promote, coordinate responsive to the needs of the people being served. and supplement the housing programs of the federal government and the private sector.
93 Government at all levels must make available suffi- State and local tax structures should be examined cient funds for housing-assistance programs. and revised to: When families or individuals cannot afford decent o Benefit communities that build housing for housing, government should provide assistance in lower-income families the form of income and/or subsidized housing. o Encourage private owners to improve their Government programs providing subsidies to the homes building, financing and insuring industries for hous- o Reduce speculative land costs. ing for lower-income families should be evaluated in Government, industry and labor should encourage terms of units produced rather than in terms of ben- innovative building techniques to reduce the cost of efits accruing to these industries. housing production. Government at all levels should develop policies that Rights of tenants to negotiate for proper mainte- will assure sufficient land at reasonable cost on nance, management of facilities and services should which to develop housing and that will assure fulfill- be protected. ment of other goals such as access to employment, Housing programs should be administered by indi- preservation of open space, environmental cleanli- viduals trained for the jobs and sympathetic with ness and beauty, and other aspects of a suitable liv- the needs of their clientele. ing environment. Citizen groups should participate in the develop- Regional and metropolitan planning should be pro- ment of publicly assisted housing programs by: moted to prevent haphazard urban growth, and o Evaluating performance housing for low- and moderate-income families o Activating nonprofit sponsorships should be provided as a part of all planned neigh- o Supporting legislation borhoods or communities. o Developing public awareness of housing discrim- Lower-income families should not be segregated in ination and need. large developments or neighborhoods. As their eco- nomic status improves, lower-income families should be enabled to continue to live in the same units as private tenants or as homeowners, if they CHILD CARE are so inclined. Housing should be designed to meet human needs and should be built with amenities that will encour- e League has long recognized that child-care programs age economic integration within apartment build- are a key supportive service for poor families. ings as well as within neighborhoods. Publicly assisted housing should be included in via- e LWVUS Convention adopted child care as a pri- ble, balanced communities, with provision for qual- ority and separated the child care position within the Social ity public services and facilities, including schools, Policy position. e League supported a compromise child- transportation, recreation, etc., that will encourage care bill, signed by the President in , which provided integration and stability. nancial assistance to low-income families for child care; Zoning practices and procedures that will counteract increased the availability of child care through resource and racial and economic isolation should be promoted. referral programs and training for child-care workers; and State and local governments should adopt and en- required states to establish health and safety standards for force: day care. en Leagues across the country monitored and o Uniform building codes with standards based on commented on the regulatory process as the Department of performance Health and Human Services wrote implementing regula- o Housing codes to protect the health and safety of tions. all citizens.
94 LWVEF activities included a - School-Age Child endorsed the Stand for Children, a national day of commit- Care Project. e goal was to help local Leagues serve as ment to improving the lives of children throughout the catalysts in targeted communities to increase the availability country. of affordable, quality school-age child care for low- and moderate-income families. In , the LWVEF published a community action guide using the model League projects THE LEAGUE’S POSITION to help other communities implement similar programs. The League of Women Voters believes that early inter- vention and prevention measures are effective in help- In summer , the LWVUS and other groups urged con- ing children reach their full potential. The League sup- gressional action on child care and the passage of a substan- ports policies and programs at all levels of the commu- tial increase in guaranteed funds for the Child Care Devel- nity and government that promote the well-being, en- opment Block Grant. courage the full development and ensure the safety of all children. These include: In early , the League joined other groups in support of legislation to reauthorize the Temporary Assistance to Child abuse/neglect prevention Needy Families program (TANF) and provide for compre- Teen pregnancy prevention hensive reforms to help those on welfare become self-suffi- Quality health care, including nutrition and prena- cient. It was not adopted. tal care Early childhood education Developmental services, emphasizing children ages THE LEAGUE’S POSITION - The League of Women Voters support programs, ser- Family support services vices and policies at all levels of government to expand Violence prevention. the supply of affordable, quality child care for all who need it, in order to increase access to employment and Statement of Position on Early Intervention for Children to prevent and reduce poverty. at Risk, as Adopted by the Convention.
Statement of Position on Child Care, as Adopted by the Convention, based on positions reached from through . VIOLENCE PREVENTION
e Convention adopted by concurrence a position EARLY INTERVENTION FOR on Violence Prevention, based on state and local League CHILDREN AT RISK work. e League subsequently endorsed the Violence Against Women Act, which Congress passed and the Presi- dent signed in as part of a comprehensive crime bill. e position on Early Intervention for Children at Risk was adopted by concurrence at Convention ; it was based on state and local League work. THE LEAGUE’S POSITION The League of Women Voters supports violence preven- In , the LWVEF published a comprehensive kit, de- tion programs in all communities and action to sup- signed to help Leagues and other groups advocate and work port: for children in their communities. In June , the League
95 Public and private development and coordination roughout -, opponents of the assault weapons of programs that emphasize the primary prevention ban and Brady bill pushed for repeal, but the League and of violence others convinced Congress otherwise. The active role of government and social institu- tions in preventing violent behavior e Convention again amended the position with: The allocation of public monies in government “e League supports regulating rearms for consumer programs to prevent violence. safety.”
Statement of Position on Violence Prevention, as Adopted e th Congress defeated LWVUS-supported gun con- by the Convention. trol measures to close major loopholes in the law: mandat- ing background checks for all gun show purchases and child safety locks on guns.
GUN CONTROL e LWVUS endorsed and League members joined the Mother’s Day Million Mom March that demon- strated citizens’ call for common-sense gun control e Convention took the then rare step of adopting measures. the gun control position by concurrence. Proponents had sent two informational mailings to all Leagues before Con- In , the League voiced strong concern over the Protec- vention. Spirited debate on the Convention oor per- tion of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which would grant suaded the Convention to concur with the statement pro- special protection for the gun industry by barring city, posed by the LWV of Illinois. county or individual lawsuits against gun manufacturers and dismiss pending cases Following the Convention action, the LWVUS wrote to all members of Congress, announcing the League’s new posi- e League supported legislation to extend the Assault tion on gun control and urging passage of federal legislation Weapons Ban, which expired in September . e to control the proliferation of handguns and semi-auto- LWVUS also supported language to close the Gun Show matic assault weapons in the United States. In , the Loophole to require all dealers to run criminal background League joined with other organizations to support legisla- checks at gun shows. tion banning semi-automatic assault weapons. In and , the League supported congressional passage of the In the s, the League opposed congressional attempts Brady bill, to institute a ve-day waiting period and back- to repeal District of Columbia gun safety laws because such ground check for the purchase of handguns. Following en- action interfered with the right of self-government for DC actment of the Brady bill in November , the League citizens. stepped up its efforts in a successful House campaign to force inclusion of the assault weapons ban in the nal conference report on omnibus crime legislation. THE LEAGUE’S POSITION The League of Women Voters believes that the prolifer- Addressing constitutional arguments affecting gun control, ation of handguns and semi-automatic assault weapons the Convention voted to amend the position on gun in the United States is a major health and safety threat control based on federal court decisions limiting the mean- to its citizens. The League supports strong federal ing of the Second Amendment’s “right to keep and bear measures to limit the accessibility and regulate the own- arms.” is section of the position was nulli ed by the Su- ership of these weapons by private citizens. The League preme Court decisions in District of Columbia v. Heller, supports regulating firearms for consumer safety. and McDonald v. Chicago, .
96 The League supports licensing procedures for gun own- During the consensus process, it was made clear that restor- ership by private citizens to include a waiting period for ing economic health to the nation’s cities requires com- background checks, personal identity verification, gun bined state, local and federal government efforts. State safety education and annual license renewal. The li- Leagues have used the position to work for targeted state cense fee should be adequate to bear the cost of educa- aid to distressed areas, and local Leagues have pushed for tion and verification. improved city management to make better use of diminish- ing resources. The League supports a ban on “Saturday night spe- cials,” enforcement of strict penalties for the improper e League’s rst national action campaign under the po- possession of and crimes committed with handguns and sition involved the reauthorization of General Reve- assault weapons, and allocation of resources to better nue Sharing. Building upon the previous monitoring and regulate and monitor gun dealers. action to strengthen GRS (see Equal Access position), the Urban Policy position reaffirmed support for strong civil Statement of Position on Gun Control, as Adopted by rights, citizen participation requirements, auditing stand- Convention and amended by the and Conven- ards, and for a more equitable distribution of funds. e tions. League worked with a coalition toward these ends, and was successful on all but the last issue.
Under the Urban Policy position, the League supported ex- URBAN POLICY pansion of Economic Development programs and the reau- thorization of Urban Development Action Grants (UDAG). In efforts to bring more jobs to urban areas, the Recognizing that the League’s program already had many League also has supported the location of federal facilities urban implications, the Convention added Cities/Ur- in distressed cities. ban Crisis to the national program as a “speci c focus for information and action on urban problems.” Members ex- Local and state Leagues implemented the position by amined urban connections among existing League posi- ghting to save downtown businesses from extinction, tions in order to open up new action opportunities to ad- commenting on local UDAG applications, working for dress the desperate plight of many urban areas. public/private cooperation in the revitalization of city neighborhoods, and undertaking citizen education activi- e Convention reaffirmed the League’s interest in the ties to spur interest in improving the quality of urban life. urban problem by adopting an “evaluation of urban policy options, with emphasis on scal policy.” Leagues drew on In , under a grant from the National Endowment for their preliminary explorations of urban problems for a the Humanities, the LWVEF and a number of local more structured study of the appropriate federal role in the Leagues worked to increase public awareness of urban prob- intergovernmental responsibility for cities. In June , lems and solutions. Another grant enabled the LWVEF to the national board announced a new position, enabling the sponsor an exchange between Leagues in the industrial League to take a strong stand on targeting federal assistance heartland and the Sunbelt. to distressed cities, especially through urban economic de- velopment assistance programs to encourage private rein- e Convention changed Urban Crisis to Urban Pol- vestment in cities. It also supports general and targeted di- icy. A new focus on urban transportation united the rect nancial assistance to cities. League’s long-time concerns about access to jobs, air quality, land use and energy with newer concerns about urban eco- nomic development and municipal nances.
97 THE LEAGUE’S POSITION hiring the long-term unemployed and interest subsi- The League of Women Voters believes that it is in the dies national interest to promote the well-being of Amer- Expand middle-income housing while not diminish- ica’s cities. ing attention to low-income housing needs Target federal purchasing and location of federal fa- Sharply targeted federal assistance to distressed cities cilities in distressed cities should be central to this policy. The federal government should give highest priority in urban policy to measures GENERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE that enhance the economic base of cities. The League The League supports a variety of federal strategies, in- also favors supplementary federal aid for cities in dis- cluding direct general assistance, targeted to distressed tressed fiscal condition and grants for particular pro- cities. Such a program should include aid to counter re- gram areas as strategies to counter the problems of cession. In providing federal aid for particular program hardship cities. areas, grants offer city governments the best opportuni- ties to meet local needs. The fiscal health of cities depends on the active cooper- ation of all levels of government. The federal govern- In order to increase the availability of funds to city gov- ment should provide incentives to encourage states to ernments for capital expenditures, the federal govern- take an active role in promoting the fiscal viability of ment should use mechanisms to lower the cost of bor- their cities. rowing.
The League is committed to an urban environment Aid to cities should include technical assistance to im- beneficial to life and to resource management in the prove management capacity. public interest.
Statement of Position on Urban Policy, as Announced by National Board, June and revised by the National DEATH PENALTY Board in .
At Convention , delegates voted to adopt a position FURTHER GUIDELINES supporting abolition of the death penalty. is decision was made in concurrence with a position adopted by the LWV ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE of Illinois. Since that time, state Leagues have used the po- The cornerstone of a national urban policy is a commit- sition to support initiatives to abolish the death penalty in ment to helping cities achieve economic strength. Fed- their states. eral programs to encourage private reinvestment in cen- tral cities should counter an eroding tax base and provide jobs for the inner-city unemployed. Therefore, the THE LEAGUE’S POSITION League supports the following federal strategies: The League of Women Voters supports the abolition of the death penalty. Target community development programs to cities most in need Statement of Position on Abolition of the Death Penalty, as Encourage businesses to locate or expand in dis- Adopted by the Convention. tressed cities through such financial incentives as in- vestment tax credits, loan guarantees, subsidies for
98 SENTENCING POLICY Education and awareness programs on human traffick- ing should be established in our communities and in our schools. At convention , delegates voted to adopt a Sentencing Policy position by concurrence. e position is based on Statement of Position on Human Trafficking as adopted at the Sentencing Policy of the LWV of the District of Co- the LWVUS National Convention. lumbia. In late , the LWVUS supported the Smarter Sentencing Act, a Senate bill which would reduce federal sentences for non-violent drug offenders, but the bill did not come to the Senate oor.
THE LEAGUE’S POSITION The League of Women Voters believes alternatives to imprisonment should be explored and utilized, taking into consideration the circumstances and nature of the crime. The LWVUS opposes mandatory minimum sen- tences for drug offenses.
Statement of Position on Sentencing Policy, as Adopted by the Convention.
HUMAN TRAFFICKING
At convention , a Human Trafficking position based on the position of the League of Women Voters of New Jersey was adopted by delegates.
THE LEAGUE’S POSITION The League of Women Voters opposes all forms of do- mestic and international human trafficking of adults and children, including sex trafficking and labor traf- ficking. We consider human trafficking to be a form of modern day slavery and believe that every measure should be taken and every effort should be made through legislation and changes in public policy to pre- vent human trafficking. Prosecution and penalization of traffickers and abusers should be established, and ex- isting laws should be strictly enforced. Extensive essen- tial services for victims should be applied where needed.
99 PRINCIPLES e League of Women Voters believes in representative WHERE DO THE PRINCIPLES COME FROM? government and in the individual liberties established in the Constitution of the United States. e League of e Principles are “concepts of government” to which the Women Voters of the United States believes that all powers League subscribes. ey are a descendant of the Platform, of the U.S. government should be exercised within the con- which served from to as the national repository stitutional framework of a balance among the three for “principles supported and positions taken by the League branches of government: legislative, executive, and judicial. as a whole in elds of government to which it has given sustained attention.” Since then, the Principles have served e League of Women Voters believes that democratic gov- two functions, according to the LWVUS Bylaws: ernment depends upon informed and active participation in government and requires that governmental bodies pro- Authorization for adoption of national, state and local tect the citizen’s right to know by giving adequate notice of program (Article XII) proposed actions, holding open meetings and making pub- A basis for taking action at the national, state and local lic records accessible. levels (Article XII).
e League of Women Voters believes that every citizen e appropriate Board authorizes action to implement the should be protected in the right to vote; that every person Principles once it determines that member understanding should have access to free public education that provides and agreement do exist and that action is appropriate. As equal opportunity for all; and that no person or group with other action, when there are rami cations beyond a should suffer legal, economic or administrative discrimina- League’s own government jurisdiction, that League should tion. consult other Leagues affected.
e League of Women Voters believes that efficient and e National Board suggests that any action on the Princi- economical government requires competent personnel, the ples be taken in conjunction with current League positions clear assignment of responsibility, adequate nancing, and to which they apply and on which member agreement and coordination among the different agencies and levels of understanding are known to exist. e Principles are rather government. broad when standing alone, so it is necessary to exercise caution when considering using them as a basis for action. e League of Women Voters believes that responsible gov- Furthermore, since , most of the Principles have been ernment should be responsive to the will of the people. an integral part of the national program, most notably in Government should maintain an equitable and exible sys- the criteria for evaluating government that appear at the tem of taxation, promote the conservation and develop- end of the summary of public policy positions (page ment of natural resources in the public interest, share in the above). solution of economic and social problems that affect the general welfare, promote a sound economy and adopt do- mestic policies that facilitate the solution of international problems.
e League of Women Voters believes that cooperation with other nations is essential in the search for solutions to world problems and that development of international or- ganization and international law is imperative in the pro- motion of world peace.
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