I left a sunny and warm Evanston this morning and traded it for a hot and muggy Dallas! But here at the convention the air-conditioning is blasting and the delegates are buzzing. I am here in Dallas for the 51st National Convention for the LWV. This year's theme is Power: Our Voices Our Votes. This is my first convention and I've already met delegates from around the country. My idea for this blog is to report on the issues as presented through caucuses, plenary sessions, training tracks (I'm in the New Local League Leaders track), and voting. I'll also share my experiences and reflections.
I was waiting for the shuttle to the hotel when I met my first delegate, Susan, the President of the Pennsylvania League. (When she approached I was busy reading Robert's Rules of Order for Dummies. I know that the women of this convention are master's of Robert's Rules and I don't want to get left in the dust.) We didn't skip a beat and started talking about the convention and the issues of the convention right away. Before we knew it the entire shuttle was filled, all going to the convention. As we shouted out where we were from a woman in the front said, "I'm from the land of taxation without representation!" She's the first I've met from DC. The woman from NC talked about all of the disenfranchisement going on in her state, another about membership outreach...and so it begins.
Here we are talking away!
This afternoon I dropped my bags in my room and headed downstairs to my first session, Ready, Set, Raise.. I now have new ideas for how we can raise money to support our League. After a quick dinner it was off to the opening receptions, both the National and the Illinois. It was nice to meet the other IL delegates, we plan to sit together when possible.
Some of the Illinois delegation having our first strategy session.
I have an early start tomorrow, 7:30. I'm going to a caucus on barriers to voter representation, Tackling the 800-lb Gorilla- From Suffrage to Parity.
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