The 62nd State Convention of the League of Women Voters Minnesota will be held Friday, May 15th-Saturday, May 16th in Willmar, MN.  The theme of this year's convention is:

MN-Powered: Sustainable, Renewable: Food, Energy, Economy.

The convention will be held at the Holiday Inn and Conference Center in Willmar, MN.  Registration deadline for the hotel and conference center is April 14, 2009.

Guest speakers at this year's conference include:  Don Wyse from the University of Minnesota speaking on "Laws of the Land: Impact on Human and Environmental Health"; Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, Cheryl Graeve, LWVUS Senior Director and Membership/Field Support; and Judy Duffy, LWVUS First Vice-President.

Learning workshops will focus on LWV Leadership, Action, LWV Program, and other important areas.  Planned social events include a pre-convention wine tasting and jazz show called Jazz and Juice the evening of Thursday, May 14th.  On the evening of Friday, May 15th LWVMN will host a local wind mill tour and dinner at Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center.

This will be a great event and we look forward to having fun while conducting the business of LWVMN!!

If you are interested in attending or have any questions about this year's convention please contact Barb Person at 651-224-5445 or by email

Gwen S. Myers, LWVMN Action Chair and Laura F. Wang, LWVMN Legislative Coordinator

The 2009 session began on January 6 with members of the House of Representatives and the Senate taking their oaths of office and starting work on what everyone agreed was going to be a difficult and contentious five-month session.

The $4.8 billion deficit--soon to be $6.5 billion or more--is affecting all the issues we care about, and dealing with it will be an extraordinarily difficult job for our legislators.

Everything, including agriculture, education, election law, the environment, health and human services, immigration and transportation, is on the cutting board.  LWVMN has lobbyists actively promoting the LWVMN positions on many of these areas.

Among all the issues we lobby, three are of special interest to LWVMN.  First, it was clear last summer that a huge deficit was looming and the budget would be a priority.  LWVMN has joined with others to support the Invest in Minnesota Campaign.  This is a diverse group of organizations coordinated around the idea of finding new revenue, raising it fairly, and using this new revenue to invest in education, health care, and public infrastructure.

Members encourage sound investment practices that will benefit Minnesotans by:

• Ensuring adequate government revenue in line with what we can afford.
• Raising the money fairly.
• Budgeting with integrity.
• Managing with discipline and accountability.

Second, our seemingly endless U.S. Senate contest has put a spotlight on Minnesota's election laws, and put a premium on LWVMN's nonpartisan and unblemished reputation as an honest broker in these matters.  We are proud that Minnesota's election laws weathered the recount so well and proud that the whole recount process was marked by transparency and openness.

The recount did expose problems, most notably, with absentee ballots.  The fact that 12,000 absentee ballots were rejected statewide due to errors by the voter or election officials indicates that changes are needed.  LWVMN is working with the Voting Rights Coalition on this and other bills allowing early voting and automatic registration with drivers' license applications, and establishing a method for voters to check their voter registration on line.

In addition, LWVMN is actively opposing legislation that would require registered voters to produce a photo ID in order to vote on Election Day, a move that would disenfranchise thousands of our most vulnerable and would cost state and county governments hundreds of thousands of dollars to administer.  While this bill has not passed out of committee in either house, we can expect to see the authors try to amendment it to every election bill considered, especially in the House of Representatives.

Third, we are currently supporting bills in the House and Senate which propose a constitutional amendment allowing voters to decide whether judges shall be retained in a retention election.  After the U.S. Supreme Court decision in White v. the Republican Party and a subsequent Eighth Circuit Court decision in 2005 ruled unconstitutional the parts of our Judicial Canons which kept political parties out of judicial elections, LWVMN developed a new position on the selection of judges by merit selection/retention elections.  We believe that this system is the best at keeping politics and money out of elections.  The entire position can be found at "Positions on Issues."

Millions of dollars have been spent on judicial races across the country, largely by special interest groups.  Justice appears to be for sale in many parts of the United States.  LWVMN is working hard to ensure that Minnesota's judicial system remains beyond reproach.

LWVMN's citizen lobbyists' everyday experiences involve strategizing with allies and organizing to get constituent phone calls or emails to key committee members, as well as occasionally testifying before committees or drafting letters to legislators.  She meets an array of interesting people, attends some fascinating meetings and hearings, and gets to influence public policy on issues she cares about the most.  Our lobbyists can say, "Yes, we're having fun and learning a lot along the way."

LWVMN Co-Presidents
Judy Stuthman and Vivian Jenkins Nelsen

The dark cloud over Minnesota's 2009 Legislative Session is "The Budget."  It hampers hopes, dreams, current and future needs, and sometimes defies common sense.  Our nation is experiencing such serious financial problems that unprecedented legislation has been passed to stimulate the economy.  It is in times like these that we must make the effort to know our priorities and move to invest in and secure a better future.  In a perfect world we wouldn't have to balance the serious issues of education against healthcare or the environment.  As we lobby for our positions at the Capitol, we need to also make sure we are watching how LWVMN does business and invests in its future.

LWVUS has taken steps to reduce its cost of doing business.  The National VOTER will be suspended in both the print and digital formats until finances are more secure.  The LWVUS Council that would have been held in Washington D.C. in June, 2009 will be done as a "virtual" Council on June 13th at 1 PM.  Details will be coming, but it will last about 4 hours.  Some of us will miss the face to face contact and stimulation of this meeting, but it will also allow us to explore new technologies and new ways of meeting while making the experience available to more members.

LWVMN will take a serious look at our cost of doing business and see where we can not just save money but also secure our organization as we move forward.  Foundations are also having some difficult times as they watch their investments lose money.  We know this will affect our possible grants.

League members are passionate about our organization, and they are generous.  For both of these gifts we are grateful.

There will be challenges…but also opportunities.

Vivian Jenkins Nelson and Judy Stuthman LWVMN Co-Presidents

Vivian Jenkins Nelsen and Judy Stuthman
Co-Presidents LWVMN / LWVMNEF

LWV Duluth members gather with their American Indian friends and neighbors on the steps of the St. Louis County Court House to support their requests to the County Board.

Reprinted from March 2009 Duluth VOTER™

LWV Duluth Board of Directors voted its support for an open letter to the St. Louis County Board signed and delivered by a group of American Indians, non-American Indians and the League of Women Voters.

At a press conference on January 12, League board member Gail Schoenfelder represented LWV Duluth and spoke out to voice League's support of the following legitimate and reasonable American Indian requests to the County Board:

1. Revisit and retract its position of January 20 to cease selling abandoned tax-forfeited lands located on Fond du Lac and Bois Forte Reservations and oppose all future tribal applications to place tribal land into protected Federal trust status.
2. Agree that in the future it will not discuss or make decisions about tribal issues without meeting first with tribal governments.
3. Agree to Board Development trainings to enhance Board understanding of shared regional history, Federal and state laws pertaining to American Indian rights, facts regarding taxation and economic development, as well as American Indian cultural and economic contributions to St. Louis County.

Thank you to League members Kristin Larsen, Kathy Heltzer, and Coral McDonnell for their ongoing attendance at County Board meetings to observe and record board proceedings and make this information available to St. Louis County citizens.  If you are interested in being a part of this observer corps, call the League office at 218-724-0132 for more information on how you can get involved.  Or if you are interested in observing in your local community please contact the LWVMN office at 651-224-5445.

LWVMN has the following positions relating to issues involving American Indians as well as LWVUS beliefs and principals of citizen involvement and the public's right to know.

LWVMN supports state legislation that ensures services for Indian citizens which are equal to those provided for other citizens.  Where Indians are singled out for special attention, that attention should be directed towards solving existing jurisdictional conflict in order to guarantee equal treatment of Indian citizens by all levels of government.  Programs should have the explicit recognition that the basic decisions regarding Indian lives and property be made by the Indians themselves(1963).  LWVMN also supports a state agency of Indian affairs which meets the following criteria: acceptable to the Indians themselves; empowered to use the services of other existing agencies and provided with adequate funds (1963).

Since its founding, LWV has acted upon a set of six fundamental principles one of which is the following: League of Women Voters believes that a healthy democratic government depends upon the informed and active participation of its citizens and requires that government bodies protect the citizen's right to know by giving adequate notice of proposed actions, holding open meetings to promote transparency, and making public records accessible.

LWVMN proudly continues to act upon this and its other principles in its advocacy for equity and justice in our democratic systems.

League of Women Voters Education Fund program for leadership development Leaders of Today and Tomorrow is experiencing a new beginning.  LOTT was founded in 1993 and for 14 years, LOTT produced an annual seminar bringing together primarily college-aged women with public policy leaders.  The annual seminar was a great opportunity for young women to form relationships, identify mentors and create opportunities for future employment and leadership opportunities.

Challenges to women's leadership persist.  Twenty years ago there were 5 women leaders of Fortune 500 Companies, today there are 12. 86% of the people in the political pipeline to state and national executive leadership are men.  While women are entering and graduating from college in greater numbers it is not translating into greater pay equity for women and particularly not for women of color.

Women lead differently than men.  Women in politics tend to be more coalition-based and regardless of party affiliation tend to pay attention to issues related to children, education, and domestic policy more often than men.  Women leaders in corporations tend to be more corporate-focused and see success and responsible corporate citizenship as part of successful performance, beyond simply individual achievement.  Women in public policy tend to be more able to organize communities around seminal issues.  Women's leadership is essential to balance and ensure broad success of our political institutions, corporations and communities.

In response to the clear need, LWVMNEF is expanding LOTT from a single annual seminar to an ongoing leadership program that supports young women over time with a consistent support network.  The expanded LOTT program will leverage existing leadership training opportunities across Minnesota, including the annual seminar, in order to capitalize on the many ways new leaders can chart their paths, find their voices and to help support them in achieving the goals that will lead to their self-defined vision for their future.

LOTT is now forming the new Advisory Board and will be accepting applicants for both LOTT Fellows and LOTT mentors beginning in Fall 2009.

Donations to LOTT are tax-deductible and will be used to support and develop future leaders through LWVMNEF.  To donate to LOTT or if you have additional questions about the program please contact LWVMN Program Director, Allie Moen at 651-224-5445 or by email.

Sen. Dean Barkley (IP), LWVMN Executive Director Keesha Gaskins, Rep. Ann Lenczewski (DFL), and Sen. Geoff Michel (R)

In partnership with LWV Edina and LWV Richfield, LWV Bloomington hosted a State of Democracy forum on Partisanship.  With support from the Joyce Foundation, an exciting panel with Senator Dean Barkley, Representative Ann Lenczewski and Senator Geoff Michel shed new light on the impact of partisanship in the legislative process.

The guest speakers discussed how partisanship affects not only legislation but the important issue of fundraising.  All panelists agreed that comprehensive campaign finance reform with a stronger emphasis on public financing would reduce the influence of partisanship on campaigning, public perception, and to some degree, governance.

The other important point raised by Sen. Michel and Rep. Lenczewski was that, in Minnesota, greater than the allegiances between Republicans and Democrats are the allegiances between representatives of districts in Greater Minnesota and those in the Metropolitan Area.

The State of Democracy Project is a program of League of Women Voters Minnesota Education Fund with support of local Leagues across Minnesota.

Supported by a grant from the Joyce Foundation, the State of Democracy Project is a comprehensive project assessing the current status of Minnesota"s democratic systems and making recommendations for reform.

The key areas for reform identified by the program are:

• Redistricting
• Campaign Finance
• Partisanship
• Civic Education
• Judicial Impartiality
• Election Integrity/Voting Laws

State of Democracy Project also does a comprehensive analysis of how the Media, the 2010 Census and Civic Engagement affect citizen participation in Minnesota"s democratic processes.

The complete publication on LWVMNEF's findings and the State of Democracy website are set for release in Summer 2009.

For more information about State of Democracy activities, participation on the State of Democracy Committee or general information about the Project please contact the LWVMN Program Director, Allie Moen by email or at 651-224-5445.

LWVMN recognizes the efforts of the following local LWVs for all of their hard work in sponsoring State of Democracy forums:

• LWV Winona State Unit
• LWV Minneapolis
• LWV Woodbury/Cottage Grove
• LWV Anoka/Blaine/Coon Rapids (ABC)
• LWV West Metro Alliance
• LWV Park Rapids State Unit
• LWV Bloomington State Unit

I am grateful to Doug Ernst for handling the Spring edition of the Voter.  I was in Regions Hospital from Dec. 15 to Jan. 24 and in a transitional care center from until Feb. 9.  I had a blockage that resulted in the removal of my colon.  I was told that the condition might be reversible in about six months.

While I was in the hospital, I kept meeting former students from when I taught college composition.  An embarrassing moment occurred when a young man answered my call light and said, "Hi, Mrs. Oliver.  Do you remember me from your composition class at MCTC?  I"m a Personal Care Attendant now.  Do you need some help putting your clothes on?"  Yikes!  I had to remind myself that this is 2009, not 1899.

Marsha Oliver, LWV White Bear/North Oaks/Mahtomedi Area, is the editor of the Voter.

League of Women Voters Minnesota thanks Marsha Oliver for her many years of service and prays for her speedy recovery and her return to editing our VOTER.

Diane Tran

The Minnesota Junior Chamber (Jaycees) hosts a recognition program for up and coming leaders ages 18 to 40.  The Ten Outstanding Young Minnesotans (TOYM) program is Minnesota's only statewide recognition program for outstanding young leaders.  The program acknowledges the efforts of young leaders that have contributed to our state through their service, thought/influence, community involvement, or entrepreneurship.

Diane Tran is the project coordinator with the Dakota County Smoke-Free Communities Partnership and project staff with Catalyst, Minnesota"s latest effort to fight Big Tobacco with creative youth activism.

Her background in tobacco control includes work with "Target Market", a grassroots movement helping to reduce teenage smoking by 21% statewide in two years.  Diane has worked tirelessly to make Minnesota a Smoke-Free place to live.

Diane is a member of the LWVMN State Board of Directors and a long-time driving force for the LWVMNEF Leaders of Today and Tomorrow Program.

LWVMN needs help cataloging our library.  We have lots of great new and historic materials available for loan to local LWVs but we need to have them organized and cataloged so we can make a comprehensive list available.  This is an important but not urgent request.

Where:  LWVMN Office, St. Paul
Time Commitment:  8-10 hours for the complete job
Deadline:  Based upon volunteer availability
Skills required:  Basic literacy, basic computer literacy

LWVMN needs a Communications Audit for our printed materials.  We have great material for distribution but we have challenges around our branding and to reduce our printing costs.  We need someone with marketing experience who can review our multiple publications, assess our current needs for both LWVMN and the local LWVs, and evaluate what kinds of materials we will require going forward.  This is both an important and urgent request.

Where:  Can be accomplished remotely
Time Commitment:  20-30 hours for complete job
Deadline:  Based upon volunteer availability
Skills required:  Marketing experience, basic computer literacy

LWVMN needs a review of our historic materials.  We have lots of materials and information that has been around for years.  We would love to have someone who has been around League for 15+ years to review and organize materials in preparation for the library or for archiving.  This job cannot start until the library cataloging is complete.

Where:  LWVMN Office, St. Paul
Time Commitment:  10-20 hours for complete job
Deadline:  Based upon volunteer availability
Skills required:  Basic literacy, historic relationship with LWVMN

If you are interested in any of these volunteer opportunities please e-mail.

League of Women Voters Minnesota Education Fund has need for the following items:

Donations made to League of Women Voters Education Fund are tax-deductible.

By Eleanor Revelle (LWVIL and LWVUS Climate Change Task Force Member)

Water is an increasingly scarce resource.  Many parts of the United States already face serious water shortages and even drought.  Population growth and the changing climate are putting additional stresses on water supplies.  Even in areas where water seems to be abundant, careful management of this precious resource is essential if we are to ensure a reliable supply for future generations.

Moreover, using water efficiently also saves energy.  For most municipalities, the biggest use of electricity is associated with treating and distributing drinking water and then collecting, treating, and disposing of it after it has been used.

Water conservation is clearly an important component of sustainability.  How can we, as individual consumers, help?

Saving Water Indoors

Indoor water usage in a typical single family home in the United States is about 70 gallons per person per day.  But fixing leaks, installing water-efficient plumbing fixtures, and changing some everyday habits can reduce water usage significantly to around 45 gallons/person/day.

Fix those Leaks

Leaks account for about 13 percent of the water used in a typical home.  A slowly dripping faucet or a toilet that keeps "running" can waste thousands of gallons of water a year.  To check for leaks, read the water meter before and after a two-hour period in which no water is being used.  After the test period, if the meter has a higher reading, there is probably a leak.

Buy Water-Saving Fixtures, Appliances

Toilets are typically the greatest water user in the house, accounting for more than one-quarter of the total used in a home each day.  Replacing an older 3.5-gallons-per-flush (gpf) toilet with a 1.6-gpf, low-flush model will save at least 10 gallons of water/per person/day.  New lower-flow dual-flush toilets will cut usage even further.  By reducing water bills, newer toilets pay for themselves in just a few years.

Replacing older showerheads with low-flow fixtures and installing low-flow aerators in existing faucets are both low-cost ways to save water.  And by cutting the demand for hot water, this step will result in energy savings as well.

Water-efficient dishwashers and clothes washers also help save water-and energy.

Turn Off the Tap

A few small changes in everyday habits can result in significant water savings.  Turn off the tap while brushing teeth and save well over 1000 gallons/person/year.  Take a five-minute shower (12.5 gallons of water with a new showerhead) instead of a bath and save 20-30 gallons each time.

Conserving Water Outside

In urbanized areas, roads, rooftops and parking lots cover much of the landscape and prevent rainwater from soaking into the ground and replenishing groundwater.  Rainwater runoff flows instead into the storm sewer system, picking up pesticides, fertilizers, oil and other pollutants as it makes its way to local rivers, lakes and bays.

An additional problem confronts older municipalities with combined sewer systems.  In these systems, stormwater and sanitary wastes are collected in the same pipe and then treated together before being discharged.  During periods of heavy rainfall or snowmelt, the volume of water can exceed the capacity of the system, and the excess wastewater is discharged directly into nearby waterways.

Green Infrastructure

A new approach to stormwater management uses natural systems to absorb and filter rainwater and make use of it where it falls.  It treats rainwater as an asset rather than a waste product.

Using permeable paving for driveways and parking areas allows rainwater to seep into the ground, thus recharging groundwater and reducing stormwater runoff.

Rainwater can be "harvested"-collected as it runs off the roof and stored in rain barrels or a cistern for future landscape irrigation.  Benefits include lower water bills, less waste of precious drinking water, reduced demand on the municipal water system and increased groundwater recharge.

Replacing lawn areas with natural landscaping will save water and energy as well as benefit the natural environment.  Lawn maintenance is water intensive-some 30 percent of our water is used to irrigate lawns-and lawnmowers cause five percent of the nation's air pollution.  Native plants, on the other hand, help reduce runoff and minimize the need for watering.  They do not need fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides.  And they provide food and shelter for birds, butterflies and beneficial insects.

Keesha Gaskins
LWVMN Executive Director

LWVMN, like other organizations, is making changes to ensure that it can continue to provide the services to our members, the public and our local Leagues in these tough economic times.

We are grateful for the hard work and foresight of the LWVMN Development Committee in creating a Working Capital Reserve that allows us to keep focused on growth and core services during this period.

LWVMN began in 1919 and survived the Great Depression, the economic recession of the 1980's and the challenges of the early 1990's.  LWVMN, along with the local Leagues across Minnesota, is a stable institution providing not only citizen education, but also direct advocacy to policy-makers and a reform agenda and action around key policy issues essential to an effective working democracy.

LWVMN is reducing operating costs by allowing open non-essential staff positions to remain vacant and by making greater use of interns and volunteers.  Our highest paid staff members will not seek pay raises for the 2010 fiscal year.

We understand the need to be responsible with the donations and grant monies we receive so we are committed to remaining focused on the key areas that increase LWVMN capacity and efficacy.

Most importantly, LWVMN continues to grow.  Due to the generosity and vision of donors who matched the Katherine B. Andersen Fund of the St. Paul Foundation we are able to use those dedicated funds for capacity-building to support the purchase of new development software, the creation of a long-term development plan, and to upgrade the LWVMN website.

All of these capacity-building efforts will enable LWVMN to be more effective in its operations, more directly supportive of members and expand the capacity to offer more direct support to local LWVs.

LWVMN continues to need your gifts of time, talent and treasure to do its important work.  We are committed to responsible use of the resources given to us by our supporters.

These tough times require LWV to be more responsive, not less, to the needs of the communities across Minnesota.  We enthusiastically continue our work by educating about, advocating for and driving democratic reform across Minnesota.  Thanks to the dedication of our members and donors, LWVMN is up to the challenge.

Very truly yours,
Keesha