League program is the education and advocacy platform adopted by members to empower voters and defend democracy.
Program planning
A grassroots process of recommending and selecting the governmental issues for action and concerted study or concurrence.
Position
The League’s point of view on a public policy issue, arrived at after study and either consensus or concurrence.
State Program Planning in a Nutshell
- Local Leagues meet to reexamine current state positions and recommend changes, if any, to the board. Positions can be amended, updated, dropped, or restudied; new studies can be proposed.
- The state board reviews the proposed items and decides which, if any, it will recommend to the biennial convention.
- Delegates to the biennial convention debate and vote on the proposed program that includes proposed items and retention of current positions.
- If a new study or an update of a current position is adopted at the biennial convention, a study committee is formed that consists of members from various local Leagues. The committee gathers information for League members to use in deliberating the issue that reflects a diversity of nonpartisan views on the study topic, culminating in a Facts & Issues report.
- Local League members consider the pros and cons of various positions on the issue with the help of a discussion guide and discussion leader.
- Areas of statewide collective agreement are summarized and paraphrased into a consensus statement to be adopted by the state board of directors.
- Action to bring about governmental change based on a position can only be taken on an issue after a position has been adopted.
2019-2020 Program Planning (Reports due Dec. 15, 2019)
References for Program Planning
- Impact on Issues: A Guide to Public Policy Positions (LWVUS)
- League Program: Study to Action in Ten Steps (LWVTX)
- Program Perspectives: A Guide to League Issues (LWVTX
- Positions (LWVTX online positions and their history)