Press Releases

The League of Women Voters of the United States has issued a press release regarding the League’s opposition to a rushed Supreme Court nomination in the upcoming weeks. LWVUS board president Deborah Turner and CEO Virginia Kase urge the US Senate to take the time to sufficiently vet any potential nominee, and to prioritize helping the millions of Americans struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read their full statement here.

Voting rights organizations including Common Cause Massachusetts, MassVOTE, the League of Women Voters, and the ACLU of Massachusetts testified before the Joint Committee on Election Laws today in support of HD 5075, An Act Ensuring Safe and Participatory 2020 State Elections in Response to COVID-19. They called for the Committee to act quickly to support the bill. HD 5075 – filed by Representatives Michael Moran and John Lawn – has been endorsed by over 100 organizations in Massachusetts, as of Thursday afternoon. More endorsements are pending. Read the coalition press release here.

March 29, 2019/ Boston, MA – The League of Women Voters of Massachusetts (LWVMA) has announced the winners of “The Climate Change Challenge” Student Video Contest. The winners are: First Place:  “The Urban Shade Tree: Nature’s Air Conditioner” by Madeleine Lombard, Four Rivers Charter Public School Second Place:  “Rising Sea Levels” by Sophia Orlando, Rockport High School Third Place: “How Composting Helps the Environment” by Jessica Elmhurst, Walpole High School Honorable Mention: “Help Us To Put A Stop To Global Warming” by Kira Perry and Feyza Achilova, Dartmouth High School “Get Greener: One Step at a Time” by Benten Niggel, Noah Dzeidzina, and Matthew Campbell, Nauset Regional High School “Sip From The Side” by DJ Charles, Concord Academy “Catchy Solutions To Air Pollution” by Kate Guttilla, Needham High School “Little Things” by Noor Issa, Durfee High School “Plant Based For The Climate” by Jinnie Mannion, Maynard High School “Heal The World” by Nickolas Qvarnstrom, Wyatt Gaynor, Richard Ramsay, and Sam Cipro, Nauset Regional High School “The Climate-Diet Connection” by Nina Yee, Izzy Drayer, Anda Gravlin, and Olivia Kierstead, Needham High School “Climate Change” by Trevor Nunes, David Drew, Cole Roderick, Brandon Bowman, and Bud Driscoll, Falmouth High School “Switch To Reusable” by Emily Kociubes and Elizabeth Herzog, Bedford High School LWVMA invited Massachusetts high school students to create videos with content that raises public awareness about one aspect of climate change and suggests a course of action. The winning entries were selected from a large group of entries from across the Commonwealth. A panel of judges scored each video on criteria including clarity of message, memorability, presentation, and creativity.  The winners will receive awards of $500 (first place); $250 (second place); $100 (third place); and $50 (honorable mention). “The League has been advocating for issues of the environment for decades. We couldn’t be happier to join with and amplify the voices of high school students. Collectively we can make a difference on climate change,” said LWVMA Executive Director Michelle Kweder. “We are all inspired by the creative visions of the many high school students who shared their messages of climate action through this contest,” said Mary Ann Ashton, president of LWVMA. “The League of Women Voters of Massachusetts hopes these videos engage everyone throughout the Commonwealth to take action to lessen the impacts of climate change.” An award ceremony to honor the winners will be held on April 11 at 3:45pm at the Massachusetts State House, Room 428. Please RSVP to LWVMA Administrative and Program Associate Taylor Grenga at tgrenga@lwvma.org. The contest was sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Citizen Education Fund, which supports programs designed to encourage the active and informed participation of citizens in democracy and increase understanding of public policy issues. Additional support for this program was provided by the Salem Five Charitable Foundation.

As a member of the Massachusetts Civic Learning Coalition, LWVMA applauds the legislature and the governor on the passage and signing of the state’s new civic education law, S.2631. The Coalition’s statement is below: Massachusetts Civic Learning Coalition Applauds Governor Baker for Enacting the Country’s Most Comprehensive Civic Education Law The State’s new civic education law will provide thousands of students across Massachusetts with a high quality civic education. Boston, MA [Nov. 8, 2018]  – The Massachusetts Civic Learning Coalition (MCLC) applauds Governor Charlie Baker for signing into law bill S.2631, giving Massachusetts one of the nation’s most innovative statewide civic education programs. The new law, which Gov. Baker signed today, provides for funding for the professional development of teachers to teach civics effectively, the opportunity for students to participate in civics-based projects, and establishes civic education as a priority for school districts across the state. The Massachusetts Civic Learning Coalition (MCLC) thanks the State Senate, the House of Representatives and the Governor for their leadership in this legislation. This will help ensure that students across the Commonwealth will have access to a civic education curriculum that teaches them the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, fundamental knowledge about government, such as the functions of each branch and the electoral process, as well as key 21st century skills such as media literacy. We commend the Legislature and the Governor for giving teachers the support they need to implement and teach the curriculum and facilitate civics projects to prepare students for thoughtful and informed participation in civic life. Specifically, MCLC appreciates the commitment to securing robust funding to implement the bill, including the provision of funds for teacher professional development through the Mass Civics Trust Fund. “With the enactment of this law, Massachusetts has leapt to the forefront of civics education, joining states such as Florida and Illinois to take an innovative — and necessary — step to ensure that every young person in the state is prepared and engaged in civic life,” iCivics Executive Director Louise Dubé said. “This is a critically important law, passed at a critically  important moment for our state and our country.” Arielle Jennings, Generation Citizen’s Massachusetts Executive Director said, “Young people often have a hard time seeing the political process as relevant to them and are disengaged from it as a result. This law will help strengthen our democracy by educating a new generation of active citizens.” The Massachusetts Civic Learning Coalition is a roundtable of twenty civics education organizations, research institutions, school districts, and stakeholders committed to improving the quality and implementation of K-12 civic education for students across the state. Members of the coalition include: The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library Foundation, Generation Citizen Massachusetts, iCivics, and other organizations committed to civic education reform. For further information on MCLC, please visit www.macivicsforall.org.

For Immediate Release:  Oct. 9, 2018/Boston, MA–U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Worcester, and Tracy Lyn Lovvorn, R-Grafton, will meet in a debate at 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 15 at Mechanics Hall, 321 Main St., Worcester. Admission is free and open to the public, with the debate being held in Washburn Hall, on the second floor of the historic meeting place. Congressman McGovern, an 11-term incumbent, is facing his first challenge in a final election since 2010. Among his duties, he serves as the ranking Democrat on the House Subcommittee on Nutrition. Three years ago, he sponsored and pushed for an attempt to replace the then 14-year-old Authorization for Use of Military Force with a new authorization in the battle against ISIS. Ms. Lovvorn, the Republican primary winner, is founder and ceo of Evolution Physical Therapy, Grafton. She brought suit in a 2009 case in which a chain of nursing and rehabilitation services ultimately settled with federal authorities and eight states for $38 million over allegations of substandard Medicare and Medicaid nursing services.