GLOSSARY OF LEAGUE LINGO
Certain terms are unique to the League of Women Voters.
For both new and current members, these common terms help understand
the League.
ACTION: Promoting the League's positions on local, state, and national public policy to government officials, the media, and the public.
ACTION ALERT: A request from the LWVUS, state, or local League to take action in support of a League position.
ANNUAL MEETING: Local League year-end business meeting to elect officers and directors, vote on bylaw changes, and adopt a budget and Program for the next year.
BOARDS of DIRECTORS are elected at the local, state, and national League levels to oversee the working of the League. They typically consist of Officers and Directors.
CONCURRENCE: Agreement by League members with a position on an issue reached by a small group of members or by another League.
CONSENSUS: The process used to reach a collective opinion, representative of the majority of League membership, after an objective Study of an issue.
CONVENTION: A state or national League meeting held every other year at which delegates from local leagues elect officers, directors, and a Nominating Committee; adopt program; make bylaws changes and adopt a budget. Local Leagues send delegates to state convention; local and state Leagues send delegates to national convention.
The number of delegates is based on the size of the local League. National Convention is held in even numbered years and state Convention in odd-numbered years.
COUNCIL: An assembly of delegates held in alternate years. Local Leagues send delegates to state council; state Leagues send delegates to national council.
DEI: Abbreviation for diversity, equity, and inclusion. The LWVUS and the state Leagues are committed to DEI. Local, state, and national Leagues have DEI policies and programs for engaging with multiple communities.
EDUCATION FUND: The 501(c)(3) tax-deductible arm of national, state, and large local Leagues, handling funds to be used only for educational purposes, not for advocacy or action on issues. The LWVMC is a 501(c)(4) – a non-profit that does not pay taxes, but donations are not tax-deductible.
GOTV: Abbreviation for Get Out the Vote. This is a major function of many local Leagues and is designed to encourage all eligible citizens to vote, especially those in underrepresented communities.
HONORARY LIFE MEMBER: A person who has been a member for 50 years or more. Life members are excused from dues payment and their Leagues pay no per member payment (PMP) for them.
LOBBYIST: A volunteer League member who promotes League positions at some level of government with the approval of the appropriate board.
LOCAL LEAGUE: Organization of League members who reside in a specified geographical area. It operates somewhat independently of the state and national Leagues and has its own programs and activities. They are not called chapters.
MAL UNIT: A state-recognized group of Members-At-Large, in an area where there is no local League.
MEMBER: Voting Members. Persons at least 16 years of age can join the League as voting members. A second member of a household may join the League at ½ the dues. Full-time students who are enrolled in an accredited institution and are at least 16 years old may join the League without paying dues.
NONPARTISAN POLICY: The League does not support or oppose any political party or candidate for public office. Each League develops a Non-Partisan Policy that describes how this specifically applies to members and the League’s Board. The policy is reviewed every two years for revisions.
Issues: After careful study, the League may take a stand or position on an issue. Issues are not partisan and do not belong to a particular political party.
PMP: Acronym for Per Member Payment, the amount of dues money paid to the LWVUS and the state League on behalf of each member. The amount is set by delegates to the national League Convention.
OBSERVER: A trained League member, usually a member of the local Observer Corps, who attends meetings of a government body in order to report on the processes used and the issues on the agenda.
POSITION: A formal statement of the League's point of view on an issue, arrived at through member research, study, and agreement (consensus or concurrence), approved by the appropriate board and used as a basis for League action.
PRINCIPLES: Good government standards and policies supported by the League as a whole. The principles constitute the authority for adoption of Program at all levels.
PROGRAM: Selected issues approved by members at the local, state and national levels for focus, study, and action.
PROGRAMS: Plans for speakers, discussions, or other activities for League meetings.
SPEAKING WITH ONE VOICE: Uniformity of League messages. Only the League president or designee is authorized to speak for the League. Members can speak as individuals but not under the name of the League.
STUDY: The process (two years normally) of research, study, and discussion on an issue prior to taking consensus and arriving at a formal position. A Study focuses on an area of concern that is adopted by majority vote of delegates at National or State convention. Local Leagues also adopt studies when there is not a position at another level of League under which action can be taken. The LWVWA has created a detailed Guide to Effective Studies LWVWA-Guide-to-Effective-Studies.pdf (wildapricot.org) to help Leagues create well-researched, nonbiased, and informative studies.
SUFFRAGIST: Women in the United States who advocated and lobbied for women’s right to vote in elections, and who became part of a national organization that campaigned for the right to vote. Suffragette is a term used in the UK to refer to those using non-peaceful strategies. In the United States, it is considered negative and therefore is not used.
Nonpartisan League website giving candidate information and positions on selected issues in their own words, as well as extensive voter information.
VOTER SERVICES: Year-round activities to help people be politically effective and to encourage their participation in the political process. Registering voters and presenting factual, nonpartisan information on candidates and election issues are basic voter service activities.