League Of Women Voters Of San Francisco

Programs: Educational program pros and cons guide:each election, league members prepare an objective and easy-to-understand summary of san francisco ballot measures. The pros and cons guide explains the issues and offers arguments for and against each measure. The guide is produced in english, spanish, and chinese, and is distributed to reach 275,000 people though community-based organizations, the league website, and local newspapers including the san francisco chronicle, el mensajero and sing tao daily. Local television and video presentations of ballot measure discussions provided electronic links to the league's pros and cons guide for the june california state primary elections. Televised & video on demand election programming:the league of women voters of san francisco has partnered with our san francisco public, educational, and government cable channels to produce pre-election programs for the november elections. These programs included pro/con discussions of local ballot measures, candidate forums, and 3-minute candidate statements. These programs are aired on cable channels 26, 27, and 29 multiple times before election day, and are available on the league website as video on demand. Candidate forums:the league candidate forums, a respected city tradition, offer community members an opportunity to ask questions of those vying for elected office, including city treasurer and city attorney, in a balanced and fair setting. Forums are free and open to the public. Many forums are videotaped for cable broadcast and for viewing as video on demand. Smartvoter. Org:the smartvoter website provides comprehensive voter information on the web. The league has continued its participation with the league of women voters of california's statewide effort to provide online voter information. The smartvoter website provides users with a personalized ballot, polling place, candidate profiles and statements, objective pros and cons on ballot measures, and election results. The smartvoter site logged over 2. 5 million page views during the november 2008 election. Wrote one visitor, "the site is superb-a fabulous public service. "speaker's bureau:trained league volunteers speak to schools, churches, companies, neighborhood associations, and other groups about government and elections. Presentations are unbiased and non-partisan, and give voters the inforamation they need to make up their own minds. Voter services programs:the league periodically hosts forums, conversations, and discussions to inform citizens about important public policy issues facing the community. Trained league volunteers implement voter services programs including writing and editing publications; moderating forums and discussions; and making presentations to community groups. Non-profit partners, particularly three san francisco public television channels and print media, share resources to create these programs. Year-round information:throughout the year, the league provides information and context for voters, engaging them in discussions of policies that are important to their communities and preparing them for future elections. Monthly web spotlights alert voters to important issues. Legislative interviews: the league conducted interviews with california state senators and california state assembly representatives that focused on questions concerning the california state budget. Youth involvement:in collaboration with sf education tv (cable channel 27) and sf government tv (cable channel 26), the league creates opportunities for youth involvement centered on the races for board of education and the community college board. Through its intern program, the league hosts one university-level student per semester. The internship is open to international students. Website and social media:the league's website has been updated and includes a new section titled "story bank. " a group has been opened on facebook. Advocacy program (funded by membership dues and non-deductible contributions)the league of women voters is a nonpartisan grassroots network involving citizens in the democratic process. We are the most widely respected "good government" organization working for political change in california and in san franicsco. We do not support or oppose any policital party or any candidate. We do, however, take action on selected government issues in the public interest when we have a position that supports the issue or speaks to the cause. Below is the process used to take a position on an issue. Positions result from a process of thorough study. Any given study, whether it be national, state, or local, is thorough in its pursuit of facts and details, both positive and negative. As the study progresses, a continuing discussion of pros and cons of each situation that occurs. Study committee members fashion consensus questions that are then addressed by the membership. Additional discussion, pro and con, takes place as members (not part of the study committee) learn the scope of the study. After the members reach consensus, the board forms positions based on that consensus. It is the consensus statement - the statement resulting from the consensus question - that becomes a "position. " firm action and advocacy can then be taken on the particular issue addressed by the position.