Mr. Robert Scarborough, director of the SC Association of School Administrators, will talk with us about the State's education budget.

Those not eating will contribute to the cost of the room & guest lunch ($1.50).Reservations essential - I'll assume you want chicken unless you specify veggie.Feel free to invite interested friends.

Note:This is the third of a series of meetings with education leaders as the League is interested in learning what it can do to advocate improvements in public education, in this case specifically the budget.

	Welcome to  the League!
Tameika Isaac779-0312 (H) 2 Lindsay Street254-8868 (W) Columbia, SC 29201tameika6@aol.com
Also, new members joining at the National level:
Melanie Baker 2326 Terrace Way Columbia, SC 29205 799-4218 (H)	Mary Choate 232 Walker Street Columbia, SC 29205 256-3860 (H)

Corrections to your Member Directory:

e-mail for Jean Beily should be jbeilysc@mindspring.com

on inside cover for Board of Directors the home phone for Deborah Hotchkiss should be 252-8911.

Please call Carol Medich at 783-9786 with any changes to the directory.

The League of Women Voters of the Columbia Area has formally expressed concern to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) that SCE&G has not been forthcoming with its research and management responsibilities for Lake Murray.At the same time, SCE&G has been going forward with numerous land sales, some of potential environmental significance and others of inter­est to the citizens of the Columbia area because of aes­thetics, habitat, water quality, or general Lake access.In apparent consideration of Dr. Mary Kelly and Dr. Cynthia Flynn's letter to FERC (published in previous League Lines), FERC responded back to SCE&G that long-over­due reports were to be provided by SCE&G to FERC.In addition, FERC took issue with the fact that SCE&G was finding time for land sales, but not prioritizing long-standing FERC management responsibilities.When SCE&G responded to FERC, the Commission again found it necessary to remind SCE&G that FERC's questions were not being answered.Most recently, SCE&G sold some of the Lake Murray Project land without the prior approval of FERC.Although there is a clause that states that land sales can be considered approved if FERC doesn't reply within 45 days, the two groups had a gentleman's agreement that communication would take place prior to sales, even if the communication was informal.The League is about to complain about the continued land sales and the continued lack of long-overdue manage­ment reports.Incidentally, these overdue management reports (some should have been final in 1999) are critical to the aesthetic, environmentally sustainable, and accessible future of Lake Murray.

·We oppose the shipment of plutonium by DOE to South Carolina without a firm, legally enforceable "exit strategy;"

·We oppose the shipment of plutonium by DOE to any site without safe, secure long-term storage facilities; 

·We oppose short-cutting a fair, open, and credible scientific and public process for determining how best to manage radioactive wastes;

·We oppose the shipment of plutonium by DOE to South Carolina for fabrication as MOX fuel at the Savannah River Site and the use and storage of MOX fuel at the Catawba and McGuire nuclear plants; and

·We support timely and full funding and continued development of the plutonium immobilization program and continued development of the plutonium immobilization program as the best alternative for the disposition of all weapons grade plutonium shipped to South Carolina.

  This resolution is similar to one adoptedby the SC Sierra Club.As you probably know, Gov. Hodges has refused to allow an initial shipment of ten tons of plutonium from Rocky Flats, CO to come into this state because no funds have been appropriated for the planned immobilization and there is no repository ready to receive it once it is immobilized. The much larger portion, from dismantled nuclear weapons, is supposed to be converted to MOX fuel for burning at aging Duke reactors in the heavily populated Charlotte, Rock Hill area. The Mox Fuel Fabrication Facility (MFFF) is scheduled to be built at SRS to accomplish this.There are major hurdles to overcome before this becomes a reality, including relicensing of the old reactors. The resolution addresses the fear that plutonium will come in and effectively be stored here in what will become a de facto nuclear dump.

TO:State and Local League Presidents

FROM:Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins, President and the Board of Directors of the League of Women Voters of the United States

RE:The Importance of Speaking with One Voice

    In recent days, League members across the country have responded vigorously to urgent calls to action in support of real election administration reform.

    Members' response to a series of Grassroots Lobby Requests targeting legislation in both the House and the Senate has been outstanding.As part of that effort, over 1,100 phone calls were made by League members and others to key U.S. Senators on December 12th through a special 800-number funded by the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights.

    Unfortunately, we were not all speaking with one voice on this priority issue.An internal communication on local League let­terhead that expressed an opposing viewpoint was shared with an outside official and ultimately was cited during the floor de­bate on the Ney-Hoyer bill (H.R. 3295) in the House.

    Thus, while League members were busy urging their represen­tatives to support an amendment addressing the flaws in H.R. 3295, Representative Hoyer was using the local League letter as evidence of League support for the bill as written.It is quite likely that the letter contributed to the narrow defeat of the mo­tion to allow consideration of the perfecting amendment advo­cated by the LWVUS - and to the passage of a deeply flawed bill.

    Not only was this a setback for genuine election reform, it also undermined the strong leadership that the League has shown on this issue for the past year.Our pivotal role can be measured both by the frequency with which the League has served as a key spokesperson for reform (most recently in invited tes­timony to the House Judiciary Committee on December 5th) and by the heavy pressure that supporters of the Ney-Hoyer bill (such as the Carter-Ford Commission) exerted in recent days to try to convince the League to change its position.The League has demonstrated its credibility and clout on Capitol Hill during this time, only to have its unity and resolve brought into ques­tion at the last minute.

    This unfortunate incident underscores the importance of our most basic action policies and procedures.Most basic of all are our Bylaws, which provide that "Leagues may act on national program only in conformitywith positions taken by the LWVUS."This helps ensure that the League speaks with one voice and is essential for our effectiveness as an advocacy organization.

    Over the past months, we have provided numerous detailed statements about our election administration reform goals and about our efforts to see these goals incorporated into legislation and enacted into law.With respect to the Ney-Hoyer bill, an extensive call to action was issued on November 20th, detailing the many flaws in that legislation.A follow-up alert on December 11th contained several links to additional information about the League's rationale and strategy.As with any lobby request, members who had questions about the call to action were en­couraged to seek clarification from our veteran lobbying staff.

    A League board may certainly choose not to respond to a particular call to action but may not take action in opposition to a position articulated by the LWVUS.And individual League members are always free to take whatever action they wish, as long as they do so in their own name and leave no doubt that they do not speak for the League. 

    This is a critical time in our campaign for election administration reform.

    We call on all League members to respect our action policies and procedures.

    We urge Presidents to convey this information and have the appropriate conversations at all levels of the organization.A united front will strengthen our voice and our efforts to ensure that every American citizen's right to vote is protected. 

    If you have any questions, or would like to discuss this matter further, please contact your LWVUS Board liaison, call the President's hotline at 1-800-424-2937, or email us at lwv@lwv.org.

LEAGUE IS "DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED" AT PASSAGE OF NEY-HOYER; LOOKS TO SENATE FOR BETTER ELECTION REFORM BILL

WASHINGTON, DC - Dr. Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins, President of the League of Women Voters of the United States, issued the following statement today [December 12, 2001] after House passage of the Ney-Hoyer Bill (H.R. 3295):

    "The League is deeply disappointed that the House has passed a significantly flawed bill.We strongly support effective election reform, and will work to ensure that sound legislation is adopted by the Senate.

    "The League is also concerned that the procedures used to push the bill through the House prohibited the consideration of a package of civil rights amendments that would have made corrections in several key areas. These amendments would have ensured that voting machines are accessible and accurate, that voters will receive provisional ballots when needed, that the National Voter Registration Act is protected, thatenforcement will be effective, and that polling places will be physically accessible for those with disabilities.It is ironic that House leaders blocked members from voting on alternate approaches to reforming our nation's voting systems.

    "We need strong election reform legislation.The lesson of the disastrous 2000 elections is that voters need basic federal protections to ensure that every eligible American citizen has a full opportunity to cast his or her vote on Election Day, and to have that vote count.The Ney-Hoyer bill fails to provide effective standards to ensure that voting machines will work.It also contains significant loopholes.

    "This means that, under this bill, voters cannot be sure that their names will be on the voter registration rolls when they go to vote.Voters cannot be sure that they will have provisional ballots when they're needed.And voters cannot be sure that polling places and voting machines will be accessible for those with disabilities. 

    "We now look to the Senate to produce a genuine election reform bill. Bipartisan discussions are continuing there on election reform.The League strongly urges those involved on the Senate side to move forward on those discussions to produce a bill that will protect the most basic, most precious right of citizens in a democracy - the right to vote," Jefferson-Jenkins said.

    The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

Friday, December 21, 2001

From:Lela Sallis <LSallis@lwv.org>

Subject:Press Coverage Over the Past Few Weeks

    Last week, the League was at the center of the legislative battle over election reform and received widespread publicity as a result.On Dec. 12, the House of Representatives passed the Ney-Hoyer bill.Dr. Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins, LWVUS President, issued a statement calling it "a significantly flawed bill."She noted that among other things, the bill lacks effective federal standards to ensure provisional ballots, to ensure access to the polls for people with disabilities, and to ensure that voting systems are accurate. 

    On Dec. 13, a group of Senators introduced a bipartisan compromise, bearing the names of Sens. Christopher S. Dodd (D CT) and Mitch McConnell (R KY).Jefferson-Jenkins praised the Senate bill, saying it "can be the antidote to the flawed election reform bill recently passed by the House." (See the "Get the News" section of the website for both statements and articles mentioning the League: http://interactive.lwv.org/News/NewsMain.cfm)

The League's views were picked up by the national wire services and sent all over the country.Here's a list of news media coverage of which we are aware:

Associated PressUnited Press International

National Public RadioKnight-Ridder News Service

Copley News ServiceThe Washington Post

The Los Angeles TimesThe Philadelphia Inquirer

The Milwaukee Journal-SentinelThe Miami Herald

NewsdayThe San Jose Mercury-News

The Wichita, Kan. Eagle

VOTERS AND CANDIDATES FLOCK TO THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS' DEMOCRACYNET (DNET) DURING ELECTION 2001

Thousands of Candidates Covered on DNet (www.dnet.org)

WASHINGTON, DC - The League of Women Voters announced today that its online resource for election and voter information, DNet, covered more than 9,200 candidates and drew in millions of citizens with nonpartisan voting information in 2001's off year elections.

    Throughout the election cycle, DNet was the only nationwide, nonprofit website to provide information on candidates running for office at the federal, state and local levels.Highlights of DNet's 2001 election coverage included statewide races in New Jersey and Virginia and high profile elections in cities across the country.

    The site was inundated with voters before they headed to the polls.Dnet showed a pre-election spike in viewership with more than 3 million "hits" in the two weeks before November 6 and culminating in more than 1 million "hits" before noon on Election Day.

    With League members providing a vast network of volunteers, DNet offered voters information, including bios and issue statements, on more than 9,200 candidates for approximately 4,000 offices in 30 states.More than 280 ballot measures were covered, providing summaries of the ballot questions and arguments for and against them.

    "This interactive website is the next logical step in continuing the League's 81 years of voter services and education in the age of the Internet," said Dr. Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins, Chair of the League of Women Voters Education Fund."Our members are pioneering online election coverage and candidate debates in their communities throughout the country."

    DNet, which began its first year of nationwide operation in 2000, has provided information on more than 26,000 national and local candidates in 2000 and 2001.The site is the first to offer online coverage of community races such as Kalamazoo, MI City Commission, Minneapolis, MN Library Board and judicial, town, village and school board elections in numerous states on one national forum.DNet is poised to begin its coverage of 2002 federal, state and local elections.Primaries for the 2002 election cycle begin next March.

    To learn more about what the League of Women Voters has been doing, check out the "Get the News" section of our website (http://interactive.lwv.org/News/NewsMain.cfm <http://interactive.lwv.org/News/NewsMain.cfm ) for additional press releases and new clips on national, state & local activities.

"'Good Enough' Is Not Good Enough":THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS RELEASES ELECTION SURVEY FINDINGS

   Washington, DC (November 9, 2001) - The League of Women Voters released findings today from a survey fielded through its local member Leagues, which provide a detailed look at election practices across the country.Findings indicate that election administration processes work well only"sometimes" or "usu­ally."Rarely do they "always" work as they should.

    "Given that elections can be won or lost by extremely narrow margins, these levels of performance are not acceptable," said League of Women Voters President Dr. Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins."'Good enough' is not good enough."

    "When one stands back and looks, in total, at all the problems that voters may encounter on election day, one observes a frequent lack of concern for the treatment of voters by the election administration system," continued Jefferson-Jenkins."Borrowing private sector terminology, we can call this a lack of 'a customer service orientation' toward the voter on election day."

    "As we saw again with Tuesday's elections," continued Jeffer­son-Jenkins, "many races are won or lost by very narrow margins, so it is imperative that every vote always count.The League is dismayed that a year after the irregularities of the November 2000 elections, when we all got a wake-up call, voting still seems to be a hit-or-miss proposition for so many of our citizens.With important elections coming up in 2002 and later in 2004, it is imperative that election administration practices be improved and reformed where needed."

    "Recent events have changed the political landscape.The pub­lic and elected leaders are faced with unprecedented public policy issues," continued Jefferson-Jenkins."If we want citizens to engage in informing leaders, then citizens need to know that their voices really are heard.With the irregularities seen in the 2000 elections, voters have reason to question whether their voices - their votes - really do count.The League has been working - and will continue to work - to assure that every vote counts and to engage citizens in dialogue and engagement around important, timely issues."

    The League of Women Voters fielded the survey through its member local Leagues to look at election administration practices based on concerns growing out of the irregularities seen in the November 2000 elections. The survey findings were released at a League of Women Voters symposium, held at the National Press Club on Friday, November 9, 2001.The sympo­sium examined the outcome of the November 6, 2001 elections in light of the September 11 events and the November 2000 elections, as well as the continuing need for election reform. 

Survey findings point to important areas of concern about elec­tions, especially voter access and poll workers' training and working conditions on election day.Findings indicate that, among several concerns: 

Voters' names are not regularly getting on to voter registra­tion lists, resulting in voters being turned away;

Voting machines do not consistently function properly;

There are not sufficient numbers of voting machines in many locations;

Voters frequently have to stand in long lines when waiting to vote;

Visually impaired voters do not consistently have access to private and independent voting;

There are insufficient numbers of poll workers, and those who do work the polls usually do not receive adequate training and are required to work long hours - as much as 12 to 16 hours at a stretch.These conditions can contrib­ute to poll workers becoming discourteous or unhelpful to­ward voters; and 

There is insufficient communication on the part of election officials, especially regarding changes in the location of polling places.

    The League survey was fielded through its local Leagues, which gathered quantitative information through interviews with elec­tion officials and also offered qualitative information based on League members' experience with and participation in election administration in their communities.

    "In just one year, American democracy has been questioned and our way of life has been assaulted," said Jefferson-Jenkins."American citizens have a heightened sense of the preciousness of their rights and the importance of their responsibilities.It is imperative that all of us defend against external threats and also work to address the internal flaws in our democratic proc­esses that were so evident in the November 2000 elections. With nearly 1,000 state and local Leagues in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Hong Kong and in hundreds of communities across the country, the League of Women Voters is uniquely positioned to carry forward the work to improve our system while also encouraging broad civic engagement." 

    On November 6th, 2001, millions of American citizens exer­cised their right to vote - but there is still more to do to make every sure that every vote always counts," said Jefferson-Jenkins."There also is more to do to strengthen our communities.At a time when American citizens want to support their country, the League urges citizens to get involved.Each of us has the power to strengthen democracy and make it work.A ballot, a donation, a letter to an official or to the media, or volunteering in our communities can achieve significant and lasting results.Let us all demonstrate by our actions what we cherish about our country and our democratic rights."

    The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organiza­tion, encourages the informed and active participation of citi­zens in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public polity through education and advocacy.

    To learn more about what the League of Women Voters has been doing, go to "Get the News" on the League's web site at www.lwv.org

    For more information or to arrange interviews with Dr. Jefferson-Jenkins, contact Bob Adams, Acting Director of Communications, League of Women Voters - 202.263.1334.

January

Lizard’s Thicket on Beltline$

7, 14, 21, 28 – Mon.’s, 4 PM* Lexington Cty. Council

8, 22 –Tuesdays, 6:00 PM* Richland Cty. Council

February