LWV State Convention Recap
Michelle Byrne, right, accepts the DEI award.
Highlights
By Susan Bell
The Greenville League was well-represented at the recent state convention in Columbia, SC. We sent six delegates: Susan Bell, Michelle Byrne, Sharda Jackson Smith, Ted Volskay, Lawson Wetli and Jean Wood.
Our League was awarded the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) award that recognized the outstanding work the team, lead by Sharda and Michelle, has done over the past two years. Michelle accepted the award on behalf of the League. In addition to a certificate, the League received an award of $200.00.. Ted presented a program on the sea-level rise due to climate change for the Environmental Working Group, and Susan chaired the budget committee. Sharda finished her term as national director of Issues and Action on the state board. Two of our members were elected to positions on the state board: Lawson to director of Program, and Jean as director of Multi-Media Communications.
The Upstate leagues (Anderson, Greenville, Oconee-Pickens and Spartanburg) will host the next state convention in 2025. Since it will be local, we hope many more people will have the opportunity to attend.
Susan Bell is president of the LWV of Greenville County
What does relevance look like for LWV in 2023
By Lawson Wetli
We got a glimpse of exactly that at the 2023 League of Women Voters of South Carolina Convention over the April 29-30 weekend.
In convention business, delegates approved forward-looking plans for the next two years like a budget, officers/directors, and a "program" of policy positions and priorities for action and education. Attendees could learn more about particular topic areas like environmental concerns, health care access and redistricting in breakout sessions. And we heard from speakers who often focused on the challenges we face as the U.S. Supreme Court continues what looks like a roll-back of long-cherished rights.
In all of this, there was a common thread about the role of the League in this moment. For 103 years and counting, the League has been steadfast in focusing on core issues of voter access and empowerment. This steadfastness and focus have led to real victories even in these challenging times, like South Carolina's authorization of true early voting in our elections.
Also, with our broad resource of equality-oriented national and state policy positions as a base for advocacy and action, we are in a position to provide the League's powerful support to current issues like reproductive rights, gender-related issues like access to gender-affirming care, and attempted censorship in our libraries and our schools.
In addition to providing a valuable opportunity to connect with our fellow League members from across the state, the state convention highlights the League's ability to advocate for positive change while also forming part of the line of defense against threats to our rights.
As an all-volunteer organization, the League's true power lies in the energy and action of our members. The convention reminded us that there is much important work to be done, and the question for each of us is: How do we join in the fight?
Lawson Wetli is state LWV director of program and immediate past president LWV of Greenville County
Standout speakers
By Michelle Byrne
As a board member for the Greenville League for Women Voters, I was able to serve as a chapter delegate at the SC State Convention, the last weekend in April. This is where the business of the organization, including bylaw changes, program planning, budgets, and elections of statewide officers, occured. All business information was sent out to the delegates before we arrived and we even had video zoom sessions that we could participate in live or recorded. The business ran very smoothly in large part to our very organized and dedicated state president, Nancy Williams.
The best part of the conference were all the guest speakers. There were many, but my favorite was Dr. Kirk Randazzo who is a political science and leadership professor at the University of South Carolina. Dr. Randazzo suggested that people often vote with their hearts (emotional) - not necessarily with their heads (rational). He believed that a great slogan got you pretty far in garnering support. Unfortunately, many politicians and political parties promote dichotomous choices: and then label these choices with extreme “good” vs. “bad.” He believes that this has also contributed to our politically divided climate.
His suggestions of some good slogans were: America's Family, Liberty and Justice FOR ALL, Community Matters, or Invited to the Table. These slogans could be used as programming themes for public rallies, talking points and even the basis for policy proposals. He also believes that repetition works (just think about Make American Great Again), and that themes can even be used to challenge opposition. He also stated that fear is highly motivational and too often used to stimulate voter action. But he believes that fear mongering is harder for maintaining momentum. So, some of my takeaways from this talk are that some of the LWV actions we take to encourage voting should be to engage citizens with an inclusive positive slogan, help voters to see that dichotomous options are not simple choices because life is not an either/or event but a complex, often messy event with various known and unknown implications and outcomes. The League can also help illuminate when a party if using fear-based tactics in their call to action.
Michelle Byrne is an LWV of Greenville County board member and co-chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program committee