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AAUW Releases Newly Revised Community Action Guide to Mobilize Women Voters

Washington -- The American Association of University Women (AAUW) has released a second edition of its well-received publication, Woman-to-Woman Voter Turnout: A Manual for Community-Based Campaigns to Mobilize Women to Vote. Thanks to critical donor support, this new tool is now available free online to both AAUW members and coalition partners who are making plans to activate women voters across the country this fall.

"This is the most critical election in a generation, and AAUW is committed to ensuring that women's voices are heard at the polls," said Lisa Maatz, AAUW Director of Public Policy and Government Relations. "Making this valuable how-to manual available free on our website is a critical part of our voter education campaign."

AAUW's Woman-to-Woman Voter Turnout guides advocates step-by-step through planning a campaign, which includes recruiting volunteers, working with publicly available voter registration files to identify drop-off women voters in their community, and contacting those women through canvassing and phone banking. In addition to the manual, other online tools include nonpartisan voter guide templates, e-cards, position papers, and AAUW's Congressional Voting Record for the 110th Congress, First Session.

"With approximately 100,000 bipartisan members and more than 1,000 branches, AAUW has the community connections to have a positive effect on the turnout of women voters," said Maatz. "The Woman-to-Woman program also stresses the value of continued outreach to drop-off women voters throughout the year, as well as the importance of educating women about policy issues important to them through public forums, candidate nights, and other community activities."

The methods detailed in the Woman-to-Woman Voter Turnout manual were successfully used by AAUW branches and states in the 2006 midterm election to reach out to women in their communities. "AAUW expects this resource to be the centerpiece of its ongoing member-led voter education campaign and a catalyst for long-term efforts to increase voter turnout among women nationwide," said Maatz.

Take Action!
Visit AAUW's Voter Education Campaign Website at www.aauw.org/advocacy/issue_advocacy/voter_ed/index.cfm to download a copy of the Woman-to-Woman Voter Turnout manual.

AAUW of Virginia convention in Roanoke:

Online information about AAUW of Virginia annual convention has been updated: http://www.aauwofva.org/convention08.htm

Please note at the bottom of the information about the speakers, that questions for the Friday night panel are being sought.

AAUW blogging:

AAUW recently launched an online blog, AAUW Dialog, to provide timely commentary on current news and events and the way they relate to AAUW’s mission. Periodic entries from guest "bloggers," including outstanding AAUW members, fellowship and grant recipients, and donors, will help illustrate the work of AAUW at all levels. AAUW joins several states and branches already using blogs to spur dialogue and spread the word about our critical work. All visitors are encouraged to share their thoughts about the issues covered in the blog. Stay up-to-date on all the latest! Visit the AAUW blog regularly at http://blog-aauw.org or subscribe to the AAUW blog RSS feed.

It is a new year and an opportunity to nominate a Fairfax County resident for the Barbara Varon Volunteer Award. As you may be aware, this award is given to nominees who have had a positive effect on the community while demonstrating patriotism, and an appreciation for the diversity of our community’s population.

The criteria to be used in the selection of the awardee are listed in the brochure/application. It is anticipated that the selection committee will meet approximately two weeks after the June 13, 2008 nomination closing date. The awardee is usually announced during the October meeting of the Board of Supervisors.

Public Policy nominee for VA AAUW wanted:

Rosemary Plum writes:

“Convention is coming closer and as all of you know, this is an election year for the offices of President, Public Policy VP, Communications VP and Program VP. We have nominees for all of the positions except Public Policy. The nominating committee has worked very hard to identify candidates; but now we need your assistance. It is extremely important that Virginia have a Public Policy chair. For the last 6 years, the job has been split between 2 Public Policy VP co-chairs where one handles state issues and one handles federal issues.”

“I'm asking that you think really hard and try to identify appropriate nominees for this position.”

“I know that everyone has responsibilities, but we really do need participation on the state board if we want our organization to be successful.”

rplum@cox.net

Rosemary Plum, Co-President, AAUW VA
4201 Wakefield Court
Virginia Beach, VA 23455
757-460-9824