League of Women Voters of Alabama

League of Women Voters of the United States

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The Voice
Spring 2008 Edition
Published April 10, 2008

INDEX

President's Paragraphs

Majority of Citizens Want Constitution Convention

Statewide Transportation Coalition Formed

LWVAL Legislative Report

Long-time Civil Rights Activist and Faithful Leaguer Dies

LWVAL Speaks Out About Legislative Shenanigans on
PAC-to-PAC Transfer Bill

State Board Announces Two Resignations

LWVAL Board of Directors

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The Voter
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President's Paragraphs

Mary Lynn Bates is in Florida because of the serious illness of her mother-in-law, and has been unable to write her customary "paragraphs" for the VOTER.

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Majority of Citizens Want Constitution Convention

A recent poll shows that a majority of Alabama citizens want their legislators to allow citizens to vote on whether or not to have a Constitution Convention.

The poll, taken this month by Capital Survey Research Center, asked 599 citizens from throughout the State if they wanted their legislator to allow Alabama citizens to vote on whether or not to have a Constitution Convention.

The positive attitude toward a Constitution Convention existed in all categories of those questioned. The categories included regions of the state, party affiliation, church attendance, gender, race, age, rural, urban and income level.

The results show that 70.5% of Democrats and 55.3% of Republicans are in favor of a Convention. Regionally, north Alabama showed the highest favorable percentage with 64%, while middle and south Alabama followed with 65.1% and 52.3%, respectively. The poll showed 63% of responders in rural counties were also in favor of a Convention.

African Americans were the most supportive of a Convention (74.5%); however, a majority of the Caucasians polled were supportive (61.8%). All ages supported the Convention; however, the ranges of 22 to 34 years of age and 56 to 65 years of age showed the highest percentages of 70.2% and 70.7%. Higher support came from those with higher incomes; however, all income levels showed a majority supported a Convention.

Bills that would allow voters to approve or reject holding a Constitution Convention are currently in Rules Committees in both Houses of the Alabama Legislature. HB 308, sponsored by Speaker Pro Tem Demetrius Newton and 18 other representatives, passed the Constitution and Elections Committee and is now in the Rules Committee of the House. SB 243, sponsored by Senator Ted Little and 15 other Senators, passed the Judiciary Committee and is now in the Senate Rules Committee.

"These poll results confirm that the growing grassroots momentum of voters, students and organizations from all parts of the State and all walks of life desire all legislators to simply trust the people by passing HB 308 and SB 243 to Let the People Vote," said Lenora Pate, State Co-Chair for Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform, Inc.

Both bills, along with more information on ACCR's historic legislative efforts, education endeavors, organizational regions, and other items of interest can be found at ACCR's website - www.constitutionalreform.org.

-- Nancy Ekberg
ACCR Co- Coordinator

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Statewide Transportation Coalition Formed

Following the successful Transportation Means Business last April in Montgomery, a group has formed the next step as a follow-up. It is called the Alabama Transit Coalition and is made up of many groups from around the state including our League. Our Alabama League of Women Voters Board voted last month to approve the League's membership in the organization. Approximately 20 organizations and members agreed to join at the initial meeting in February.
Here is the basic message of the Coalition.

Purpose
The Alabama Transit Coalition is a multidisciplinary partnership whose mission is to strengthen statewide transit options.

Approach
The Alabama Transit Coalition provides regular, ongoing opportunities for participating organizations and interested individuals to:

identify barriers to public transportation
find solutions to those barriers
share information
coordinate services
collaborate
leverage resources
explore strategies to fill service gaps
be the voice of the citizens

Participation
Alabama Transit Coalition participation is open to representatives of organizations and/or individuals interested in its purpose.

-- Nancy Ekberg
Transportation Coordinator

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The LWVAL Legislative Report

The LWVAL Advocacy Committee has been monitoring activity in the Alabama Legislature. This includes reading legislation upon its introduction, determining those bills of concern to the League, and then tracking legislative action on those bills. This tracking involves not only determining how the content of a bill has changed but its status in the legislative process. Based on this work the Committee recommends the issuance of Action Alerts and the sending of communications by the League to legislators or the press. It assists in the drafting of these communications.

Each week while the legislature is in session, a LWVAL Legislative Report from the Advocacy Committee is placed on the League web page (www.lwval.org). Updated at the end of each week it contains the following information: a list of League priorities; a link to the bills that are being watched in each priority area and a summary of their content; LWVAL's Position on each bill; the progress of the legislation; and finally League action. In the last category Action Alerts and directions for action are given if they apply.

These reports are located on a section of the web page that also explains how to use ALISON, the Alabama Legislative Information System Online. The League's Issue Positions are found there, too. Every LWVAL member should become familiar with the Legislative Report and the supporting information to which it is linked.

-- Anne Permaloff
Advocacy Committee Chair

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Long-time Civil Rights Activist and Faithful Leaguer Dies

Johnnie Carr, friend and coworker with Rosa Parks since the early days of the Civil Rights Movement, died this winter at 97. She was a member of the Montgomery League and a spokesperson for Constitutional Reform as recently as the ACCR rally during the 2007 legislative session. This is how Leaguers in Montgomery remember her:

"Johnnie was capable of standing up in a meeting to ask the tough questions that others wanted to asked but could not muster the courage to do so. She asked probing questions of some of the toughest politicos in this state and did it with sincerity and grace. As a result she got answers. Those questioned were not always comfortable about having the question asked or about the answers they had to give, but they respected the questioner and knew she would not give up."

Ursula and Don Nolte of the Montgomery League wrote this about Mrs. Carr:

"One of Mrs. Carr's main concerns was to get people to vote, especially women and African Americans. She pursued this consistently and spoke of it at the last League meeting she attended.

Her favorite saying was that a lot has been accomplished since the Civil Rights movement, but we still have a long way to go.

She made a point of coming to League meetings even when she had a lot of other obligations and she stayed active to the end. She was blessed with good health and a clear mind up to the last month of her life.

With Johnnie one had a sense that she was always reaching out to others. She embraced people as a mother (or grand-mother) without regard to race or socio-economic background, and those of us who knew her well will miss her.

While she always confronted societal problems with directness and energy, she always looked for the positive in every situation."

Her passing is a great loss to us, to Montgomery, to the League, to this country and to the world.

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LWVAL Speaks Out About Legislative Shenanigans on PAC-to-PAC Transfer Bill

An op-ed piece explaining how the Senate has emasculated the very good PAC-to-PAC transfer bill (HB 73) was published in the Birmingham News on April 2. The article and a shorter letter-to-the-editor version have been sent to other papers around the state. If your paper published either one, please let the State Board know.

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State Board Announces Two Resignations

Two members of the State Board have found it necessary to tender their resignations, which have been accepted with regrets and thanks for their service to the LWVAL. Leonette Slay has moved out of state, and Judy Jones has not been able to fit board meetings into her schedule. We will miss Leonette, who has been active at both the local and state levels over the years. We look forward to calling on Judy's expertise in health care and human resources even though she will not be on the board.

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LWVAL Board of Directors

To contact LWVAL Board or Off-Board Members, see the LWVAL Directories. If questions or difficulty with access, contact Jean Johnson at jjohnson@lwval.org or 205 871-8194.

President
Mary Lynn Bates

1st Vice President & Voter Service
Scarlett Gaddy

Secretary
Yvonne Brakefield

Treasurer
Ginnie Bennett

Directors

Membership
Sarah McDonald

Advocacy
Anne Permaloff

Voter Editor
Charlotte Ward

Program
Ruth L. Wright

Off-Board

ACCR Co-Coordinators
Nancy Ekberg
and
Jeanne Lacey

Fundraising / Media Coordinator
Jeanine Normand

Transportation Coordinator
Nancy Ekberg

Technical Director
Jean Johnson

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© 1999 - 2008 League of Women Voters of Alabama and League of Women Voters of the United States The Voice Spring 2008 Edition Published April 10, 2008 INDEX President's Paragraphs Majority of Citizens Want Constitution Convention Statewide Transportation Coalition Formed LWVAL Legislative Report Long-time Civil Rights Activist and Faithful Leaguer Dies LWVAL Speaks Out About Legislative Shenanigans on PAC-to-PAC Transfer Bill State Board Announces Two Resignations LWVAL Board of Directors	Print The Voter (all articles) Print the Index
President's Paragraphs Mary Lynn Bates is in Florida because of the serious illness of her mother-in-law, and has been unable to write her customary "paragraphs" for the VOTER. \| Top \| LWVAL Home \|	Print this article
Majority of Citizens Want Constitution Convention A recent poll shows that a majority of Alabama citizens want their legislators to allow citizens to vote on whether or not to have a Constitution Convention. The poll, taken this month by Capital Survey Research Center, asked 599 citizens from throughout the State if they wanted their legislator to allow Alabama citizens to vote on whether or not to have a Constitution Convention. The positive attitude toward a Constitution Convention existed in all categories of those questioned. The categories included regions of the state, party affiliation, church attendance, gender, race, age, rural, urban and income level. The results show that 70.5% of Democrats and 55.3% of Republicans are in favor of a Convention. Regionally, north Alabama showed the highest favorable percentage with 64%, while middle and south Alabama followed with 65.1% and 52.3%, respectively. The poll showed 63% of responders in rural counties were also in favor of a Convention. African Americans were the most supportive of a Convention (74.5%); however, a majority of the Caucasians polled were supportive (61.8%). All ages supported the Convention; however, the ranges of 22 to 34 years of age and 56 to 65 years of age showed the highest percentages of 70.2% and 70.7%. Higher support came from those with higher incomes; however, all income levels showed a majority supported a Convention. Bills that would allow voters to approve or reject holding a Constitution Convention are currently in Rules Committees in both Houses of the Alabama Legislature. HB 308, sponsored by Speaker Pro Tem Demetrius Newton and 18 other representatives, passed the Constitution and Elections Committee and is now in the Rules Committee of the House. SB 243, sponsored by Senator Ted Little and 15 other Senators, passed the Judiciary Committee and is now in the Senate Rules Committee. "These poll results confirm that the growing grassroots momentum of voters, students and organizations from all parts of the State and all walks of life desire all legislators to simply trust the people by passing HB 308 and SB 243 to Let the People Vote," said Lenora Pate, State Co-Chair for Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform, Inc. Both bills, along with more information on ACCR's historic legislative efforts, education endeavors, organizational regions, and other items of interest can be found at ACCR's website - www.constitutionalreform.org. -- Nancy Ekberg ACCR Co- Coordinator \| Top \| LWVAL Home \|	Print this article
Statewide Transportation Coalition Formed Following the successful Transportation Means Business last April in Montgomery, a group has formed the next step as a follow-up. It is called the Alabama Transit Coalition and is made up of many groups from around the state including our League. Our Alabama League of Women Voters Board voted last month to approve the League's membership in the organization. Approximately 20 organizations and members agreed to join at the initial meeting in February. Here is the basic message of the Coalition. Purpose The Alabama Transit Coalition is a multidisciplinary partnership whose mission is to strengthen statewide transit options. Approach The Alabama Transit Coalition provides regular, ongoing opportunities for participating organizations and interested individuals to: identify barriers to public transportation find solutions to those barriers share information coordinate services collaborate leverage resources explore strategies to fill service gaps be the voice of the citizens Participation Alabama Transit Coalition participation is open to representatives of organizations and/or individuals interested in its purpose. -- Nancy Ekberg Transportation Coordinator \| Top \| LWVAL Home \|	Print this article
The LWVAL Legislative Report The LWVAL Advocacy Committee has been monitoring activity in the Alabama Legislature. This includes reading legislation upon its introduction, determining those bills of concern to the League, and then tracking legislative action on those bills. This tracking involves not only determining how the content of a bill has changed but its status in the legislative process. Based on this work the Committee recommends the issuance of Action Alerts and the sending of communications by the League to legislators or the press. It assists in the drafting of these communications. Each week while the legislature is in session, a LWVAL Legislative Report from the Advocacy Committee is placed on the League web page (www.lwval.org). Updated at the end of each week it contains the following information: a list of League priorities; a link to the bills that are being watched in each priority area and a summary of their content; LWVAL's Position on each bill; the progress of the legislation; and finally League action. In the last category Action Alerts and directions for action are given if they apply. These reports are located on a section of the web page that also explains how to use ALISON, the Alabama Legislative Information System Online. The League's Issue Positions are found there, too. Every LWVAL member should become familiar with the Legislative Report and the supporting information to which it is linked. -- Anne Permaloff Advocacy Committee Chair \| Top \| LWVAL Home \|	Print this article
Long-time Civil Rights Activist and Faithful Leaguer Dies Johnnie Carr, friend and coworker with Rosa Parks since the early days of the Civil Rights Movement, died this winter at 97. She was a member of the Montgomery League and a spokesperson for Constitutional Reform as recently as the ACCR rally during the 2007 legislative session. This is how Leaguers in Montgomery remember her: "Johnnie was capable of standing up in a meeting to ask the tough questions that others wanted to asked but could not muster the courage to do so. She asked probing questions of some of the toughest politicos in this state and did it with sincerity and grace. As a result she got answers. Those questioned were not always comfortable about having the question asked or about the answers they had to give, but they respected the questioner and knew she would not give up." Ursula and Don Nolte of the Montgomery League wrote this about Mrs. Carr: "One of Mrs. Carr's main concerns was to get people to vote, especially women and African Americans. She pursued this consistently and spoke of it at the last League meeting she attended. Her favorite saying was that a lot has been accomplished since the Civil Rights movement, but we still have a long way to go. She made a point of coming to League meetings even when she had a lot of other obligations and she stayed active to the end. She was blessed with good health and a clear mind up to the last month of her life. With Johnnie one had a sense that she was always reaching out to others. She embraced people as a mother (or grand-mother) without regard to race or socio-economic background, and those of us who knew her well will miss her. While she always confronted societal problems with directness and energy, she always looked for the positive in every situation." Her passing is a great loss to us, to Montgomery, to the League, to this country and to the world. \| Top \| LWVAL Home \|	Print this article
LWVAL Speaks Out About Legislative Shenanigans on PAC-to-PAC Transfer Bill An op-ed piece explaining how the Senate has emasculated the very good PAC-to-PAC transfer bill (HB 73) was published in the Birmingham News on April 2. The article and a shorter letter-to-the-editor version have been sent to other papers around the state. If your paper published either one, please let the State Board know. \| Top \| LWVAL Home \|	Print this article
State Board Announces Two Resignations Two members of the State Board have found it necessary to tender their resignations, which have been accepted with regrets and thanks for their service to the LWVAL. Leonette Slay has moved out of state, and Judy Jones has not been able to fit board meetings into her schedule. We will miss Leonette, who has been active at both the local and state levels over the years. We look forward to calling on Judy's expertise in health care and human resources even though she will not be on the board. \| Top \| LWVAL Home \|	Print this article
LWVAL Board of Directors To contact LWVAL Board or Off-Board Members, see the LWVAL Directories. If questions or difficulty with access, contact Jean Johnson at jjohnson@lwval.org or 205 871-8194. President Mary Lynn Bates 1st Vice President & Voter Service Scarlett Gaddy Secretary Yvonne Brakefield Treasurer Ginnie Bennett Directors Membership Sarah McDonald Advocacy Anne Permaloff Voter Editor Charlotte Ward Program Ruth L. Wright Off-Board ACCR Co-Coordinators Nancy Ekberg and Jeanne Lacey Fundraising / Media Coordinator Jeanine Normand Transportation Coordinator Nancy Ekberg Technical Director Jean Johnson \| Top \| LWVAL Home \|	Print this article