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LWVOK Convention Speakers
Mandy Winton, LWV Tulsa, introduces Oklahoma Sen. David Holt and Bryan Dean, Oklahoma State Election Board.
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The League of Women Voters of Oklahoma's 55th Convention featured new ideas, inspiration and plans for the future.
 Linda Wassenich, (right) LWVUS Board member and Oklahoma liaison, opened Convention with a strong reminder of our powerful history and mission. While the current political landscape is challenging, Ms. Wassenich shared the words of League founder Carrie Chapman Catt during the difficult period leading up to the final, successful push for suffrage. Read Linda Wassenich's presentation here
 Elizabeth Harris (seated left) and Flo Reed spoke to delegates about "Engaging Members, Engaging Voters."
Ms. Harris is, at 30 years old, the youngest president ever elected by the League of Women Voters of Tulsa. She spoke about welcoming Millennials into membership and included these tips: Invite Millennials to sit at the table, not just move the chairs around; bring younger members into leadership quickly; honor what they know about using social media; and realize that the political environment has changed significantly from previous generations. Ms. Harris remarked that the first election she followed closely was the 2000 presidential election, with its "hanging chads" and the Bush v. Gore Supreme Court decision.
Floretta (Flo) Reed, a new Tulsa League board member, spoke about her lifelong work for civil rights and voting rights. She helped found the Voting is Power (V.I.P.) coalition that the Tulsa League launched this year. Ms. Reed told about marching for voting rights in the '60's, and being terribly disappointed by low voter turnouts in recent elections. She spoke of her determination to take action to turn this around. Delegates gave an enthusiastic response to the presentation, and you can read more about Voting is Power here.
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Bryan Dean, Oklahoma State Election Board, (seated left) and Oklahoma Sen. David Holt (seated right) presented a recap of the election modernization legislation introduced by Sen. Holt in 2015, including online voter registration. Read more about Sen. Holt's legislative initiatives here.
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 At the awards luncheon, Lawton League president Jacqueline Achong (left) was presented with a peace lily by LWVOK president Sheila Swearingen in recognition of the Lawton League's 42 percent growth in membership from January 2014 to January 2015.
The Lawton League was also recognized for membership achievement with a certificate from the League of Women Voters of the United States presented by Linda Wassenich.
When asked about the key to attracting new members, Ms. Achong replied that she uses what she learned from the League's Membership Leadership Development program. "I ask people to join. It's as simple as that."
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LWVOK Program Chair, Karen Cardenas, invites you to volunteer to work with the program committee on an update of the LWVOK position on fiscal policy. Delegates to the 2015 LWVOK Convention endorsed a two-year project to update this position so that it will be more useful for advocacy. All members are welcome to apply, and much of the work can be done from home. If you'd like more information, contact Karen Cardenas at 
