Fifteen hundred residents of Massachusetts were kidnapped by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in May; half of whom have no criminal record. The Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office maintains an Intergovernmental Service Agreement (IGSA) with ICE to jail ICE detainees–the only one in the Commonwealth. The Sheriff’s office shuttles detainees to Hanscom Field, where they are then transferred to detention centers in Texas and Louisiana. Read THIS WBUR article for more details. Join us for Witness Wednesdays starting July 23 from 1:00-2:00 PM at Plymouth County Correctional Facility (26 Long Pond Road, Plymouth, MA), where we will peacefully protest against due process violations and show support for ICE detainees.
Time to renew your membership!
As many of you are aware, the method of collecting LWV of Wayland membership renewals has changed. You will no longer receive dues renewal notices from our LWV of Wayland, but you will begin receiving email messages from LWVUS with instructions on how to renew your membership on-line. These notices will begin arriving approximately 2 months before whatever date you paid your dues in 2024-25. All payments will go to LWVUS, and our League will receive 20% of your payment. This percentage is actually higher than the percentage we used to realize when you were mailing your checks to us.
How to make an additional donation to the LWV of Wayland
LWV of Wayland is fortunate to have so many members who make additional donations to our local league when they rejoin. We are grateful and thank all of you who are so generous year after year.
LWVUS has made it easy for members to make donations directly to LWV of Wayland by including a link to the donation page directly from the membership renewal page. The full amount of your donation will be sent to LWV of Wayland if you navigate to this page. If you make your donation as part of your renewal, we will only receive 20% of your donation.
You can join the LWV of Wayland at any time by clicking on the How to Join link at the top of the this page.
Join the reading of “What to a Slave is the Fourth of July,” by Frederick Douglas, July 1st, Wayland Public Library
The League of Women Voters of Wayland is a co-sponsor of the reading of Frederick Douglass’s 4th of July speech, “What to a Slave Is the Fourth of July?” It will be held at the Wayland Free Public Library on July 1st at 7pm.
If you would like to read a line or two of the speech, please email Courtney Michael at the library, cmichael@minlib.net. Otherwise please register (07/01/2025 | Reading Frederick Douglass Together | Wayland Free Public Library) and plan to attend the reading.
LWV of Wayland Speaker and Annual Meeting on May 29th at 3 pm
Join LWV of Wayland members on Thursday, May 29th at 3 pm in the Select Board Meeting Room at Wayland Town Hall! Our Annual Meeting will feature a discussion with Dr. David Fleishman, Superintendent of Wayland Public Schools.
Dr. Fleishman was selected as interim school superintendent in 2023 and school superintendent in November. He previously served as school superintendent of the Newton Public Schools for 12 years. The Wayland school budget of nearly $55,000,000 is more than half of the town’s operating budget of $107.9 million. If you no longer have children in the schools, you probably don’t hear much about our public schools. Perhaps you’ve read about the racist messages on the town pool. Is the enrollment declining? Have you heard about a possible new school? What about the mental health issues students seem to be experiencing after the Covid pandemic? And most recently how will the loss of federal funding for special education, school lunches, and immersion programs impact our schools and school libraries? Join us for a discussion on these topics.
The “business part” of the Annual Meeting will follow. The agenda is:
- Call to Order, Welcome, Appoint Readers of the Minutes
- Treasurer’s Report, Presentation of Proposed Budget: Karen Kavet
- Suggestions for Upcoming Year, Including A Proposal to Disband (The suggestion to disband will be introduced, briefly discussed, and a future meeting held to explore options, and take a vote.)
- Coordinating Committee Elections
- Adjourn
Town Hall Meeting with Jake Auchincloss on April 28th
Zoom with LWV members and US Representative Jake Auchincloss for a virtual Town Hall Meeting on Monday night April 28th at 7:15-8:15 PM. This will be a relatively rare opportunity to hear directly from a member of Congress about what it is like to do the day-to-day work of legislating in the current rapidly changing political climate.
Representative Auchincloss has specifically asked to hear from voters about what concerns them most, about what he and his colleagues in Washington can do to improve the lives of voters in Massachusetts. This will also be a golden opportunity to discuss how recent executive orders might impact each of our towns and the region as a whole. We hope lots of League members and leaders can join us Monday evening for a lively discussion!
One of the issues with local impact is the recent executive order requiring in-person voter registration. According to the order entitled Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections issued on March 25th, registration by mail or at voter registration at events such as those held by the League of Women Voters will no longer be allowed. It is also not clear what the implications of keeping copies of required registration documents like passports, birth certificates, and naturalization papers will be for staffing and filing space at clerk’s offices will be, since it is not clear whether maintaining electronic copies will be sufficient for compliance with the order.
The Zoom link is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3517728800?pwd=0aCYvqiBrUUTr7cFX3PkZb1DIUI8Y1.1&omn=86483393120
LWVUS files lawsuit against the Trump Administration
In collaboration with other voting rights organizations, LWVUS has filed a lawsuit against President Trump for his recent Anti-Voter Executive Order. Please see the link below for their newsroom statement.
Here is the full text of the complaint filed by the League of Women Voters:
From LWVMA: “How the Legislature Works” on April 15th, 2025 at 7 pm (updated)
Part 1: How the Legislature Works with Senator Joan Lovely Town Hall – April 15, 7:00pm, via Zoom
Please join us on Tuesday, April 15 at 7:00 PM for Part 1 of our Town Hall Series: How the MA Legislature Works featuring Senator Joan Lovely . Senator Lovely chairs the Joint Committee on Rules, the Senate Committee on Rules and serves as a member of numerous joint committees including agriculture and elder affairs. Senator Lovely has represented the Second Essex District since 2013, and is the Senate Chair of the Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators. Register HERE.
Part 2: Supported and Opposed Legislation Town Hall – April 17, 7:00pm, via Zoom
April kicks off the legislative hearing season on Beacon Hill. Are you curious about our legislative agenda? Please join us on Thursday, April 17 at 7:00 PM for a virtual Town Hall: LWVMA Supported/Opposed Legislation 2025-26. We will showcase several bills we are advocating for this session. Register HERE.
Hands Off! National Day of Action, Saturday, April 5th
On April 5, LWV and organizations nationwide are coming together to organize a national mass activation. The goal of Hands Off! is to demonstrate that people are taking action to stop corruption and a power grab.
Hands Off! rallies are being held in Framingham, Waltham, Hudson, and Holliston as well as other nearby communities. For times and more information, visit the event website. View the list of more than 115 national organizations that are supporting these rallies HERE.
Remember – Democracy is not a spectator sport!
A Dangerous Attempt to Silence American Voters: LWV Responds to President Trump’s Anti-Voter Executive Order
The League of Women Voters of the United States issued the following statement in response to President Donald Trump’s signed executive order, “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,” that threatens Americans’ freedom to vote and tramples states’ constitutional authority to run their own elections.
“Let’s keep it real: this order is not about protecting elections; it is about making it harder for voters — particularly women voters — to participate in them,” said Celina Stewart, Chief Executive Officer of the League of Women Voters of the United States. “This executive order is an assault on our republic and a dangerous attempt to silence American voters. The President continues to overstep his authority and brazenly disregard settled law in this country. To be very clear — the League of Women Voters is prepared to fight back and defend our democracy.
“The President can’t unilaterally change election law,” said Marcia Johnson, Chief Counsel for the League of the Women Voters of the United States. “This order is not only an attack on American voters’ fundamental freedom to vote, it is also plainly unlawful. The League is committed to working with our partners and legal advocates to pursue all avenues in fighting back against this dangerous order, and we will use every tool at our disposal to defend voters from unjust restrictions on their freedom to vote.”
The order’s extreme provisions include:
- Impermissibly requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote by altering the federal voter registration form. Nearly 80% of married women — more than 69 million American women — adopt their partner’s surname, and they would be unable to register to vote if the name on their ID does not directly match their proof of citizenship. Additionally, noncitizens registering to vote and then casting a ballot is already illegal in federal elections, and there is no evidence to suggest that noncitizen voter registration and voting is occurring at any meaningful scale.
- Prohibiting the counting of absentee and mail ballots postmarked by Election Day but received after, which 18 states and Washington DC currently permit.
- Giving the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) the authority to review states’ voter rolls.
- Withholding federal funds from states that do not cooperate with the order’s provisions.
The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan organization with expertise in voting and elections. Our mission is to empower voters and defend democracy. For more than a century we have stood in the gap when government falls short of its duty. We will valiantly work to protect voters and free, fair, accessible elections.
Get ready for 2025 Town Elections and Town Meeting!
UPDATED LINK: Town Meeting Issues Forum: Wednesday, March 26, 7pm
The League of Women Voters of Wayland will hold a public forum on some of the major issues to be discussed and voted on at Annual Town Meeting. The hybrid forum will be held in the Wayland Public Library on Wednesday, March 26th at 7pm. Articles included are the Accessory Dwelling Unit Bylaw, the pre-order food pick-up window bylaw, the transfer of 212 Cochituate Road, green burial, creation of a capital improvement committee, the sports center and feasibility study at 195 Main Street, the energy revolving fund, banning second generation rodenticide, creation of a finance department, and the library millennium fund. Iryna Priester will moderate the discussion.
To join the meeting virtually, please use this Zoom link: Zoom Link: https://wayland-ma-us.zoom.us/j/82622238840?pwd=bCqgebRsFrbdhMbWLPsVSs7a8bs2pV.1
Meet the Candidates: March 30, 2025 from 3:00-4:30 Wayland Public Library
There are no contested races for the 2nd year in a row. In lieu of our traditional Candidates’ Night, the League of Women Voters will be co-hosting with the Wayland Public Library a “Meet the Candidates Event.” The event will be held on Sunday, March 30th from 3:00 to 4:30 PM in the round room of the Wayland Public Library. It will be an informal gathering, with no speeches or presentations. The public is invited and encouraged to drop-in and meet the future office holders of the Town of Wayland. This is your opportunity to share any ideas and/or concerns with them.
League of Women Voters of Wayland 