Join us on the second Saturday of the month at 10:00 AM!
Due to COVID-19 policy, we meet using Zoom, online or by phone. Everyone is welcome. If you did not receive an email invitation to the meeting and would like to attend, email LWVCapeAnn@gmail.com. See the calendar below, and our Meetings web page for details.
Upcoming Events
September 6 2022 Primary Election
Essex County Sheriff and District Attorney Candidates
We cosponsored an informational event about these offices and two forums with the candidates for the offices. There were no Republican candidates, so the Democratic primary will determine the winners. Here are links to the recorded forums:
District Attorney Forum
- English – https://youtu.be/eucJu2I0XjE
- Spanish – https://youtu.be/Jtz8s1pYBXs
Sheriff Forum
- English – https://youtu.be/v6HOKGCj2Jc
- Spanish – https://youtu.be/2TBS249HoAE
Rockport Town Election May 2022
There was only one contested race in the local Rockport election (May 10th) and that was for Town Clerk. Most years this excites little interest, because the incumbent is usually running unopposed. However, this year, with the retirement of Pat Brown, the seat was vacant and there were two candidates for the position.
The League of Women Voters of Cape Ann believes this was a great opportunity to educate the voters about the duties of the Town Clerk and the importance of local elections. It was also an opportunity to work with a group of Rockport High School students on a student-led civics project. The students researched the job of Town Clerk, visited the offices of the Gloucester City Clerk and Rockport Town Clerk, met the two candidates, and drew up questions for a live event.
On May 4th a RHS student made a presentation about the job of Town Clerk, interspersed with questions for the two candidates to answer. It was a valuable opportunity for Rockporters to hear the two candidates speak. This was also an opportunity for all LWVCA members to learn about one of the most important jobs in Town Hall, and also to see our first collaboration with Rockport students on a civics project.
The presentation was recorded and sent to 1623 Studios. Here is the link to the forum on YouTube: https://youtu.be/IEgVRYui7cs
Pre-COVID-19 Event: a Gun Forum
Gloucester High School, Saturday, December 15th, 2019
Sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Cape Ann
Free and open to the public
Panelists:
- Greg Gibson, author and father of a shooting victim
- Mark Nestor, decorated Vietnam War veteran and commander of the Lester S. Wass Legion Post
- Jim Wallace, president of the Massachusetts Gun Owners Action League (G.O.A.L.)
Moderator:
- John Bell, former Mayor of Gloucester and US Army Officer
The goal of the Forum was to have a respectful public discussion and hear from different sides about this emotional and serious national issue. All questions and comments were written and screened. View the video here.
Gloucester’s “Horribles” Parade July 3rd
2019 Annual Meeting at Scout Hall in Rockport
Laura Harrington spoke on her dynamic musical comedy of politics, power and persuasion “The Perfect 36”, about the struggle to persuade 36 states to ratify the 19th amendment, granting women the right to vote. She is the author of two novels, Alice Bliss and A Catalog of Birds.
2018 Annual Meeting at American Legion Post 3 in Gloucester
Mark Nestor, Major Retired U.S. Army, spoke on “The Second Amendment Can Co-Exist with the Safety of Our Schoolchildren.” Nestor was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam and believes that our gun laws can be changed with the support of veterans’ organizations. State Senator Bruce Tarr gave a brief update on legislation. A good question-and-answer session with the audience followed.
Participate in elections and town meetings.
If you have a driver’s license, you can register online (where you can also check your voter registration status).
We have done projects with Gloucester High School in 2016 (debate of the 4 questions on state ballot) and in 2017 (involvement in Gloucester City Council campaign and election). Students are being introduced to politics from the local level on up.
We promote fair campaigns.
The League of Women Voters of Cape Ann sponsors a Fair Campaign Initiatives for an upcoming election. As part of the initiative, candidates for public office are asked to sign a Fair Campaign Pledge. The Fair Election Practices Campaign was first established by the League of Women Voters in the 1970s and the League of Women Voters of Cape Ann has joined other leagues across the country to promote issue-oriented and civil campaigning among candidates for public office.
Our most recent event was a forum for the Gloucester city council election. The election was November 7, 2017.
We award scholarships.
Over the past 11 years, we have awarded $15,000 in scholarships to high-school students in Gloucester, Rockport, and Manchester-Essex.
We invite interest and membership.
See our Meetings web page for information about time and place for our monthly meetings. Please feel free to attend our meetings. If you decide to join, membership is $48 per year for people of all genders. Checks payable to the League of Women Voters of Cape Ann can be sent to: June Michaels, LWVCA Treasurer, P.O. Box 244, Rockport, MA 01966. For other information please use the contact form below, or email us at LWVCapeAnn@gmail.com.
Contact us:
Cape Ann 