The League of Women Voters is known for its in-depth studies of issues that affect government and communities. The studies are the basis for both education and advocacy.
Study makes action possible by giving members an opportunity to examine facts, pro and con arguments, and political realities. Once an issue has been proposed by local Leagues and adopted for study, a resource committee researches the issue and presents the material to the membership. Small units discuss the issue so that everyone has an opportunity to express an opinion. A position is developed, based on the sense of the group, which becomes the basis for taking action. Consult our positions: Where the League Stands
Behavioral Health Study
Update the LWVCO Health Care Position to include Behavioral Health
SCOPE of the PROPOSED STUDY: The Scope of the Study for an updated Health Care position is: Access to Quality Behavioral Health Care – this includes need for services, Colorado’s current service delivery system including the criminal justice system, funding for services, stigma and barriers to effective service delivery, behavioral health and gun violence, current trends including integrated care, and new and promising practices.
Download the Behavioral Health Study Materials 2015
Behavioral Health Position that was adopted by LWVCO in May 2015 and by LWV of the United States in June 2016.
Amending the Constitution Study
SCOPE: This study is not about particular amendments that various people may be supporting or opposing. It is about the constitutional process for amending the Constitution as well as the considerations for evaluating the amendments.
MATERIALS: All materials are available on the LWVUS Clearing House page at http://forum.lwv.org/category/member-resources/our-work/constitutional-amendment-study
A summary of the three main readings has been prepared by Nancy Crow, Vice-President for Program. Click to download a PDF of Summary: Readings for Amending the Constitutiion
POSITIONS ADOPTED: Read more about the position the LWVUS has taken: "League Opposes Calls for an Article V Constitutional Convention" (17 April 2017)
LWVUS Money in Politics Review and Update 2014-2016
SCOPE: The LWVUS Campaign Finance Position will be updated through a study and consensus process to consider:
- The rights of individuals and organizations, under the First Amendment, to express their political views through independent expenditures and the finance of election campaign activities: and
- How those rights, if any, should be protected and reconciled with the interests set out in the current position.
The LWVUS committee is providing ready-to-use resources and strategies to help understand the current system of campaign finance regulation. The link to this material is:
https://www.lwv.org/league-management/voting-rights-tools/money-politics-action-kit
https://www.lwv.org/league-management/voting-rights-tools/money-politics-mip-powerpoint-presentation
The contents of the Meetings in a Box are:
- Background Reading List
- Issue Paper Topics
- PowerPoint Presentation and Script
- Template for Money In Politics in the States
- Templates for Publicizing MIP Events
Hydraulic Fracturing Study
At the 2011 LWVCO convention, the delegates voted to have a study on Hydraulic Fracturing. A committee was formed and work began in the summer of 2011. After assessing other state leagues studies on hydrofracturing, it was decided that LWVCO would do a study rather than a concurrence in order to address coal bed methane and water quantity issues, not covered in other leagues’ studies.
All documents are in PDF format unless otherwise marked.