LWVC CONVENTION 2003
FAQs
(FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS)

Q: Who should attend LWVC Convention 2003?

1. The LWVC Convention 2003 Committee and the LWVC Board welcome all California League members to participate in and attend our 60th Biennial Convention. We have crafted this necessary event to be interesting and enjoyable for all our members: delegates, non-voting members, and volunteers. Come to enjoy the pre-Convention tours. Learn how the League conducts the business sessions that result in program, studies, action, and leadership for the next biennium. Share the fun of the social events: Gala Reception at the Oakland Museum; Dine-Around; Luncheon with an important speaker on a cutting edge topic; Banquet with a nationally known speaker, prominent M.C., and well-known political satirist; and for those who can stay: post-Convention tours. Get to know Leaguers from all over California, rub elbows with our elected officials, and share the camaraderie involved in working together to make democracy in our state and our localities work for everyone. See you in May!

Q: Tell me in the simplest language what I’m supposed to do to get registered for the Convention.

1. LWVC sent your local League or ILO President a “Call to Convention Registration” mailing in early February. Hard copies of the registration forms, background materials on tours and workshops, and other informative materials are in that packet.

All these documents are also on the Convention web site, available for printing. If you can’t locate the person in your League who has the hard copies, print what you need from this web site by clicking “Registration Forms” and then the appropriate form or information you need. Then follow these 4 easy steps.

1. Read the material. It has the detailed information you need to make choices about workshops, tours, social events, restaurants, hotel room, and the program, that need to be recorded on the Registration Form.
2. Make your choices.
3. Fill out the appropriate Registration Form: Delegate, Non-Delegate Member, or Volunteer. Total all the fees for the items you choose. Make a copy of your registration form for your records.
4. Write a check to your local League for the correct total amount. Give it and the appropriate registration form to your local League person designated to receive these. If you don’t know who this person is, ask your President or Vice President.

When s/he has collected all the checks and registration forms from the members of your League, the designated person will fill out the Master Registration Form. S/he will enter the information from each individual; make sure each person has written her/his check for the correct amount; and turn over the checks to the Treasurer who will write one check to accompany the Master Registration Form in an envelope addressed to the Convention Registrar.

Q: What is the deadline to avoid a late fee?

1. Your registration material must reach the Convention Registrar by 6 p.m., 12 April 2003. Post marks won’t count. Should you miss the deadline and not have enclosed the correct amount, the Registrar will assess the late fee for registration and all events you have chosen, and send you a note or an e-mail to that effect. No registration envelopes with tickets, etc. will be released to a delegate, non-voting member or volunteer until the correct total amount is paid.

Q: To whom should checks be made out?

1. Make checks to: LWVVC Convention 2003.

Q: How do I register for a room at the Convention hotel?

1. You need to make and pay for your hotel reservation separately, with the Oakland City Center Marriott Hotel. The detailed hotel information is in the Call to Convention Registration Packet, as well as on this web site. A block of rooms has been reserved for the LWVC Convention 2003. The sooner you reserve at the convention rate of $119. plus tax, the better. The rate is the same for a single or a double. You need a credit card to reserve.

Q: May I give or sell any social event ticket to another?

1. Yes. However, as a courtesy to the Convention planners and organizers, please let the Registrar know to whom the item was transferred. She will adjust the data base and let those responsible know.

Q: Why fill out both an individual Registration Form and a Master Form?

1. Even if your League is sending only one delegate, both forms should be made out and sent in with the check. The individual Registration Form goes to the Registrar and allows you to specify all of your personal choices for activities during the Convention. The Master Registration Form also goes to the Registrar and identifies positively who is/are the official delegate(s) so that the Credentials Committee can assure delegate voting rights at the Convention. A duplicate of your individual Registration Form will be attached to your registration envelope to ensure you get all the tickets you’ve paid for and assignments you’ve chosen.

Q: Why one check to pay for everyone in one League?

1. It is easier for the Registrar and the Treasurer to deal with one point person per League who is responsible for getting the money and the information to the Registrar. Any errors in choices or payment are more easily and efficiently handled this way. Make checks payable to: LWVC Convention 2003.

Q: Can I use a charge card for payment?

1. You can’t do so for League expenses. The Registrar will only accept checks or money orders, payable to: LWVC Convention 2003.

Q: How will I know if I am getting all my choices?

1. If a tour, the Banquet, or the Luncheon is full, you will be notified via e-mail, telephone, or “snail mail” and asked to make another choice a.s.a.p. Even though the workshops are on a first-come-first-served basis, the Registrar needs to know approximately how many are planning to attend each one in order to assign the right size room to each topic. So please indicate your choices.

Q: I’m not sure about what workshops are best for me. How can I make sure that I’m signing up for the right ones?

1. Descriptions of each workshop are in the Registration Packet and on the Convention web site. They are grouped in three areas: skills, issues, and cutting edge challenges. Each work-shop states whether it is aimed at Leaguers with: beginner, intermediate, or advanced needs in a given area. No one is kept from attending any workshop s/he desires unless the room is full. There are contact phone numbers and e-mail addresses on this web site for more information. Sign up for the workshops you are most interested in and that will help you to do your League job.

Q: How do I know how many delegates my League is allowed to have?

1. Each League is allowed one delegate for every 50 members reported to LWVUS as of 1 January 2003, plus the President. So if your League has 49 or fewer members, you get one delegate who is your President. If your League has 89 members, you get 2 delegates, one of whom is your President. If you have a question about the number of delegates for your League, call the state office.

Q: If I’m a volunteer, why do I have to register? Why can’t I just show up to help?

1. It is very important that the Convention Committee know who is volunteering ahead of time in order to assign you a task on a particular morning or afternoon. Also you’ll need some basic pre-Convention training and information. Your volunteer time will earn you the right to attend workshops, space allowing, and other Convention activities on an equal time basis, e.g., work for a morning and attend the afternoon activities or work for a day and attend the next day’s activities. Your Volunteer Registration Form identifies you and what you wish to attend, as well as allows you to pay for any fee items in which you choose to participate, such as Banquet, Luncheon, or tours.

Q: Are scholarships or underwriting offered?

1. Every League determines whether they will raise funds to send delegates to state Convention. A few ask their delegates to pay their own expenses. Unfortunately, the state League has no funds available to offer scholarships. A Leaguer who isn’t a delegate may be a volunteer and receive an equal amount of time to attend Convention sessions for the time s/he works.

Q: What if I forget what I signed up for or lost my copy of my registration form?

1. It is best to keep a copy of the Registration Form you send in. The “failsafe” is that when you arrive at Convention and go to the Registration Area, you’ll receive your registration envelope with a copy of your original registration form attached. In the envelope will be your name badge, your chosen schedule, tickets, notes of any changes made, the Convention Workbook, and other helpful information. You’ll be asked to review the materials for accuracy and to sign for them. Your signature will acknowledge that you have received everything you signed up for. This process will allow the Registration Committee to correct any mistakes made in assembling your envelope.

Q: What if I have to cancel?

1. If you are a delegate and your League names a replacement for you, everything can be transferred to the new delegate. If this happens after 6 p.m. on 12 April, however, the Registrar will charge a $15 handling fee. If there is a cancellation without a replacement and the Registrar is notified before 6 p.m. on 12 April, the full amount paid will be refunded. No refunds will be made for canceled Banquet, Luncheon, or tour reservations after 6 p.m. on 12 April. Of course, the reservations may be passed on to another. Please check with the Marriott Hotel for their policy on cancellation of room reservations.

Q: What if I lose a ticket?

1. Check with the Registrar who will have the lists of paid attendees for each activity that has a fee.