Hardship Designation Request for Convention 2024

To vote at Convention 2024, your League must have met its Per Member Payment (PMP) obligation in full for the fiscal year 2023-24 (July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024) and previous fiscal years.

Leagues who cannot fulfill their financial obligation and wish to vote at Convention 2024 may file a hardship claim with the LWVUS Board. The Board will consider requests for hardship designation at its Spring 2024 meeting.

Article XIII, LWVUS Bylaws, Financial Administration, provides that state and local Leagues “shall make an annual per member payment to the LWVUS in an amount to be determined by a three-fifths vote of those present and voting at each convention.”

Article IX, LWVUS Bylaws, Convention, states, “Each delegate representing a local or state League shall be entitled to vote only if that League has met its per member payment responsibilities. The national board may make an exception in cases of proven hardship.”

We encourage you to make every effort to fulfill your Per Member Payment obligation as billed to send a full voting delegation to Convention 2024.

Specific instructions for requesting hardship designation:

Hardship designation requests must be received by the National Office NO LATER THAN February 26, 2024.

Gather the following documentation:

• A copy of your League’s approved budget for FY 2023-24;
• A copy of your League’s most recent financial statement, showing assets (e.g., bank accounts) and liabilities (e.g., a bill for printing);
• A description of the efforts your League has made to raise funds;
• Evidence that your League has taken maximum advantage of the opportunity to satisfy PMP obligations with tax-deductible education fund money (for more information, contact Nora Pullen at [email protected]);
• Accounting of financial obligations to your state League and evidence of the kinds of assistance (if any) you have received from the state League; and
• A proposed plan for strengthening the financial situation.

If you need a copy of your most recent invoice or have any questions about your outstanding PMP contact Nora Pullen at [email protected].

Submit the request for hardship designation via email by February 26, 2024, to [email protected] with the subject line: HARDSHIP DESIGNATION REQUEST. You will get an email confirmation when it is received. 

Send a copy of the above documentation to your state League. Please note that your state League will be asked to make a recommendation on this request to the LWVUS Board.

The LWVUS Board will consider requests for hardship designation at its Spring 2024 meeting.

Please remember that even if you are granted hardship designation enabling you to send a voting delegation to the convention, the PMP debt is not forgiven. It must be paid as soon as possible.

Contact Gabrielle Udell, Project Coordinator, at [email protected] if you have questions about the procedure for claiming hardship.