I was traveling in February, and it was the first time I used an absentee ballot.   Even though I did not go to my polling place, it was still meaningful to fill out the ballot and put it in the mail to be counted along with the other votes.  I enjoyed hearing the news about the candidates showing up at different places in Maryland because they needed to increase the number of their delegates. 

                The League of Women Voters of St. Mary’s County is a great way of keeping up with what is happening locally, statewide, and nationally.  We had a very interesting consensus meeting on Immigration Policy that was led by Jeana Johnson and Jane Aldridge.  Thank you both for doing such a great job.   Everyone who attended had an opportunity to give their opinion, and, at the end of the session, we were able to present our opinions to the League at the national level.  I always learn something new from others who attend our meetings and enjoy hearing about different experiences that people have. 

                Thank you to Brenda Burch, the new Director of the St. Mary’s County Board of Elections, for being our guest speaker at our February lunch.  She is very excited about making sure that the election polls operate efficiently and accurately for the citizens of the county.   

               On March 12^th, we are going to hear from Mr. Jack Russell, President of the St. Mary’s County Commissioners.   He will talk about the financial status of the county, something near and dear to all of our pockets. 

                Coming up on May 18^th we will have our Annual meeting.  We need to vote on various Board positions.  We are sorry that Mary Richardson will not be continuing as our Treasurer at the end of this term after many years of excellent work and dedication.  If anyone is inclined to act as Treasurer, please come forward because we need you.  Our Program Chair, Sheila Martel, has done a great job keeping us organized and scheduled with programs over the past two years but her term is up, so we need to find a new Program Chair.  If you are interested in making arrangements for our programs, please let us know. 

                No one works alone on this Board; we all help each other and have a good time while we do it.  Please consider being a part of this team and contact me or any Board member if you have questions.

                                                                      Janice