LWVNM Board Minutes, Special Board Meeting, February 1, 2026

LWVNM Board Minutes

Special Board Meeting

February 1, 2026

1:00-2:00 p.m.

via Zoom

LWVNM BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT

Hannah Burling, President

Barbara Calef, Second Vice President

Kathy Brook, Treasurer/LWVSNM Liaison

Judy Williams, Program

Janet Blair, Communications

Meredith Machen, Special Projects, Women’s Issues, Immigration, Education

Starlyn Brown, LWVCNM President

Felicia Orth, Voting and Elections/LWVLA President

Edwina Jaramillo, Secretary

ED FUND BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT

Hannah Burling, President

Felicia Orth, Secretary

Jeanne Logsdon, Treasurer

Meredith Machen, Board Member

Karen Wentworth, Board Member

Jody Larson, Board Member

CALL TO ORDER

The meeting was convened by Hannah at 1:05 p.m. A quorum was confirmed.

FUNDING SOURCES: NEW THORNBURG GRANT and

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE ED FUND (C3) AND LWVNM (C4)

Hannah stated that the Ed Fund received the first payment on a $110,000 grant from Thornburg that will expire on 12/21/27. Today’s discussion will focus on the relationship between the 501(c)4 LWVNM Board and the 501(c)3 Ed Fund Board, which organization does what, and the mechanism for payments.

Hannah recommended that the Ed Fund pay the contractors, possibly the Vote411 license, contractor support for the Voter Services Chair, and mobilize volunteers from the state League – all to be paid for out of the Thornburg grant. Voter services contractors are paid for out of 501(c)3 funds, but report to the 501(c)4 Board member (i.e., the Voter Services Chair). The Ed Fund can funnel money to 501(c)4 organizations like the LWVNM Board, or to the local Leagues, she said.

Jeanne suggested that taking $5k for the Vote411 license and $5k for the Vote411 contractor out of LWVNM budget expenditures would free up $10k from the LWVNM Board budget and be an appropriate expenditure of the Thornburg grant. She suggested that expenses for Vote411 could be submitted to the Ed Fund for reimbursement.

Responding to a question about guidance from Thornburg, Hannah stated that the Thornburg project budget includes $48k over two years for printing, promotions, and developing territories outside of the local Leagues. Additionally, she stated the contractor would report to the Voter Services Chair and possibly the local Leagues’ Voter Services representatives, or, alternatively, it could be a shared responsibility (taking some of the burden off the Voter Services Chair).

Judy noted there is money in the Thornburg grant for administration and suggested an administrator could take some of the burden for administrative activities (e.g., paying the contractor, etc.) from the Voter Services Chair. Hannah stated that the Thornburg grant includes activities such as:

Kathy noted that the LWVNM Board has already approved $5k for the Vote411 license and $5k for the contractor. Hannah stated that the Board could seek reimbursement at the March LWVNM Board meeting, or the Board could rescind the vote. Kathy responded that there is no clear way to seek reimbursement for expenditures already made. It was subsequently stated that since the $5k payment for Vote411 has not yet been paid, it could be paid by the Ed Fund. Kathy argued that the local Leagues (and possibly the LWVNM Board) have not agreed to the collaboration agreement. She wants to see mechanisms put in writing so both Boards know the decision-making process. Action Items: Kathy will review the collaboration agreement for any missing procedures, e.g., applying for grants or reimbursements by local Leagues and will provide the list to Hannah. (Once revised, the Ed Fund Board and the LWVNM Board will review, and it will, subsequently, be sent to the local Leagues for review.)

Additionally, Hannah stated that local Leagues will use the same form as last year for reimbursement, and restated Kathy’s point that there is no reimbursement mechanism for the state League.

Jeanne recommended that a formal announcement be sent to the local Leagues with: a prioritized list of election activities that might be covered under the Thornburg grant; the amounts available to local Leagues for election-related activities; and the Ed Fund Reimbursement Form for Ed Fund Projects and Events. Hannah noted the reimbursement form could come from either the local League Board or an LWVNM Committee (e.g., the Communications Committee). Once received, the Ed Fund Board would then see if the expenditure falls within the Thornburg criteria and vote to approve (or not). Alternatively, local Leagues could submit invoices and the Ed Fund could decide in advance whether to pay for the expenditure. The Ed Fund forms can be accessed at: lwvnm-edfund.org.

Starlyn stated that we currently have a limited $60k to fund activities. She requested that state-related activities/projects/tasks be prioritized. Hannah stated that Thornburg’s priorities are: 1) voting and election work (including supporting the SoS), and 2) organizational development. She stated a wish-list is needed from the Voter Services Chair and the Communications Committee. Janet said that communication efforts should be coordinated between the local Leagues and the state Communications Committee. Action Items: Edwina (along with local League leads) will draft a wish list of activities to include a job description for the Vote411 intern/contractor including the number of hours to be worked and an hourly rate. Janet will draft a wish list of activities for the Communications Committee as well as a rough communication plan. Janet will set up a meeting of the Communication Committee for 2/10/26 at 6:30 p.m.

The Boards agreed by consensus that the Ed Fund would pay for Vote 411 licenses and contractors.

Felicia has a candidate in mind for the administrative assistant for organizational development and/or the Voter Services intern/contractor but is expanding her search. The suggested salary for the prospective administrative assistant would be $45/hour.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting adjourned at 2:15 p.m.

- submitted by Edwina Jaramillo on February 24, 2026

- edited by Barbara Calef on February 24, 2026