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Results of 2021 Vote

In the spring of 2021, 22.85% of the members voted (8% of national members, 28.67% of branch members).

63% of the voters approved the amendment to drop the degree requirement for AAUW membership. While this was a solid majority of the voters, it fell short of the 2/3 vote required to pass an amendment to the bylaws.

More results and state-by-state breakdown

What’s Next?

Stay tuned to hear more about plans from the group of members that’s been working on this change.

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RESOURCES

Toolkit at AAUW -Talking points, answers to questions, the text of the amendment, sample newsletter articles and more

AAUW Members Facebook Group – several posts about the reasons for the change (and comments opposing it).

Quotes – Messages from supporters in favor of the change, posted to this site over the years.

Resources from states:

  • Tennessee – a short, to-the-point message and a link to their Town Hall recording.
  • California – short video clips, newsletter samples, map of states that support the change
  • Pennsylvania – [Archive from March 2021] AAUW PA board’s rationale for the change, schedule of discussions, more.
  • Missouri – sample postcard they are sending to all members

Summary of the need for this change

AAUW NJ hosted a town hall on March 10. After a brief introduction from the AAUW NJ president, Malinda Gaul, vice-chair of the AAUW national board, gave an overview of the reasons the board is unanimously supporting the change this year. If you only have 8 minutes, this may be the video to start with. (Use this link to start just before Malinda starts speaking.)

Malinda Gaul’s presentation starts about 0:55

Testimonials in favor of the change from AAUW members:

Here is a virtual Town Hall, led by AAUW CEO Kim Churches in January 2021, that lays out the the arguments for the change and answers questions from members.

AAUW Illinois sponsored a Town Hall on February 16. Here is that recording:


As our country looks at where it has fallen short of its promise in racial justice, it’s time for AAUW members to apply that same honest examination of where our organization has fallen short of its mission to promote gender equity for ALL.

For more about the 2021 national election see www.aauw.org. If you want to help with the effort, check out the Open Membership Toolkit.

This website was created and is maintained by a group of AAUW members who whole-heartedly agree with this proposal. In addition to the videos above, see AAUW’s responses to members’ Frequently Asked Questions and a wealth of resources from AAUW California. Other sections of this website provide more background and history on this topic.

We urge all AAUW members to listen carefully, read thoroughly, and to vote for this bylaws amendment change in Spring 2021!