What is Concurrence?

League of Women Voters^®
of Tallahassee

How does it differ from consensus?

CONCURRENCE

Concurrence, the idea of concurring in another League's consensus or affirming its position on a common program issue, began to have currency during the early years of our water study when Leagues in the same river basins found it necessary, indeed imperative, that they speed up their consensus process on management of water resources in their common river basin. Local League members in river basins have managed this technique for almost 20 years with little difficulty, with ease, aplomb and confidence mainly because the technique made good sense.

With the approval of the area League concept that began in the early sixties, the national board incorporated the concurrent theme into the organizational structure of area Leagues. Members in area Leagues are in the habit of regu1arly concurring in the consensus reached by the separate components of their League's organizationa1 structure.

Concurrence in previously reached positions by League members other than those in our local League is a1so operative every day, although many of us may not have previously recognized it as such. Every member who joins the League concurs in program positions a1ready in place, such positions having been researched, studied, discussed, and agreed upon before the new member's arrival on the League scene. The same concurrence is applicable and operable for those League members who move from League to League. The positions of your new League, local and state, automatically become your positions. If you took the time, and energy to research, study and discuss, you would probably arrive at these same positions. I can concur with the conclusions drawn by those members who attended unit meetings and studied a specific item.

Another form of concurrence occurs regularly when a position is adopted at a local annual meeting or a state or national convention. At the 1971 nationa1 convention, delegates not only adopted a position extending the apportionment principle, but a1so extended the Human Resources position to include women and Indians. The delegates also went a step further to declare a position on a specific piece of legislation to implement a position--the Equal Rights Amendment. While many state and loca1 Leagues had a long history of study and action on this subject at the state level, there had been no national study per se by all Leagues. Yet, there was overwhelming concurrence and acceptance of the position adopted by convention de1egates. In 2006, the LWVUS convention delegates concurred with the Illinois League's consensus on abolishing the death penalty. The Illinois League had spent several years on this item. It seems logical and sensible to pursue and expand the a1ready tried and accepted League procedure of concurrence in order to maximize the time, energies, and talents of the limited member resources availab1e to the League of Women Voters.

The St Petersburg League has reached consensus on Alternative Voting Systems and is asking concurrence from the other Florida Leagues. For more information on Alternative Voting Systems, go to the State website http://lwvfla.org

Comments, suggestions, questions? Contact our webmaster. Last revised: August 22, 2008 09:59 PDT.