The Woman Activist Fund, Inc. has been proud to publish The Almanac of Virignia Politics since 1977. It has become a definitive reference book for many people. The first web edition of this book premiered with the 2003 edition.

    However, we are sorry to annouce that we will be unable to publish the 2004 hardback and web edition at this time, due to the retirement of our prime editor and writer, Anne Morrow Donley -- who has been with us for 20 years -- as well as the increase in publishing costs. We are hopeful that we will be able to resume publishing within the next year, and we are making plans towards that end.

We will be seeking additional funding, and all contributions to the Fund are tax deductible. The Fund is in the process of considering several options, with the hopes of publishing a new edition within the next year.

    Flora Trimmer Crater, founder of the Fund in 1977, began the publication as a way to empower citizens - especially women and other minorities - realizing that voters need to have concise and comprehensive information on the actions of their representatives in government. Under Crater's guidance as senior writer and editor, the Almanac has grown to encompass information on corporate and other campaign contributions, statistics on voting patterns and government funding, a selection each year of 10 to 12 bills with the votes on those bills, and an overview of the legislative agenda and other pertinent information regarding each of the 140 members of the General Assembly, and of the governor, lt. governor, and attorney general.

    Crater stated, "Anne Donley, in her writing, research, and editing for The Almanac of Virginia Politics, has made a very fine contribution to the knowledge and perspective of politics in Virginia, and we will miss that talent and dedication very much. She will be hard to replace. But I am sure we will continue to get her advice and interest."

    Please check this web site for any further announcements.

The Woman Activist Fund, Inc. is a non-profit organization with a financial report on file with the Virginia Division of Consumer Affairs.  Orders and tax deductible donations may be sent to:

The Woman Activist Fund, Inc.
PO Box 6530
Alexandria, Virginia 22306-6530

571-216-4107

WHAT IS THE ALMANAC OF VIRGINIA POLITICS?

The Almanac of Virginia Politics is a unique publication examining, on an annual basis, the legislative sessions of the Virginia General Assembly, which meets each year between January and March.  The book provides a factual and current look at the legislative districts and the present roster of political actors, how they got there, and what they are doing.

Each year's edition unites in one volume information about each legislator and state official which would take considerable time, effort, and cost for an individual to access through other channels.  This makes a library of the volumes of The Almanac of Virginia Politics invaluable, providing in one place pertinent information for those seeking to get a handle on the components of political power in Virginia at the legislative level. With the 2003 edition, we launched a web edition of the book as well.

We are building a record, providing the raw material for innovative political analyses so desperately called for when government decries injustice, yet tolerates racism, sexism, and other aberrations of our political system in general and in Virginia.  Events continue to challenge the ingenuity of government and the Virginia people.  Current legislative information is an invaluable aid for everyone.

The Almanac of Virginia Politics is the one book you need to guide you through an understanding of the Virginia legislative system: the 40 Senators, 100 Delegates, the Governor, Lt. Governor, and Attorney General.  In this one volume you will find the new people in the General Assembly just elected in 2002, plus a summary of the 2002 legislative session, campaign contributions, and a listing of 2002 economic disclosures.  Key 2002 legislative session votes were selected, and are listed for the delegates and senators.  Without this guide, it would take you weeks and weeks to research the Internet, state offices, and other sources on even a few of the 143 chapters in this book, gathering the statistics on campaign contributions and economic interests, legislative agendas, tracking key votes, and other information in this Almanac.

This concise reference book is especially useful to citizens concerned with legislation and government, including students, teachers, librarians, the media, organizations, businesses, lobbyists, and politicians.

For more information on the Almanac:
What others are saying about The Almanac of Virginia Politics.
 

WHO ARE THE EDITORS OF THE ALMANAC OF VIRGINIA POLITICS?

The editors are three Virginia women who are involved and caring about the State, the government, its representatives, and its constituency.  It is the hope of the authors and editors that The Almanac of Virginia Politics will provide valuable information on the way state government in general, and Virginia government in particular, works and will help readers become more responsible and responsive citizens.  By expanding our efforts into a web edition, we hope to be able to immediately provide the reader with helpful links, and information updates.
 

Flora Trimmer Crater is a journalist and Editor of The Woman Activist, a political action bulletin for women's rights. Crater has been active in Virginia politics for four decades.  She ran for Lieutenant Governor in 1973 as an Independent and sought the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in 1978.   Reared in Orange County, Virginia, she graduated from Orange High School and George Mason University.  She is president of The Woman Activist, Inc., a political consulting firm, and The Woman Activist Fund, Inc., a research and educational firm. Crater began and issued the first edition of The Almanac of Virginia Politics in 1977. Crater co-founded the Virginia Equal Rights Amendment Ratification Council and the Virginia Women's Political Caucus.

Anne Morrow Donley is a free lance writer. A Virginian, Donley received her B.A. in Music History from the University of Richmond and her M.S. in Library Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  She has been published locally and nationally. She has served with the Homemaker's Equal Rights Association, the Virginia ERA Ratification Council, and is a co-founder of the Virginia Group to Alleviate Smoking in Public, Inc.  Her cookbook, The Wisteria Acres Cookbook, is published by The Woman Activist Fund, Inc.

Jeanne O'Hara is a community activist and a writer.  She was raised in a military family, spending her childhood around the United States and in Germany before settling in Northern Virginia.  A graduate of the University of Virginia, she worked on Capitol Hill for eight years before becoming a stay-at-home-mom to four children.
 

The authors and editors gratefully acknowledge the help of all who have assisted in the creation and production of this edition.

Information for The Almanac of Virginia Politics came from several sources.
    The bills and resolutions themselves, including the text, summary, and main votes are on the web at http://legis.state.va.us
    The status of these bills is also contained in hard copy in the 2002 Final Cumulative Index of Bills, Resolutions, Joint Resolutions and Documents, as well as the Summary of those measures, available from the Department of Legislative Services (804-698-1500).

    Election statistics are from the State Board of Elections at 804-786-6551 (or 800-552-9745)
    or on the web at  http://www.sbe.state.va.us.

    The federal and state outlays of money are available through the Auditor of Public Accounts at http://www.apa.state.va.us or in hard copy.

    Campaign contributions and expenditures are filed with the State Board of Elections, but are also available through the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP) at http://www.vpap.org .

    Economic interest forms filed annually, but not electronically as yet, are available through the Offices of the Clerk of the House (804-698-1619); the Clerk of the Senate (804-698-7400); and the Secretary of the Commonwealth (804-786-2441).

    Media accounts are credited in the text of the book/web edition.

    Photos in the Almanac are in part reduced from those provided by the officials, and in part photo credits are given to Virginia Legislative Directory published by Verizon.  Photos are also available at  http://legis.state.va.us, along with contact information, biographical material, room numbers, and committees.

    A general web address for the Virginia state government is http://www.state.va.us.
 

WHAT IS THE WOMAN ACTIVIST FUND, INC.?

The publisher is The Woman Activist Fund, Inc., a nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation, founded by Flora Crater in 1977.  The purpose is to undertake research of representation of individuals and groups in elected and appointed governmental bodies at local, state, and national levels, especially as this representation affects women and minorities in the population.  Additionally, The Fund seeks to empower people by providing information that is needed.
 

WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ROSE SYMBOL?

When Flora Crater founded the Woman Activist, Inc., she chose the rose as the symbol, because in working for legal rights for women, Crater and other volunteers, had handed out handmade paper roses to the senators and representatives in Congress.  Later, when she founded the Woman Activist Fund, Inc., the research sister organization, a wreath of roses was drawn by Martha Boyle to encircle the title of The Almanac of Virginia Politics, and this became the emblem for the book.
 

WHAT IS THE WISTERIA ACRES COOKBOOK?
Our other recent publication, The Wisteria Acres Cookbook, continues our efforts to provide information, but in a more light hearted vein, to assist both experienced and brand new cooks.  All three editors of The Almanac of Virginia Politics have recipes in this cookbook by Anne Morrow Donley.
For more information on this book:Review      Sample Page     Contents

Here is what others have said about The Almanac of Virginia Politics:

"The Almanac of Virginia Politics is an enormously useful volume for any election watcher in the Old Dominion.  Its statistical information and descriptive background give both students and political practitioners the flavor of the Virginia Assembly and the men and women who serve as members of it."
- Larry Sabato, Professor, University of Virginia

"I have almost every edition of The Almanac of Virginia Politics.  What a great resource for everyone looking to understand state government, and for every citizen who dreams of a better path."
- L. Karen Darner, Arlington, recently retired from District 49, House of Delegates

"Your Almanac is extremely valuable to anyone wanting to know not only the basics about Virginia politics, but all the insider stuff that provides clues to major assessment of those who govern us."    - Tom Grubisch, Virginia columnist

"Each volume of The Almanac of Virginia Politics is building an informative record of the major issues, the people who make the important decisions, and the political process in Virginia.  It is a most useful reference book."
- Robert F. McDonnell, Virginia Beach, District 84, House of Delegates

"You can't be involved in the political process either as spectator or participant without really appreciating what The Almanac of Virginia Politics pulls together and puts at your fingertips.  It's an invaluable and indispensable tool."
- Mary Sue Terry, Chair of The Virginia Foundation for Women

"The Almanac of Virginia Politics represents one of the best books available on the political process in Virginia.  If you want to know who, what, when, and where, I recommend you turn to the Almanac."
- L. Douglas Wilder, former Governor

"The Almanac of Virginia Politics is a valuable and indispensable political reference book for me.  There is no other book like it in the Commonwealth, and I could not get along without it.  It is a handy, fact filled guide for everyone involved in Virginia politics." - Rick Boucher, Member of Congress

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