LWV-Wake Update 10/30/23

Dear ~~first_name~~,

Greetings from LWV-Wake.

The countdown to Election Day 2023 has begun!

We are excited to announce Wake County achieved an 85% participation rate from municipal candidates completing our VOTE411 questionnaires. Questionnaires were sent to EVERY municipal candidate for the November election. Zebulon and Apex were exceptional with 100% participation.

This is all due to the tireless efforts of our VOTE411 volunteers who call, text, email, cajole, plead and beg the candidates to complete and return candidate questionnaires. We are EXTREMELY GRATEFUL that many of you return to do this work yearly.

Thanks to Pat Butler, Dale Cousins, Lauren Gordon, Stephanie Mitchell, Nancy Moxley, Diane Simmonds, Mary Jane Slipsky, Gaye Williams and Helen Zimmerman for all your efforts.

Special thanks to Laurie Bader and Sandy Hutchinson for their leadership in this important Voter Services project. In addition to helping LWV-Wake, Laurie Bader will also be serving on the state VOTE411 team next year. Thank you Laurie!

Also at big THANK YOU!! to our member volunteers who stuck it out in the heat this past Saturday to provide voter outreach at HollyFest. Elaine Okal, Helen Zimmerman, Jane Bass, and Lauren Gordon and Catherine Lambe (who are pictured above) answered questions about upcoming municipal elections and engaged voters (and future voters) in our Spin to Win game.

Now Let's Talk About Those Maps!

We've all read about the extreme gerrymandered maps that were released and approved in lightening speed. Yes, they are really that bad. You can read more about the process, the maps, as well as the comments that LWV of Wake County submitted to the NCGA public comment portal by scrolling down to the Legislative Update section.

USCIS Voter Registration is BACK

New citizen ceremonies that include voter registration opportunities for new citizens have resumed at USCIS. This is great news for LWV-Wake! The next ceremony dates are November 17th and December 1st. There will be two consecutive ceremonies on those days, at 8:30am and 10am.

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS to help register new citizens. Voter registration is important work for the League, and we want to ensure that we provide fully staffed voter registration services. There will be an experienced 'team captain' at these ceremonies to assist newer member volunteers who have received training but may feel a little nervous. The best way to become confident is by doing it! Members can sign up by logging in to the website and clicking on the Volunteering button on the top menu.

Upcoming LWV-Wake Events

November 11th 10am-12pm - League 101 - We are excited to offer League 101 again! League Membership Committee members Karen Ferguson and Judee Lonnee look forward to guiding you through an interactive session with time for mingling. This is a great opportunity for new and new-ish members to learn more about the League, make new friends and find out how to get more involved. This is an in-person event at our League office. To register, click here.

November 14th 10am - Field Trip to NC Freedom Park - Join fellow Leaguers on a narrated tour of NC Freedom Park. Freedom Park is a historic 1-acre green space located in the heart of downtown Raleigh. Registrants can indicate their preference to join the group for lunch after the tour at The Station, 701 N Person St. To register, click here.

November 16th 12pm-1:30pm - UPDATE: Additional speaker added.Timely Topics Turning the Tide: HB 28 and the Fight Against Plastic Pollution - LWV-Wake’s Environment Committee, in collaboration with Toward Zero Waste, will host a discussion about plastic pollution in North Carolina and recent efforts to combat this problem. Guest speakers are Grady O'Brien, policy associate at NC Conservation Network and Leigh Williams, co-founder of Toward Zero Waste. For more details and to register, click here.

December 6th 11:30am-1:30pm - Meetup at The Daily Planet Café Join our Membership Committee members and meet new and old friends at our next LWV-Wake casual get-to-know gathering. For more details and to register, click here.

January 25th 5:30pm - Timely Topics: Meet the New Director for Wake County Board of Elections-Join us as we introduce Ms. Olivia McCall and learn about upcoming changes to the election process and how the League might help with educational efforts. Register here.

February 7th 12noon - Timely Topics: Affordable Housing & Homelessness in Wake County - Problems & Solutions. Join us as we welcome Lorena D. McDowell, Director, Housing Affordability & Community Revitalization for Wake County and Ashley Lommers-Johnson, Chief Executive Officer for the Raleigh Housing Authority. Discussion will focus on homelessness and lack of affordable housing in Wake County, how their respective organizations address these issues, the challenges they face, and potential solutions. For more information and to register, click here.

Other Events

On November 8, Braver Angels will host an evening with author Alexandra Hudson, where she will discuss her recently released book, “The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Ourselves and Society.” This free event will take place on Wed, Nov. 8, 2023, starting at 6:30 PM at Common Thread Church, 2011 Ridge Road, Raleigh, NC. While the event is free, attendees are encouraged to register in advance at https://bit.ly/476InVp.

Volunteer Leaders Needed

Our organization's success relies on the work of volunteers. As we approach an important election year, we NEED leaders. Several board members (including me) will be stepping down at the end of their terms in May.

In addition, we have several positions within the League that have gone unfilled or will need new Chairs or Co-Chairs this year. These include: Development & Fundraising, Finance, Women's Equality Day and Communications. Members (and interested nonmembers) with nonprofit accounting/treasurer experience are especially needed as we will need to fill our Treasurer position next year.

Even if you do not have experience but a willingness to help organize and lead projects, WE NEED YOU!

Please reach out to members of our Nominating Committee to let them know of your interest. Job descriptions are available upon request.

NCGA Legislative Update

This edition's update is provided by member Gaye Williams. Thank you Gaye!

The last few weeks have been busy for the Legislature as it finished the long session. These are only a few highlights.

Redistricting

District maps for NC Congressional, House & State Senate were approved last week (Bill references: H898, SB758, SB757).
As a result of the re-hearing and decision in Harper v. Hall earlier this year by the current NC Supreme Court, the Legislature took an opportunity to redraw all 3 district maps culminating in the passage of those bills last week. Redistricting is not subject to gubernatorial review or veto in North Carolina. The new maps take effect for the 2024 elections.

Given this year’s state Supreme Court decision, legislators were open regarding their use of partisan data from past elections in drawing districts. The Redistricting committee Chairs were equally clear in stating they did not use any racial data in the drawing process. Due to notices the Redistricting committees received from outside parties regarding potential Voting Rights Act concerns, racial data has now been made available to the public on the NCGA website in the statistical packages “statpacks.”

For more information, refer to the maps and other data linked below. Also provided is a link to a third-party resource that may help you envision how the new maps impact different areas of the state.

• Pictorial maps and statistical packages from NC General Assembly website (2023 Redistricting section).

• NorthCarolina.redistrictingandyou.org – a useful resource to understand the impact of new district lines. View an area by zooming in or enter an address in the upper right to see a specific location
(site provided to the public by NC Counts in partnership with the Center for Urban Research at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York).

AP News describes how the new maps will likely cement the GOP's control over NC for the next decade in this article.

LWV of Wake County submitted comments to the redistricting public comment portal before the final votes. You can read them here:

LWV-Wake Redistricting Public Comment Portal Submission 10.23.23

Board Appointments

Along with the redistricting decision, this week also saw appointments begin for elections, utilities, transportation, and the judicial system. For details on these appointments, click here.

Voters and their advocates, like the League of Women Voters, will have many changes to which to adjust for the 2024 election cycle.

The work of LWV-Wake will continue to be very important as we work to educate voters about the new voting restrictions leading up to the 2024 election. We encourage our members to become active in the League and help us to strengthen our organization to fulfill our mission of Empowering Voters and Defending Democracy.

In Memorian

Jane Freeborough Hamner
1929 - 2023

Jane Freeborough Hamner passed away on October 24, 2023, in Raleigh. From her obituary:

"In the late 1960s Jane was active in Wake County politics, particularly the League of Women Voters of Wake County, for which she served as President from 1971-1973. Mayor Tom Bradshaw awarded Jane a Key to the City of Raleigh in December 1973 in recognition of her collaborative work toward registering and advocating for women voters in Wake County."

Ms. Hamner's obituary can be found here.

League Advocacy

Encouraging effective advocacy on issues that align with our mission of Empowering Voters and Defending Democracy is the heart of what we do. And while we can send emails and provide public comment, we must also advocate to our family, friends and neighbors, social groups, etc. and encourage them to contact their representatives as well.

Find your representatives here.

Find 2023-2024 NC House Leaders here.

Find 2023-2024 NC Senate Leaders here.

Looking for information from a past newsletter? Previous League Updates can now be viewed on our website's home page. Look for the "League Updates" blue tab on the top menu.

Thank you for continuing to support the League of Women Voters of Wake County.

Sincerely,

Cheryl Tung

President

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The League of Women Voters of Wake County is a designated 501(c)3 nonprofit charitable organization by the IRS. Donations and membership dues are fully tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

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LWV-Wake Update 10/30/23