LWV-Wake Update 9/2/24 

Dear ~~first_name~~,

Greetings from LWV Wake,

Thank You To The Volunteers !!!

LWV Wake Women’s Equality Day – WOMEN POWER DEMOCRACY – What an Event!!  What a Glorious Occasion!!  LWV Wake WED had more attendees; more contributions; more fanfare than ever before.  What a great day to be a member of the League of Women Voters of Wake County.

As guests, you walk into the entrance to Dix Chapel at Dorothea Dix Park.  There are LWV Wake volunteers there to take your name, give you a name tag, Girl Scouts to welcome you, and a table of souvenirs for you.  Then you go into the grand chapel where there are tables decorated with beautiful flowers,free food, wine, and lemonade. Then a program to entertain you with awards offered to the 86 women elected to public office in Wake County (not all of them could attend, of course).  How on earth did all this come together ????  HOW INDEED???

We thank all of the volunteers who signed up and helped make the evening a huge success.  They registered attendees, prepared materials, managed the food table, served beverages, decorated all the tables, and then after the event they took it all down. 

Even before the actual event many nameless volunteers went into action.  These are the planners, the plotters, the ones finding out “Who are these 86 Women we are celebrating?” They are the ones arranging speakers; the ones working on their speeches; the ones getting approval for the President of LWV-US to speak to us. These folks started almost a year in advance planning for the WED in August. 

All of you volunteers made a commitment to share a very precious resource – your time- selflessly, without expectation of being recognized or rewarded. This gift of yourself to help others speaks to both your strength and the quality of your character.  We want to make sure you know that LWV-Wake is forever grateful to you.

This is who we are – a fabulous group of wonderful women (and men). The League of Women Voters of Wake County is  worth supporting. We are non-partisan.We Empower Voters and Defend Democracy. Congratulations. Well Done. And Thank You!

Helen

THANK YOU DONORS!

Thank you to all the volunteers and donors who made our 2024 Women’s Equality Day a success! Sponsorships and donations totaled $14,000 and we surpassed our fundraising goal by $2k. The event honored all women elected officials and certificates of recognition were presented to those in attendance. We also had a record number of 87 guests in attendance, in addition to the honorees.

LWV Women's Equality Day Donors

LWVNC has partnered with the North Carolina Network for Fair, Safe, and Secure Elections for a series of Town Halls across the state to engage voters on the subject of election security and voting access. The Raleigh event will be held on September 11th from 6:30pm-8pm at Kresge Auditorium at Meredith College

The Carter Center, the organization founded 40 years ago by President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter, is also a co-sponsor of the Trusted Elections tour. The Carter Center seeks to strengthen democratic principles and voting practices wherever those values are threatened. Originally these threats were primarily overseas, but now the research finds increasingly intense partisanship and misinformation here at home. 

This will be an opportunity to ask your election officials questions, clear up confusion about the new voting laws in place, and to raise awareness of VOTE411.

LEARN MORE

Abortion Access and Democracy in N.C. to be First Timely Topic

Join us for the first Timely Topics of the 2024/2025 season with an important discussion on abortion access in North Carolina.

We will begin the evening with the ACLU’s compelling 10-minute documentary “North Carolina’s Abortion Story.” This screening will be followed by three unique perspectives on how abortion in NC impacts democracy. If you would like to ask question of our three panelists, please submit them in advance to Kristen Howard

Timely Topics Book Discussion

Join LWV-Wake members on August 29 at 3 p.m. at RBB Champagne Bar in Cary to discuss Kerri Maher’s historical novel All You Have to do is Call based on the true story of the Jane Collective, a women-led abortion access group founded in Chicago in the years before the Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion in the United States.

Understanding Elections in North Carolina Video

Two videos have been created for the public and released by LWVNC. The videos are part of our statewide campaign to educate voters about the elections process in North Carolina and to dispel mis- and disinformation about election integrity. We encourage everyone to watch the videos and share the links with your networks and on social media. If the voice sounds familiar, they were created by LWV-Wake Immediate Past President Cheryl Tung.

Vote411 Team at Work for Upcoming Election

The Vote411 administration team continues to reach out to Wake County Candidates to include in the database, which provides a place for voters to look up candidates in their districts and learn about their positions on issues. 

This year’s races include 45 North Carolina State Legislature candidates, 19 District and Superior Court judges, 3 US House Representatives, 20  Wake County candidates, and 27 candidates for the City of Raleigh. During the week of September 9th, LWV Wake’s Voter Services volunteers will be contacting the candidates who have not yet responded. Vote411 is planned to be live and available to voters on September 13th.

Would you like to help us place Vote411 yard signs at early voting locations in October? Click below to sign up.

VOLUNTEER TODAY and Get Out the Vote

Following are more ways to encourage and help our Wake County neighbors to vote. Click "Volunteer" to read more details about each opportunity and to register.

September 3

Bears Vote Palooza at Shaw University’s Willie E. Gary Student Union

September 4 -- 16 

USCIS Voter Registration

September 9

NCSU APO Service Fraternity NC State Tally Student Union 

September 17

National Voter Registration Day Events

• NCSU Electoral Wellness Fair at NC State
• Wake Tech women's volleyball game at Wake Tech Northern Campus
  
  VOLUNTEER NOW
  
  

Voter Registration Opportunity at Hopscotch Day Party

LWV Wake will be participating in the upcoming Hopscotch Day Party by hosting a voter outreach party. Please volunteer for this great opportunity on September 6, from noon to 6 p.m. at 2411 Crabtree Blvd., Raleigh.

The party will feature food and drink from Mala Pata, Natural Science, Fiction Kitchen, and Union Special and a clothing drive for Layers of Dignity. Sponsored by Levitate and LODEN Development and a partnership with Raleigh Durham USBG.

LWV Wake will provide voter outreach, distributing election and voter table cards and assisting attendees with voter registration. LWV Wake President Helen Zimmerman will be the table captain to assist volunteers.

VOLUNTEER NOW

Membership Renewals

Don’t let the summer pass you by with regard to your membership renewal!  Many of our members renew on their anniversary dates all through the year. However, many long-standing members come due for renewal in June or July at the end of the fiscal year. 

Remember to visit the website, log on (upper right hand corner) and renew your membership if it is due. You can renew online using a credit card or you can mail a check to the office.  The address is: 3509 Haworth Drive  # 305  Raleigh, NC 27609.  The office mail is collected at least once a week and your dues will be entered upon receipt.   

If you need assistance with logging on or with renewing, contact Membership Committee member, email Dale Cousins.