LWV-Wake Update 10/14/2024 | Welcome back to your exclusive, bi-monthly newsletter of the League of Women Voters of Wake County. If someone forwarded this to you and you'd like to become a member, just click here.
|  | Dear ~~first_name~~,
Welcome to October 14, 2024, which is National Indigenous Peoples’ Day, also referred to as Columbus Day. This is a non-partisan celebration for LWV-Wake. We celebrate the date of America’s historical discovery, while celebrating and recognizing those who were were here before Columbus arrived. What a great day for LWV-Wake to pause, just for a second and reflect on where we have, where we are now, and where we are going.
Where We Have Been: LWVUS President Dianna Wynn tells the League of Women Voters’ Suffragist Story in this CBS News Interview. Dianna tells a compelling account of the struggle women went through to get the right to vote and again 40 years later for black women to obtain the right to vote.
Where We are Now: LWV-Wake Immediate Past President Cheryl Tung has prepared and released the NEW! 2023-2024 LWV-Wake Annual Report and Statement of Impact. The Annual Report recounts the success we experienced last year.
Defending Democracy In Our Community. This year, our members engaged like never before, connecting with citizens across the county as we prepared voters for the upcoming election. Cultivating the Next Generation. This year we drastically increased our outreach with in-person initiatives to meet youth where they are, both online and offline.
And this is only the beginning. Read on to learn about upcoming events and opportunities before and after the Presidential Election.
In service,
Helen
|  | | Timely Topic: The Importance of Judicial Elections
Join us at Meredith College for Timely Topics Wednesday, October 16 at 5:30pm. Our guest panelists include N.C. Court of Appeals Judge Donna Stroud, former N.C. Court of Appeals Judge Lucy Inman and Melissa Price Kromm. The discussion will be moderated by Meredith Associate Professor of Political Science Dr. Whitney Ross Manzo and Meredith student (and LWV-Wake member) Lily Barnett.
This event will feature a panel discussion about the importance of a fair and impartial judiciary, and how judicial candidates navigate the elections process in North Carolina.
To prepare for the session, attendees are encouraged to read this site provided by North Carolina for the People. The site explains the importance of judicial elections.
|  | Timely Topic: Extremism and Its Effects on Democracy
Join us as we welcome Tom Baker from the Bridging Divides Initiative at Princeton University and Joseph Wiinikka-Lydon, Ph.D., Senior Research Analyst, Intelligence Project, Southern Poverty Law Center to discuss different types of extremism and the impact these views have on our democracy.
| | |
LWV-Wake to Present to NCSU Students
LWV-Wake Immediate Past President Cheryl Tung will make a presentation on the importance of the student vote as part of NCSU's Engaged Citizenry Speaker Series.
LWV-Wake Volunteers will assist students who want to ensure they are registered to vote.
The event will be held Thursday, October 17, 2024, from 5 to 6 p.m. at the NCSU Talley Student Union, 2610 Cates Ave. Raleigh. | | | League 101: Introduction to LWV-Wake is Back
We are excited to bring back our seminar just for newcomers - League 101: Introduction to LWV-Wake.
Join us and learn about the League structure, our history, and how you can get the most from your membership. This is a great opportunity for new and new-ish members to learn more about the League, make new friends and explore opportunities to get involved.
Click here to register for the Thursday, October 17 seminar
| | Member Meetup Scheduled for Nov. 7
Every member is invited to an informal gathering sponsored by the Membership Committee at Hearsay, Cary, on Thursday, November 7 from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m.
Arrive and leave at whatever times fit your schedule but come meet and make friends in the League. No sign-up needed. If you’d like, bring a friend.
Hearsay is located inside The Matthews House at 317 West Chatham St., Cary. | | | | Volunteers Needed for USCIS & Board of Elections
We have several upcoming opportunities for volunteers for new U.S. citizen voter registration. View the opportunities here.
Volunteers are needed to observe Wake County Board of Elections meetings each Tuesday at 10 a.m. as they process absentee ballots. Find out more here.
| | |  | | VOTE411 Signs to be Placed at Voting Sites
From October 17 to November 6, LWV-Wake volunteers will place V0TE411.org yard signs at each Wake County Early Voting Site to inform and assist voters with candidate and voting information. These signs are placed at the voting site before voting starts, checked on during early voting, and removed after early and election day voting ends. |  | |
Learn About the Wake County Public Library Bond
Before you head to the polls, make sure you read this blog by our own G. Dale Cousins on the Wake County Public Library and the importance of local and "down ballot" issues. Local down ballot issues, usually on the back of the ballot, often include bond referenda. The 2024 November ballot contains a public library bond: Wake County website Bond Referendum. The $142 Million dollar bond proposes 5 additional libraries, expanding the size of 1 library, and renovating 8 libraries. | | |
 | | Helene's Impact on Voting in Western N.C.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) declared Tropical Storm Helene a disaster on Sept. 28, 2024. The NC designated disaster area includes 25 counties and 3 counties of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Area.
According to State Board of Elections (SBE), the following 13 counties remain severely disrupted as a result of the disaster and will continue to be disrupted during the election: Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, and Yancey. These counties report that not all of their scheduled early or election day voting sites will be available. Read the State Board of Election's information to voters in impacted areas.
LWVNC is instituting various attempts to reach voters in areas where LWV does not have a large presence. These efforts include postcards and text-banking. If interested in either of these projects please email either Regan Aduddell at aduddell@lwv.org or Jennifer Rubin at rubin@lwvnc.org. | | | 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,
Helen Zimmerman
President | | 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. | |