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Date: 9/20/2021
Subject: LWV-Wake Update September 20th 2021
From: Cheryl R Tung



LWV-Wake Update 9/20/2021

 
Dear ~~first_name~~,
 
Greetings from LWV-Wake. Even though the City of Raleigh and Town of Cary elections have been postponed to 2022, our Voter Services committee members have been busy providing important election information to citizens of 10 other municipalities in Wake County. Volunteers have been gathering candidate information for our VOTE411.org website platform that will go live soon. In addition, members have been working to create a door hanger that contains important election and VOTE411.org information as well as bullet points on why local elections are important. These door hangers will be distributed in areas where municipal elections will take place. This project was funded by a generous grant from Blueprint NC.  Speaking of elections.......

Candidate Forums
LWV-Wake will sponsor the Wake Forest Mayor and Town Commissioner Candidate Forum on October 2nd at 1pm. LWV-Wake will partner with Fuquay-Varina Chamber of Commerce and Leadership Fuquay-Varina to sponsor a Mayor and Commissioner Candidate Forum on Oct 21st at 6pm. Details for the Wake Forest Campaign Forum can be found below in the upcoming events section. Details for the Fuquay-Varina Candidate Forum will be made available on our website soon.
 
Timely Topics
Registration is open for BOTH our September 30th and October 21st Timely Topics. For October, we welcome Jennifer Cohen, Director of Business Development for NC League of Municipalities. Ms. Cohen is an excellent speaker and will discuss the role of (their) League in helping North Carolina cities and towns be the best hometown each can be for their residents. Our Leagues both advocate for some of same issues so it will be interesting to hear about their efforts and the future challenges of our cities and towns. Please note: Both events are virtual via Zoom. Registration links can be found below. 
 
Fair Maps Contest Winners
Our fair maps contest ended on September 1st. We have two winners with incredible pieces of art! We will provide pictures and interviews with the artists about their artwork on our website in the next week, along with a press release. For now, you can see a sneak peak of both pieces below.
  
Redistricting Advocacy
Redistricting hearings continue to be carried out in 13 of 100 counties in NC. LWV members across the state have been present at most all locations and have made comments, on behalf of themselves, demanding additional hearings AFTER maps are drawn, incumbency data not be used, the need for racial data to be used to evaluate maps after they've been drawn, as well as the need for a more transparent process. The League has responded by: 
  • Issuing a press release calling for changes to be made with regard to public hearings as well as the addition of Wake County to the list of proposed hearing sites,
  • Sending emails to all members of NCGA's Redistricting Committee,
  • Submitting a Letter to the Editor from Laurel Voelker, Redistricting Chair, and
  • Submitting public comments to the NCGA public comment portal.
For a schedule of the upcoming redistricting hearings, links for signing up to speak and hints for providing public testimony, please see below.
 
Please Renew Your Membership
Help us fulfill our mission of Defending Democracy and Educating Voters. While your support for the League provides the financial resources to keep the League operational, we also need your VOICE for issues important to North Carolina. Our volunteers work hard to provide our community with much needed information and opportunities for engagement.  Renew your membership and complete your membership profile to take full advantage of membership benefits. 
 
 

Upcoming LWV-Wake Events
  • September 30th 5:30pm Timely Topics (Virtual Public Event) - Working for the Future: What to do when 100 years is not enough? Guest speaker will be Carolyn Jefferson Jenkins, PhD. The event will be held virtually via Zoom. Register here.
  • October 3rd 1pm Wake Forest Mayor and Town Commissioner Candidate Forum - Event will be both in-person at the Del Webb Community Center and via Zoom. There will be a reception following the event at the Del Webb Community Center Rear Patio. You do not need to register and this event is free. Masks are required at the in-person event. 
  • October 4th 7pm DEI Roundtable - Restorative Justice - Defined as “A system of criminal justice that focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with victims and the community at large”, members will discuss the concept and its implications. Register here. 
  • October 7th 10am-12pm League 101 - This interactive online session will help members better understand the League's work and how to become more involved. The session is open to any LWV-Wake member but is particularly useful for newer members and members who are interested in becoming more active within the League. More details and registration link here.
  • October 19th 3pm League Lit Western Wake - Will discuss the book The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio.
    "One of the first undocumented immigrants to graduate from Harvard reveals the hidden lives of her fellow undocumented Americans in this deeply personal and groundbreaking portrait of a nation". - Amazon. A National Book Award Finalist. Register here.
  • October 21st 5:30pm Timely Topics (Virtual Public Event) - NCLM: Improving Resident Quality of Life in Cities and Towns. Guest speaker, Jennifer Cohen, Director of Business Development will discuss the role of the League in helping North Carolina cities and towns be the best hometown each can be for their residents. Register here. 


Upcoming LWVNC Events
Duke University's "Redistricting and American Democracy"
LWVNC President Jo Nicholas will speak during Duke University's "Redistricting and American Democracy" – and the general public is invited to attend virtually.

While this event spans two days, Jo will speak during the closing panel on the afternoon of Wednesday, Sept. 29. She is among other representatives of leading North Carolina-based advocacy organizations who will discuss the future of redistricting reform in North Carolina, highlighting their current work and offering ways for audience members to get engaged in the fight for fairer maps. The panel will be moderated by Gunther Peck, Associate Professor of Public Policy in the Sanford School and Director, Hart Leadership Program.

Learn more about the lineup and register to attend virtually, click here. 

Redistricting Update
Redistricting public hearings continue across the state. Here is a list of sites for the remaining scheduled hearings. Sign up links are provided for those sites that are available now. Check the NCGA website for updates.  
  • Tuesday, September 21 – 
    Western Carolina University, hearing starts at 5:00 pm. Health & Human Sciences Building, 3971 Little Savannah Rd., Cullowhee, NC 28723. Link for online sign up to speak prior to the meeting:  https://www.ncleg.gov/requesttospeak/53
  • Wednesday, September 22 – 
    Central Piedmont Community College, hearing starts at 3:00 pm. Harris Conference Center, 3216 CPCC Harris Campus Dr., Charlotte, NC 28208. Link for online sign up to speak prior to the meeting: https://www.ncleg.gov/requesttospeak/54

  • Thursday, September 23 – 
    Mitchell Community College, Iredell County Campus, hearing starts at 3:00 pm. Shearer Hall, 500 W. Broad St., Statesville, NC 28677. Link for online sign up to speak prior to the meeting: https://www.ncleg.gov/requesttospeak/55
  • Tuesday, September 28 – 
    UNC-Pembroke, hearing starts at 4:00 pm

  • Wednesday, September 29 – 
    UNC-Wilmington, hearing starts at 5:00 pm

  • Thursday, September 30 –   
  • Fayetteville Technical Community College, hearing starts at 6:00 pm
You can view a video of past hearings at https://ncleg.gov/Documents/493#Video
Members of the public may sign up to speak on site at each hearing site, starting one hour prior to the start of the public hearing. Members of the public may also sign up online to speak at the public hearing; online sign up will close four (4) hours prior to the start of the public hearing.
 
Tips for making effective personal testimony at redistricting hearings can be found here.
 
You may also provide written public comment on the NCGA online portal.
 
Fair Maps Art Contest Winners Sneak Peak
Here are the winners of our Fair Maps Art Contest. Both pieces of art invoke an emotional response, especially when you read the artist's description of their process and what the various components represent. It was obvious that these two artists thought a lot about the impact of fair (and unfair) maps, recognizing the diverse populations in North Carolina. Please watch our website for interviews with the artists! 

Renew membership image for newsletter
Please renew your membership & create your member profile
 
Most LWV-Wake memberships, unless renewed, expired at the end of July. In an effort to decrease the amount of volunteer work, we transitioned to an easy online renewal process. Once you log in with the credentials that were emailed to you in June, you will be prompted to update your password and renew your membership. If you cannot find your login info, please call Club Express Customer Support Toll-free: (866)HLP-CLUB (457-2582) and they can assist you with logging in for the first time and even help you renew and set up your profile. 
Please note: You CAN pay your membership dues by credit card and you DO NOT need to have a PayPal account to do so. PayPal is the processing company we use to process credit cards and debits. Once you click PayPal, you can enter your credit card information or your bank account info. You can also choose to download the renewal form and mail it with a check. We hope you will continue to support us with your membership in order to receive information about important issues and our educational programs!
 

Thank you for continuing to support the League of Women Voters of Wake County. I look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming events.
Sincerely,
Cheryl Tung
President