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Date: 1/10/2022
Subject: LWV-Wake Update January 10th 2022
From: Cheryl R Tung



LWV-Wake Update 1/10/2022

 
Dear ~~first_name~~,
 
Happy new year from LWV-Wake! With the holidays behind us and the promise of a fresh start in 2022, I hope each of you will remember to practice a little self-care and be kind to yourself as you rebalance your energies. 
 
While we did not expect this pandemic to continue to impact our activities in 2022, it has become apparent that COVID will continue to wreak havoc on our plans to safely gather together for a couple more months. While this does not make for an especially easy time mentally or physically, there is so much to be grateful for in the new year. With the success of vaccinations and boosters, we can effectively manage COVID, and that means we can continue our work to create positive change in our communities. 
 
As you consider volunteer opportunities for the year ahead, we hope you will consider a project with LWV-Wake. Whether it be registering voters, helping to plan our annual Women's Equality Day, researching an important League issue or simply sharing important information, there are many ways to help defend democracy and empower voters in Wake County. 
 
 Timely Topics goes virtual with a new time for January
One of the biggest challenges for Wake County, affordable housing, is (thankfully) receiving more attention and action from both our elected officials as well as our business community. Organizations such as CASA, whose mission is to provide access to stable and affordable housing for people who are homeless or at risk, are working hard to keep the issue of affordable housing front and center in our community.
 
We hope you will join us for our first Timely Topics of 2022 as CASA's Sr. Director of Resource Development, joined by a CASA Leadership Committee member, will discuss Kings Ridge, a private/public campaign to address homelessness. PLEASE NOTE: THIS EVENT WILL NOW BE HELD AT 5:30PM AND VIRTUALLY VIA ZOOM. Please see below for more details and the registration link.
 
Watch the National Day of Racial Healing program with LWV-Wake - January 18th
National Day of Racial Healing (NDORH), established in 2017, is an opportunity for people, organizations and communities across the country to join together to embrace racial healing and take collective action to create a more just and equitable world. LWV-Wake will participate in this year's recognition by serving as a local viewing host for the 6th Annual Observation, hosted by Soledad O'Brien.
 
NDORH originated as part of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s national Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) efforts. TRHT is a process that strives to make us aware of conscious and unconscious beliefs that limits equal access to education, employment, equal housing opportunities and safe neighborhoods. In recognizing and challenging this belief system, we can shape a more equitable future.
 
 For more information about TRHT, visit the DEI page on our website. To learn more about the National Day of Racial Healing, including a toolkit with educational resources, click here. To sign up for the local viewing party, please scroll to the events section below.
 
COMING SOON! LWV-Wake Strategic Planning Survey
As part of LWV-Wake's strategic planning process, we will be conducting an all-member survey to assist us in targeting issues and activities for the League. The link to the survey, along with important information for its completion, will be distributed via an email from LWV-Wake on January 18th.
 
As a member of LWV-Wake, it important that you complete the survey for our committee and provide important feedback. The results of the survey will help develop the goals and strategies for the League for the next 5 years. Please look for the email in both your inbox as well as spam folders, as we are finding some of our communications are going to member's spam folders. This can easily be remedied by adding lwvwake.org to your contacts.
 
The Strategic Planning Committee will begin its work in February and continue through the end of May. Dianna Wynn, LWV-Wake's immediate past president, has graciously volunteered her time and expertise to facilitate the process. The committee consists of 20 members, including board members and a mix of League current and future leaders.

End-of-year fundraising surpasses goal
End-of-year donations continued to be received after Giving Tuesday on November 30th. Our goal to raise $4000 was a huge success as donations at year end totaled $5236. In addition, we should receive a portion of matching funds from Meta (Facebook) in mid-January.
 
The success of Giving Tuesday is due to the generosity of our members and community! While donations are now tax-deductible, our members donate because they understand that greater impact is achieved at a local level. From local VOTE411.org information to door hangers distributed to voters throughout Wake County reminding them of the importance of local elections, LWV-Wake continues to make an impact in our community.  Donations directly affect the number and types of programs that we can provide. In addition, donations help offset operational costs, which continue to rise as we grow.
 
As a reminder, we always accept donations on our website and through Network for Good. Scroll down for a final list of our 2021 Giving Tuesday Donors. 
 
New Members
We’d like to welcome all members who joined LWV-Wake in 2021! It was a difficult year to get involved due to the ever-changing COVID situation, but we hope you have found ways to get connected. 

Our “League Basics: Introduction to the League of Women Voters of Wake County” class has been restructured to better fit an online format. If you missed attending it live, you can now watch a presentation on YouTube. This introduction will benefit new (and not-so-new) members, as well as friends who are considering joining. We encourage you to watch League Basics: An Introduction and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
 
Volunteer Opportunities
The success of our organization depends on the collective efforts of our members. All areas of our organization need volunteers who can lend time, energy and talents (and you all have them!) to help us carry out our mission more effectively. Volunteering with the League can also be very rewarding. Want to learn new skills or learn more about an important topic that affects the health and well-being of North Carolinians? The League can help!
 
Below are specific areas of need. However, if you're not sure how you want to be involved, please email us and we can help guide you in finding the perfect spot in which to share your experience and talents. Specific areas of need include:
 
Membership Committee
The Membership Committee is looking for additional members to help cultivate a welcoming environment for new members and keep established members engaged in League activities. We also enjoy creating opportunities for new members to meet seasoned leaders of the League.
The functions of the Committee include:
  • Tabling at both organizational events (Timely Topics, Candidate Forums, Voter Registration events) and activities in the community (Women’s March, community fairs, farmer’s markets, etc.) with League information or occasionally providing the welcome at registration tables.   
  • Creating engagement opportunities through online and educational events (Renewals via Club Express, League 101, ordering personalized name badges, etc.).
  • Planning events geared towards retention, such as new member potlucks, informal regional gatherings, etc. held in collaboration with the Social Committee and the Field Trip Committee.
  • Community outreach by collaborating with other organizations and with local college students to create a more diverse membership.
  • Creating content for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn about the benefits of being a League member.
There is no specific experience required, only the willingness to help! In addition, we are open to new ideas that promote membership and engagement in the League. Contact the current Co-Chairs, Judee Lonnee or Dale Cousins to chat about your interest. 
 
 Women's Equality Day 
The Women’s Equality Day Committee is in need of additional members to help plan our annual fundraising event held in August 2022.  Some roles require basic computer skills; other roles require communicating with the caterer, speaker and others involved in the event, making follow-up calls to invited honorees and helping the day of the event.  Many of these tasks can be completed at home and do not require meeting attendance.  If interested, please send an email to WED Committee Chair, Candace Blackley.
 
Communications
The Communications Committee is looking for additional volunteers to add to the team. Those interested in learning our website platform or who enjoy creating social media content and/or editing are encouraged to share their talents with the League. This is a great opportunity to learn new skills and help increase the visibility of LWV-Wake. Membership in the League, while helpful, is not required. If interested, please contact Cheryl Tung or Jenny Kotora-Lynch. Members, please share this volunteer opportunity with anyone you think might be interested!
“Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in”.
~Author Unknown

Upcoming LWV-Wake Events
 
  • January 18th 3:00pm - 4:00pm National Day of Racial Healing - Join LWV-Wake members for a viewing party as we watch the 6th Annual Observation program hosted by Soledad O'Brien. For more info and registration link, click here.
  • January 20th 2:00pm-3:30pm Raleigh League Lit - Will discuss Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver. From Amazon: "Author Barbara Kingsolver and her family abandoned the industrial-food pipeline to live a rural life—vowing that, for one year, they’d only buy food raised in their own neighborhood, grow it themselves, or learn to live without it. Part memoir, part journalistic investigation, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is an enthralling narrative that will open your eyes in a hundred new ways to an old truth: You are what you eat". Register here.
  • January 20th 5:30pm Timely Topics: Campaign for King's Ridge: The Solution for Homelessness Is Housing. Join Missy Hatley, Senior Director of Resource Development, CASA and Fraley Marshall as they discuss their journey to replicate a successful model for affordable housing in Raleigh that they read about in The Hundred Story Home by Kathy Izard and subsequently visited in Charlotte. Register here.
  • February 15th 3:00pm-4:30pm Western Wake League Lit - Will discuss The Untold Story of Women of Color in the League of Women Voters by Dr. Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins.  From Amazon: "The book is structured to show the progression of the relationship between the League of Women Voters and its members of color as manifested in changes to its policies, practices, symbols, and messaging. It begins with the suffrage movement and continues until the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the League and uses actual correspondence, convention minutes, existing League histories, and personal accounts to tell the League story". Register here.
  • February 17th 12pm Timely Topics - SAVE THE DATE. NC Institute of Political Leadership: Mission and Programs. Please join us as we welcome Brad Young, Executive Director of NCPL. The North Carolina Institute of Political Leadership is a non-partisan, nonprofit organization committed to improving the practice of democracy through its premier nonpartisan leadership training programs for public servants, both elected and appointed. The website registration link will be open soon. The location of this event is TBD, depending on COVID protocols. 

State & Local Government
State Legislature Building for Newsletter
State Redistricting Litigation Update - Decision due by January 11th
 
December 15: The Wake County Superior Court granted Common Cause’s motion to intervene in North Carolina League of Conservation Voters et al. and Harper et al. v. Hall. 
January 3- January 6th: The North Carolina League of Conservation Voters et al. and Harper et al. and Common Cause v. Hall trial kicked off on Monday, January 3rd and ended on Thursday, January 6th. A decision is expected by January 11th. 
January 5th: Here is a great article that appeared in the N&O by Will Doran titled NC’s political maps are on trial. Here are 5 key takeaways from the testimony so far.
 
A recap of the lawsuits:
NC NAACP vs. Berger - Filed by Southern Coalition for Social Justice on October 29th. Requests that the implementation of the maps be blocked, alleging the mapmakers failed to consider race, thereby reducing minority representation.  Read more about the lawsuit here.
  • November 30th: Judge Graham Shirley denied the request for declaratory judgment and injunction.  He stated because the General Assembly has already adopted maps, the remedy is for a court to declare that the actual maps (as opposed to the process) are unconstitutional. 
  • December 7th: SCSJ appealed to the NC Supreme Court to expedite their challenge of the North Carolina legislature’s process for drawing state legislative and Congressional voting maps. In addition, a separate motion was filed by the Plaintiffs to recuse state Supreme Court Justice Phil Berger, Jr., the son of legislative defendant Senate Pro Tempore Phil Berger, which would disqualify him from hearing the case.
NC League of Conservation Voters et al. v. Hall - Filed on November 5th, builds upon the 2019 Harper vs. Lewis case and argues that new maps were drawn for partisan gain and violates several provisions of the North Carolina Constitution.
  • December 3, 2021: A three-judge panel in Wake Superior Court (including Judge Shirley from the NC NAACP case above) denied the request for a preliminary injunction that would delay the primary from March. 
  • December 8th: The North Carolina Supreme Court suspended candidate filing for all offices for the 2022 primary election, including filing for rescheduled municipal contests, and any separate filing period in January for those contests. The Supreme Court also pushed the date of the primary and rescheduled municipal elections from March 8th to Tuesday, May 17, 2022. To view the court order, click here.
 


Local Redistricting Update
 
City of Raleigh - PUBLIC INPUT IS BEING ACCEPTED UNTIL JANUARY 13TH

Update:
December 15th: LWV-Wake was present again during the redistricting hearing at Green Road Community Center and at the January 5th virtual hearing. During the hearings, the staff presented an overview of the redistricting process and provided a detailed analysis of each of the three map options. They also responded to comments and questions about the maps.  While the public hearings have ended, the Study Group is still accepting public comment through their website.
February 1, 2022: The Study Group will provide a report to the City Council at its February 1, 2022 meeting that consists of a summation of comments made during public hearings and through the portal, as well as a list of the pros and cons of each proposed map.  According to their website, following the February 1, 2022 meeting, City Council will hold an additional public hearing on the redistricting maps, and then adopt one of the proposed maps by the March 31, 2022 deadline. 
 
ICYMI: Here's a recap of the City of Raleigh's redistricting process.
October 21, 2021: LWV-Wake, Common Cause and NAACP Raleigh/Apex were invited to make comments/presentations about redistricting during a City Council District A Virtual Town Hall on October 21st. Cheryl Tung presented Transparency in Local Redistricting that outlined a process local municipalities should follow to ensure transparency.
November 2, 2021:  Raleigh City Council member Nicole Stewart proposed and Council approved a redistricting process. The process included:
  • Directing staff to draw 3 new district map options for the 2022 election.  These maps were completed and were posted on the City of Raleigh website in late November. 
  • Directing a Study Group, selected by members of city council, to carry out the redistricting process and make recommendations to the council.  More info, including the three map options can be found on the City of Raleigh Redistricting webpage here. This Study Group was previously charged with researching council terms and compensation and provided a report to City Council with their findings and recommendations on those issues.
December 2, 2021: LWV-Wake, along with other organizations, were invited to present public comment on the proposed maps during the first Study Group meeting on redistricting. After hearing public comments from LWV-Wake, NC Counts and NCAA, the Study Group made adjustments to its public hearing schedule, adding a location impacted by redistricting. 
 
In all, there were 4 public hearings held either virtually or in-person, where staff from the planning department presented an overview of the redistricting process, along with a detailed analysis of each of the 3 map options and responded to feedback and questions.
 
Wake County Board of Education
Sept. 21, 2021: The Wake County Board of Education began discussing redistricting at their work session on September 21. Attorney Adam Mitchell from Tharrington Smith, LLP, presented The Basics of Redistricting, providing information on current district sizes, legal requirements, and potential redistricting criteria. Read Mr. Mitchell’s presentation here.
December 7, 2021: Attorney Adam Mitchell from Tharrington Smith, LLP, and Blake Esselstyn from Mapfigure Consulting, presented Redistricting Principles, which can be viewed here. In this presentation, updated census numbers for the districts are provided. Of the 9 districts, only districts 2 and 7 remain in compliance with a +-5% population range. Possible criteria, labeled as "discretionary principles", are also presented.
 
Please be sure to check out our Redistricting page on our website for additional information on local redistricting. 

Thank you to the following donors for supporting LWV-Wake during our end-of-year
Giving Tuesday Fundraising Campaign
Peggy Birkemeier
Candace Blackley
Brittany M. Bryan
Pat Butler
Dale Cousins
Karen J. Brock Dyser
Karen Ferguson
Catherine Freeman
Jeri Gray
Susan Griffin
Robin M Hammond
Sherry Nyman Heuser
Judy Hoffman
Dana Jennings
Sam Kalat 
Naomi Lambert
Marian Lewin
Teresa Lineback
Judee Lonnee
Peggy Lyle
Jenny Kotora-Lynch
Chris & Mary Suzanne Moore Advised Fund from The
Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee 
Bobbi Mullins
Betsy Munroe
Liz Herlocker Oliver
John Petura
Rebecca Poling
Retta Riordan
MaryJane Selgrade
Parul Shah
Nancy Shoemaker
Becky Showalter
Penny Simpson
Theresa Strader
Roberta Sweeney
Karen Taber
Cheryl Tung
Laurel Voelker-Previously omitted by mistake. Sorry Laurel!
Ouida Watson
Marlene Wilson
Dianna Wynn
Monica Yates

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.