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Date: 6/26/2022
Subject: LWV-Wake Update June 27th 2022
From: League of Women Voters of Wake County



LWV-Wake Update 6/27/2022

 

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We wont go back newsletter image

Dear ~~first_name~~,
 
Greetings from LWV-Wake.
 
It's been a tough week for democracy.
 
As much as we attempted to mentally prepare ourselves for the devastating Dobbs decision that arrived on Friday, the sting, anger and frustration felt from having our bodily autonomy taken away, came swift and fast. As expected, abortion rights activists across the county, including Leaguers attending the LWVUS convention in Denver, took to the streets on Friday to send a message that this is NOT okay.
 
Several companies, including Raleigh's Red Hat, announced on social media shortly after, they will cover travel expenses for employees to access necessary healthcare. Thank you Red Hat!
 
If you are reading this early Monday morning, the Washington Post is hosting a virtual presentation at 10:15am titled Roe v. Wade Overturned. Guest Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) will speak about the impact of the ruling and how Congress might respond. 
 
It is important to note that abortion is still LEGAL in North Carolina, thanks to Governor Cooper and pro-choice NC state legislators that have upheld his veto in previous attempts to limit or restrict abortion. We anticipate there will be bills filed to restrict abortion in NC. In fact, WRAL reported this week, "GOP state leaders are planning to introduce new restrictions next year, hoping the November election will give the party the supermajorities needed to easily pass such measures."
 
The League of Women Voters has always supported a woman's right to abortion and we will continue to fight against any efforts to restrict this right. As we know, the best way to defend our democracy from those who wish to strip away our rights, is by educating citizens on why their vote matters and encouraging everyone to VOTE!  
 
As we approach mid-term elections, our Voter Services committee is determining projects aimed at educating voters. Project ideas include combating mis- and disinformation about elections and voting, instilling confidence in our elections, and protecting our votes. If you are interested in working on upcoming election/voting projects, please plan to attend the next Voter Services Committee meeting on Wednesday, July 20th. Registration link can be found here.
 
Bipartisan Safer Communities Act Passes
The Dobbs decision, combined with the Supreme Court's striking down of New York's restriction of concealed carry, overshadowed another major event last week; Congress finally passed the first significant gun legislation in 28 years. While not as sweeping as many would like, the new legislation does strengthen background checks for young buyers, closes the "boyfriend" loophole, and provides grants to states to encourage red-flag laws. This is a huge win for our country and moves the needle for bipartisan gun control legislation.
 
 January 6th Public Hearings
The fifth scheduled January 6th Select Committee public hearing was held last Thursday, June 23rd. The five takeaways from the June 23rd hearing can be found here.  Rep. Bennie Thompson, chair of the Jan. 6 select committee, indicated that, due to newly received footage from documentarian Alex Holder, there will likely be additional hearings when the committee returns from recess on July 12th. All previous hearings can be viewed here.
 
News from the League
 
ACTION ALERTS!
There are currently two action alerts for which we are requesting member advocacy: 
  • Medicaid Expansion - Medicaid expansion was approved in the NC Senate and discussions have begun in the NC House. To learn how you can advocate for passage of Medicaid Expansion, click below:
  • Request for Signature Matching - This alert was sent from LWVNC re: an outside group requesting a Declaratory Ruling to existing protocols established by the NC State Board of Elections. The League opposes this request. For more information and to access the NCSBE portal to provide public comment, click below:
 
 
 
Membership Renewals - Thank you for renewing your membership!
Members with a June/July renewal date have received two of three renewal email notices generated by the membership roster on our website. Many members have completed their renewal online or by printing an invoice and mailing it to the League office. We sincerely appreciate all who have renewed their League membership! For those who have not yet renewed, you will be prompted to renew when you login to our website. 
 
A Reminder: You can extend your membership for another full year by paying dues in one of three ways: on the website, using your credit card through our  PayPal credit card processing system (no PayPal account required), via a PayPal account, or by downloading the form and mailing a check ($60 individual; $90 household). Our office address is 3509 Haworth Drive Suite 306  Raleigh, NC 27609. Office mail is checked once or twice a week. Once your check is received, your membership will be noted as paid on our website directory.
 
In addition to our regular individual/household membership, we now offer a benefactor/benefactor household level membership for $100/$150.  This type of membership is being offered to raise funds for memberships for those that may want to join the League but lack adequate financial resources to do so. Once we have collected enough benefactor memberships, we will begin to offer a "Pay What You Can" membership. We encourage any member who is interested in helping others join the League to choose this membership level. 

If you have forgotten your password in order to log in to your account, you may follow the instructions to create a new one, or you may contact roster guru Laurel Voelker to assist you. Should you have any questions about memberships, please contact Dale Cousins.

We hope all of you will continue your membership and support the League of Women Voters of Wake County.
 
LWV-Wake Volunteer Opportunity - Finance Committee
As part of our strategic plan implementation, LWW-Wake is creating a finance committee. This committee will work with the Treasurer to expand the types of financial reporting presented to the board, create processes to mitigate financial risk and assist with the yearly budget process. Experience with, or knowledge of, budgeting, financial statements, and Quickbooks would be helpful. The committee will determine the frequency of meetings and work process. If you are interested, please email Elaine Okal
 
 

 Marian pic for newsletter
Election Protection Bill Filed
LWVNC Board member and LWV-Wake Voter Services Chair, Marian Lewin, provided comments on behalf of LWVNC in support of SB916 during a press conference on Wednesday, June 22nd. The bill, which provides protections against election interference, serves as notice to those attempting to limit voting access by intimidation or other means, that we are watching and will fight back at any attempts to keep voters from the ballot box. Other organizations that made comments in support for this bill include: Democracy NC, NC Justice Center and NC Voters for Clean Elections. We thank Senators Chaudhuri and Murdock for filing this bill on behalf of all of us working to defend democracy. 

Upcoming LWV-Wake Events
DEI Healthcare image for newsletter
Gun Violence As A Public Health Crisis
June 28th 3pm via Zoom
Join members of our Healthcare and DEI Committees for a Round Table discussion on how gun violence is a public health crisis and actions we can take to address this in our communities. Register here. 

League Lit July 2022
Anna Cooper Newsletter Image
  • July 21st 2pm-3pm - League Lit Raleigh - Will discuss Once I Was You by Maria Hinojosa. From Simon & Schuster: "The Emmy Award–winning journalist and anchor of NPR’s Latino USA tells the story of immigration in America through her family’s experiences and decades of reporting, painting an unflinching portrait of a country in crisis in this memoir that is “quite simply beautiful, written in Maria Hinojosa’s honest, passionate voice” (BookPage). Register here.
  • August 10th 11am - Anna Julia Cooper Gravesite Trip & Lunch - League members and their guests will visit the gravesite of Anna Julia Cooper at the City Cemetery of Raleigh and learn the highlights of her accomplishments. We will then meet for lunch at a downtown restaurant. For more details and to register, click here.  

Registration is now open for our largest fundraising event of the year, our Women's Equality Day celebration. Our theme this year is The Power of Pearls...And the Women Who Wear Them. We invite you to put on your pearls and join us!
 
During this event, we will recognize and honor all women elected officials serving Wake County. In addition, Janet Cowell, former NC state treasurer, state senator, and current CEO of Dix Park Conservancy, will serve as the keynote speaker. The event, held at the beautiful All Faiths Chapel at Dix Park, begins at 5:30 on Thursday, August 18th. We invite you to join us as a sponsor. Dues alone does not cover our annual expenses and we rely on sponsorships to help us fund:
  • Programming - Timely Topics, DEI Roundtable, and other programs during the year that serve to educate our community on important issues.
  • Civics Education program - A new program of short videos that provide information on local and state government, voting, elections, redistricting and other related topics, to our community.
  • GOTV/Election projects - As we approach mid-term elections, our Voter Services committee is planning a host of GOTV projects, including media promotion for VOTE411.org, candidate forums, door hanger and post card projects, yard signs, etc.  We must also push back against election disinformation meant to confuse, intimidate and harass voters, suppress the right to vote, or otherwise disrupt our democracy.
  • Leadership Development Training - As we focus on developing leaders among our members, we need to invest in training and materials to help potential leaders learn how to be effective in the League to ensure the growth and stability of LWV-Wake.
  • Technology - As the ability to reach citizens relies more on technology, LWV-Wake must adapt and invest in technology that allows us to educate, organize and activate in order to advocate more effectively. 
To learn more about our sponsorship levels and to register, click on the link below:
 
 
 
 

LWVUS Convention Briefing
The LWVUS Biennium Convention, held in Denver, CO, ended on Sunday, June 26th. For a daily briefing of activities, including several important resolutions and amendments that were voted on, click here.
By the Numbers for newsletter
Please also take a few moments to learn about the impressive work we have accomplished as part of a national organization in the 2020-2022 LWVUS Biennium Impact.

LWVNC Events
To see all upcoming LWVNC sponsored events, please view their Events Calendar
 
 

Other Events 
American Bar Association Civil Rights & Social Justice Section presents
Election Jeopardy Webinar
June 29th 3:00pm
 
This Zoom webinar, while designed for lawyers and law students, is open to other organizations (please list 'LWV of Wake County' under organization on the registration page). An ABA moderator will lead panelists (all civil rights experts) through an interactive discussion on redistricting, voting rights and voter protection. To learn more and to register, please go to the ABA website here.
 

NCGA Short Session Update
 
State legislators are wrapping up short session, which is expected to end on July 4th with much of their business unfinished. Budget negotiations are still ongoing between Moore and Berger. However, it appears they have agreed to raises above 2.5% for teachers and state employees, assuming the remaining budget issues are resolved.
 
Update 
-SB916 - Safeguard Fair Elections Act - Filed June 20th - Sponsored by Senators Chaudhuri and Murdock - Provides increased protections for voters and election officials against election interference. Read more about this bill here. 
 
-SB 408 - Rural Healthcare Access & Savings Plan - The House version of SB 149 (Expanding access to healthcare) - Reintroduced to Health Committee June 22 - Contains significant differences from SB 149 as it calls for a committee to be formed that will meet on Dec. 15th to determine whether to expand Medicaid, after tasking Governor Cooper's administration with negotiating a work requirement from the federal government. Read more about the bill and reactions from both Moore and Berger here. 
 
- SB 149 - Expanding access to healthcare - A bill to expand Medicaid with a work requirement. Read more about this bill on our website.
 
- HB 755 Parents Bill of Rights - Filed May 26th. Informally called the "Don't Say Gay" bill, referring to similar legislation passed in Florida earlier this year, this bill would prohibit teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. It would also require schools to inform parents if their child seeks to change their sexual identifying pronouns. This bill, passed by the senate June 1st and expected to pass the House, would likely be vetoed by Governor Cooper.
 

We Hold These Truths Self-Evident
by Amanda Ostumi, Duke MMP 23'
POLIS - Discourse for Democracy Art Competition 1st Place - Writing

The U - S of A
Is in a state of disarray
Cracks bursting open
Like on Pangea’s last day
People lined up at 
The edge of each side
Of a great deep divide
Polarized, pulverized
By endless vitriol
Racing towards an epic fall
This lust for the extreme
That’s shredding our seam
Needs to stop
Before it all goes pop
No doubt we need to find a resolution
To stop our societal pollution

But here’s the thing about our nation:
Our claim of united 
was always a fabrication
We’ve always been a glass that’s shattered
Our flag a little tattered
Our problems of this moment
every previous day did foment
So, fixing our current state
Isn’t about restoration
It’s a renovation
A transformation
Not back to what was before
But into the Democracy of dreams and lore

Yet how to get there, that’s the wonder
Where to start with a world so pulled asunder
Some who think themselves wise
Say it’s all about compromise
On everything, there’s middle ground
That should and could be found

That’s a pretty picture, to be sure
But the notion isn’t pure
Because some things aren’t up for compromise
Truth is truth and lies are lies
Truth – racism is real
Truth – women don’t have a fair deal
Lies – queerness is a sin
Lies – we must fear all immigrants with darkened skin
Those statements are facts, not fiction
That is the only viable conviction
We can only come together at the table
If our basic shared sense of humanity
And reality
Is stable

Once everyone accepts all humans are humans
Who breathe air
Bleed blood
Think thoughts
Lust and love 
Live and die
That’s when unification will be possible
And our eruption will be stoppable

We denounce hate
Then we negotiate
figure out how one’s sexuality
      And another’s religion 
Can coexist without nuclear fission 
Figure out how to explain
Why police feeling disrespected
Isn’t the same as people of color not feeling protected
Why this clash between Black and blue
Exists and has killed so many or left them bruised
Why the reasons for it all need to be erased
With unanimity and haste  
Figure out how to lift people up out of impoverished despair
Without bringing others down to a depth seen as unfair
We can do all this and more
Navigate the stormy seas to a paradise shore 
Trudge through a field of land mines 
If only we can start with a baseline

We do that, and then
We strip away all the noise 
Of politicians yelling for votes
By throwing out absurdist quotes 
To the media begging for clicks
Fueling the anonymous voices trolling for kicks

Without that mess, we make Americans from opposite ends 
Feel like two strangers in a quiet, empty bar
With nothing to do but talk from the heart
Over a game of darts
And fried food plates
A semi-forced American discourse
That just might save our United States.

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
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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