LWV-Wake Update 5/15/2023

Dear ~~first_name~~,

Greetings from LWV-Wake.

It's been a busy couple of weeks for the League. We want to share exciting news!

Siobhan Millen appointed to NCBOE

On May 8th, we learned that LWV-Wake Leaguer Siobhan Millen was appointed to the North Carolina State Board of Elections by Governor Cooper. Congratulations Siobhan! We know you will work to keep elections in North Carolina running smoothly.

Siobhan has been a longtime League member and serves as Co-Chair of the Voter Registration sub-committee of Voter Services. She manages the USCIS new citizen's voter registration efforts, which have been responsible for registering thousands of new voters over the past few years.

As Siobhan prepares to step down from her co-chair role in order to devote her time to the NCBOE, we want to extend a huge THANK YOU for all she's done in service to LWV-Wake. To read more about the new NCBOE board and the issues they will be working on during the upcoming election in 2024, click here.

Leaguers Rally for Abortion Rights ahead of Tomorrow's Veto Override Vote

On Saturday, Leaguers joined others across the state and rallied in support of Governor Cooper's veto of SB 20, also known as the "Monster Abortion Bill". We are grateful that this bill was vetoed and encourage Leaguers to send emails to those legislators who have stated in the past that they would not vote for additional restrictions.

It was announced during the today's 3pm press conference that a veto override vote for SB 20 has been scheduled for tomorrow. More info and legislators' contact info can be found below.

LWV-Wake Annual Report Released

We are pleased to release our 2022-2023 Annual Report! We hope you will take a few minutes to read this report as it outlines the impact we have made in Wake County. This would not be possible without our donors and volunteers who are passionate about Empowering Voters and Defending Democracy. A special thanks to Jenny Kotora-Lynch for putting it all together and making it look fantastic! Keep scrolling to download the report.

LWV-Wake Annual Meeting Notice and Information - PLEASE VOTE!

The 2023 LWV-Wake Annual meeting notice and materials, including an Electronic Ballot link, were emailed to every member on April 17th. While we are still conducting an annual meeting in person, we are pivoting to electronic voting rather than in-person voting to conduct annual meeting business. Votes will be tallied, and results will be announced during the meeting, allowing all required official business to take place.

If you haven't already, please review the materials (link below) and submit your electronic ballot. Ballots must be submitted no later than noon on May 17, 2023. Ballots may only be submitted by members in good standing (dues paid), and each must have an email address on file. As an alternative for nominations from the floor during the annual meeting, we have provided a space for write-in candidates.

You must click on this link to access the electronic ballot:

2023 Annual Meeting Materials & Ballot

Click on the image above

Read about our impact in Wake County

Upcoming LWV-Wake Events

May 17th 5:30pm-7:30pm - LWV-Wake Annual Meeting - Local author Carmen Cauthen will serve as our guest speaker for this year's LWV of Wake County Annual Meeting! Carmen will discuss her recently published book Historic Black Neighborhoods of Raleigh. The meeting will also include abrief update on this year's strategic objectives, the 2023-2024 budget, announcement of new board members and special recognition. To register, click here.

May 24th 5:30pm-6:30pm - Women's Right's Committee welcomes Lisa Finaldi with NC Early Childhood Foundation. Ms. Finaldi will discuss how community collaboration with business leaders is helping to build a strong foundation for lifelong success for North Carolina’s children. Her focus is the Family Forward NC and Campaign for Grade-Level Reading initiatives. To register, click here.

August 24th 5:30pm - SAVE THE DATE for Women's Equality Day - Join us as we commemorate the passage of the 19th Amendment and recognize all women elected officials serving Wake County. Our guest speaker will be Nora El-Khouri Spencer, 2022 CNN Top 10 Hero of the Year and Founder/CEO of Hope Renovations. Event will be held at Dix Chapel in Dix Park. Registration opens June 1st. More details, including sponsorship info, can be found here.

September 20th 5:30pm - SAVE THE DATE for Timely Topics: Reproductive Rights & Abortion - Join us for our first Timely Topics program of the season. This event will feature guest panelists Dr. Beverly Gray of Duke Obstetrics & Gynecology and Tara Romano, Executive Director of Pro-Choice NC. Others will be added. Registration opens soon.

Leaguers attend NCMA Tour of Women Artists as Influencers

Last week's field trip to the NCMA was a huge success! Leaguers gathered for a docent-led tour to explore the innovation and influence of women artists from 19th century art movements to contemporary art exploration. The event was a sellout with time for lunch and conversation after at the museum café. A huge thanks to Women's Rights Co-Chair Kristen Howard for arranging this tour.

LWVNC Events

LWVNC Convention May 19th-21st

LWV-Wake Member Delegates Needed

LWVNC’s 39th Convention will take place May 19-21, 2023 in Charlotte. We are excited to announce that Dr. Deborah Turner, the 20th president of the League of Women Voters of the United States, will speak at the Saturday evening banquet.

We really need our members to attend and participate in important League decisions and show support for our state League and LWVUS President. Among the agenda items:

Analysis of 2022 Elections—Who’s Voting, Who’s Not
Upcoming Legislative Trends: Initiatives We Need to Prepare For
Misinformation/Disinformation in the Media and the League’s Role
ERA—What’s Happening and What We Need to Do
Tax Policy Presentation
Effective Advocacy in Education

In addition, there will be two plenary sessions for official League business. This is an excellent opportunity for newer members to learn about important issues as well as how the League works.

The registration fee is $275. LWV-Wake will reimburse the registration fee for members who attend. We encourage any member who wants to learn more about the League to join us for a weekend full of fun and learning.

Please email Cheryl Tung if you have registered so we can arrange reimbursement. Reimbursements will be sent at the conclusion of the convention. Click on the links below to register and to make hotel reservations:

LWVNC Convention Registration

Doubletree Suites by Hilton Reservation

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

LWVNC Events

ACTION ALERT!!!

OVERRIDE VOTE SCHEDULED FOR TOMORROW!

Help sustain Veto for SB 20 - Care for Women, Children, and Families Act

A substitute bill for SB 20 was filed on May 3rd, voted on without any public comment or amendments, and sent to Governor Cooper the next day. Governor Cooper vetoed the bill on May 14th during Saturday's rally. AP released this article yesterday regarding the veto and efforts to prevent an override vote. You can read it here.

It is important that we keep up the pressure on those legislators who might be swayed to refrain from voting to override Governor Cooper's veto. Several of our coalition partners have sent info re: specific legislators to contact. Thank you to all who have contacted those listed below. If you haven't yet, please take action and email these legislators TODAY!

Rep. Ted Davis - (919) 733-5786
Stated in the past that he supported “what the law is in North Carolina right now”, referring to the 20 week limit.
https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/H/637

Senator Michael Lee - (919) 715-2525
Stated in the past that he would not vote for any more restrictions on abortion.
https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/s/387

Rep. John Bradford - (919) 733-5828
Stated he was fine with current law and would not vote for any more restrictions on abortion.
https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/H/690

Rep. Tricia Cotham - (919 733-5749
Stated she would fight for reproductive rights, and she shared her abortion story on the House floor and spoke up for abortion access 8 years ago. Earlier this year co-sponsored a bill to codify abortion protections into state law.
https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/H/817

Rep. Jon Hardister - (919) 733-5191
Tell him to do the right thing and not vote for any more restrictions on abortion, or his entire run for statewide office, Commissioner of Labor, will be nonstop about abortion.
https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/H/645

NCGA Legislative Update

Update: Senate releases 2023-2025 Budget Bill TODAY

Moments ago the NC Senate released its budget bill. This budget contains 5% across-the-board raises over the next two years for State employees, and 4.5% for teachers. These are lower than the 7.5% increase in the House budget.

NC SENATE PROPOSED BUDGET MAY 16, 2023

In a press conference this afternoon, Senator Berger stated he expects the House and Senate to work on a conference bill over the next three weeks and intends the budget to be passed prior to the end of the legislative session. To read more about legislative updates and the budget, click here.

2023-2025 Budget

House Republicans passed their budget April 6th with a 78-38 vote. ABC11.com provides a good review of the NC House budget. As mentioned in the last update, while it provides raises for teachers and other state employees, it also contains a lot of bad legislation. It is now the Senate's turn to pass their budget before a compromise budget is created and sent to Governor Cooper.

Governor Cooper released his 2023-2025 $32.9 billion dollar budget proposal on March 15. You can read about Governor Cooper's budget here.

Legislative Deadlines:

Senate Bill Filing Deadline: April 4th
House Bill Filing Deadlines (not for appropriations or finance bills): April 18th

House Bill Filing Deadlines (appropriations or finance bills): April 25th

Crossover deadline is May 4.
Bills that do not involve money (appropriations or revenue) or are not part of a legislative study must pass either the House or the Senate by May 4 in order to be eligible to be passed in the remainder of the Long Session or in the 2024 Short Session.

All bills related to elections and redistricting are not subject to crossover and can be considered and newly introduced at any time.

Election Bills Filed on Watch List

For a list of 20 problematic Election/Campaign Bills that have been filed, click here.

You can see a complete list of bills on the LWVNC bill tracker. You can also view bills discussed in previous League Updates, here.

Please note: This list does not include all bills for which the League may take a position or that may be important for advocacy. To see a description of bills filed each day, see the UNC School of Government Legislative Reporting Service Daily Bulletin Online here.

League Advocacy

Encouraging effective advocacy on issues that align with our mission of Empowering Voters and Defending Democracy is the heart of what we do. And while we can send emails and provide public comment, we must also advocate to our family, friends and neighbors, social groups, etc. and encourage them to contact their representatives as well.

Find your representatives here.

Find 2023-2024 NC House Leaders here.

Find 2023-2024 NC Senate Leaders here.

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

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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.

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LWV-Wake Update 5/15/2023