LWV-Wake Update 8/21/2023 |  | Dear ~~first_name~~,
Greetings from LWV-Wake.
In just 3 days, we will hold one of the most important events of the year, and we need your help to make it a successful event! To all of you who have purchased tickets and sponsorships...THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!! To see a full list of our Women's Equality Day sponsors, please scroll down.
NC and county Boards of Election are underfunded and rely on organizations like the League to educate voters about the new voter ID requirement and election laws. We are seeing an increase in outreach opportunities, however all of this work takes funding. Even if you cannot attend our event this Thursday, we would still very much appreciate your support through sponsorships.
Voter Services 2023-2024 Planning Meeting - August 28th
The voter services committee is ready to get back to work after taking a summer break. If you are interested in participating in upcoming voter registration and outreach opportunities, please register to attend.
Co-chair Johanne Christensen will provide an overview of upcoming projects and community presentations. We need volunteers to assist ahead of this year's municipal elections and to help prepare for next year's projects and candidate forums.To register, click on the link below:
LWV-Wake Day at NC Courage Women's Soccer
Through a partnership with NC Courage, we are able to offer our members discounted tickets to the August 27th game against the Chicago Red Stars. We will also be providing voter outreach prior to and during the first half of the game in the FanFest area of the soccer park. Volunteers are needed for tabling at this event. For more information and to purchase tickets, scroll to Events.
|  | | Thank you to all of our 2023 Sponsors!!
Diamond Sponsors - $1000
Nadine Carozzi
Cheryl & Henry Tung
| | Platinum Sponsors
$500
Mary Lelik
Jenny Kotora-Lynch & Jeff Lynch
Laurel Voelker
Dianna Wynn
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| Gold Sponsors
$300
Meredith & Clyde Lundy
Marie C. Moylan
Betsy & Jim Munroe
Mary Jane Slipsky
Eve & Tom Vitaglione |
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| Silver Sponsors
$150
Candace & Ron Blackley
Gary Bryant & Liz Simon Bryant
Pat Butler
Ben Clark
Dale Cousins
Dina Deaton
Nita L. DeNicola
Anita Earls
Karen E. Ferguson
Tom & Vicki Gerig
Mike & Jeri Gray
Robin Hammond
Ashley Jacobs
Holly Knox
Naomi & Charles Lambert
Marian Lewin
Kathleen Liebowitz
Judee Lonnee
Elaine Okal in Memory of Sheila Denn
Jack & Sally Pinnix
Mark & Terri Ring
Retta Riordan & Jack Clark
Anita L. Stejskal
Mary Thompson
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There is still time to add your name! To purchase a sponsorship, click on the link below:
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- September 20th 5:30pm - Timely Topics: Reproductive Rights & Abortion - Join us for our first Timely Topics program of the season. This event will feature guests Dr. Beverly Gray of Duke Obstetrics & Gynecology and Tara Romano, Executive Director of Pro-Choice NC. Register here.
- September 29th 11:30am - Affordable Housing Special Presentation - Join us for an informational session on efforts to end homelessness. Hannah Olsen and Beth Silverman from the Lotus Campaign will speak about efforts being made to create solutions by partnering with the for-profit sector. Register here.
- October 5th 9:30am-11:30am - Member Field Trip: Raleigh Fire Training Academy - Learn all about firefighting, fire prevention and Raleigh’s fire history. Watch the Raleigh Fire Cadets as they train to fight fires at the Raleigh Keeter Training Center. For more details and to register, click here.
- October 19th 12noon-1:30pm - Timely Topics: Article 5 and the Threat to the US Constitution - Join us IN PERSON at Highland Methodist Church as we welcome guest speaker Dennis Burns, chairman of the State Advisory Board for Common Cause NC. For more details and to register, click here.
|  | | League Leader Training
Are you interested in getting more involved with the largest League in NC? We need members to step up and become leaders in LWV-Wake! There are many opportunities for members to learn or put into to practice valuable skills with our organization.
We invite all committee Co-Chairs and other League members who are interested in being a Co-Chair or Board Member to join us. We will be discussing the 2023-2024 Operating Plan and talk about how our Committees can support the Wake League’s goals for this year. Lunch will be provided. To register, click on the link below:
|  | | LWV-Wake Day at NC Courage Women's Soccer
Sunday, August 27th 2pm
Join other Leaguers as we cheer the NC Courage professional women's soccer team! Through a partnership with NC Courage, we are able to offer our members and friends discounted tickets to the August 27th game against the Chicago Red Stars.
Tickets can be purchased by anyone using the special League discounted ticket link so be sure to share this link with friends. We hope to get a group of members to attend for an afternoon of fun.
LWV-Wake will be providing voter outreach (tabling) from an hour prior to kick off through the end of half time in their Fanfest area. We will distribute VOTE411 and election materials. Please see volunteer opportunities on our website for this event. To learn more about this event and to purchase tickets, click on the link below.
|  | | Hosts Needed for New Member Potlucks
In past years (pre-COVID), the Wake League held periodic potluck dinners in members’ homes as a way to meet and welcome new members. After a long hiatus, and with a continually growing membership, we’d like to resume these events, opening them to all members while especially encouraging newer members to attend.
To make this happen, WE NEED HOSTS! If you’d like to open your home to guests, all we ask of you is to set your table and prepare an entrée to feed them. Your house, your choice: brunch, lunch, dinner; meat, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free etc. We’ll promote it, register attendees, coordinate guests’ potluck contributions, and provide a facilitator.
Interested? If so, contact Karen Ferguson with your name, how many can sit around your dining table, and what part of Wake County you live in. As the Membership committee plans for 2023-24, we’ll reach out to prospective hosts with possible dates to hold potlucks and you can indicate what might work for you.
We look forward to hearing from you, and to sitting down to get to know more of our membership. You’ll enjoy that, too. Thanks!
|  | | NCGA Legislative Update
Last Wednesday, as expected the House passed the anti-voter bill SB 747 along party lines and sent the bill to Governor Cooper who issued a statement the following day.
There was limited public comment and all amendments that were proposed were immediately voted down. The committee hearing was hard to observe, as we know that the bill is a direct result of election deniers flexing their muscle with sympathetic legislators.
A veto by the Governor is likely to be overridden with the current super-majority. Read more about the House Committee on Elections and Campaign Reform's hearing from WUNC here.
Drafted with input from election-denying Trump lawyer Cleta Mitchell and Jim Womack, president of the North Carolina Election Integrity Team, election restrictions include (from Democracy Docket):
- Banning private funding for election administration,
- Shortening the timeline to return absentee ballots from three days after Election Day to 7:30 p.m. on Election Day,
- Transferring election crime investigations to the State Bureau of Investigation,
- Excluding any missing witness information from the categories of “curable deficiencies,”
- Allowing poll observers to freely move around polling locations, listen to conversations between voters and election officials and take photographs,
- Extending the deadline for challenging to mail-in ballots from Election Day to five business days after Election Day, and
- Requiring same-day registrants during the early voting period to vote on a “retrievable” ballot after providing required documentation at the polls. These votes will only be counted if the U.S. Postal Service is able to verify the voter’s address via a deliverable notice prior to the start of county canvass, which begins 10 business days after Election Day.
The bill will also launch a pilot program during the primary held in 2024 for signature verification on mail-in ballots. The State Board of Elections will select 10 counties of varying size, regional location and demographics. As part of the pilot program, ballots that fail the signature verification won’t be rejected for that reason (democracydocket.com).
The work of LWV-Wake will continue to be very important as we work to educate voters about the new voting restrictions leading up to the 2024 election. We encourage our members to become active in the League and help us to strengthen our organization to fulfill our mission of Empowering Voters and Defending Democracy.
Veto Overrides
Also last Wednesday, the NCGA voted to override vetos on six bills, including HB 218 Charter School Omnibus and HB 618 Charter School Review Board. Read more 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 | | 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. | |