August Voter

THE VOTER

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF THE MIDLAND AREA

August 2017

Statement on Events in Charlottesville, August 12

This statement is from the LWVUS.

"Yesterday the world watched in horror as white supremacists gathered in Charlottesville, Virginia. There is no place for hatred and violence in our democracy and all leaders must condemn these acts of domestic terrorism. We must send a strong message that while the freedom of speech and the freedom of assembly are some of our most cherished rights and must be protected, those rights do not extend to what we witnessed yesterday. The League of Women Voters stands in solidarity with the victims of violence in Charlottesville and against white supremacism."

(http://lwv.org/press-releases/lwv-statement-charlottesville)

What Have We Been Doing?

Bay County Geographical Unit

A League geographical unit has been formed for Bay County. As a startup League, they will operate under the auspices of the LWV-Midland Area. Pam Saddler is the leader and welcomes all interested Bay County residents.

Redistricting - Where is the League?

The LWV of Michigan has released the following statement:

The League of Women Voters supports an Independent Commission as a solution to the problems with Michigan's current redistricting process. LWVMI is aware that other groups are thinking about a ballot proposal campaign. At this time, the League has not endorsed a ballot proposal or joined a coalition to do so. The LWVMI Board will evaluate the possibility of joining a ballot campaign based on the proposal and the probability of the campaign's success.

The important parts are:

League has not endorsed a ballot proposal or joined a coalition
The LWVMI understands that a successful campaign will need a strong coalition with an agreed upon proposal
The LWVMI is working with other groups to achieve these goals
The LWVMI is providing educational materials and presentations about redistricting and the issues involved

PROGRAM CHAIRS: If your group is interested in hosting an educational program, contact Sue McCollister. We have presenters available to given an educational presentation about redistricting for your small or medium size group.

New Board Members

President - Katherine Redwine

Treasurer - Karen Sherwood

Secretary - Julie Schmidt - also website

VP Membership - Judy McDowell

VP Program - Sharron Such

Director, Program Co-chair - Judy Donahue

Director, Voter Service - Sue McCollister

Director, Voter Service - Kim Steinke

Director, Natural Resources - Carole Swinehart

Director, Education - Terry Townley

Director, Voter Service - Al Bailey

Director, Natural Resources - Sandy Collinson

Director, Sandy Haughton

Director, Carol McPherson

Director, Bay County - Pam Saddler

Director, Print Media - Cathy Heng

Director at Large - Fran Hamburg

Upcoming Events

Registration of Students at Delta College

Aug 28-31, 10am - 2pm

We will again assist with voter registration of people at Delta College. If you want to take a shift, please contact Sue McCollister right away to be put on the schedule. Please note that there will be no evening hours this time.

Great Lakes Challenges and Solutions

Sept 19, 7pm

Chippewa Nature Center

Susan Dixon will discuss the need for protecting the Great Lakes federally and collectively. She will also update us on the Pipeline 5 issue. Suzanne s erved for the last 6 years as Director of Natural Resources on the State Board for LWVMI, guiding advocacy of the League and acting as a watchdog for Natural Resources Policy in Michigan.

Join Us!

The LWV of the Midland Area is a member of the LWV - Lake Michigan Region.