Read the May VOTER from Your Local League: News You Won't Get Anywhere Else

May 2015

PRESIDENT'S LETTER

Happy New League Year!

Julie Kessel

President 2015-2016

First, let me thank you all for re-electing me as your president, and for providing an incredible slate of officers and directors for this new league year. We are honored to serve in this remarkable organization.

We also want to give our thanks to three members rotating off of the board: Pat Wood, who has been very

Pat Wood

active in our Membership and Voter Service Committees, Jack McCullough, our legal consultant and parliamentarian extraordinaire through the year, and Karen Knop, who spearheaded our voter registration and felon rights restoration efforts this year.

Over the last years, I have come to know the League

Jack McCullough

through my role as secretary, first vice president, and last year as president. I must admit I was a reluctant leader last year. And this work has been challenging. But I will say that it is clearly the best and most important work that I have done in our community. I have learned so much, and gotten to know some of the most

Karen Knop

interesting, compassionate, smart, and committed people I have ever known. I am deeply grateful for the experience of this past year, and look forward to the year to come.

I could not have led our organization this past year without the

Karen Coale

commitment of our board, the guidance of our two immediate past presidents, Karen Coale and Darden Rice, our incredible communications team, our voter service committee leaders, our ad hoc committee members on the audit, budget, nominating, and reading committees, and the hard work of

Darden Rice

the members this year who became so very involved. I am extremely grateful to all of you.

If you weren't able to make the annual meeting/luncheon, you can still share in our excitement and in the success of the League. Visit our website where you can review our accomplishments for the year and read about the content of the annual meeting. You can also read comments introducing our first annual Babette Husick Community Action Awardee, Gypsy Gallardo, and our special guest speaker, Rob Lorie, and see clips of Rob speaking to the issues of the civic engagement, journalistic integrity, and social justice.

We are very excited with our Program elements for the 2015/16 League year, in which we will continue the following work:

Closing the Gap in Health Care

Offering a robust suite of Voter Service educational programs including candidate forums, voter registration, and the publication of our on line voter guide

Continuing as a leader in the People's Trash Coalition for universal curbside recycling and partnering with the city to ensure a successful public education campaign, program launch, and the development of meaningful metrics to track success and opportunities for improvement.

Supporting our International Relations and Immigration workgroups as they continue their discussions and monitoring of relevant legislative events

Establishing a Social Justice working group as follow-up to the recommendations that came out of the Program Planning Meeting in February

I look forward to a wonderful year together and look forward to hearing from you about your interests, and seeing you at one of our next events.

Thank you for all that you do.

In League,

Julie

Online Voter Registration: Embrace Technology, Engage Students

by Raechel Garafalo

Voter Service Chair

My "surrogate" daughter, Kristen, is in her freshman year at the University of Florida working toward a degree in Pharmacy. Last month I drove up to spend a couple of days with her in her tiny apartment that she shares with a roommate. While there, she took me around

Raechel Garafalo

campus and described her average day. As we walked the expansive campus--sans her usual two round-trips per day by bus between her apartment and campus--I was struck by how little time Kristen has for life outside of school and how much she uses her smart phone to manage her affairs.

She transacts banking and bill paying, finds her way around Gainesville, and completes coursework research and assignments from anywhere. She doesn't even own a printer. While there, I'd intended to encourage Kristen to register to vote. I was all ready to go into my spiel about how students tend to be an underrepresented voting block and that the best way to have a voice in local policy and the issues that most directly impact her daily life is to register and vote where she lives. However, I just couldn't reconcile the fact that I would be asking Kristen to participate in a system that has dismissed her most integral mode of operation, mobile technology.

I wonder if young people feel government is dismissing them by not embracing online voter registration (OVR). Last month, in a rare meeting of the minds, an OVR bill passed both chambers of the Legislature and is waiting to be signed by Governor Scott, who has expressed reservations, despite the measure's unanimous support by all 67 Supervisors of Election and the fact that, in Arizona, OVR has reduced the cost of processing a registration from 83 cents to 3 cents. Whether the bill passes or not, I know I'll soon be talking with Kristen about registering to vote locally. I hope I'll also be able to report that Florida can be counted among the other twenty two states that have implemented OVR legislation.

NOTE:

Since this writing, Governor Scott signed Online Voter Registration SB 228 into law on May 15, 2014.

Immigration

Eagle escaping from cage as symbol and metaphor for human freedom

We Won't Back Down: Continuing Our Efforts for the Human Rights of Undocumented Immigrants

by Karen Coale, Immigration Working Group Chair

With no movement on federal and state immigration legislation, our group is considering work on the following immigration-related issues:

LOCAL: Relationship of Pinellas County Sheriff's Department with Immigration and Customs Enforcement
FLORIDA/NATIONAL: Impact of privatizing holding prisons for deportees

At the state level, the LWVF Immigration Committee sent a letter to Attorney General Bondi protesting Florida's participation in the Texas lawsuit against the Executive Orders that President Obama announced on November 20, 2014. The purpose of the two orders is to provide deportation relief to immigrant families. DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and DAPA (Deferred Action for Parental Accountability) were put on hold by a Texas court using an administrative procedure. The U.S. Department of Justice is fighting this. Bottom Line: This a federal issue and the League does not want the State of Florida using taxpayer funds to fight federal lawsuits. LWVF President Deirdre MacNab and Board Member Elizabeth Pines co-signed the letter.

We also prepared an Immigration Fact Sheet to be distributed at Convention, and are offering to deliver the Immigration Speakers' Bureau presentation around the state.

Planning ahead for the 2016 legislative session, here are additions to LWVF Issues for Action regarding immigration:

Support granting drivers licenses to undocumented immigrants
Support interim temporary measures by Executive Order, such as DACA and DAPA, to benefit the undocumented in Florida

Locally, we look forward to conducting an educational event on an immigration-related topic in late January 2016.

Our Working Group founder Sue Schulz is moving to Texas, and we are looking for a new co-chair. Good luck, Sue, and thank you for the wisdom and experience you have brought to our League and this group in particular.

You can make an impact in what's going on in our group. Join us, become educated about immigration issues, and have some fun. For more information email me at [email protected].

Universal Curbside Recycling

We Didn't Back Down:

Curbside Recycling Begins in July

by Karen Coale, LWVSPA People's Trash Representative

The rollout of recycling bins to single and multi-family residences of up to four units blue recycling bin. began on May 4th in St. Petersburg. Collection will be phased-in starting in July.

This is a very exciting moment for all who have advocated for this project. In the summer of 2012 our then LWVSPA President, Darden Rice, suggested that we pursue this project by having a study conducted on the feasibility of substantially increasing recyclable waste in St. Petersburg. The board approved a contract to hire a well- respected firm in this field to provide that information to us. Based on their findings, the LWVSPA Board decided to move forward. A community coalition was formed, a communications plan developed, and at a press conference in April 2013, we kicked off the campaign to bring recycling to St. Petersburg.

It has been an interesting and informative journey, and with persistence and help from each of you, our People's Trash Coalition paid off. In November 2014, the ordinance for recycling service and the funds to purchase recycling bins and trucks was approved by City Council.

Now those bins are being delivered. It is critical that we fully participate and encourage our friends, families, and neighbors to do so as well. Together we are the key to significantly reducing garbage by increasing uncontaminated recyclable waste. Read the instructions on your bins and fill them up with the appropriate waste. Our collective challenge is to reduce our trash by 50% and save the City and ourselves $37.50 for each ton of garbage that goes away.

If you have any questions, please contact me at [email protected].

Member Directory Availa
ble

address book flat icon, christmas button

In response to member requests, we are making available a downloadable (printable) member directory. For privacy reasons, this directory is available to members only. If you would like a copy, please email the office . Likewise, if you prefer that your contact information not be made available to the membership, email us .

Just in case you missed it, at our annual meeting, our members accepted the change to our bylaws recommended by the Bylaws Committee and the Board of Directors. Here is the change:

ARTICLE VIII. FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION

Sec. 1. Fiscal Year. The fiscal year of the League of Women Voters of the St. Petersburg Area shall be from April 1 to March 31.

Sec. 2. Dues.

(a) Annual dues shall be set at the Annual Meeting by vote of the membership and shall be due and payable on or before each member's anniversary date. Approval of dues shall include creation of dues categories with differing levels of payment recommended by the Board. [04/15]

(b) Dues are paid by new members when they initially join the League, which becomes their anniversary dates. [04/15]

(c) Any member whose dues have not been received by two months after their anniversary date shall be dropped from membership on that date, unless this action is countermanded by the board of directors. [04/15]
(d) During the first year of transition to anniversary date renewals, dues will be pro-rated based on last payment date. [04/15]

For example, if you originally joined the League in the month of May, you will be receiving an invoice for your yearly dues, prorated based on the month in which you last paid your dues. Most members have renewed in the fall during our annual membership drive. If you paid your dues in October, you have used 7 months of your membership (October, November, December, January, February, March, and April. You will receive credit for the 5 months left on your membership (May, June, July, August, September) and will be billed for 7 months of membership. Your next dues payment--for 12 months--would be due in May 2016.

Please email or call the office (727-896-5197) if you have questions. Statements for May renewals will be mailed within the next week.

Volunteer Opportunity:

Easy/Work from Home/No Pay

To help increase the usefulness of our website and build interest in the League, your Communications Team is looking for a few volunteers to give feedback on our website.

Here's the 411 on the "job:"

- Our Team will occasionally (no more than once per month--probably less) send a very, very brief assignment asking you to view and use one particular aspect of our website.

- Complete the assignment in your free time (we're talking a few minutes here) and send us your feedback about your experience using the website. We need honest, objective feedback to enable us to make our website user-friendly and appealing.

That's it! To volunteer, just email us. Questions? Call the office, 727-896-5197.

We Make a Difference

We need your support to continue our work in the community and at state and national levels. Whether you want to be an active member or a supporting member, your dues help advance the League's mission.

We offer five levels of membership:

Carrie Chapman Catt (Gold) for $250
Susan B. Anthony (Silver) for $125
Household for $78
Individual for $52
Student for $26

It's easy to join or renew. Pay online using PayPal, or, if you prefer, mail a check payable to LWVSPA to this address:

LWVSPA

POB 11775

St. Petersburg, FL 33733-11775

A large percentage of what you pay for an individual membership goes to support our state and national Leagues. By selecting the new Gold or Silver membership level, most of your dues will help support the work of our local League.