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Hope you are having a refreshing and revitalizing summer. Although summer is not over, we are gearing up for empowering voters and defending democracy. Early fall 2025 will focus on the municipal elections across the Outer Banks towns. Tianna Stathis, Voter Registration, will be tabling at various venues to energize voters and Marcie Ries, Voter Services, will be organizing Candidate Forums for the towns with contested races. You can assist with these primary League efforts; just contact Tianna and Marcie and ask how you can help and read more below.
Tianna Stathis: tstathislwvdare@gmail.com
Marcie Ries: marcie.ries@gmail.com
As summer rolled on, much happened at our US Capitol. On July 4th, the President signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB), a bill that changes federal spending levels by stripping tens of millions of our most vulnerable neighbors of their health care and nutrition. The OBBB slashes vital programs like Medicaid, Medicare, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to pay for tax cuts that disproportionately benefit the wealthiest Americans. The League is planning programs for 2025-26 that review these safety-net programs and how they specifically affect our local community.
We are excited to begin the League’s year with a Kick-Off Fundraiser on Thursday, September 4, 2025, 5:30 – 8:30 pm, at the Acoustic Sunset Winedown, Sanctuary Vineyards (7005 Caratoke Hwy, Jarvisburg, NC). A portion of the proceeds go to our League, so come with your family and friends and catch up with your League colleagues.
Thank you for your support of League of Women Voters Dare County.
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On April 17, 2025, LWV CEO Celina Stewart and President Dianna Wynn released the following statement:
“From the flagrant disregard for congressional authority and governmental checks and balances to defying Supreme Court orders… one thing is abundantly clear: our country is in a constitutional crisis” “We the people must fight back. That is why the League of Women Voters is launching a powerful new initiative, Unite and Rise 8.5”
Over the next months, LWV Dare will follow the Unite and Rise 8.5 power playbooks to build a movement of individuals to unite and rise up against the anti-democratic actions of the US current administration.
The League defines a Constitutional Crisis as: When the executive, the legislative, or judiciary branches cannot or will not adequately protect the US Constitution, when there are explicit attempts to dismantle a functional democracy within any of the three branches, or when any level of federal government takes action to destroy democratic institutions in a manner that intentionally or purposefully jeopardizes the US Constitution.
Unite and Rise 8.5 will fight for our democracy on multiple fronts, from the courts to the streets. Here are a few actions you can take today (more to come – watch for emails from LWV Dare):
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Good news for our voter registration efforts. HB 127 which would criminalize voter registration drives by third parties and could result in a class 2 misdemeanor has been stalled! A hearing that was scheduled in early June was delayed and hasn't been rescheduled to our knowledge. Some articles have stated that news of protest efforts in opposition to the bill helped to force the hearing cancellation. We live to register voters for another day!
(To look up HB 127 and other bills being presented to the NC General Assembly, visit www.ncleg.gov/billlookup/.)
We are on the move with voter information booths starting in August. First, you can find us at National Night Out with the Kill Devil Hills Police Department on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, from 5-8 pm in the Lowe's parking lot (1500 N. Croatan Hwy.)
This annual event is a great opportunity to meet your local law enforcement officers, first responders, and neighbors in a fun, friendly environment. You'll also have a chance to connect with several public safety agencies including the Kill Devil Hills Fire Department and more! Enjoy police and fire vehicle displays, free giveaways, activities for kids, and public safety demonstrations with food, music and community camaraderie.
Next up on August 9, 2025, spend your Saturday with us at the Manteo Downtown Market on the Waterfront. Visit our booth from 9 am to 1 pm while shopping for local produce, handmade goods, baked treats, and coastal crafts.
Our final stop for August lands us at Soundside Market on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, from 9-1 pm at the Soundside Event site in Nags Head. This market has grown in size since its start up a couple of years ago and we are so happy to join our local artist community once again. We love helping our community to get ready for the election season.
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Our treasurers, Carol Sykes and Nancy Birindelli, collaborating with our capable member Karen Anderson, CPA, have completed the necessary paperwork to form our own non-profit 501(c)(3) foundation. Instead of your checks being deposited in the LWV-NC Citizens Education Fund at the State League, you will be making your contributions directly into our own local foundation!
Funds donated to our new LWV of Dare County Education Foundation will support certain work of our League which includes the annual Citizen’s Guide, Voter Service activities such as candidate forums, registration efforts, Vote411 initiatives, as well as educational presentations for our members and/or the community.
Additionally, all donations to the LWV of Dare Education Foundation are tax deductible!
If you would like to make a donation to our new Education Foundation, please click on the buttons below to learn more.
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Contributions to the operating budget of our League are also welcome. The money will be spent on other activities of our chapter. Instructions for making donations can be found by clicking on the buttons above. Note: Contributions to the operating budget are not tax deductible.
Questions? Please contact Carol (beginbuild@gmail.com) or Nancy (bbirindelli@aol.com).
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Though it may not seem so in these "dog days of summer," fall is not so far away and with the turning leaves come the League of Women Voters sponsored candidate forums.
The candidate forums are a major activity our Dare chapter undertakes every year as a service to the voters of our county. At the forums, citizens get to see candidates who are running for election in the 2025 Dare County municipal elections, ask them questions, and hear their views on issues voters care about.
The forums are scheduled to occur ahead of the start of early voting on October 16. The election will be on November 4.
This year, we will hold voter forums in Manteo, Kitty Hawk, Duck and Nags Head.
There will be opportunities to volunteer in different roles, from Greeter. to Timer, to working on the question review team.
No experience? No problem. We will hold a training session for all volunteers towards the end of August.
If you are interested, please email Marcie.Ries@gmail.com.
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Yes. The Equal Rights Amendment was passed by congress….
Yes. The ERA was duly ratified by ¾ of the states as the 28th Amendment….
Yes. 80% of Americans reject discrimination based on sex…
No. The ERA has not yet been published!
What is a polite way of saying we are being royally screwed?
The excuse politicians and judges have been hiding behind lies in the brief introduction to the Equal Rights Amendment. It imposed a deadline for ratification.
Nowhere in Article V is a deadline mentioned as a requisite for ratification.
- The 27th Amendment had a deadline in its introduction, too. The deadline was missed by 203 years but was published anyhow.
Article V also fails to mention any right to rescission once a state has ratified.
- Tennessee tried to rescind its vote for the 19th Amendment. Ha! Women have been voting for 105 years.
Some crow that the ERA is dead. No, it isn’t. It’s being battered, abused, bullied and tortured by people who should know much, much better.
Marco Rubio is acting Archivist. He could certify and publish the ERA tomorrow. Maybe we should go see him.
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Voter Registration and Information Events
National Night Out
Tuesday, August 5, 2025
5-8 pm (set up 4 pm)
Lowe’s parking lot
Downtown Manteo Market
Saturday, August 9, 2025
9am - 1pm (set up 8am)
Downtown Manteo Waterfront
Soundside Market
Wednesday, August 20, 2025
9am - 1pm (set up before 8 am)
Soundside Event Site in Nags Head
Board Meeting
August 20, 2025
10am - 12pm
Kitty Hawk Fire Station
LWV Dare Kick-Off
September 4, 2025
5:30 - 8:30pm
Sanctuary Vineyards
Jarvisburg, NC
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New Mailing Address
A new PO Box has been obtained, effective July 31, 2025. Address mail to:
League of Women Voters of Dare County (LWV-Dare)
P.O. Box 93
Kitty Hawk, NC 27949
Mail sent to the old PO Box 689 will be forwarded to the new PO Box 93.
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