LWV Charleston Area Newsletter | Nov.-Dec. 2024

Save These 2025 Dates:

• Monday, Jan 20 morning - Martin Luther King Day Parade, downtown Charleston. Walk or ride with fellow LWV supporters as we continue to defend Democracy! Fact: In 2025, MLK Day falls on Inauguration Day. Time and meetup place details to come. Contact Judy Peper for more info.

• Sat. Jan 25 at 3pm, LWV Winter Membership Social -details below!

• Sat. Feb 1, LWVSC LEAD Advocacy Day (Columbia)

• Sun. March 2 at 2pm, Terrace Theater on James Island: Majority Rules, a thought-provoking documentary screening and Talkback with Better Ballot SC and LWV Charleston. Learn how Ranked Choice Voting election reform has impacted voter choices, primary slates, and general election outcomes in Alaska and elsewhere. This issue will be on the SC legislative agenda in 2025! The screening is organized by Advocacy Director Susan McHugh, and presented with support from Unite America, a nonpartisan philanthropic venture fund. Watch for sign-up page in early 2025.

LWV Charleston's Winter Social will be held on Saturday, January 25 from 3:00-4:30 pm at the Cynthia Hurd Library, 1735 N. Woodmere Drive, Charleston 29407. We look forward to seeing the full membership for a casual gathering to recap our election season efforts and kick off the new year.

The Spirit of Democracy Award winners will be announced and presented to two local leaders at this event!

Starting now and culminating at the meeting, we will be holding a Winter Book Drive for elementary students at EB Ellington Elementary in Ravenel. Please donate a suggested book from this Amazon gift registry, and have it sent to LWV's Judy Peper through the site... or bring a suitable book of your choice to the meeting!

We're all hearing a lot about the election results. Why didn't polling accurately reflect voter sentiment, why did fewer people show up to vote than in 2020, why are the national results not mirrored in down ballot races in some swing states, and what was the role of misinformation and social algorithms in shaping voter beliefs? Many are wondering what do to during this transition period. Watch the news or take a break? Stay on Twitter/X or seek new horizons on BlueSky? Lay low or be vocal?

What we do know is that we had a free and fair election. Voters were heard and our election systems worked. Nationwide, LWV played its part, making 30 million voter contacts, protecting the rights of more than 9 million voters through litigation, and informing more than 9 million voters through VOTE411.

While remaining true to its mission as a nonpartisan political group, the League believes that the 2024 results were not friendly to women's equality and the rights of marginalized communities. LWV will remain particularly active in the fight for women's reproductive and healthcare rights, economic security, and equal representation.

See the US League's statement on the Election Results.

URGE ACTION NOW ON THE ERA!

LWVUS has called on President Biden to tell the US Archivist to publish the Equal Rights Amendment, which has been fully ratified since 2020. The Amendment will protect equal rights under the law regardless of sex, and can be added to the US Constitution with one action. You can call for this too by adding your name to the League's request. Read more here and fill out this form.

About Candidate Forums

Some have asked how we put together our virtual and in-person candidate forums during election season. VP Jeri Cabot explains.

What is the purpose of a candidate forum?  Forums let voters hear first-hand about candidates’ backgrounds, qualifications, how they identify key issues, and what solutions they propose. It can be difficult for local citizens to learn about candidates for their state legislature, local school board, and city or county councils. The League and its forum partners (along with our local media) play a critical role in addressing this information need. Candidates get to connect with constituents to deliver information without filters, and voters get the opportunity to make their own assessment based on what they hear. 

What are the steps in planning a candidate forum? We start by reviewing candidate filings with the Board of Elections to look for Tri-County districts that have at least two candidates vying for a seat. We look to identify races whose candidates represent change or novel approaches to governing. Often we partner with other well-established organizations, and sometimes we produce forums on our own. Our 2024 partners included The Links, Inc,; NAACP; NCNW; Charleston and Berkeley County Chambers of Commerce; Climate Action League; Charleston Jewish Federation; and Sierra Club. Each partner brings experience, contacts, and perspectives. We collaborate on identifying suitable dates and venues, inviting candidates, selecting moderators, developing and vetting questions, and organizing timekeepers and behind-the scenes (or behind-the-screens) support. We create promotion materials and use our respective membership communications, email, and social media channels to promote attendance.

What makes a good forum? Key factors include strong candidate and audience participation; timely questions that elicit thoughtful answers; a favorable venue and acoustics; and the ability to produce a quality video recording for later viewing. Partners can help to recruit experienced moderators - such as broadcasters Raphael James, Carolyn Murray, or Tessa Spencer - whose professional skills guide better candidate discussion. The Links, Inc. administered attendee evaluations at some events this year. A majority rated the forums as excellent or good!

Candidate forums remain one of the most effective ways that the League serves local communities and engaged voters. In 2024, our virtual and in-person forums were overseen by Director Heidi Hupp. 👏👏

Election misinformation and disinformation campaigns may have had unprecedented impact on voter perceptions this year, making it difficult for voters to agree on common truths. An analysis from the nonpartisan News Literacy Project's Dashboard yields these key findings about viral election misinformation content shared online:

• Lies travel faster than truth.
• The most common falsehoods were about candidates' popularity and fitness.
• The effect of AI in messaging wasn't as prevalent as researchers predicted.
• News literacy skills make a difference; all types of election misinformation can be debunked when basic news literacy skills are applied.

For more details about these findings, read this blog post and for resources you can use year round, visit the Truth and Democracy page on our website.

Nationally the League of Women Voters advocates prominently for healthcare reform. For the Charleston League, healthcare policy is a priority issue, whether addressing reproductive rights, Medicaid expansion, or quality healthcare for all Americans. This support takes the form of healthcare awareness, education, and/or advocacy.

Our League is currently rebuilding our Healthcare team. On November 7, we had the opportunity to attend the Tri-County Health Symposium led by representatives from MUSC, Roper, and the Trident United Way. This health partnership was begun in 2016 to better serve the community. The themes of the symposium were health equity and collaboration, with presentations covering issues such as maternal health, comprehensive school health programs, health plans for community entities, and results-based accountability.

Symposium leaders reinforced the need for attendees to complete the Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) in early 2025. This assessment will also include focus group and interview components. It will help Tri-County Health identify and address critical health priorities in the region and guide their continued work.

Interested in knowing more or joining LWVCA's healthcare team? Contact Paula Egelson.

LWVCA has joined the Stamp Out Hate Coalition, which is comprised of dozens of organizations, faith communities, and municipalities that support the passage of a Hate Crime Bill in South Carolina. LWVSC is also a member statewide. By joining the Coalition, we affirm our belief that committing a criminal act motivated by hate for someone because of their real or perceived race, religion, nationality, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability is unacceptable. As a non-partisan coalition, we will not support a law that does not protect all targeted groups of people.

South Carolina is one of only two states that has failed in efforts to pass a hate crime statute, although the limited data available to the FBI from South Carolina has indicated an increase in hate crime. We will call on the 126th General Assembly of South Carolina to act against hate. Contact Susan McHugh, Advocacy Director, for information.

REMINDER: Please renew your membership for fiscal year 2024-25 or join! Click below to pay online. Or mail a check for $50 ($75 for household memberships) to LWV Charleston, PO Box 20173, Charleston, SC 29413. Questions? Email to Vote@LWVCharleston.org. Thanks for your support!

The next virtual LWV Charleston Board meeting

will be held on January 7, 2025 at 6pm. Please contact

Paula Egelson for the Zoom link if you'd like to observe.

˙The newsletter will resume in January!

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Issue Contributors:

Jeri Cabot, Paula Egelson, Cara Erickson,

Susan McHugh, Judy Peper

Newsletter Editor: Cara Erickson