August 17, 2026

Upcoming Events Highlights

Aug. 18: Election Day! Find your precinct and more info here: LeonVotes.gov/Voting/Election-Day

September Hot Topic: Thursday, Sep. 3, 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the American Legion Hall. Topic: "Leon County Schools: Vouchers, Cutbacks, Taxes and More" featuring Sally Butzin and Rosanne Wood. Get tickets here.

October Hot Topic: Thursday, Oct. 1, 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the American Legion Hall. UF Professor Dan Smith will speak on "What to Watch For In the Final Days Before the Election." Tickets are $25 and may be purchased here.

Check out our full calendar here.

Speakers Bureau

September Hot Topic

The LWVT is proud to feature Rosanne Wood at our September Hot Topic.

Rosanne Wood, born in 1952, grew up in Belle Glade, Florida, where she witnessed firsthand the injustice of segregation and the struggles of migrant workers—experiences that inspired her lifelong commitment to public service and social justice.

She moved to Tallahassee in 1970 to attend Florida State University, where she earned a master’s degree in social studies education. In 1975, Rosanne became one of the founding teachers of the Alternative Learning Center (ALC), located in historic Frenchtown. The school was established on the belief that all students can learn and succeed when provided with a learning environment that meets their needs and interests. By 1978, she was named principal, and the school was renamed SAIL—School for Applied Individualized Learning. Under her leadership, SAIL became the first alternative school in the nation to earn full accreditation. It later evolved into the School for Arts and Innovative Learning with the move to its Jackson Bluff location. She served as principal for 32 years, making her both the youngest principal in Florida at the time and the longest-serving principal at the same school.

During her tenure, SAIL earned statewide and national recognition for its groundbreaking work. In 2010, the College Board recognized SAIL as one of the six best schools in the nation for “Innovation in the Arts.”

Following her retirement as principal, Rosanne continued her advocacy for public education. She was elected to the Leon County School Board in 2016 and has since been re-elected twice, with her third term extending through 2028. On the board, she has consistently championed the rights of vulnerable and disenfranchised students, supported LGBTQ+ protections, worked to ensure equity for Title One schools, and defended access to diverse literature for all students.

Rosanne’s civic engagement extends beyond the school system. She is a Past President and board member of the Council on Culture & Arts (COCA), was honored as one of the Tallahassee Democrat’s “Twenty-five Women You Need to Know,” and received the Aquilina C. Howell Award from the Tallahassee Urban League. Her portraits, taken by former SAIL photography teacher Becki Rutta, were featured in the LeMoyne Arts and FSU exhibits Women Among Us: Portraits of Strength

Joining Ms. Wood is Dr. Sally Butzin, past president of the LWVT, retired educator, and longtime education advocate.

We hope to see you at the September Hot Topic!

Thursday, Sep. 3, 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the American Legion Hall. Topic: "Leon County Schools: Vouchers, Cutbacks, Taxes, and More" featuring Sally Butzin and Rosanne Wood. Get tickets here. General admission $25. LCS Teachers: $15.

VOTE411

VOTE411.org has been updated with information on our local races. Please check it out and share with your networks.

Aug. 8 National Day of Action

Thank you to all who donated to our school supply drive as part of the August 8 National Day of Action to commemorate the Voting Rights Act. In addition to the engaging presentation on voting rights in the US and Florida by the Legal Defense Fund, we were able to provide a delicious dinner and school supplies for families. Any leftover supplies were donated to the nearby Bond Elementary School.

Alec Giufurta (Legal Defense Fund), Miriam Tellechea (LWVT), Rachel Carter (Legal Defense Fund), and Susan Lunin (LWVT) setting up for the National Day of Action event.

A Look Back

“The League of Women Voters seeks to promote informed and active citizen participation in government,” wrote LWVT president Mrs. Lewis Pankaskie in the Tallahassee Democrat in 1960 in response to a query about the services the League offered citizens. First among the services Mrs. Pankaskie listed was providing information about voter registration, voting procedures, and candidates running for office.

From its earliest years as a Tallahassee chapter, the League has been instrumental in encouraging voter registration and voting. Articles and letters to the editor in the Tallahassee Democrat, flyers placed in businesses around town, and TV and radio public service announcements promoted voter registration and provided information about where and how to register. On several occasions, the League worked to inform voters in newly annexed areas of the city about voter registration for city elections, including launching a telephone campaign to reach newly annexed voters. In 1971, League members even offered free rides to register to vote. Thanks to the League’s advocacy for combined registration for city and county residents, city and county residents today only need to register once with the County Supervisor of Elections.

Many of the same approaches used to encourage voter registration were also used to get out the vote. In addition, voter guides and candidate forums provided information about the candidates for voters. The Griper’s Permit was perhaps one of the more creative projects the Tallahassee League adopted to promote voting. This permit was handed out to voters coming out of the polls and read “As an informed voter, I am privileged to gripe about government.” After receiving one from a League representative, even Governor Claude Kirk was reported to have worn it to a cabinet meeting.

Gloria Colvin, LWVT New Citizens Initiative Chair

Local government calendars