September 21, 2026

Upcoming Events Highlights

Candidate Forums: Sep. 21 (today), Sep. 25 and Sep. 28. Forums will be livestreamed and available to watch later. More information below.

"Your Voice, Your Vote: Getting Election Ready": Wednesday, Sep. 30, at the FAMU ESUA Multi Purpose Room. An informative workshop on voter education and election readiness, hosted by Miss Black Florida USA 2026 and the LWVT. A pizza dinner will be provided. Please share with students in your network! This event is free but we recommend students and community members sign up 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.

Voter Registration Deadline: Oct. 5 is the deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 3 election. Visit LeonVotes.gov to register or make updates.

Big Bend Environmental Forum: Monday, Oct. 5, 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the LeRoy Collins Main Library. Candidates will answer questions about energy, the environment, and sustainable growth and development. Doors open at 5:15 for candidate meet and greet. Visit the BBEF website.

2nd Thursday Cocktails and Conversations: Thursday, Oct. 8, 5:30 p.m at Casa Grande Midtown (Joann Fabrics plaza across from Whole Foods). Join us for food, fun, and casual conversation about League issues and more.

Check out our full calendar here.

Speakers Bureau

Trish Neely, Immediate Past President, and Ernie Paine, Local Government Committee, presented on the proposed Florida Constitutional Amendments and local ballot measures including County Charter Amendments and School Board referendums.

October Hot Topic

University of Florida Political Science Professor Dan Smith will speak on "What to Watch For In the Final Days Before the Election." Professor Smith is a well-known expert on state ballot measures, campaign financing, redistricting, and electoral laws on voting and participation. He has served as an expert witness on dozens of legal cases dealing with voting rights in Florida and other states.

Thursday, Oct. 1

6:00-8:00 p.m.

American Legion Hall at Lake Ella

Tickets are $25 and may be purchased here.

6:00 Doors open*

6:20 Dinner served

*Due to limited setup time, we cannot accommodate guests before 6:00. 

Pictured: Trish Neely (LWVT Immediate Past President) and Dan Smith, recipient of the David King Defender of Democracy Award, League of Women Voters of Florida, January 2022

VOTE411

VOTE411.org has been updated with information on our local races for the Nov. 3 election. Please check it out and share with your networks.

Candidate Forums

To help voters make informed decisions, the League of Women Voters of Tallahassee and the Capital Region News Collaborative (CRNC), a partnership of six local media outlets, will host candidate forums before the 2026 general elections. Forums will be livestreamed and made available for replay by participating media outlets.

Watch live and find recorded forums at youtube.com/@WFSUPublicMedia

Today, Sep. 21: 11:00 a.m.-noon Leon County Commission District 3

Sep. 25: 11:00 a.m.-noon Tallahassee City Commission Seat 3; 1:00-2:00 p.m. Tallahassee City Commission Seat 4 (Mayor)

Sep. 28: 11:00 a.m.-noon Tallahassee City Commission Seat 5; 1:00-2:00 p.m. State Representative District 9; and tentatively 3:00-4:00 p.m. Leon County Commission District 5

The CRNC is supported by the Community Foundation of North Florida’s “Press Forward North Florida” initiative to bring together journalists, nonprofit leaders, educators and community stakeholders to identify local information needs and co-create sustainable solutions to enhance civic engagement and strengthen trusted local news.

Danielle Irwin, Local Government Committee Chair

A Look Back

The old archives for LWV Tallahassee tell a story filled with local and national studies and up to thrice monthly unit meetings (held in different locations around town) to tackle the work volume. These meetings were in addition to monthly action committee meetings and general operations. We bow to that stamina, then and now.

Those were the critical formative years when issues were being identified and public policy positions determined. Keep in mind, the national league was only 36 years old when we began forming our local league chapter in 1956. I won’t say that LWV was a one-trick pony even then – but through the intervening years we have broadened our public policy agenda considerably. And importantly in understanding the volume of past studies, both locally and nationally, is the League’s long-held practice of studying an issue and reaching grassroots consensus on a position before action may be taken.

By way of example of the volume, during the term of our second president, Dr. Juanita Gibson, our local chapter worked on four studies: US Policy, Water Resources, Public Schools, and Planning & Zoning. Only the latter was a local study; the others were national studies we participated in.

To give you an idea of the length and breadth of a study, our local Planning & Zoning study, begun in 1959 under Dr. Gibson, our second president, did not result in a position statement until 1961 during the term of Hortence Wells, our third president!

Positions are the foundation of our work. Once a position is established it must be followed until a new study is undertaken that results in a new position. Local Positions are memorialized and reside on our website on the Local Positions page; National Positions are memorialized in Impact on Issues. This is available on Amazon, but wait to purchase until LWVUS finishes the 2026-28 issue.

These are living documents, updated as new studies dictate, and are essential reading for every Leaguer.

A final important point: Neither local nor any state positions may be taken contrary to the national position on an issue. We call that speaking with one voice.

Trish Neely, Immediate Past President

Local government calendars