January 2025 Voter

This issue is printable, clickable and will be available at LWVCDC.ORG

It's Not Too Late to Sign Up for Jan. 4 Gathering and Celebration

Our 2025 Gathering: Looking Forward & Celebrating Our League is being held as an in-person event on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025 at The Springhaven Club 600 S. Providence Rd., Wallingford. We are scheduled to begin the celebration at 11:30 am with lunch served at Noon in the Large Dining Room.

Come join in celebrating the work of the League of Women Voters and hear our presenter, Brett Dolente, LWVPA Member at Large, speak about the history of the Electoral College, the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact and the LWVUS One Person-One Vote Campaign to abolish the Electoral College.

To register, pick your entrée and pay, Click HERE

President's Message

Before we begin our volunteer efforts in 2025 it is important to review our efforts and activities during 2024 to advance the League of Women Voters Mission to Empower Voters and Defend Democracy.

For 2024, our League worked to “Make democracy Work” by:

Coordinating 50 voter registration drives and GOTV (Get Out The Vote) events involving 49 members equaling 2,420 volunteer hours.
Recording 5 Hot Topic Presentations with 333 Registered plus 433 Views on our YouTube Channel.
Interacting with 11 of our local legislators as part of our Legislative Advocacy.
Obtaining 4 Grants from the LWVUS and LWVPA for a total of $3,000 plus raised over $2,800 in fundraising and donations.
Promoting Vote411.org to inform voters about candidates and issues with accurate information.
Monitoring the election process to ensure free, fair and secure elections by attending Board of Election and Delaware County Council Meetings.
Working on the Democracy Truth Campaign with our Delaware County Library System, a project of the American Library Assoc. and LWVUS.
Communicating with members and the public through 85 website posts, 56 Constant Contact emails, 49 social media posts, and 13 Newsletters.
Working through our Board of Directors and our Committees totaling over 1,000 in volunteer hours.
Participating in 4 in-person events and 2 National Conventions totaling over 900 in volunteer hours.

As a member, you have the opportunity to be involved in things you care about. Consider joining one of Our Committees and registering for an upcoming event.

ALL of the achievements above plus more total over 7,000 volunteer hours by our members. Thank you for being a Champion of Democracy. ~ Anne Mosakowski

Delco League Presents Three-Part Program on Running for Office

The League of Women Voters of Delaware County is presenting a three-part program on Running for Local Office in preparation for the 2025 municipal election season.

The first of the series Toss Your Hat in the Ring will be held on Thursday, January 9, 2025 at 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM via Zoom. This presentation will give an overview of what you need to know about becoming an elected official.

To register for this session and find out about the other two parts, Click HERE.

We Lost a Giant of the LWV Community

Lora Lavin

At the Women's March, 2017

The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania expresses sincere and deep gratitude to Lora Lavin, a lifetime League member and former State Board member, who passed away on Dec. 4, 2024.

Inspired by the League’s support of the Equal Rights Amendment, Lora joined the League in 1973. In 1982, she joined the State Board and chaired the League’s Legalization of Gambling Study. She also served on committees to study Initiative and Referendum and Term Limits.

Lora was re-elected to the State Board in 2007, where she served as Vice President for Issues and Action. In this role, she spearheaded the League’s efforts to enact a redistricting reform amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution, led the League’s activities to implement the Help America Vote Act in Pennsylvania, and participated in the Pennsylvania Election Reform Task Force.

She was also the League’s representative on the Pennsylvania Voters Coalition, and was involved in organizing the Coalition’s election symposiums, which brings together activists from state and local organizations to explore ways to improve elections.

Up until her death, Lora was the co-chair of the League’s Election Law Review and Update Study Committee.

The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania and Fair Districts PA thanks Lora for her lifetime commitment to improving civic infrastructure and her dedication to expanding voting access across the Commonwealth.

Lora was also a college biology professor and an accomplished artist and did a lot of volunteer work for her Swarthmore community. Please join the League and FDPA in keeping Lora’s family in your thoughts. Read her Biography.

And a Member Who Was a Giant in the Media Community

Gail Whitaker, 81, was a relative newcomer to the league, having joined in 2021, but she was well-known to us as a leader and activist in Media and we often worked with her. She was a lawyer who served as the president of the Delaware County Bar Association, was vice president of the Media Borough Council and was an activist who fought injustice and helped others all her life.

In fact, she can be said to have been a founding member of the Media Fellowship House as she was "the babe in arms," when her mother, Maria, was refused service and walked out of a Media restaurant in 1944 followed by Quaker leader Dorothy Biddle James. Together Maria and Dorothy founded the Fellowship House. Gail was deeply involved with the Media Fellowship House for the rest of her life.

Read her obituary.

In Memoriam: The loss of Lora and Gail bring to six, the number of LWVCDC members we have lost in 2024. Earlier in the year we lost John "Jack" Cavanaugh, Madelon Sheff, Lois Hodge and Anna Everetts. If you would like to make a donation to LWVCDC's Legacy Fund in any of their memories, you can go to this page on our website or send a check made out to LWVCDC to PO Box 131,Wallingford PA 19086

Video of the Month: One Person, One Vote

As you will hear at our Jan. 4 gathering, the National League, together with our state and local Leagues, will be focusing like a laser over the next two years on the National Popular Vote Initiative and on sidelining or eventually repealing the Electoral College. Meet the person who will lead us there in this video.

Media NAACP Honors LWVCDC

The Media Area Branch NAACP honored LWVCDC at its 100th Jubilee dinner Nov. 8 along with five other organizations working to advance voting rights and equality. The League has long partnered with the NAACP on candidates forums and other programs important to both organizations. Accepting the NAACP's "Foot Soldier" Award are President Anne Mosakowski and Vice President Cathy Yungmann. Several League members attended the dinner. Here is Anne's acceptance speech.

Save the Date: The 2025 County Council Luncheon, hosted by our umbrella organization, LWV of Delaware County, will be Feb. 25 at the Springfield Country Club. More to come in the February newsletter.

The League Was Attacked and We Fought Back

Here are LWVCDC President Anne Mosakowski and LWVDC President Roberta Winters confronting Republican Election Board Member John McBlain (green tie) over a remark in a Republican newspaper ad that quoted him as saying the League is "the provisional arm" of the Democratic Party." Read our letter to the editor.

Legislative Advocacy in the Age of Gridlock

By Jodine Mayberry, Legislative Advocate

I went to Fair Districts PA's statewide conference Dec. 7 and attended a workshop on "Is Gridlock Inevitable?" Given that the Democrats hold the governorship and the House by a very, very narrow majority, while the Republicans hold the Senate by a wider majority, it looks like it is going to be gridlock all over again for the 2025-2026 legislative session. Here is my report:

Only 239 of 4,600 bills introduced in the Pennsylvania House or Senate were passed in the 2023-2024 session. Of those, many were trivial and only a handful were substantive.

Many were merely resolutions naming roads and bridges for local people or declaring this day or that week as You-Name-It Recognition Day or Week.

One of the less important bills made motorcycles part of the state automobile lemon law. Another, more important bill created a maternal mortality study commission in reaction to the state’s high maternal morality rate. Read More

International Study Committee

The International Relations Study Group of the League of Women Voters of Central Delaware County will meet Tuesday, Jan.14 at 12:30 pm at the Wesley Enhanced Living, 100 Halcyon Drive, Media Pennsylvania 19063. To generate discussion the group uses the 2025 Great Decisions Briefing Book resources put out by the Foreign Policy Association.

For additional information contact Joan Hazbun jchazbun6@gmail.com International Relations Committee Chair.

PO Box 131,

Wallingford, PA 19086

(610) 566 5474

Tell President Biden: Order the Archives to Publish the Equal Rights Amendment

Biden is still president and he could order the National Archives to publish the Equal Rights Amendment. The Archives is refusing to do it because Congress put a deadline for state ratification on the states' time to adopt the ERA and the deadline passed long ago. By contrast, the 27th Amendment was adopted nearly 200 years after James Madison proposed it. Click HERE to join LWVUS Campaign.

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