In this issue:

• Message from the Executive Committee
• Calendar of Upcoming Events
• Annual Meeting/Convention
• Recap of Past Events
• Voter Rights in Peril: Understanding the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Suite of Bills
• Running & Winning
• Committee Reports
• Voter Service
• Vote411.org
• Candidate Forums
• Voter Registration Drives
• Naturalization Ceremonies
• County Government
• Youth Engagement
• Students Inside Albany
• LWVW Board of Directors and Committee Chairs

May

• Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 10am via Zoom: LWVW EF Meeting followed by LWVW EC Meeting
• Sunday, May 17, 2026, through Wednesday, May 20, 2026, in Albany: LWVNYS Students Inside Albany (SIA) Conference
• Tuesday, May 19, 2026: School Budget Referendums and Board of Education Elections

June

• Wednesday, June 3, 2026, 7pm via Zoom: LWVW Candidate Forum for CD 17 Democratic Primary* TENTATIVE DATE
• Thursday, June 4, 2026, 5pm at Scarsdale Woman's Club: LWVW Annual Meeting/Convention
• Saturday, June 13, 2026 (Golden Day): Last day to register to vote through the online portal or in person at any early polling location in Westchester or for a mailed voter registration application to be received by the Westchester County Board of Elections
• Saturday, June 13, 2026 through Sunday, June 21, 2026: Early Voting for General Election
• Tuesday, June 23, 2026: Primary Election
• Wednesday, June 24, 2026 through Sunday, June 28, 2026 in Columbus, OH: LWVUS Convention

Jeanne Sheehan Zaino is a professor of Political Science and International Studies at Iona University. She teaches courses in political and social risk, voting, elections, public opinion, political parties, presidency, congress, the courts, civil liberties, constitutional law, media and politics, social statistics, data analysis and research methods, among others. During her tenure at Iona, she has served as Dean of the School of Arts and Science, Director of the Honors Program, and Chair of the Political Science Department.

A pollster by training, she is also political contributor with Bloomberg News, a Democracy Visiting Fellow at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard Kennedy School, a Senior Democracy Fellow with the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, an affiliated faculty member with the Institute for Thomas Paine Studies, a member of the International Advisory Board for South Asia Research, and author of several books and articles, including American Democracy in Crisis: The Case for Rethinking Madisonian Government Post January 6 (Palgrave MacMillian 2025). Along with four colleagues at Iona who form the Data Science working group she was awarded a three-year grant from the National Science Foundation’s Division of Undergraduate Education for a project entitled “Data Science for Future Leaders.” She is also a playwright, whose most recent work, Motherland, is a courtroom drama that depicts the real life trial of Madan Lal Dhingra in Great Britain in the early twentieth century.

Zaino holds a PhD and MA in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, an MPA in Survey Research and Data Analysis from the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research at the University of Connecticut, Storrs (now moved to Cornell University), as well as a BA in Political Science and Mass Communications, which was earned as a University Scholar at the University of Connecticut.

Voter Rights in Peril:

Understanding the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Suite of Bills

On Tuesday, April 16, 2026, LWVW member Mike Maria led a special pop-up presentation on the SAVE suite of bills, three major pieces of legislation introduced during the 119th Congress that would require individuals to present documentary proof of citizenship (DPOC) to register and/or vote:

• the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which passed the House in 2025 and would require citizenship documentation to register to vote, and, more recently
• the SAVE America Act (H.R.7296) and the Make Elections Great Again (MEGA) Act (H.R.7300), which require voters to present DPOC both at registration and at the polls, prohibit ranked choice voting for federal offices, and prohibit counting of early mail/absentee ballots received after the close of polls on election day.

For those who missed the live presentation, the video is available to view on demand.

Running & Winning

On Thursday, April 16, 2026, LWVW hosted its annual Running and Winning Program for female sophomores, juniors, and seniors in Westchester County. The program supports students’ aspirations to seek public office, develop their leadership potential, and increase gender parity in government institutions.

This year, 84 students registered to attend the event, representing 26 high schools across Westchester County. All but one of those schools were public and 37 students came from the nine high schools in Yonkers School District. 26 elected officials also RSVP'd to attend. Although state representatives were unable to participate because the Legislature was still in budget negotiations, the program included representatives from the following local governments:

• Westchester County Board of Legislators (3), 
• Cities of Mount Vernon (2), Rye (2), White Plains (1), and Yonkers (2),
• Towns of Greenburgh (1), Mamaroneck (2), Mount Pleasant (1), Ossining (1), Pelham (2), Rye (2)
• Villages of Irvington (2), Larchmont (1), Tuckahoe (1), and Mount Kisco (2)

The day began with a keynote presentation by Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard, followed by a Westchester political trivia game. Students then participated in three rounds of interviews with elected officials to learn why the officials chose public service and to better understand the benefits and realities of seeking and holding office. In the afternoon, students took part in a campaign exercise in which each table represented a Westchester municipality, selected an issue to campaign on, and presented its platform to the group. The event was well attended, and LWVW received positive feedback from both students and elected officials about the program’s impact and value.

This program was made possible by a generous grant from The NY Community Trust and the financial assistance from Silver Sponsor: The Campaign School at Yale University and Bronze Sponsors: the American Association of University Women (Westchester County Branch), Westchester Library System, and Westchester Women’s Agenda.

Vote411

Vote411.org is populated year round with candidate and ballot information for each national, state, and municipal election and primaries, including the most recent village elections that were held on Wednesday, March 18, 2026.

At this juncture, it will not house information about board of education elections on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, though that is the next voting opportunity on the busy election calendar.

The site will go live again in time for the primary on June 23, 2026.

In between elections, while the site is being updated, users will see a placeholder message that "election info not available yet." Have no fear, thanks to the voter service committee members, the site will be ready in time for early voting.

Help spread the word about this important resource by telling your family, friends, and neighbors across the country about LWV's online voter guide. To learn more about or join in this behind-the-scenes effort, contact Voter Service (Vote411) Chair Mary Kirsch.

Candidate Forums

Candidate forums are taking place over the next few weeks for school board elections and then more are in the works for the June primary. For a very reasonable fee, LWVW provides league-trained moderators to outside organizations so they may host candidate forums in the regions of Westchester not covered by one of our eight local leagues.

Alice McNamara (LWV of the Rivertowns) has been diligently coordinating the moderator schedule and Debbie Reisner (LWV of Rye/Rye Brook/Port Chester) has just completed another round of moderator training sessions to increase the number of moderators available for assignment.

Plans are underway for LWVW and LWV of Rockland to host a forum for candidates whose names will appear on the ballot in Congressional District 17's Democratic Primary. Tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at 7pm, the event will be held via Zoom webinar, live streamed, and recorded for subsequent viewing. Consistent with league policy, the moderator will not be a constituent of CD 17. Many thanks to Susan Maggiotto (LWV of the Rivertowns) and all those on her LWVW candidate forum committee for their efforts. Stay tuned for information on how to register to attend the virtual event.

Voter Registration Drives

Voter registration and pre-registration drives are being scheduled to take place midday at local high schools in areas not geographically within any of the eight local leagues. Volunteers are needed for the following dates and locations, with more to be added in the near future:

• Monday, May 11, 2026 at Harrison High School
• Tuesday, May 12, 2026 at Mount Vernon High School
• Monday, May 18, 2026 at Denzel Washington School of the Arts

To join LWVW's voter registration outreach, please complete the Voter Registration Volunteer Sign-Up Sheet to be contacted by LWVW Voter Registration chair Joan Alexander (LWV of New Rochelle) with dates, times, and locations of events as they are scheduled.

Thanks to a voter service grant from LWVUS, LWVW will be producing voter-themed stickers to adorn laptops and water bottles for distribution to high school and college students.

Naturalization Ceremonies

The League of Women Voters has a long history of participation at naturalization ceremonies around the country. Unfortunately, this past year proved challenging for many leagues, including LWVW. Here in Westchester, four ceremonies were cancelled by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in 2025. Thankfully, ceremonies resumed in January and have been continuing on schedule ever since.

On a rotating schedule coordinated by co-chairs Barbara Shore and Diane Tabakman (both of LWV of White Plains), LWVW and the eight local leagues have sent two volunteers to the Westchester County Courthouse to welcome approximately 100 new citizens each month at the uplifting ceremonies. As they are sworn in, each naturalized citizen receives a voter registration form along with their naturalization papers from the presiding Judge and County Clerk. They are next welcomed and congratulated by LWVW members. Thanks to a voter service grant from LWVUS, LWVW has been able to hand out LWVW-branded colorful postcards containing important voting information and details about Vote411.org to every newly minted citizen. The Board of Elections is stationed immediately outside the courtroom to conduct voter registration and collect their completed forms.

LWVWP President Alan Cass best described the ceremony he recently attended as follows: “I know that many of you have participated in this ceremony, but for those who haven’t, I’ll describe it simply as…inspiring. I can think of no better living example of “Democracy in Action” than watching 98 people, each with their own journey, sworn in as United States citizens. The diverse audience alone was a reminder that the goal of becoming an American citizen reached far across borders and oceans.”

Youth Engagement

Upcoming Event for Students: Students Inside Albany

LWVW and LWVW's SIA chair Deb Pekarek (LWV of Scarsdale) are pleased to announce the selection of Nathaniel Nolan, a junior at Westlake High School in Thornwood, to attend the annual LWVNYS Students Inside Albany (SIA) conference from Sunday, May 17, 2026, through Wednesday, May 20, 2026. This conference is an intensive training designed to immerse students in the process by which public policy is proposed, enacted and changed in New York State and educate them as to how they can influence and affect this process. Additionally, students are afforded the opportunity to observe Assembly and Senate sessions and to shadow both their Assembly members and Senators.

Officers:

3rd Vice President: Louise Perez (Larchmont/Mamaroneck), 2024-26

Treasurer: Mary Beth Gose (Scarsdale), 2024-26

Board of Directors (elected):

Mary Pat Campbell (Northwest Westchester), 2024-26

Crystal Joseph (Rivertowns), 2024-26

Board of Directors (appointed):

Diane Baylor (Scarsdale), 2025-26

Mary Kirsch (New Castle), 2025-26

Susan Schwarz (Rivertowns), 2025-26

Portfolio and Committee Chairs:

Annual Local Program: Mary Kirsch (New Castle)

Bylaws, Policies & Procedures: Diane Baylor (Scarsdale)

Communications/Technology: Diane Baylor (Scarsdale)

Communications (Social Media): Robyn Weintraub (Rye/Rye Brook/Port Chester)

County Government: Mary Pat Campbell (Northwest Westchester)

Development/Fundraising: Robyn Weintraub (Rye/Rye Brook/Port Chester)

Directory of Officials: Diane Baylor (Scarsdale)

LWVW Budget: Pam Scobbo Alvi (New Castle)

Naturalization Ceremonies: Barbara Shore (White Plains) and Diane Tabakman (White Plains)

Nominating Committee: Liz Rotfeld (Rye/Rye Brook/Port Chester)

Running & Winning: Dana Post (Larchmont/Mamaroneck)

Speaker Programs (Annual Meeting, Holiday Luncheon): TBD

Students Inside Albany: Deb Pekarek (Scarsdale)

Voter Service (Candidate Forums): Susan Maggiotto (Rivertowns)

Voter Service (Moderator Scheduling): Alice McNamara (Rivertowns)

Voter Service (Moderator Training): Deborah Reisner (Rye/Rye Brook/Port Chester) and C. Michele Shivers (Rye/Rye Brook/Port Chester)

Voter Service (Registration Drives): Joan Alexander (New Rochelle)

Voter Service (Vote 411/Inter-League Coordination): Mary Kirsch (New Castle)

Youth Engagement: Crystal Joseph (Rivertowns)

Youth Engagement (Youth Corps Student Leader): Maya Barmecha (Scarsdale) and Eliza Fink (New Castle)

Local League Presidents:

Larchmont/Mamaroneck: Louise Perez and Elisabeth Radow

New Castle: Leslie Kuhn

New Rochelle: Joan Alexander

Northwest Westchester: Teri Lukin and Kathy Meany

Rivertowns: Susan Maggiotto

Rye/Rye Brook/Port Chester: Roz Carvin and Liz Rotfeld

Scarsdale: Beth Cukier

White Plains: Alan Cass

League of Women Voters of Westchester

520 White Plains Road, Suite 500, Tarrytown, NY 10591

westchesterlwv@gmail.com | 914-366-7312