By Janice Garry
Dear Communications Chair,
We showed up. At the Legislative Delegation on 10/25/23, there were plenty of Leaguers in the audience. I shared the views of the League on a number of issues and the audience erupted in vigorous applause, with some people standing in ovation. The chair had to gavel them down. Long-time League member, Donna Waller, explained her role in the City Charter Review in 2021, which involved thirteen reviewers who approved minor changes to the city charter, but largely confirmed the soundness of the document for city government. She stated that the Florida Legislature has trampled on the charter, and she asked them to leave it alone during the upcoming session. You can watch both speeches here. Our League will not be silenced.
We want to get out the vote during the upcoming election season. Toward that end, the November 28 Board & Leadership Meeting at 6 p.m. on Zoom will be devoted to brainstorming ideas to register voters and get them to vote. Got ideas? Join us. All are welcome. Let me know if you would like to attend.
There is no Board & Leadership Meeting in December. So next we pounce into 2024 and the election season with plans for Lobby Days, candidate forums, VOTE411.org uploading, Voter Guide production, and plenty of community outreach. We can’t have too many players on the field. Please make plans to join the team. There is a position for every player.
And finally, as we pause to celebrate the day of the year when we give thanks, whisper a word of thanks to this beautiful planet that is the foundation for our lives of bounty.
In League,
Janice
[email protected]
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Gun Violence Prevention Presentation
December 12 at 6:30 p.m.
via Zoom
LWVAC is creating a Gun Violence Prevention Committee. Their first meeting will feature guest speaker Barbara Markley, Esquire, gun safety advocate and Co-chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Committee at the LWV of Broward County. Barbara will discuss the "Lock it Up!" gun safety program that has distributed 30,000 free gun locks in Broward County. Everyone is welcome. Learn about the LWVBC program and what YOU can do to advance gun safety. Please contact Gwendolyn Saffo for the Zoom link.
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LWVAC Holiday Party
December 16 from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
at Jon Reiskind's Home
213 SW 41st Street
Gainesville, FL 32607
As a reminder, the LWV of Alachua County Board invites you to join us for our annual Holiday Party. The party is an hors d'oeuvre potluck, so please bring a dish to share. The LWVAC Board will provide beverages.
We are very excited to celebrate the 2023 holidays with this in-person event and are grateful to Jon Reiskind for his hospitality.
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Introducing our LWVAC College Chapters | |
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LWVAC now has two affiliated college chapters! The UF and SFC LWV groups received two of the four available grants from LWVFL for chartering.
At Santa Fe College, the Chapter President is Baylee Van Doran and the Faculty Advisor is Linda Mussillo. The group has so far attended the SF Volunteer Fair and the SF Fall Fest, for which they created a scavenger hunt related to banned books. The table display included facts about book bans in Florida along with a basket of banned books that really made an impression on those who visited the table. (A biography of Jackie Robinson and Amanda Gorman’s poetry are among the books people were appalled to discover had been banned.) The group is growing and very actively working on events for the rest of the year, including speakers on League legislative priorities and a Rock-the-Vote event, among others. If you know a SFC student who may be interested in getting involved, please have them contact Baylee.
The University of Florida chapter president is Stefanie Gadaleon and the faculty advisor is Diana Boxer. Stefanie has recruited all the officers, who are currently busy organizing future events. January 30 is their first official meeting. If you know a UF student who may be interested in getting involved, please have them contact Stefanie.
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LWVAC President Addresses Legislative Delegation | |
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On October 25, 2023, the Alachua County Legislative Delegation Hearing was held on the campus of Santa Fe State College. In the three minutes allotted to her, LWVAC President Janice Garry represented LWVAC to express our wishes for the coming 2024 Legislative Session. Watch her address and read her speech on our website.
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LWVAC Fall Luncheon Recap | |
On October 26 our Alachua County League resumed its traditional fall luncheon after three years of suspension due to the pandemic. Members were excited to see each other again. President Janice Garry provided updates on LWVAC activities, and LWV of Florida Secretary/Voter Services Chair Dr. Monica Elliot reviewed Florida's history of one-party control and how history is repeating itself with a different party in control. She also discussed bills that have already been filed for the upcoming 2024 Florida legislative session which would impact League priority issues (Voting Rights & Election Reform, Reproductive Health & Justice, Education, and Gun Violence Prevention). Read the full article and view Dr. Elliot's slides here. | |
LWVAC Vice President Gwendolyn Saffo Recognized by NAACP
LWVAC's very own VP Gwendolyn Saffo was recognized by the Alachua County NAACP at their 2023 Freedom Fund and Awards Banquet. Gwendolyn received the Community Service Award for her contributions to Gainesville organizations. Read the full article for a complete list of her accomplishments and leadership in the community. We are grateful for her service and appreciate that she shares her time and talents with LWVAC.
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Follow the 2024 Legislative Session
Our colleagues at LWV of the St. Pete Area brought to our attention an app to help Floridians engage civically, and we thought you might find it interesting as well.
Using the Voatz app by the Digital Democracy Project, you can track the legislation being considered and let your legislators know which bills you support from the comfort of your phone. Polling is anonymous, and you get to see your legislators' alignment with their constituents in real-time. With the 2024 Florida Legislative Session right around the corner and Interim Committee Meetings already in progress, your legislators need to know what you think about the bills passing through the Legislature. Interacting with your representatives does not have to be daunting. Download the Voatz app and start engaging today!
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In addition to an exciting Hot Topic on Book Banning, our Fall Luncheon, and representation at the Alachua County Legislative Delegation, LWVAC volunteers have been out in the community this past month. We've tabled at various community events, the SFC Chapter participated in Fall Fest, and we were able to teach high school students about democracy and voting. There's still a lot happening and room for more volunteers. Read on to learn how you can get involved today! | |
Petitioning and Tabling
LWV of Alachua County is joining LWVFL in supporting two constitutional amendment campaigns: (1) the Florida Right to Clean Water which clarifies our priorities and allows for civil action to enforce our right to clean and healthy waters, and (2) the Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion which establishes an explicit right to abortion and ensure that Floridians’ reproductive freedom is codified into law and no longer subject to the whims of extremist politicians and judges. The mission is to take both of these issues to Florida's voters to educate them, collect their petitions, and ensure their voice is heard.
We are petitioning at local events and farmers markets around town. When we have enough volunteers, we are also tabling at community events. Tabling includes voter registration assistance (training required) and educational activities.
At present, we are planning to attend the following events:
- November 18-19: Gainesville's Downtown Festival and Arts Show
Watch our emailed calendars, web calendar, and Facebook page as new events are added all of the time. Please contact Voter Services to volunteer.
If you are interested in being added to the contact list for future events or if there is an event you think we should attend, please contact Janice.
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ONE is enough to do something!
Don't let the fact that you are not signed up to volunteer for a specific LWVAC event keep you from taking individual action to support and defend democracy.
Here are some individual acts you can take:
- Find one new way you want to get involved with the League and go for it.
- Want to become a leader? Contact Nominating Committee Chair Donna Waller.
- Don't have a lot of time, but want to support us? Donate here.
- Want to provide banned books to the community? Drop books off at a nearby Little Free Library. Want a recommendation? Check out this list from the Southern Poverty Law Center.
- Most urgently, we are still collecting signatures for the clean water and abortion ballot initiatives. We need all of the signatures we can get before December to make sure abortion is on the ballot in 2024. If you've been wanting to help collect signatures, the time is now. Contact our Voter Services team to get involved today. Every petition matters!
- Want to get involved, but not sure how yet? Join our next New Member Orientation on Wednesday, December 13 at 7 p.m. or contact our membership team and they will point you in the right direction.
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In this section, we bring you updates from your LWV of Alachua County committees. Committees are the best way to get involved in LWV of Alachua County and your local community. Feel free to reach out to the Committee Chairs to express interest, join their meetings, and get involved. | |
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Contact: Barbara Frentzen or Kim Walsh-Childers
The Health Care Committee will meet on Monday, December 11th at 4 p.m. at Oak Hammock. We are also hoping to have the meeting available via Zoom, so watch for more details as it gets closer.
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The Florida Department of Health in Alachua County is inviting Alachua County residents to share their views about health and health care in the county by taking a 15-minute survey. Your participation in this important survey will help to identify key health priorities in Alachua County, the best way to address those issues, and provide a better understanding of the needs of Alachua County residents regarding health and health care. Read more here or scan the QR code to take the survey.
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Contact: Roberta Gastmeyer or Jay Rosenbek
Alachua County Commissioner Ken Cornell presented at the October NR meeting. He discussed Alachua County's local land use policy and the long-term impact these decisions have on climate change, water quality, and our quality of life.
Since the NR meeting, the Alachua County BOCC unanimously approved the special area study on the 4,000-acre Hickory Sink property. We are currently assessing the role of LWVAC in the next steps of this property.
We are still encouraging residents to complete the City of Gainesville's Climate Action Plan Survey. If you have not already, please take a few moments now to complete the survey. Let the City know that climate change action is important to you!
If interested in these or other local environmental issues, please contact Jay Rosenbek or Roberta Gastmeyer.
There will be no NR meeting in November or December. We wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season.
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Contact: Mary White
Oak Hammock met on November 14, and Susan Nugent discussed "What's Climate Got to Do with Our Food?" Unfortunately, that event was not recorded.
There will be no Oak Hammock meeting in December. We look forward to reconvening in January to kick off a busy 2024.
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Contact: Diana Boxer or Gwen Wagner
Voter Services has been busy this fall. Here are a few updates:
- The Postcards to Returning Citizens initiative was spearheaded by Kathy and Jerry Kidder with 17 members volunteering for this round of postcarding with 2000 postcards ordered;
- Tabling at the Gainesville Pride Festival was very successful on every level.
- VOTE411.org will be really gearing up in January. Please submit questions for local politicians to Diana or Gwen. Don’t wait! Pass them along now!
- Diana is spearheading the Candidate Forum in partnership with the UF Bob Graham Center for Public Service. It is expected the College Chapters will also help with the Forum. Watch for more information and dates in the future.
Upcoming Events:
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November 18 & 19: LWVAC will have a table at Gainesville's Downtown Festival and Art Show. Join us as we help register voters (training required), educate voters, and get petitions signed.
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November 28: GOTV Brainstorming Session at 6 p.m. via Zoom. Join us as we brainstorm voter registration and get-out-the-vote (GOTV) efforts ahead of the 2024 election season.
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December 6: Monthly Voter Services meeting via Zoom.
Contact Diana and Gwen to see how your talents can help keep democracy strong. We look forward to seeing you at future events.
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Re-Request Your Vote by Mail Ballot
Please be aware that ALL Vote by Mail applications expired last December because the law changed. Now everyone must re-enroll in Vote by Mail every two years. To vote by mail in an election, the request must be in the Supervisor of Elections office no later than 12 days before the election. If you have not already done so, you can learn more and re-request your Vote by Mail ballot on the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections website.
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LWV of Alachua County Leadership Team
President: Janice Garry
Vice-President: Gwendolyn Saffo
Secretary: Eileen Roy
Treasurer: Anne D’Amico
A full list of LWV of Alachua County Board Members and Committee Chairs can be found here.
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To avoid missing future LWV of Alachua County email, please add our email address to your Safe Senders List or add the From address ([email protected]) to your Address Book or Contacts. | | | | |
