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IT'S TIME TO GET THE SHOW ON THE ROAD
Sally Allen and Nancy Schewe, Co-Presidents
This week marks a small pause between our full summer schedule of activities and our promising fall line-up. We have been inspired by new members who came forward to form the Lunch and Learn and the Brews and Views series and stepped up our member and outreach communications. Our goal this year is to involve as many of you as possible in activities and programs that you think are important. We want to hear your ideas, help you develop them and provide you with resources to accomplish your goal.
Let's all put on our LWV tee shirts, roll up our sleeves, have some fun and make a difference. Check out the calendar below and see what you can do.
Nancy and Sally
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ACTIVITIES CALENDAR
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Date
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Event
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Time
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Place
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Fri, Sept 22
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LUNCH & LEARN
Book Discussion
The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How our Government Segregated America
See article below for more information
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Noon - 2pm
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Cedars of Dexter Clubhouse
411 Cedars Lane
Dexter
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Tue Sept 26
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BREWS & VIEWS
How immigration raids impact the health and well being of immigrant communities
Speakers: Dr. William Lopez and Dr. Nicole Novak
UM School of Public Health
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7:30 pm
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HOMES Brewery 2321 Jackson Rd.
Ann Arbor
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Mon, Oct 2
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FALL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Meet & Greet
Program
Speaker: Jocelyn Benson
See article below for more information
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7pm
7:30pm
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Ballroom B
EMU Student Center
900 Oakwood St.
Ypsilanti 48197
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Tue, Oct 3
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CANDIDATE FORA
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7 - 7:30 pm
8 - 8:30 pm
9 - 9:30 pm
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Broadcast on
CTN Channel 19
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Tue, Oct 10
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LAST DAY TO REGISTER FOR GENERAL ELECTION
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Your local clerk's office
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Tue, Oct 24 (tentative)
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BREWS & VIEWS
Intergenerational Activitism Speaker: Rabbi Alana Alpert
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7:30 pm
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HOMES Brewery 2321 Jackson Rd.
Ann Arbor
(tentative)
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Fri, Oct 27
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LUNCH & LEARN
Election Ingegrity
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noon - 2 pm
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Cedars at Dexter Clubhouse
411 Cedars Lane, Dexter
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CITY GENERAL ELECTION
Local candidates and proposals
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7am - 8pm |
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LWVMI Statement on Redistricting
LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS
OF
MICHIGAN
EDUCATING AND ADVOCATING FOR RESPONSIBLE GOVERNM
ENT
August 31, 2017
Dear Local League Presidents,
As you probably know, the redistricting ballot proposal submitted by Voters Not Politicians has been approved by the Michigan Board of State Canvassers as to form. The Board of State Canvassers approved technical formatting issues of the initiative petition but did not approve the substance of the proposal or the summary.
Having received the approval, Voters Not Politicians (VNP) has begun collecting signatures. We are aware that many League members believe we should support the ballot proposal and want to participate in the signature gathering process.
The LWVMI Board has discussed the various options the League might take.
Michigan's Campaign Finance Law requires groups to file a ballot question committee if they receive or spend $500 or more in cash, or in "in-kind" contributions in support or opposition of a ballot proposal. (See attached MI Ballot Question Committee Manual).
If LWVMI supported the ballot proposal, our costs, including "in-kind" contributions would exceed $500.
Voters Not Politicians has filed a ballot question committee. LWVMI has not.
For many months we worked with a number of groups, including VNP, to try to form a diverse coalition. Unfortunately, we were not successful. VNP chose to go ahead.
We could join VNP, but it would not be a coalition. We would have no voice in any decisions VNP made and we would not be able to protect the use of the League's name.
The League believes that in order to be successful, redistricting reform must be supported by a coalition of groups that reflects the diversity of our state.
Since LWVMI has not filed a ballot question committee and has not joined VNP, we cannot support the proposal and League members may not participate in VNP activities, including signature gathering, as League members. They may do so as individuals.
Further, Local Leagues cannot take any action in support or opposition to this ballot proposal. You may be asked by VNP for permission to speak and to circulate petitions at your upcoming meetings. They are welcome to circulate petitions in the hallways of public buildings, but they cannot make announcements, display handouts or circulate petitions during your meetings. Again, this would require reporting under the Campaign Finance Law.
We remain committed to redistricting reform in Michigan and to working to form a diverse coalition.
We will continue our efforts to educate voters on the redistricting problems in our state and the need for an Independent Commission.
Please make sure you share this memo with your geographical units and members as appropriate. It will also be placed on LWVMI's website.
We recognize that you may receive questions from your members. Please feel free to contact us if you have questions.
Judy Karandjeff
President
Sue Smith
Director of Redistricting
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FALL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Featured Speaker: Jocelyn Benson
- Dean of Wayne State University Law School, 2012-2016
- Member of the Board of Directors of the Southern Poverty Law Center
- CEO of the Ross Initiative in Sports Equality (RISE)
Specializing in Election Law and Law Education, Professor Benson is a frequent commentator on voting rights and election law, and has advocated for fairness, transparency, and accountability in our political process throughout her career.
OCTOBER 2ND
Eastern Michigan University Student Center
900 Oakwood St.
Ypsilanti, 48197
7:00 pm Meet & Greet
7:30 pm Program
8:30 pm Signups & Conversation
Paid parking is available directly in front of the building.
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LWVUS Statement on Events in Charlottesville
Washington, DC - League of Women Voters president Chris Carson issued the following statement following the horrific acts by white supremacists in Virginia August 17:
"Yesterday the world watched in horror as white supremacists gathered in Charlottesville, Virginia. There is no place for hatred and violence in our democracy and all leaders must condemn these acts of domestic terrorism. We must send a strong message that while the freedom of speech and the freedom of assembly are some of our most cherished rights and must be protected, those rights do not extend to what we witnessed yesterday. The League of Women Voters stands in solidarity with the victims of violence in Charlottesville and against white supremacism."
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Washtenaw County Takes Delivery of New Voting Machines
New voting equipment will be available in every polling place across the county for the November 7th General Election, paid for
entirely by the State of Michigan through a combination of Federal Help America Vote Act and State-appropriated funds.
"After research and helpful input from city and township clerks, my staff and I concluded that Hart's system is the best choice to meet the needs of Washtenaw County voters, and the most adaptable to future changes in election administration," explained Washtenaw
County Clerk/Register of Deeds Larry Kestenbaum.
"The new system will continue to use optical scan paper ballots, which can always be recounted by hand," he said. "The voting experience will change very little. Our ballots will look slightly different, with boxes on the left (in front of each name) instead of ovals on the right."
"Hart's system is secure, modern and user-friendly for voters and poll workers alike. It incorporates many recent recommendations of the Federal Election Assistance Commission," said Washtenaw County Director of Elections Ed Golembiewski. "Its features and functionality are state-of-the-art".
The new system offers Washtenaw County many advantages including:
- Robust security features such as encryption, two-factor authentication and redundant data storage to safeguard election results are incorporated in the devices and software.
- Intuitive and secure ballot programming and election night reporting software which will allow the County Elections Division to program ballots in-house, saving local jurisdictions the cost of a 3rd party vendor.
- User-friendly devices, with consistent, plain-language instructions for voters and poll workers. The system has the smallest footprint available, with briefcase-size, lightweight devices and sturdy collapsible ballot boxes that are easy to transport.
Let's all go to the polls on November 7th to try out these new machines. Let's have a voter turnout that we can be proud of.
Source:
Washtenaw County Clerk/Register - Electi
ons Division
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LWV to Partner with Local Group in Public Advocacy/Voter Protection Grant
LWV of the Ann Arbor Area is one of ten Michigan Leagues participating in a program aimed to prevent the disenfranchisement of eligible citizens, particularly underserved populations, such as communities of color, individuals with low incomes and young people. The Ann Arbor League plans to work with the Islamic community in our area to offer education on voting rights and the fight against voter suppression. We'll keep you posted on our progress as we form this partnership.
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Tecumseh News
The new LWV unit in Tecumseh is off to a great start. Here are some of things they are doing.
- Hosting a Lunch & Learn meeting on redistricting in September.
- Sponsoring a program on the county millage proposal in October
- Hosting a Lunch & Learn meeting on the Great Lakes Commission in November.
- Developing a Your Elected Official brochure for their area
- Planning a training session with the Lenawee County Clerk for members interested in registering voters
- Working with the Superintendent of the Lenawee County ISD to register high school seniors next spring.
Congratulations, Tecumseh!
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Important Notice
Nicola's Books at 2513 Jackson Avenue, Ann Arbor has generously offered to include Lunch & Learn books on their book club shelves. Linda Caine, the manager of Nicola's has agreed to give League members a 15% discount on books we're reading if they identify themselves as League members. Please thank Linda when you pick up September's book:
The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America.
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Voter Service
- Candidate forum coordinators
- Your Elected Officials editors
- Voter registration coordinator/volunteers
- Vote411 volunteer to help with entering race information and following up candidates
Events/Program Planning
- Event Planners
- Venue coordinator
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Why I Joined the League of Women Voters
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Sue in her Defender of Democracy t-shirt
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by Sue Pfoutz Smereck
As so many others, I have been discouraged by the current state of political polarization and dysfunction at the state and national levels. Sometimes it feels as though democracy is hanging by a thread. I strongly believe that the best way to solve problems is to have a bipartisan or nonpartisan approach with people working together to develop the best and most widely accepted solutions. That reminded me of years ago when I belonged to the League of Women Voters in Toledo, Ohio. The opportunity to work with dedicated women of varying perspectives (now women and men) to promote voting access, to provide information that informs voting, and to learn about and advocate for important issues was very appealing and satisfying.
So I decided to join again. To my surprise and delight my husband, Geoff Smereck, also joined with me.
While we have not been members long, I believe we have both found the experiences we were hoping for. We have participated in delivering voter guides and Your Elected Officials brochures. In addition we have attended many educational programs, probably the most critical ones related to redistricting to ensure nonpartisan and competitive districts. Probably the most fun activities have been to assist with candidate forums. The members of LWVAAA have been knowledgeable and welcoming to us. I am so glad to be back participating in the activities of this respected organization!
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LWVAAA LEADERSHIP TEAM
OFFICERS
Co-Presidents: Sally Allen and
Nancy Schewe
Education Fund Treasurer: Barbara Brown
DIRECTORS
Zoe Behnke, Program
Roxane Chan, Member at Large
Jeanine DeLay, Candidate Forums
Carolyn Madden, Member at Large
Jan Salsberry, Member at Large
Joan Sampieri, Member at Large
Jennifer Schlicht, Member at Large
Susan Wooley, Communications
NOMINATING COMMITTEE
Susan Baskett
Paige Nong
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HOW TO SUBMIT NEWS TO THE LWV-AAA FACEBOOK PAGE
Did you know that we have an active Facebook page? Check it out by going to
www.lwvannarbor.org website and clicking on the FB icon on the home page. It's neat and growing better every day. BUT, now that there are so many LWV-AAA activities, our editor Julie Baker can't attend them all. She needs some help from members and friends who are at these events and can snap a picture or two. Send your pictures (.jpg or .png) and write up a br
ief description (date, place, what's happening, who is in picture if possible). Send your submissions to
Facebook@lwvannarbor.org It's that easy to share the news about LWV in action.
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Not a member? Wish to join?
NOTE: Dues are not tax deductible - to make a tax deductible donation, check out our website
www.lwvannarbor.org
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Visit Our Facebook Page
Mission Statement
The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization,
encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government,
works to increase understanding of major public policy issues,
and influences public policy through education and advocacy.
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