League of Women Voters of NYS

 STATE VOTER

September 2017



From the State President
Happy fall, friends!  League work is never more valuable than right now, and we really appreciate all of you who are registering voters, distributing Voters Guides and our new Constitutional Convention brochure, moderating candidate events, and holding forums on the ballot issues.
 
Don't forget to share our information in your local papers, radio and TV shows, and via social  media. 
 
And be sure to send any good pictures and/or stories about League members in action to Jennifer Wilson in our state office at jennifer@lwvny.org so we can share them with the world via Twitter, Facebook, and our next newsletter.
 
Thanks for all you are doing in these next six weeks. In a time when democracy feels fragile, you are keeping the faith and doing your part to keep our country and state strong.
 
We're so glad you're there.
 
Dare Thompson, President
League of Women Voters of NYS
 darethompson@gmail.comTel: 518-465-4162
Facebook: League of Women Voters of NYS
Twitter: @LWVNYS
IN THIS ISSUE
Vote 411
Travel with the League
Click here  for trips and itineraries.
Celebrating "Votes for Women" Exhibit at NYS Museum
Votes for Women: 
Celebrating New York's Women's Suffrage History

 

Nov. 4, 5:00-8:00 pm  

NYS Museum

The LWV of NYS Education Foundation & The NYS Archives Partnership Trust invite you to a special evening reception celebrating the 100th anniversary of women's right to vote in New York State and the opening of the State Museum's  Votes for Women  Exhibit.

 

Coline Jenkins, great, great granddaughter of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, will speak about growing up in a family of women activist. In addition to Stanton, her great grandmother Harriot Stanton Blatch, worked as a major organizer of New York State woman suffrage during the Militant Period of 1913-1915.  Her grandmother, Nora Stanton Blatch DeForest Barney, was the first female civil engineer to graduate (1905) from Cornell.  Jenkins' mother was born one month prior to the passage of the 19th Amendment of the US Constitution in 1920. Jenkins grew up in an atmosphere of suffrage and women's right campaigning.

 

Museum staff will also serve as guides as we have private access to this new exhibit on women's suffrage history.

 

You can purchase tickets to the reception online here or click here to download, print and mail in the registration form or call the state League office (518-465-4162) to make a reservation. Join us!
 


 

Hotel Rooms

We have secured a block of hotel rooms at a reduced price for the night of November 4th - so you don't have to drive home after our celebration!   The block disappears on October 4 , though, so reserved your room NOW!  

Towneplace Suites - $99 Studios and $109 for 1 bedroom suite
22 Holland Ave, Albany, NY 12209

Tel: 518-860-1509

Use Code LWVW to get the reduced rate

Click here for their website.

 

Hampton Inn - $119 a room

25 Chapel St, Albany, NY 12210

Tel: 518-432-7000

Use Code CHXLW2

Click here for their website. 

A Suffrage Centennial Conference
Women's Suffrage: A Suffrage Centennial Conference
Nov. 4, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Cultural Education Center,  222 Madison Ave, Albany
Sponsored by 
The Women's Rights and Heritage Committee of the 
New York Cultural Heritage Tourism Network
 
 
Come to a   conference to hear speakers and join a discussion about the women's suffrage centennial:
  • History of suffrage movement in NYS and how we can preserve our cultural history
  • Status of women's movement and women's issues in NYS and how you can take action
  • Sharing ideas for successful programs and action
 
Click here to register online for the conference.   League members can register at member rate.    
Voter Services
Judie Gorenstein, judieL728@aol.com
LWV of Huntington Program with Suffolk County BOE
The LWV of Huntington coordinated a program with the Suffolk County Board of Elections at Wyandanch High School. The BOE did an excellent three part presentation. They first explained the importance of local elections and voting in those elections. The students then completed a voter registration form and voted on a ballot for their favorite ice cream flavor. They even scanned the ballots and provided the results after the presentation.
 
The BOE also covered a number of other issues with the students, including the following:
  • Voting being your voice and it mattering more in local elections
  • Primary and general elections and political parties
  • Absentee ballots
  • Cross endorsements
  • Front of ballot being candidates and back being ballot proposals
  • Being an educated voter
For more information or to create a similar program in your League, contact Judie at JudieL728@aol.com.
Constitutional Convention Education
Sally Robinson, robintwins@gmail.com
Our new brochure on the constitutional convention ballot proposal is now available (click here or see link on state website). A wealth of information on the ballot proposal question on whether to hold a constitutional convention, including articles in favor and against the proposal, is available on the state League website at http://www.lwvny.org/programs-studies/con-con-edu.html. This page is often updated with new articles and one concerning the myth of losing public pensions has just been posted. 

Feel free to share part or all with your members and the public. The polls still show that a maojority of New Yorkers do not even know that this issue is on the ballot in November. Call the office to receive paper copies of the brochure.
League Day at the United Nations, Nov. 16th
League Day at the United Nations
A Briefing on Forced Labor and Human Trafficking
Nov. 16, 3:00 - 5:00 pm
(lunch and tours available, too, starting at 11:30 am)
 
The Annual League Day at the United Nations (NYC) will be held on Thursday, November 16. We will again offer a delicious lunch in the Delegates' Dining Room, tours of the facility (General Assembly room, Security Council room, etc) and then a briefing. This year we will have a panel of UN experts discuss the issue of Forced Labor and Human Trafficking. The panel will also discuss what individuals can do to help reduce this problem. 
 
The State League will also be offering a group bus option from Albany to NYC with a stop in Poughkeepsie. 
 

New Staff at the State Office
Welcome to our two new staff members: Cyndi Jacobson, Office and Local League Coordinator; and Celeste Steinke, Development and Communication Coordinator.

Celeste Steinke
Celest e has always been drawn to advocacy and change since her first personal protest against plaid jumpers in Catholic school. Having graduated with a B.A. in Political Science and Psychology from SUNY Albany and a passion for public service.  She found her professional path within the nonprofit community.
 
When asked why she wanted to work for LWVNYS, she said:  "I belie ve in the democratic process because it works if people use it correctly. They need access and education to have their vote heard and League of Women Voters New York State has always been there to provide the tools necessary to further the voice of the people."
 
When she isn't working to further a cause, you can find Celeste making a big cup of coffee so she can keep up with her husband, Tom and their four children.
 
Cyndi Jacobson
Cyndi is a recent graduate from the Rockefeller College of Public Policy and Political Science at the University at Albany. Her concentrations in her undergraduate career involved politics, law and civil rights, and environmental sciences. She is a passionate supporter of women's and LGBT rights, as well as environmental justice. She recently completed a session at the State Assembly in the office of Assemblyman Al Stirpe, Jr. and is working hard to remain engaged with legislative issues and public policy creation. She is elated to begin in her new position as the Office and Local League Coordinator out of the Albany office and cannot wait to get involved within the League!  

National Voter Registration Day
Thanks to all of our local Leagues who participated in National Voter Registration Day! Here are some photos from around the state. Share your photos with us - email them to Jennifer@lwvny.org.

     
League of Women Voters of New York State
62 Grand Street, Albany, NY 12207
Tel: 518-465-4162;  FAX: 518-465-0812
Website: www.lwvny.org
Facebook: League of Women Voters of NYS
Twitter: @LWVNYS