Stay Informed: LWV Dare May Newsletter

May 2026 Newsletter

by Claudia Kozinetz

Presidents Message

It’s May, the lovely month of May!

As we gear up for the election season we need to focus on our voter registration

activities. What facts can help to direct our efforts?

Younger Americans register to vote at significantly lower rates than older adults
Statista (2024 data) reports that only 58.3% of 18-24-year-olds were registered to vote – the lowest of any age group.
The Civics Center notes that under 30% of 18-year-olds are registered nationally
Generational analysis from the Berkeley Initiative for Young Americans shows that Gen Z consistently has the lowest voter registration rates compared to Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers

Together, these sources confirm that young voters-especially those just turning 18-are

the least registered group in the U.S. electorate. Key factors contributing to low youth

registration include: less familiarity with the registration process and limited exposure to

registration drives.

This is where the League of Women Voters Dare can have an impact! Share your ideas and suggestions at the League of Women Voters Dare on June 4th ; get the conversation going among your colleagues.

We need YOU!

Please attend:

League of Women Voters Dare Annual Meeting

June 4, 11:30 am, Duck Woods Country Club

Carl V. Curnutte III – Guest Speaker // Business Meeting // Installation of Officers

Warmly,

Claudia

Upcoming Events

You are cordially invited to attend an inspiring meeting with Rear Admiral JT Tynch and his students as they describe the amazing story of their construction of a small airplane in the shadow of the Wright Brothers Memorial! The students have been working on the three-year project and have actually constructed a plane from scratch. It does fly (up to altitude of 10,000 feet!) and has been sold with proceeds used to purchase the parts to build another plane next year. League members will hear about the work of the students and meet Val, the impressive young woman who was instrumental in guiding her male co-workers in the project.

This is a wonderful opportunity for League members (friends and family are invited) to see first-hand some of the extraordinary work that our students at First Flight have been engaged in. The presentation will take about an hour. Unfortunately, the plane which has been taking students for their initial flights will not be available for viewing since it wil has been delivered to its new owner -- although there will be many photos to see and stories to hear.

RSVP by May 12 to judylotas@gmail.com - directions to the site and lunch details to follow.

Leaguers in the Community!

Community Outreach

Artrageous

Come out to Dare Arts at Dowdy Park on Saturday, May 9 from 10 AM to 2 PM. LWV Dare will be making voting/democracy buttons designed by the children that visit our booth. We will also have a kid-friendly trivia game with small prices and voting stickers. Artrageous

Reports on Recent Events

Report on Lunch & Learn Early College Visit

By Marion Midgett

A group of Leaguers visited the Early College facility on the Manteo College of the

Albemarle campus on April 22, 2026. The Principal Kassie Mount and Dare Schools Director of Secondary Education, Denise Fallon, made a presentation explaining the process that led to the establishment of the early college in Dare County

Almost every county in North Carolina has an early college; some have specialties such as

engineering in the one on the NC State Campus. Students come from grades 9 through 12

and learn through a full high school curriculum to earn graduation credits. The early college also offers courses leading to a full associate degree or work-place certification. The speakers emphasized that early college experience can influence decisions and desire to go on to earn a four-year degree and provides career readiness.

Dare students apply as eighth graders and start as freshmen. Their high school classes are

taught by high school teachers; college classes are taught by COA professors. There will be flexibility about when they schedule college classes during the four years. Each student has a four-year plan.

Everybody is offered the opportunity to apply. The program targets among others: 1 st

generation college goers, underrepresented populations, at-risk students/those needing

added support, and those seeking a challenge. There are no quotas.

The following are random facts that give information about the basics of the Early College:

This year’s enrollment is 55 ninth graders. Eleven are from Hatteras Island and the rest from Manteo High and First Flight High.
Transportation is provided from multiple communities.
Students may participate in their home school’s athletics.
Fifty eighth graders applied for 2026-27; 46 were accepted.
Future enrollment will be held to 75 per grade level with a max of 350.
The Dare Early College (DEC) symbol/logo is “mariners.” The Principal spoke of referring to students as being “on your own voyage.”
Built into the class schedule are seminars including college and work skills
This year Dare Early College is using 5 or 6 COA classrooms and will continue until they move into the new building.
Lunches are brought from Manteo Elementary each day
The big new facility is being built with NC State Lottery funds.

The new building should be ready for move in next January. It will have classrooms, offices, a food court/meeting area, a commercial kitchen that COA can also use, and a fitness room, but no media center, since the COA media center will be right next door.

Principal Mount finished her talk by pointing out that the DEC will have a student-centered culture with clubs, enrichment opportunities, athletics and theater activities at home schools, and COA campus involvement. As yet, there is no fine arts program except for the Dare Student Orchestra.

Following the informational tour, Leaguers enjoyed lunch at Salt & Cypress.

LWVNC-Dare represented at LWV-NC Advocacy Day

By Pat Kobor

I participated in my first LWV Advocacy Day last month. The state LWV invited members to meet in Raleigh to educate their legislators about the League’s goal to ensure secure, accessible and trusted elections for all North Carolinians.

The League offered a training via Zoom to prepare participants to conduct these meetings. Organizer and State Board member Cheryl Tung advised us the meetings would likely be only 10-15 minutes in length, and that we should keep them conversational (e.g. ask questions, don’t “monologue”). I felt confident enough about the planned conversations but worried I would get hopelessly lost in the office buildings. (FYI, one building is called the Legislative Office Building, and the one across the street is called the Legislative Building. That’s not helpful!)

Here are the talking points that the State LWV prepared: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZpXaRo7QvezMjedBfbE1GqKLkEcly45tbfopbLjkkY8/edit?usp=sharing

Two bills have been introduced this session that cause concern for the LWV and provide more specific points of discussion.

H 127 (LINK) would prohibit third party organizations like the League from registering voters with official forms.

H 958 (LINK) would make several changes to election procedures including requiring full Social Security numbers be provided for voter registration. The LWV notes potential privacy and data security concerns that such a change would bring.

On the morning of the visits, over forty members from all over the state met together at the nearby Edenton Church before walking together to the Legislative Office Building. Fun fact— both chambers of the legislature meet and conduct business in that building, not in the Capitol building! I had time to wander around and find the offices before the meetings began. As the only attendee from House and Senate District 1, I handled my meetings alone. I was able to meet with both Rep. Ed Goodwin and Sen. Bobby Hanig in person. Both conversations were friendly and easy.

Advocacy days like this help raise the organization’s visibility and remind our legislators that they have constituents who care deeply about well-managed, secure and fair elections. Many of us write and call our state legislators but they seldom see us in person, en masse— it makes an impression, all those League members wearing “suffragette” sashes! I hope we can send a busload of League members from Dare County to Raleigh next year.

Mock Election at CHES

By Tianna Stathis

All kindergarten through fifth-grade students at Cape Hatteras Elementary School read and reviewed the nominees for this year’s North Carolina Children’s Book Award during library classes. The North Carolina Children's Book Award program is a children’s choice award where all students in the state are invited to read the nominated books and then vote on their favorite title. It is a great opportunity for students to discover new stories and authors. After reading and reviewing the twelve nominees on this year’s list, the kindergarten through 5th graders selected their favorite title in library classes. The top four books advanced to our “Final Four”.

LWV members then visited CHES and set up official voting booths for each homeroom for students to cast their vote to select the school’s winning title. The voting process was also shared with the students.

All participants were excited to pick their favorite book and receive “future voter” stickers once they dropped their ballots in the ballot box.

After all votes were counted, the students were thrilled to announce that the CHES winner for 2026, with 76 votes, was Whale Song by Zachariah Ohora.

The students look forward to continuing this partnership with the League again next year and can’t wait to see if the CHES-winning title matches up with the official NCLA award winner!

To see all of the NC Children’s Book Award nominees and to find out the state winner for 2026, visit the NCLA’s website.

by Nancy Birindelli

Our membership is now at 104 bolstered by many new, first-time League members! Here is an introduction to four who all hailed from the Commonwealth of Virginia! We look forward to their participation!!

Tisa Head

When Tisa and her husband John decided to retire, they drove up and down the coast to find the perfect location and finally decided that OBX, a favorite family vacation spot, would be that very place! They moved out of their home in Great Falls in which they had resided for 45 years and relocated in 2016. The family home is now owned by their son, Austin, and his family. After graduating from Marymount University in business, Tisa began a long career with the Navy Federal Credit Union starting as a clerk and retiring as the executive VP of HR after being in operations for years that saw the dramatic expansion of the company from just serving the Navy to including all military services and families. Upon retirement, she has become a golfing enthusiast, serves on the Duck Woods Country Club LGA board and the Women’s Association. New ventures are the Food for Thought board and Ruthie’s Kitchen serving the community. She also is on the Board of the Southern Shores Civic Association.

Christie McEwan

After residing in Irvington (Northern Neck) for many years, Christie and her husband Richard moved to Corolla to be closer to family in 2013 while their house in Kill Devil Hills was being built. They have two sons in Waves and a daughter in Southern Shores with a combined seven grandchildren.

Christie worked in several different careers for 35 years – first as a teacher and counselor, then as a social worker for the Department of Social Services in a men’s prison (one of her most rewarding). Wishing to become an addiction counselor, she obtained a second MA and worked for Port New Horizons in Dare upon retirement. She currently has her own practice in addiction and trauma counseling. In her free time, Christie enjoys walking, gardening, kayaking (when recovering from shoulder injuries) and being with friends! Her favorite “friend” is a long-hair dachshund mix. She will be joining the Board next year as the health chair.

Jean and Don Pratt

The couple who met while both were working for the federal government in the Department of Veteran Affairs lived in Alexendria. They retired and moved to OBX in 2000 for two years then transitioned the house to a rental and relocated permanently to Southern Shores in 2011. Jean grew up in West Chester, NY, obtained a MA in library science from Boston College and worked in Baltimore before joining and retiring from the VA after 23 years. Don’s family lived in Mexico City and moved to Arlington when he was 18 when he had to learn to speak English! He was drafted while in college in 1966 and spent two years in the military then after graduation worked at the publishing company Allen and Bacon before joining the VA. The couple has four children and two grandchildren.

While living in OBX in 2002, they joined the YMCA Silver Riders – a cycling group which took long rides – the most impressive was the Mountains to Seas which took seven days to go 500 miles in 2014 The group disbanded during the pandemic, and now the Pratts enjoy walking! Don is also a pickleball enthusiast playing almost every day. Travelling is also enjoyed with trips to Australia and New Zealand as well as many cruises. They are active members of the Duck Woods Country Club where Jean is on the board of Women of Duck Woods. She is also on the Food for Thought board. As a new venture, they just became members of the Southern Shores Fire Department Rehab Vehicle which accompanies the engine crew to fires to assist them as well as families affected by the tragedy.

Jean and Don will be assisting with the activities of VOTE411.