Stay Informed: LWV Updates You Can't Miss

February 2026 Newsletter

by Claudia Kozinetz

Hello February!

We are less than a month away from Election Day. Here are some dates to promote:

* Start of Absentee-by-Mail Voting: January 12, 2026

* Voter Registration Deadline: February 6, 2026

* Early Voting: February 12, 2026 to February 28, 2026

* Election Day: March 3, 2026

As you know, you are a member of not only the League of Women Voters (LWV) Dare

County, but also the LWV US and LWV North Carolina. One way to stay abreast of the

LWV mission and goals is a periodic check of the websites. For example, go to

https://www.lwv.org/ and scroll down to “THE LATEST FROM THE LEAGUE” and you

will find the most recent LWV activities: LWV joins LULAC (League of United Latin

American Citizens) and Common Cause in Calling on Congress to Investigate into ICE

and CBP Use of Force, What to Know About Voting By Mail and League of Women

Voters Condemns Unwarranted Federal Presence and Military Escalation in Minnesota.

There is a wealth of up-to-date League information for important contemplation and

discussion. Check-out the LWVNC website also: https://my.lwv.org/north-carolina-state.

Speaking of websites, LWV Dare is updating its website. Thanks to member Heidi Hess, you will soon see a refreshed site.

We also have a new Newsletter Editor, member Kathleen Wasniewski (thank you Kathleen); you can see her efforts in this issue.

Judy Lotas and Deb Bauer have produced a great calendar of events for 2026. Each

month provides a variety of programs to compliment your availability and interests. This

month we have guests, Jeanne Smith and Lucy Bond, Chairs, Public Education League

Action Team LWVNC, for a program (open to the public) on February 19, 6 pm, Nags

Head Board of Commissioners Room, “TROUBLING TIMES: NC PUBLIC

EDUCATION”. Please bring a friend or neighbor to this important program.

February Program

TROUBLING TIMES: NC PUBLIC EDUCATION

February 19, 6:00 p.m.

Nags Head Board of Commissioners Room

The public is invited to attend.

LWVNC selected Public Education as an issue of emphasis for the next 2 years:

North Carolina lags behind most states in funding -- 50th in funding effort; 49th in funding level; 38th in teacher pay; 38th in teacher salaries, and 42nd in beginner teacher salaries.

The average teacher salary does not provide a living wage for teachers. Teachers make 25% less than other employees with a similar level of education.

In 2024, 10% of the 90,000 teachers left N.C. classrooms. This is an example of what happens when underfunding public education.

Funding as a percentage of the state budget has steadily declined. In the 1970s, it was 55%; in 2024, it was 39%.

Jeanne Smith (Charlotte-Mecklenburg) and Lucy Bond (Carteret County), co-chairs of the NC LWV Public Education League Action Team will visit the Outer Banks to speak about public education in NC. Public Education is one of the most important issues facing our state – even more so during these challenging and uncertain times. They will speak about the chronic underfunding of our public schools, how it is impacting our students and teachers and who is responsible. How can we, as public education supporters, advocate for public schools, the heart and hub of NC communities.

Learn more at: https://my.lwv.org/north-carolina-state/public-education

Is DEI Still Relevant in 2025?

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs across the county are shutting down,

scaling back or staying silent. So, is DEI still relevant in 2026? Read the following

article from LWV-US. {Read Full Article}

Monthly Meetings Reports -2026

Thrive OBX Meet

by Alicia Wingate

On January 15, League members were treated to a private introduction of a new local health initiative sponsored by the Outer Banks Hospital and the Dare County Department of Health and Human Services. Representative organizers Jenn Schwartzenberg and Amy Montgomery presented an enthusiastic program focusing on personal health and longevity aiming to cultivate a more vibrant Outer Banks community.

We learned in detail about the Five Pillars of Well-Being that are the basis of ThriveOBX: Balance, Nourish, Move, Purpose and Engage. Our area already has the resources, talent and passion we need to accomplish this goal of healthy living. An Individual's quality of life is shaped by daily habits, social connections and sense of purpose and of course, medical care. We can all take steps in our daily routine to live better and feel better.

The League has an opportunity to become one of the local "Thrive Hives", which are organizations that align with one or more Pillars. (Ours definitely would be Purpose and Engagement). February is Thrive month and we have been invited to join a Move-a-Thon scheduled for Saturday February 14 7am-7pm at the First Flight High School and the Virginia Tillett Center. For more information please check out their website, Thrive OBX.com, and Facebook page.

Field Trip to Coastal Studies Institute

by Nancy Birindelli

On January 29, twenty-five Leaguers and guests braved the cold to attend an informative presentation at CSI by John McCord, Assistant Education Director. He spoke about the work that CSI is involved with studying the coast, the wetlands, and research into the potential use of ocean currents to produce electricity. Students of all ages are engaged in the work of the Center as interns and attending field trips and summer camps.

John is a skilled underwater photographer and explained the interesting work that he has done to record historic shipwrecks – even a U-boat from World War II off the coast of Hatteras! The Center is a consortium of universities in NC – primarily Eastern Carolina University. After the tour, many enjoyed a delicious lunch at O’Neal’s in Wanchese.

The event was coordinated by Jeanine Emery.

Driving the Vote for Equality

by Judy Lotas

One hundred and ten years ago, two suffragettes climbed into a Saxon convertible and headed cross-country in support of the 19th Amendment.

They made news, as it was rare seeing women drive and crazy to imagine them traveling so far. But drive they did, stopping in city after city to attract crowds and tell them how important it was to make it legal for women to vote. Eventually, as every LWV member knows, we won the vote and the 19th Amendment was added to the constitution.

In March, Women’s History Month, the Saxon will ride again. This time, to rally excitement and support for the Equal Rights Amendment. As you know, it has been ratified but remains unpublished. We need votes in Congress sufficient to erase the time limit in the preface to the amendment. Time limits are neither required nor spoken of in Article V, the recipe for amending our constitution.

The March drive will originate in New York City then make its way south, stopping in five NC cities—Henderson, Raleigh, Greensboro, Charlotte and Asheville. We are inviting the mayor of each city to welcome the car, climb aboard, and hold press interviews with photo ops.

LWVNC, a lead organization of ERA-NC Alliance, is lending logistical support across the state. Along the way, everyone will be asked to visit www.sign4ERA.org

and add her or his name to this historic movement.

If you haven’t signed yet, please do so now! www.sign4ERA.org

League News from 2025

Holiday Cheer & Civic Spirit

by Nancy Birindelli

A festive gathering of 52 Leaguers attended our Annual Holiday Luncheon and Silent Auction which took place on December 5th at the Duck Woods Country Club. Special guest, the Honorable Eula Reid, Superior Court, Judicial District 1, was the keynote speaker. The Silent Auction was most successful raising $2,750 for our operation account.

Hope everyone had a very happy holiday season!

by Tiana Stathis

We kicked off our Dare County school mock election season at First Flight Middle School for their Student Government election. The candidates made video clips that were shared throughout the classrooms for the entire school. They also made posters to put up around the school to promote themselves. Your LWV of Dare County supplied the voting booths and pens while escorting the future voters through the process. We even had guest appearances by Dare County Board of Education members Lisa Lloyd and Justin Bateman.

We love that our mock election program is inspiring the students and teachers to think about their own experiences at the voting booth. It is incredible to see how the chosen topics of the mock elections have changed over time. This experience is continuing to evolve and we look forward to offering new ideas to the community soon.

by Marcie Ries

Dare LWV organized four voter forums in the four towns (Duck, Nags Head, Kitty Hawk and Manteo) which have competitive races in the November 4 municipal elections. All were very well-attended, with standing room only crowds in Duck and Nags Head.

Questions submitted both before the forums and from the audience covered a multitude of subjects, from traffic to housing and much more. In addition to hearing the candidates, audience members were offered information about Vote411 and the League’s other activities at a table manned by our volunteers. One attendee joined the League then and there!

A big thanks to all of our intrepid volunteers, but especially to our event coordinators Lorelei Di Bernardo (Duck), Carol Sykes (Nags Head), Fran Kapino (Kitty Hawk) and Marion Midgett (Manteo) who put in many hours, starting in mid-August to organize very successful events.

If you missed your town’s forum you can watch a recording via our website!

Watch Candidate Forums

League of Women Voters of Dare - Conversation with League President Wynn

by Kathleen Wasniewski and Tianna Stathis

On Thursday, October 30th, 40 members and guests attended a conversation with US League President Dianne Wynn. The event began with a social gathering for LWV Dare members and guests, featuring delicious food and refreshments donated by members.

{Read Full Article}

by Nancy Birindelli

Our League is extremely pleased to announce that our membership is one hundred strong thanks to more than 30 new members! To introduce the new folks, there will be a series of articles in the coming months that will have short bios about each of them.

Janet Colegrove

Janet moved to OBX after enjoying many summer vacations, and upon moving to Southern Shores, her husband was the general contractor for their new home. She has been very involved with the Duck Woods Country Club, and in her spare time enjoys tennis, pickleball and bridge. After receiving her BA and MA from George Mason University, she worked for the Fairfax Public Schools as a chemistry teacher and administrator - lastly at Robinson Secondary School. Janet has two children, Dave lives locally while Elisabeth and her daughter reside in Galway, Ireland. Janet was the excellent moderator for the Duck Forum and is a first time Leaguer.

Ron DeVeau and Cathy Doyle

Both Ron and Cathy’s families vacationed on the Outer Banks and relocated permanently in the ‘80’s. The young people met and were married on Ocracoke. Ron grew up in Ohio, received his BA in economics at Leigh University and his law degree at Duke. He joined the Kellogg Law Firm and then became a solo practitioner specializing in personal injury, estates, and wills. Along with serving as a member of the vestry of All Saints Episcopal, he enjoys physical fitness activities and yoga. Cathy hailed from Pennsylvania and received her BA from Penn State and MA from the University of Maryland. She worked as a nutritionist at the Dare County Health Dept.’s WIC program and in retirement continues to serve as a part-time Spanish language interpreter. They have two sons who both live in the Asheville, NC area. The couple resides in Southern Shores and joined the League for the first time. On an interesting note: Rosemary Rawlins is their sister-in-law.

Kathleen Wasniewski

Kathleen has been a Kill Devil Hills resident since 2000 when she and her husband relocated from Wilmington, NC to begin their own business - Shoshin Technologies, an IT service provider for networks and security. She graduated from UVA and worked for Jefferson National Bank and the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce then created outer banks child magazine while at home with her two children. Her son is a hunting guide in Montana; her daughter is at UNC-Charlotte. In her spare time, she enjoys creative hobbies as well as reading and gardening. Kathleen, although a new Leaguer, is currently a member of the Board providing her expertise in our publicity efforts to include the monthly newsletter.

Barbara Williams

Barbara and her husband moved to Southern Shores from Cincinnati as he could work remotely, and they both retired early! She graduated from Northeastern University in finance and worked for IBM and GE. The Williams’ have two sons who graduated from First Flight HS and NC State, and, following in the family’s tradition, became engineers. In her spare time Barbara is active in golf, pickleball and tennis. She was a financial assistant for the Dare Education Foundation for several years and joined the League for the first time.