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Hello League members,
I have had a few busy weeks that were at once tiring and yet, exciting. We have been preparing our “Program Planning Survey” for LWVUS, just as each local League did. We have also been on-boarding our new Executive Director for LWVFL, Ray Alcantara. In fact, I spent the week of March 4th in Orlando working with Ray and helping him familiarize himself with the League and the office. While I was able to meet with him in person, Cecile participated in several calls during the week to ensure Ray has a strong League foundation.
Program is an exciting but complicated area of preparing for Convention. It is the portion of Convention that modifies the League’s program. “League program is the educational and advocacy platform that we adopt to move our mission forward.” We held two information sessions and a Lunch and Learn on LWV program with the help of LWVFL board members, Jill Lewis-Spector and Monica Elliott, and Health Care Action Chair, Kathy Winn. Then Cecile and I spent most of a weekend finalizing the Survey which was submitted to National. It included a suggested concurrence from Florida, submitted by the Education Action team, to include DEI in LWV-US’ Educational position along with the inclusion of publicly funded colleges and universities, instead of only Pre-K through grade 12. We hope to get support from National and other Leagues at Convention. It also included our support for the Vermont concurrence on Health Care.
As most of you know, LWVUS’ bi-annual Convention will be held in Washington DC from June 27 through the 30. If you have not already made plans to attend, do so soon so you don’t miss out. For those of you who cannot attend in person, there is a virtual option at a reduced cost. Each local League gets at least 2 delegates, with some local Leagues getting several, based on their size, so if you want to attend, let your local League President know. They must select you as a delegate.
And, if you have been near the Orlando area, you may have seen my “happy dance” last week. We hired a wonderful Executive Director, Ray Alcantara. He comes to us from New Jersey where he worked in the political and legislative arena as well as for non-profit organizations. He will introduce himself, but so far, we are more than pleased.
Ray’s organizational and management skills are superb. I watched him relate to our staff and interns with an easy-going collegial manner that was kind but authoritative. He took the time to meet with each employee or intern, to learn about them as people, and to discuss their jobs. He inquired about metrics and is focused on helping the League to financial security for the next several decades. He exhibits a wonderful leadership style.
Ray began his position with LWVFL having read and studied all available public data on the League, giving him a good foundation to build upon. He had meetings with LWV-US and he will be introducing himself to the Board members who have not already met him at our regular in-person board meeting in Orlando on March 16, 2024. Please join the Board and staff in welcoming Ray to the League of Women Voters of Florida.
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Debbie Chandler, Esq.
Co-President
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Dear League members,
The Legislative Session for 2024 is over and many of us have breathed sighs of relief. We avoided the passage of a slew of troublesome bills like the one protecting confederate statues, declaring that fetuses were living persons, and lowering the age from 21 to 18 to be able to purchase long guns. We testified against these bills and pointed out the negative consequences of their passage, but now as the newspapers list the near misses that were avoided, we must turn our attention to the essential civic engagement work that remains for us to do.
Primaries will be held across the state in March. We will have many League members acting as poll watchers, poll workers, and canvas board observers. This is work well needed and great practice for the primary and general election in August and November.
We will face an onslaught of mis- and disinformation spewed across many social media platforms, on billboards, and even coming to our homes in mailers and false newsletters. Our work is cut out for us – we need to recognize these misleading efforts, present factual statements about the electoral process, and tell all citizens that voting in Florida is safe, secure, and run professionally.
If this election follows the patterns established by earlier elections, we will face a crush of returning citizens asking us to help them learn whether they can vote or not. We will direct them to our cadre of professional pro bono legal volunteers who have taken the League-written and Florida Bar-approved training. Our members and allies are sending out 100,000s of our “hear the good news” postcards that tell returning citizens that there is a way for them to learn about their voting status. This is much needed and much appreciated and tells each of us and our community partners that we can all work to re-enfranchise those in our community who have completed their criminal sentences.
We are planning other community events and registration tables as we try to register citizens using their phones and digital devices and give out paper registrations hoping that busy citizens will turn them into Supervisors of Elections. We will attempt to stop the oppressive impact of Senate Bill 7050 as we testify in our case that will be tried this April in Federal Court in Tallahassee.
The League will be actively educating citizens at forums and by providing informative tri-folds on different kinds of schools funded by public dollars and providing guidance on what to look for in voting for a good and non-partisan school board member. The League provides an empowering vision to voters as we defend democracy, but we do so many ways, with impassioned intellectual statements, in addition to practical guidelines that everyone can use.
This is our challenge and this is where the League shines, but this spring and in the coming months we will have another democracy warrior join us in our multi-faceted work, our new Executive Director, Ray Alcantara. He hails from New Jersey and has an impeccable record of service in educational and community organizations. On behalf of the League, we welcome you Ray, and introduce you to all. You are inspiring us already, as we all gear up for the battle to preserve our democracy and empower each voter to participate in our precious franchise.
Each of us in our own way contribute to this foundational and precious work. Thank you all!
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Cecile M. Scoon, Esq.
Co-President
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LWVFL Celebrates Women's History Month
In honor of Women's History Month, the League of Women Voters of Florida celebrates the remarkable achievements and contributions of women throughout history. From the suffragists who fought for the right to vote to the activists who continue to advocate for social change today, we honor the trailblazers who have shaped our world.
As we reflect on the past, we also look to the future, recognizing the work that still needs to be done to achieve true gender equality. This month, we recommit ourselves to the values of equality, justice, and democracy that have guided our organization for over a century.
Join us in celebrating Women's History Month by registering for our DEI Taskforce's monthly awareness program now! This month's event will take place on March 25 at 6:30 p.m. (ET) and will highlight women who advocate for equity, diversity and inclusion.
Click here to register now!
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Florida League Delegation Visits Selma in Honor of Bloody Sunday
In a poignant tribute to history and activism, a delegation of college students representing the collegiate chapters of the League of Women Voters of Florida embarked on a transformative journey to Selma, Alabama, commemorating Bloody Sunday from February 29-March 4. The delegation joined leaders from the LWV of Alabama, LWV of Kentucky and LWVUS in Selma.
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The students had the extraordinary opportunity to meet with esteemed congressional leaders, including Congressman James E. Clyburn, Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Steven Horsford, Congresswoman Nikema Williams of Georgia, and Selma's own Congresswoman Terri Sewell. The delegation had the honor of meeting members of the late John Lewis's family, original foot soldiers from the Selma to Montgomery march, and leaders of impactful organizations such as the Southern Poverty Law Center, NAACP, the Transformative Justice Coalition and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
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Immersing themselves in the rich history of Selma and Montgomery, the students paid respects at the Equal Justice Initiative's Legacy Museum, deeply engaging with the foundations of slavery and the narratives of the civil rights movement. The journey culminated in witnessing Vice President Kamala Harris and other national leaders deliver a powerful address at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, symbolizing the ongoing fight for justice and equality.
This experience undoubtedly left a profound impact on the students, inspiring them to continue advocating for change and preserving the legacy of those who bravely paved the way for civil rights in America.
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Our Voices, Our History Webinar Event | |
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In recognition of Black History Month, the League and partners hosted a webinar that explores the intersection of voting rights, education, and Black history in Florida.
Speakers from the League, Common Cause, Florida Watch, and All Voting is Local spoke on the historical context of voter disfranchisement, the current state of voting inequities, and the impact of harmful education policies. Senator Shevrin "Shev" Jones joined for an address regarding these topics.
Click here to watch a recording of this webinar event!
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LWVUS Presentations on Membership Changes
The League Structure Transformation Plan is dubbed by LWVUS as initiative to grow League membership in number and diversity, strengthen our grassroots power, and bolster our ability to empower voters and defend democracy. This includes a unified membership dues structure will require the LWVUS Board to set one dues model across the country. This dues structure will also include options for members to “pay what you can,” and will likely allow members to support all three levels of League by paying more than the standard dues.
LWVFL invited LWVUS to present regarding these changes and to make sure League leaders and members have the most up-to-date information.
Click here to watch a recording of the session.
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Vote-by-Mail Reset Toolkit
Due to Florida's Senate Bill 90 (2021), all registered Florida voters who want to vote by mail in 2023-2024 must submit a NEW vote-by-mail ballot request to their county Supervisor of Elections!
LWVFL has created a toolkit with League branded assets to help spread the word about this. Please utilize this kit within your own networks and on any League channels you see fit. The toolkit is now also available in Spanish!
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LWV of Jacksonville/First Coast Hosts Postcard Party
The LWV of Jacksonville/First Coast recently hosted an event with Northside Coalition of Jacksonville.
The Northside Coalition of Jacksonville (NCOJ) is a dynamic organization creating positive, lasting change. Since 2016, the NCOJ has worked hand-in-hand with elected officials, law enforcement, business professionals, the faith community, and people from all walks of life.They are a diverse group from all walks of life with the common focus of improving social, racial, and economic injustice. Their compassion stretches across the Northside community of Jacksonville with an increased awareness about the plight of unwed mothers, at-risk youth, and the elderly.
The participants completed a astonishing 1118 postcards in one sitting!
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LWV of Manatee to Host Post-Roe Webinar | |
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Would you like to hear from the doctors, not politicians, on the impact of restrictions on abortion and reproductive health care enacted after the overturning of Roe v Wade?
Doctors, not politicians, should be guiding patients making personal healthcare decisions. What has been the impact of legislative restrictions on physicians who choose to practice reproductive healthcare? How has their life and their ability to practice medicine been impacted? What is the effect on patients and their families?
Most of us get our information from news, social media and political rhetoric. Join the LWV of Manatee on Monday, March 25 at 6:00 p.m. (ET) for a conversation with two physicians who personally deal with these impacts of reproductive rights restrictions every day and can speak authoritatively and from personal experience.
Click here to register for "Post Roe: Impact on Physicians, Patients & Health" now.
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VOTE 411 Update
LWVFL’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to provide all local Leagues with Vote411 access this year.
Local Leagues in Florida will not be charged to use VOTE411 in 2024. In this crucial election year, the LWVFL Board felt it is very important to provide this valuable tool to our local Leagues.
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All statewide calls are in the Eastern Time Zone. | |
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