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Hot Topics! Expand Voter Access
Monday, September 8, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm via Zoom
| | | | Florida has a long history of enacting laws that attack our democracy and create obstacles to the ballot box, particularly eligible voters of color. Amy Keith, Executive Director of Common Cause Florida, will be our guest speaker for this presentation on voter access. | |
Environmental Justice in Manatee County?
The Story of Tallevast
Thursday, September 18, from 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm via Zoom
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For over 20 years Tallevast residents have struggled to remediate dangerous and life threatening contaminants in the ground generated by a closed industrial plant. Hosted by the Natural Resources Action Team, this meeting will focus on the history, actions taken, the still significant contamination, and the ongoing clean-up in Tallevast.
Presenting and leading discussion at the meeting will be Laura Ward and Wanda Washington, founding board members and Co-Executive Directors of FOCUS (Family Oriented Community United Strong, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit) along with Jeanne Zokovitch Paben, an attorney who has worked with FOCUS and the Tallevast community for more than twenty years.
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Tuesday, September 9, 4:30 pm - The Combined Government and National Popular Vote Action Team NOTE new meeting day each month starting in September.
Click here to register for the Government Action Team meeting
For more information, email Government Action Team Chair Holly Kennedy and for National Popular Vote, email Deb Mazzaferro
Wednesday, September 10, 4:00 pm - LWV-Manatee County (LWV-MC) Board Meeting
All are welcome! Click here to join the Board Meeting
Tuesday, September 16, 4:00 pm - Education Issues Action Team Meeting
Click here to join the Education Issues Action Team Meeting
For more information, email Education Chair Merrie Lynn Parker
Thursday, September 18, 5:00 pm - The Natural Resources Action Team
See event titled "Environmental Justice in Manatee County? The Story of Tallevast."
All are welcome! Click here to register for this Natural Resources Action Team event
For more information, email Natural Resources Chair Randy Miller
Monday, September 22, 12:00 pm - Membership Committee Meeting
Special planning meeting to help plan quarterly Meet and Greet events and planning for the annual meeting. Join us! Click here to register
For more information, email Lyle Landon
Wednesday, September 24, 5:00 pm - Voter Services Action Team Meeting
Click here to register for the Voter Services Meeting
For more information, email Voter Services Chair Terri Kondos
The Reproductive Rights Action Team will not meet in September
For more information, email Nancy Hughes
The Social Issues Action Team will not meet in September
For more information, email Social Issues Co-Chairs Tina Juillerat and Nina Tortelli
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September 17 is National Constitution Day
To commemorate the adoption of the US Constitution we focus this month on
Upholding Our Constitution in Crisis.
Read about:
· The evolution and strength of the US Constitution
· A new member’s reflection on democracy.
· Our democracy teetering on the edge of autocracy
· Celebrating Women’s Equality Day under our Constitution
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Will the US Constitution Survive the Current Revolution?©
by Reverend James T. Golden, Esquire (with permission)
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To truly appreciate the many revolutionary aspects of the US Constitution, there must be some fundamental understanding of the evolution of our country which still uses it as “the supreme law of the land” Indeed, the revolutionary ideas in the US Constitution inextricably parallel the evolution of “one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all” from its beginnings as the “Thirteen Colonies” of the 18th century British Empire.
This colonial “yearning to be free” began evolving as early as 1765 in Massachusetts, considered at that time to be a hotbed of disloyalty to King George III. The Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party are just two of the many incidents that led to The American Revolutionary War in 1775 and the signing of the Declaration Of Independence by Anglo-Saxon, male, property owners on July 4, 1776.
However, even in the midst of their revolutionary movement from just being thirteen British colonies, the colonialist leaders were also engaged in the evolutionary process of determining what political philosophy would best serve the needs of “we the people.” They began their search for which system of governance would suffice in their attempt to become a republic “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” The framers initially settled on The Articles Of Confederation. In 1789 the Articles Of Confederation were replaced by the current US Constitution.
It took more than two years for the writing of, the ratification of, and the adoption of the current US Constitution in 1789. It is now the longest surviving written document for governance of any country in the world. The US Constitution has now served “we the people” of the United States of America in countless ways that have been the legacy and posterity of the foresight and insight of the framers of the US Constitution.
The US Constitution which has served us well to date will be sufficient to lead us forward to the unknown and uncertain future. This is because the US Constitution is not only a document written on paper but it is written in the hearts of “we the people.” No individual, no political party, no economic enticement, no amoral value system, nor any other power on earth will cause “we the people” to abandon our US Constitution.
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My Reflections on Democracy
by Marge Kelly, new LWVM member
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It is with renewed interest that I am reading the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and other documents I have mostly taken for granted and not read in years. And yes, I’m also reading the manifestos guiding some groups with their insistent rhetoric and determination to proselytize their warped version of humanity.
My goals for my country have become far more internalized than ever - that we Americans be the best world leaders in science, the arts, research, technology, healthcare, and the human rights that I assumed would always be in place. I have been shocked out of my complacency with the recent power grab by the government seeking to control all aspects of human living.
My thought, at first personal, was: What can I do? I quickly realized that a larger organization was required. I was happy to find community groups, such as LWV, already in place and acting to uphold democracy with the aid of technology. Further, I recalled that we have been in a fight like this before.
With the speed of communication aided by technology it is difficult to keep up with the daily attacks on our human values. I am gratified to see that response is also now immediate. We no longer have time to mull over process and strategy while our democracy is being chipped away daily. We have to respond quickly and with new strategies. Creative thinking combined with technology gives us an advantage.
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Our Constitutional Democracy on the Edge
By Gene Jones, Florida Veterans for Common Sense
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When are democracies born and when do they die? Democracies are not systems that are designed and then appear in a day. Most arise after long political struggles and often with bloodshed. Likewise, most democracies don’t crash in a day, as by a military coup. As they slide into an autocracy, most retain vestiges of democracy. For instance, a government may even encourage elections, but the outcomes are predetermined. Orbán’s Hungary and Erdogan’s Turkey are examples.
A strong argument can be made that our leaders have allowed our democracy to degenerate into autocracy. Daily we see the President attack institutions. Instead of standing up, they capitulate. Media outlets, huge corporations, national law firms, leading universities succumb to presidential whims.
A legal facade is always important for autocrats. They strive to create legal justifications for their power grabs. Most everything Hitler did was legal under German law at the time.
The current administration asserts its actions are legal using a radical legal theory, the Unitary Executive Theory. This theory is the far-fetched idea that our constitutional checks and balances are primarily intended to restrain the legislative and judicial branches that must defer to the President. Under this theory, the three branches of government are no longer co-equal.
The President now acts without following settled law, or even the Constitution. For example, the 14th Amendment grants birthright citizenship in one clear sentence. Executive Order number 14,160 overwrites this one sentence with a page of jargon that establishes exceptions.
Yet some are fighting back. In over 300 cases, litigants have challenged the President’s actions. And many judges have found them unlawful. Nevertheless, in some cases when judges have ruled against it, the executive branch has either ignored the unfavorable rulings or appealed to the Roberts’s Court where the administration can be confident it will prevail.
The confidence is merited. Roberts’s Court decisions are so in favor of the administration that the Roberts’s Court can be described as effectuating a Constitutional coup.
Now, we are no longer equal citizens under the law. The Roberts’s Court has carved out an exception for presidents, who have absolute immunity for acts committed within their core constitutional purview.
In summary, the President, aided by a complicit Congress and the Roberts’s Court, is transitioning our democracy to an autocracy. Unless “we the people” check them, the rule of law will end in America. Our constitutional democracy will have tipped over the edge.
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Celebrating Women's Equality Day Under Our Constitution
by Nancy Hughes
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On August 26, the League of Women Voters joined with other organizations around the county to celebrate Women’s Equality Day, with a focus on granting women the same right to vote as men. While we cherish and celebrate equality in the voting booth, women still lack equity in other areas; for example having a fair chance to succeed in business and being treated with dignity and respect in reproductive healthcare.
The LWV of Manatee and Sarasota counties and the Women's Resource Center collaborated on writing columns discussing education, reproductive rights and the SAVE Act (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act). The columns appeared in local media as part of their Women’s Equality Day outreach. Conservative Women for Freedom also signed onto the column discussing women's reproductive rights.
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"Reproductive Healthcare: Essential to Functioning Democracy." North Port Daily Sun, August 17, 2025 https://www.yoursun.com/reproductive-healthcare-essential-to-functioning-democracy/article_a8d77bf7-c38a-45cb-9b63-ec419237c04c.html (Subscription required)
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"Protect Our Right to Vote: Fight the SAVE Act." Sarasota Herald Tribune, August 24, 2025 https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/opinion/columns/guest/2025/08/25/women-voting-rights-save-act/85698299007/ (Subscription required)
| | Democracy at a Crossroads. How Do We Respond? | | | | On August 7, 2025 the Government Action Team hosted an Overview of the Unite & Rise Campaign. Included: The Moment We Are In, the Framework of Unite & Rise, Playbook 1: Shifting the Power Narrative, Playbook 2: Holding Power Accountable (August – October), LWV-MC & SRQ: Planned and Possible Unite & Rise Actions | | |
Carol Bartz
Marilyn Jones
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Pauline Geary
Andi B O'Connor
| | Don't let the name fool you. EVERYONE is welcome. | | The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization working to protect and expand voting rights and ensure everyone is represented in our democracy. We empower voters and defend democracy through advocacy, education, and litigation, at the local, state, and national levels. | | | | |
