Annual Meeting

Maria Gagnon-Markucki

Nearly 50 League members joined us at the Clubhouse at Friendship Village on May 11 to conduct our Annual Business meeting. Guest speaker, Von Washington Jr., CEO of The Kalamazoo Promise, spoke about the history, challenges, and future of The Promise and then fielded questions. During the meeting, the budget was approved, board officers elected, and proposed bylaws changes passed. Special thanks to Madeleine Socia and Friendship Village for graciously offering their Clubhouse and providing delicious parfaits, coffee and iced tea for our members to enjoy.

Voter Service Update

Aimee Bedard

Thank you again to League Members who worked the May 2026 Election. Please contact your local clerk or county clerk’s office if you are interested in working as a Poll Worker during Early Voting (managed by the County Clerk’s office), the August Primary Election, or the November General Election.

In May, the League tabled at Phoenix High School’s Parent Teacher Conferences and at KRESA’s Family Resource Night. Thank you to volunteers Aimee Bedard and Gloria Foster-Wimbley. In June we will be busy registering voters at area High School Graduation Practices and at the beginning of Fall we will be back on WMU, KVCC and Kalamazoo College campuses to register students. Be on the lookout for League emails seeking volunteers.

The League has volunteer opportunities available across our Voter Service Platform including Vote411, Voter Guide Production and Distribution, Board of Canvass Observation, Voter Education and Registration, and Candidate Forum Planning and Execution. Please contact lwvkalamazoo@gmail.com if you would like more information. 

8/8 LWV Day of Action!

Denise Hartsough

Save the date Saturday, August 8th for a nationwide Day of Action by local and state Leagues to call attention to the 1965 Voting Rights Act! August 6, 2026 is the 61st anniversary of President Lyndon Johnson’s signing of the VRA.

LWVMI will live-stream the documentary Three Marches, Two Sisters, One Bridge, produced by LWVMI Board member Charles Thomas, Jr. about his aunts. As teens, his aunts marched in Selma. They will comment after the film. 

During “intermission,” audiences around the state will mobilize voters in various ways, which may include writing postcards, textbanking or phonebanking. 

LWVKA is partnering with other local, nonpartisan, pro-democracy groups to hold a watch party. This is likely to be in the late afternoon or early evening. Please mark your calendar and watch your email and the Voter for details!

News From the Environmental Committee

By Chris Kuthe

Please join us for the Kalamazoo River Cleanup on Saturday, June 20th from 10am to 12pm. Meet your fellow LWVKA members in the parking lot of Mayors Riverfront Park, 251 Mills Street, Kalamazoo. We will be walking on land, not in the river, but closed toed shoes, pants, a long sleeve shirt and gloves are recommended. A celebration at Mayors Park will follow the clean up. Please join in this community effort to improve the Kalamazoo River.

To register for this event, go to: kalamazoorivercleanup.org

• Click on the orange “Register Here” button
• Fill in your personal information
• Choose the “on land” option
• Choose “Mayors Riverfront Park” for your starting location
• There will be a few questions you will have to answer for yourself.
• Where it says “I’m part of a group or have a special request” please put LWVKA and then submit. You will receive a confirmation email.

We hope to see you on June 20th. If you have any questions, please contact Chris Kuthe at ckuthe57@gmail.com

Karen Eddy

11/13/37-04/04/2026

LWVKA/Calhoun County Geographical unit

Susan Stuart

Unite and Rise 8.5 this summer! 8.5 million voices are being heard nationwide and through civic and community collaboration and education in Calhoun County. 

A couple of hundred elders and family members attended the Senior Expo at Kellogg Arena on May 21. Pride events in both Marshall (June 13, 12-7 at Stuart Landing) and Battle Creek (July 18 at Leila Arboretum) need volunteers. We will be doing a walk-about at Cereal Fest in Battle Creek on the morning of June 13. Please volunteer for one of these events. It's very invigorating to interact with the public about Voter Rights! 

Our Annual Meeting is coming on the evening of June 18. Elections of Team Members for the coming year and a program about Iran are highlights. 

We have many plans to prepare for the August 4 primary election and the November 3 general election so make a commitment to get involved today!

https://www.michigan.gov/sos/elections/pollworker#BecomeAPollWorker.

LWVMI Advocacy

Denise Hartsough

Your State League board took the following actions in May:

Approved partnering with Voting Access for All, a coalition that advocates for persons in pretrial situations, about to be released from prison, and those formerly incarcerated, along with their families and community members, to have the opportunity and knowledge they need to exercise their right to vote and to participate in the democratic process.

Supported a House bill to prohibit the use of certain restraints while transporting youths to certain residential treatment facilities. 

Consistent with the position adopted by delegates to the 2025 State Convention, supported a set of House bills that would legalize medical
aid in dying.  

With permission from LWVUS, the LWVMI Board voted to oppose federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities in Michigan. LWVMI is consulting with statewide immigration rights groups about appropriate actions. Information for interested local Leagues is forthcoming.

LWVUS Update

Paula Manley

June

Pride Month

NNN5 World Environment Day

NN19 Juneteenth 

NN21 Father’s Day

NN22 4th Anniversary of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization

NN23 54th Anniversary of Title IX

25-28 57th Biennial League of Women Voters National Convention

• LWVUS recently announced a new partnership with the National Education Association. The purpose is to recruit a new generation of poll workers for upcoming federal, state, and local elections. They will collaborate through a joint initiative by Power the Polls, a nonpartisan hub for poll worker recruitment. The goal is to ensure that every community has the staffing necessary to keep polling places open and the voting process accessible for all.

• On June 22, 2022, the U.S Supreme Court gave a 5-4 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization which overturned the Constitutional right to abortion which had been recognized in cases of Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.

• Title IX is a landmark federal civil rights law which is part of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or in any education program receiving federal funding. Title IX was passed on June 23, 1972, to update Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which banned forms of discrimination in employment but did not address education.

Tips for Following Breaking News

Denise Hartsough

When major news events unfold, it’s important to approach the information critically. Use these tips:

• First reports are often wrong or incomplete. Wait for verified information before drawing conclusions or sharing.
• Don’t trust anonymous sources. Look for local outlets and reporters on the scene for the most reliable early information.
• Beware when news outlets cite only other news outlets rather than primary sources.
• Note and think critically about the language and framing of news stories.
• Compare multiple news sources and stories for a fuller picture.
• Big news events create big opportunities for attention-seekers and grifters. Be especially cautious of sensational claims.
• Before sharing information, pause to consider if it is verified. If it is not verified, don’t share it.

Thanks to LWVUS for the tips, adapted from On the Media’s breaking news guide!

LWVKA Book Group

Karen Gustafson

We met on May 19 at Kazoo Books and Regena Nelson led the discussion on The First Ladies, by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. 

We plan to read three more books this year, with meetings in July, September and November. Our books are as follows:

July 21

Giving Up is Unforgivable: A Manual for Keeping a Democracy, by Joyce Vance.

Led by Aimee Bedard

September 15

Let the People Pick the President, by Jesse Wegman

Led by Lindy Rose

November 17

Original Sins: The (Mis) education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism, by Eve L. Ewing

We plan to meet as usual in Kazoo Books, 2413 Parkview, on the third Tuesday, every other month.

All League members are welcome at our book discussion group. We would love to have you join us!.

Please contact Karen Gustafson if you have any questions or would like to be added to our email list: 269-207-2441 kgustafson912@gmail.com

LWVKA Officers and Board Members