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THE VOTER
March 2020
Message from the Leadership Team
What a busy election year! The primaries are over, but local elections and runoff elections are on the horizon, followed in the fall by the General Election. We want to continue to register voters and to provide resources to help them be informed voters. LWV websites offer just such resources.

I f you have not visited the LWV-Hill Country Texas website, we encourage you to do so. It has a wealth of helpful information for each county in our area, including early voting locations, dates, and times, and Election Day polling locations, all easily accessed by clicking the "Voter Tools" button.

The LWV-Texas website also has great election resources on its Voting & Elections page, including under "Quick Links/Resources" a link to VoteTexas.gov , the Texas Secretary of State's "one-stop resource for voter information."

And as you will read below, Texas is beginning the process for the 2021 re-drawing of state and federal legislative districts by first holding public input hearings. Attending those hearings and speaking up about your community is critical to ensuring district lines are drawn to keep your community whole and grouped with nearby communities with similar interests. Stephanie Swanson, the guest speaker at our March 19th membership meeting, will describe how we can participate in the hearings, as well as how we identify communities of interest and draw those communities on a map. We hope you will plan to attend the March 19th meeting to hear Stephanie.

Our work "Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy" never ends!
Inside this issue...
  • General Membership Meeting, March 19
  • LWV Texas State Convention, April 17-19
  • Dates for Upcoming Elections
  • League Volunteers Needed
General membership meeting, March 19
Our next general membership meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 19, at 6:00 p.m. at Riverhill Country Club in the Grill Room. Please feel free to bring a guest. The meeting is open to the public.

A buffet of delectable appetizers. including cilantro lime chicken skewers, egg rolls, hot and crunchy zucchini, and a fruit and cheese tray, will be served. The cost is $20 per person, payable at the door by check or cash. A cash bar will be available. Please make reservations with Bunny Bond by email to mmbond@ktc.com or phone at 830-895-1880  by Thursday, March 12 th.  To attend the meeting only, please let Bunny know so sufficient seating will be available.

Our guest speaker for the evening is Stephanie Swanson, who serves as the Issue Chair of Redistricting & Census for the League of Women Voters of Texas and coordinates advocacy efforts at the local, state, and national levels. She is also a Lead Organizer of Fair Maps Texas, a coalition of nonpartisan groups aimed at ending gerrymandering in Texas.

Stephanie's talk, "Redistricting 101 and Beyond: How You Can Participate in the 2021 Redistricting Process," is a timely discussion of the process that Texas is beginning for the 2021 re-drawing of state and federal legislative districts. The Senate Redistricting Committee will be holding public input hearings in San Antonio on March 25 and 26th. Attending the hearings and speaking up about your community is critical to ensuring district lines are drawn to keep your community whole and grouped with nearby communities with similar interests. This ensures that your voice is heard by your elected leaders across all kinds of government decisions. To help community members participate in these hearings, Stephanie will be taking a look at the current redistricting process and criteria used to draw district maps. She will discuss how to identify communities of interest and use the Princeton Gerrymandering Project's new tool,  Representable.org , to draw those communities on a map. She will also be describing ways to advocate for a fair and open public hearing process. 

Stephanie earned a B.S. in Genetics from Texas A&M University and worked as both a structural biologist and a lab manager in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics until 2009, when she started a family. She is now using her background as an analyst, manager, and mother to empower Texans to fight for equitable representation.

And our congratulations to Stephanie! During the "Making Democracy Work Dinner" at the LWV-Texas Convention next month, she will be "applauded for the energy and dedication to the League which she exhibited as the Texas Redistricting and Census Chair, putting into action the [League's] position of supporting transparency in the redistricting process and support for a citizens redistricting committee. Her leadership on redistricting in Texas inspires all [League] members as we see what can be effected with intelligence, dedication, passion and perseverance."
(https://my.lwv.org/texas/event/2020-making-democracy-work-dinner/awards)
LWV-Texas Convention - April 17-19
The 2020 Convention of the League of Women Voters of Texas will be held April 17-19 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel-Austin, and all League members are invited to attend. The conventions are always informative and fun, and very worthwhile. Registration is due by April 1st. The "early bird" full registration fee for members is $140, which includes workshops, the Saturday luncheon, and plenary sessions. For details about all of the events and a link to conference registration, click here . For hotel registration, click here .

Meg Scott-Johnson will host a table at the Making Democracy Work Dinner Saturday evening, April 18th, and invites any of our members who will be attending the convention to be her guest at the dinner. She advises that when you register for the convention, do not register for the dinner. Instead, contact Meg directly ( megdscott45@gmail.com or 830-257-8338) so she can submit your name on her guest list.

The Making Democracy Work Dinner will include a panel of distinguished historians, including Dr. Jessica Brannon-Wranosky, Ph.D.; Dr. Merline Pitre; Dr. Cynthia Orozco; and Cecilia Gutierrez Venable. They will discuss "the forms of women’s activism, organizing, intellectual public space and lobbying in Texas history." The League will also present awards to Raise Your Hand Texas and to Stephanie Swanson "to bring attention to the unique, outstanding work accomplished by them over the past year, furthering the cause of voter rights and voter education in Texas." (https://my.lwv.org/texas/event/2020-making-democracy-work-dinner)
Dates for Upcoming 2020 Elections
Don't miss out on any of these important elections. Print this section and and hang it on your fridge for handy reference. Or visit the LWV-Hill Country's website at League of Women Voters-Hill Country Texas for dates, voting locations, and all sorts of other helpful information.

Local Elections
Last day to register to vote: Thursday, April 2
Early voting begins: Monday, April 20
Early voting ends: Tuesday, April 28
Election Day: Saturday, May 2

Primary Runoff Elections
Last day to register to vote: Monday, April 27
Early voting begins: Monday, May 18
Early voting ends: Friday, May 22
Election Day: Tuesday, May 26

General Election
Last day to register to vote: Monday, October 5
Early voting begins: Monday, October 19
Early voting ends: Friday, October 30
Election Day: Tuesday, November 3
League Volunteers Needed
Volunteers are needed for two important tasks: the 2020 Audit Committee, and the Leadership Team for 2020-21. There is a wealth of talent among the members, and we hope to hear from many of you!

First, the Leadership Team will appoint an audit committee this month to conduct an informal review of the financial records before the Annual Meeting in May. The committee will be composed of three members, two of whom are not members of the Leadership Team. If you are interested in serving on this committee, please contact Cathy Learoyd by email to learoyd@ktc.com, or by phone at 830-792-4734.

Second, the Nominating Committee will begin the process of recruiting and recommending members to serve on the Leadership Team for 2020-21. The Committee's report must be sent to the membership at least 30 days prior to the Annual Meeting on May 21st, which means the Committee must submit its report to the Leadership Team by April 17th. If you are interested in filling one of the positions on the Leadership Team, please contact Bunny Bond by email to mmbond@ktc.com or phone at 830-895-1880. 
Mark Your Calendars
Thursday, March 19 - LWV-Hill Country general membership meeting
April 17-19 - LWVTX Convention in Austin
Saturday, May 2 - Local elections
Thursday, May 21 - LWV-Hill Country annual membership meeting
Tuesday, May 26 - Primary runoff elections
Join Us!
Be a member of the League; we invite you to join us!  A membership form can be found on our website or you may contact Julie Sentell, Membership Coordinator, at julie.sentell@me.com.  

Our League’s annual dues are $60 for an individual or $85 for two in a household, and $5 for student memberships.  Dues are prorated from January. Please include your name(s), address, email address, and phone number. Make your check payable to LWV-Hill Country Texas and mail to LWV-HC, PO Box 290303, Kerrville, TX 78029-0303.  Join the League and help make democracy work.
 
And consider giving a membership to a student, as they need only be 16 years of age to join.
League of Women Voters-Hill Country Texas
Leadership Team
Treasurer : Mary Ellen Summerlin
Membership Coordinator: Julie Sentell
Voters Service:  Jeanette Ruark
Webmaster : Cathy Learoyd
Members-at-large : Bunny Bond, Alicia Boyett, Maggie Megee, Kat Walker
President’s email (presidentlwvhc@gmail.com) : Cathy Learoyd
Facebook Administrator: Kat Walker
Stay Connected

The LWV-Hill Country welcomes your questions! Post to our Facebook page or submit questions via e-mail to  presidentlwvhc@gmail.com
About the League of Women Voters
The League of Women Voters is a local, state, and national nonpartisan organization.  

Please visit the LWV-Texas state website,  my.lwv.org/texa s .  There you will find more voter information and the League positions on a variety of issues.  The League develops its positions after study and consensus.

The LWV-Texas position on the issue of human trafficking in Texas: The League of Women Voters of Texas is opposed to all forms of domestic and international human trafficking of adults and children, including sex trafficking and labor trafficking.  We consider human trafficking to be a form of modern-day slavery and support measures to prevent the use of force, fraud or coercion to exploit a person for sexual or labor purposes, to prosecute traffickers and to protect victims. 
 
For a free, four-hour TEA continuing education credit course on issues of human trafficking, go https://lwvedu.expertlearning.net . Teachers, take note of this!   This is the online course for which we received the state award.

 The national League, LWVUS,  lwv.org ,  is actively working to influence public policy through education and advocacy.  Go to this website and see the range of issues from voter rights, voter turnout, reforming money in politics, and defending the environment.
League of Women Voters - Hill Country Texas
presidentlwvhc@gmail.com
www.lwvhillcountrytexas.org