‌
THE VOTER
October 2019
Message from the Leadership Team
At its regular council meeting on October 8th, the Kerrville City Council issued a proclamation celebrating the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote, as well as the 100th anniversary of the founding of the League of Women Voters of Texas and the ongoing educational and civic engagement activities of the LWV. Several LWV-Hill Country Texas members appeared in their "suffragist finery" to accept the tribute to the efforts of the Suffragists and the League of Women Voters. (For the full text of the proclamation, click here .

As this 100th anniversary year unfolds, we will have many opportunities to share the stories of the women whose decades of hard work and dedication ultimately resulted in the achievement their goal: women's right to vote. Standing on their shoulders, we have much work left to do " to realize the dream of full equality for all citizens of our beloved nation..." (City Council of Kerrville, Texas. (2019). Proclamation: 100th Anniversary of the Women's Right to Vote, and the 100th Anniversary of the Texas League of Women Voters. ) Pitch in when you can as we continue our mission to empower voters and defend democracy.
Inside this issue...
  • Update on Informing and Empowering Voters: a Door-Knocking Drive
  • Candidate Forum for Bandera City Council, October 15
  • Candidate forum for Blanco County North District Library Board, October 19
  • Election Day, November 5
  • Belk Charity Day, November 9
  • General membership meeting, November 21
  • LWV-Hill Country "Suffragists" appear at Texas Heritage Day
Update on "Informing and Empowering Voters: a Door-Knocking Drive"
On September 25th, 14 very eager and able LWV-Hill Country members joined together to learn how to use “tech” as a tool for getting out the vote. After downloading two apps onto their cell phones, they learned first how to identify neighborhoods where clusters of non-voters live. With the second app, they learned how to use the questions generated in the app to guide a conversation with potential voters to learn of their needs, while at the same time documenting their answers. Participants also signed agreements to use only non-partisan language when working on behalf of the League.  
 
Door-knocking will begin on Sunday, October 13. Participants for the day will meet with a host at a predetermined location and coordinate assignments. Contact Jeannette Ruark with any questions at [email protected] or by phone at 830-377-8639.

If anyone is interested in participating in this project but has not yet had the mandatory training, please contact Jeannette , and she will schedule training for you.
Bandera City Council Candidate Forum, Tuesday, October 15
A candidate forum for the Bandera City Council, sponsored by the League of Women Voters-Hill Country Texas, is scheduled for Tuesday, October 15 from 6:30pm to 8:00pm at Bandera Electric Coop.

The nine candidates for the three places on the Bandera City Council have been invited to participate. The ballot lists the following nine candidates: Candice Witt, Deborah Brown, Lynn Palmer, Thomas McEachin, Cindy Lou Coffey, Alan Calaway, Gunnar Witt, Jerry Russe, and Rebeca Gibson. The three
positions available on the city council are for two-year terms.

All inquiries about this candidate forum should be addressed to the League of Women Voters - Hill Country Texas at the following email:
Candidate Forum for Blanco County North District
Library Board, Saturday, October 19
The Blanco County Unit of the Hill Country League of Women Voters regrets the cancellation of the Candidate Forum for the North District Library Board of Blanco County. The forum was scheduled for Saturday, October 19th. 
Election Day, Tuesday, November 5
Proposed Amendments to Texas Constitution
On Tuesday, November 5th voters will have the opportunity to vote on 10 proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution. On its website, the League of Women Voters of Texas provides nonpartisan information on the proposed amendments that includes an explanation of each amendment, along with arguments for and against each one. Click here to visit the "Election Information" page on the website, and scroll down to "Proposed Constitutional Amendments."

Proposed Amendments to Kerrville City Charter
In addition to the proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution, voters who live within the city limits of Kerrville will have the opportunity to vote on 19 proposed amendments to the city charter. The newspaper notice that will be published on October 12 and October 19, lists each of the proposed amendments.

A Sample Ballot showing the proposed amendments to the state constitution AND the proposed amendments to the Kerrville city charter can be viewed here .

Visit vote411.org to view the League's voter guides and find polling locations and other helpful information.

Important dates:
Monday, October 21, 2019 - First day of early voting
Friday, October 25, 2019 - Last day to apply for mail-in ballot; please note: application must be received by the county election department on or before this day.
Friday, November 1, 2019 -Last day of early voting
Tuesday, November 5, 2019 – Election Day; please note: mail-in ballot must be received by the county election department on or before this day.
Belk Charity Sale, Saturday, November 9
The League of Women Voters Hill Country Texas is one of many charities that benefit from Belk’s semi-annual charity sales. This fall’s Belk Charity Sale is Saturday, November 9, from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.  We participate in this event twice a year, and it’s a great, nearly painless fund raiser for us. 

Belk provides $5 discount coupons to participating community organizations. including LWV-Hill Country. Our members sell the coupons (or buy them and give them away).  The $5 we receive for each coupon we sell stays in our treasury.  The buyers get $5 off their purchases at Belk, and Belk gets good publicity.  It’s a win-win-win.  Belk also donates a percentage of the total sales that day to the participating organizations.
 
On the day of the Belk Charity Sale, Belk gift cards valued anywhere from $5 to $1,500 will be given away to the first 100 customers at each store. In addition, two $1,500 gift cards will be given away that day. No purchase necessary! Please see the back of the coupon for details.

This is your invitation to buy coupons.  Please contact Mary Ellen Summerlin either by email addressed to [email protected] or by telephone at 830-895-7982, and let her know how many you would like. She can mail five for a normal stamp (and you mail her a check for $25 to PO Box 290303, Kerrville, 78029).  Or she will be happy to arrange a meeting place to bring the tickets to you.  Once you have paid for the coupons, you can do anything you want with them.  This year you can use a coupon on each transaction you make on sale day, so you could use them all yourself or re-sell or share.
General Membership Meeting, Thursday, November 21
Save the date for our next general membership meeting, which will be held on Thursday, November 21, at 6:00pm at Schreiner University in the River Room of the Cailloux Campus Activity Center (CCAC). As always, spouses and guests are welcome.

A buffet of heavy hors d'oeuvres, along with a glass of wine, will be served in the River Room. The cost is $25 per person, payable at the door by check or cash. Please make reservations with Bunny Bond by email to [email protected] or phone at 830-895-1880 by Thursday, November 14th.

Benjamin Montoya, Assistant Professor of History at Schreiner University, will be our guest speaker for the meeting. Complete details will be printed in the November newsletter.
LWV-Hill Country "Suffragists" appear at
Texas Heritage Day
On Friday, September 27th, several LWV-Hill Country Texas members, channeling their Suffragist "foremothers," set up a booth at Texas Heritage Day at Schreiner University. This annual event showcases "Another Way of Learning Using Stories and Songs," and the "suffragists" took advantage of the opportunity to educate students and adults alike about the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment giving women the right to vote. They made quite an impression strolling the grounds around the Robbins-Lewis Pavilion in their suffragist attire and carrying signs and posters like those used by the Suffragists. Thanks, ladies, for kicking off the 100th anniversary celebration in such grand style!
Mark Your Calendars

Sunday, October 13 - Door-knocking campaign begins
Wednesday, October 16 - Volunteer Deputy Registrar training,
Kerr County Courthouse
 Saturday, October 19 - LWV Texas 100th Anniversary luncheon,
St. Anthony Hotel, San Antonio
Monday, October 21 - Early voting begins
Friday, November 1 - Early voting ends
Tuesday, November 5 - Election Day
Thursday, November 21 - LWV-Hill Country general membership meeting
Thursday, January 16 - LWV-Hill Country general membership meeting
Thursday, March 19 - LWV-Hill Country general membership meeting
April 17-19, 2020 - LWVTX Convention in Austin
May 21, 2020 - Annual membership meeting
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 [email protected].  

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 ([email protected]) : 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  [email protected]
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.
Please Consider . . .
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Or just save these instructions:
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League of Women Voters - Hill Country Texas
www.lwvhillcountrytexas.org