Educating Voters. Defending Democracy.

The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

The Voter

November 2024

Dear Editor,

The presidential election season is upon us, again spotlighting how our votes do not count equally. Why does one electoral vote represent 195,000 people in Wyoming but over 700,000 people in Texas, Florida or California¹? It is because electors are assigned according to the number of house members and senators representing each state. Since every state has two senators, states with lower populations are favored by the Electoral College. In addition to being inherently anti-democratic the Electoral College brings risks and problems which profoundly undermine our democracy. It’s time for this relic to be fixed and for voters to elect our president and vice-president directly.

No other office in our country uses this system—mayors, governors, and congressional representatives are all elected directly by the people. And no other country has devised such an odd way to select leaders. Among many problems caused by the Electoral College is the perceived unfairness when popular vote and Electoral College results don’t match. Possibly even more concerning is the polarization and divisiveness that comes from the artificial creation of “red states,” “blue states” and a focus on a handful of “swing states”.  The truth is that every state has residents of all major political parties, and we all deserve to have our issues considered and our votes counted equally.

Citizens and legislators throughout the United States have made efforts to abolish the Electoral College in favor of direct popular vote for the president. In the 1960s both major parties united to amend the Constitution and abolish the Electoral College. That effort was ended by a filibuster from the so-called Dixie-crats, a caucus of southern Democrats. 

Another example is the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which requires states signed onto the compact to assign their electors in agreement with the national popular vote as soon as a majority of the electoral votes are included in the compact. The California governor signed on in 2011 and the compact has now secured 209 of the 270 electoral votes required for it to be put into effect. This could be the last presidential election without a National Popular Vote. 

Continued support for the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is crucial to ensure that every citizen’s vote matters in presidential elections. We encourage you to contact your state representatives in Sacramento and let them know you still support the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. You can find the name and contact information for your representative at this link.

Our founders wrote the Constitution “in order to create a more perfect union.” The work of perfecting our union continues. Let’s all learn more about why the Electoral College came into being, its effect on our democracy, and how we can get rid of it. We still have work to do so that every vote counts equally.

Sincerely,

Tina Doede, president

Margaret Lukens, board member

League of Women Voters of North & Central San Mateo County

Groups and classes in San Mateo County that would welcome a speaker to explain the history, consequences, and remedies for the Electoral College are invited to contact the League at info@lwvncsmc.org.

1 “Representation in the Electoral College: How do states compare?”, USA Facts, accessed October 16, 2024

One Person, One Vote

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

Nelson Mandela

At our national convention in Denver in 2022, LWV announced what then-president Dr. Deborah Turner described as a “moonshot:” to pass a Constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College and replace it with a national popular vote for President.

A “moon shot” is a big, audacious goal (like going to the moon!) It is expected to take concerted effort over many years. And it will sometimes seem unlikely, maybe even impossible, until one day it happens.

Our League is organizing a group to work on this issue. Would you like to join? We need people to:

• learn about the Electoral College and the Interstate Compact and educate our members
• give talks to groups and classes in our county
• write letters to the editor 
• create social media posts
• connect with members of other Leagues who are working on One Person, One Vote

It’s a thrilling, daunting project! If you would like to join this effort, please contact margaret.lukens@lwvncsmc.org. I will schedule a meeting for all interested members in the coming weeks, and I’d love to include you in the work, whether you can do a big piece or a small one.

Margaret Lukens, board member

Join us for a book discussion of "Why We're Polarized" by Ezra Klein.

With a very contentious election ahead, our November book discussion will focus on how Americans are divided into two sharply contrasting groups rooted in partisan identities.

"Why We’re Polarized" by Ezra Klein explores the origins of modern political polarization and its differing impact on the two major political parties, how polarization has made American politics a winner-take-all struggle, and ideas for how we might depolarize our politics.

Join us, even if you don’t have time to read a single page. We believe you’ll still find the discussion time well-spent. Everyone is welcome.

Discussion will be led by Barbara Cohen, Program Committee Member

Register at the link below to join us Wednesday, November 20 from 5 to 6 p.m. via Zoom.

Eileen Easterbrook, co-chair, Program Committee

Well, wow - that was fun! Your League’s Voter Service team and many volunteers completed an impressive number of voter education events, including:

• 11 Candidate forums reaching more than 400 voters in person and many more online or via recordings
• 8+ Pros & Cons presentations both in person and online. Reaching approximately 200 voters live plus more via recordings
• Staffed at least 6 tabling events, including our League's Youth Council tabling at the San Mateo Arts and Culture Festival 
• Supported outreach to Daly City libraries
• Maintained Vote411.org website
• Reached hundreds of voters with educational materials including Easy Voter Guides, Vote411, and other voter education materials impacting hundreds of voters 

Margie Gater, Voter Service co-chair, organized the candidate forums and helped to make sure our voter education materials reached other volunteers to distribute. Kathy Wheeler, Voter Service co-chair, organized the Pros & Cons presentations. Board member Edith Jones spearheaded several tabling events, including a very successful Presidential Debate Watch Party at Skyline College. Susie Raye mentored our League’s Youth Council, led by Zurine Cheng. The Youth Council found opportunities for outreach, including organizing a table at the San Carlos Arts and Cultural Festival. Judy Mitchell drove our League’s engagement with the Daly City libraries (which we hope to expand to other libraries in the future). And Kathee Tyson worked tirelessly to keep the Vote411.org website up to date with local candidate information.

Margie and Kathy also trained and organized many volunteers who helped with all the voter education events, including: Mia Clapham, Tina Doede, Eileen Easterbrook, Gayle Hardt, Linda Jansen, Arlene Kace, Sandy Kraft, Margaret Lukens, Sheliah Musselman, Nicole Niederer, Betsy Pace, Patricia Paquette, Becky Riemer, Cynthia Robbins-Roth, Afsoon Shahrdar, Marlene Suliteanu and Diane Zingale.

If you have feedback on our Voter Service events, please email Margie Gater and Kathy Wheeler at voterservice@lwvncsmc.org.

We received many compliments for our educational work. Thank you all for supporting your League during this important election season. 

Recordings of this year's Candidate Forums can be found on our website . Please share this with voters you know in these jurisdictions. 

Margie Gater and Kathy Wheeler, co-chairs, Voter Service

Thanks to Kathy Wheeler, co-chair of Voter Service, on October 15 we had a very informative meeting on the ballot measures. Kathy presented the pros and cons along with a brief financial analysis and the main funding sources of each measure. With over 90 people registered to attend, this was an extremely successful event. Everyone attending learned something new and came away better informed to vote. For those who could not join us or want to listen again, you can find the recording here.  Please share this link with your friends, neighbors, or other interested groups to help them be more informed. 

Eileen Easterbrook, co-chair, Program Committee

Engaging Voters Through Library Partnership

Our League has initiated a pilot project to collaborate with local public libraries to enhance voter engagement. Inspired by the partnership between the LWVUS and the American Library Association, Judy Mitchell, former librarian and current League member, initiated this project last spring.  

Based on recent voter turnout, the project identified Daly City as an area with opportunities for increased voter engagement. Following discussions with the Daly City Library Director, the League identified materials best suited to meet the needs of the libraries’ patrons and support voters within the community. In partnership with the libraries, we are distributing Easy Voter Guides, voter resource flyers, and Vote411 Bookmarks at each of the four libraries in Daly City. 

Our League will keep in touch and resupply libraries as the election approaches. After the election we will follow up to evaluate the partnership and identify opportunities to expand the project to other libraries. Please contact info@lwvncsmc.org if you are interested in strategic partnerships with public libraries, to foster a more informed and participatory electorate.

Tina Doede, president

Judy Mitchell, member

LWVNCSMC Monthly Board Meeting

Wednesday, November 13, 5–7 p.m.



In-person meeting at the League office:

444 Peninsula Ave., Suite 1, San Mateo

All members are welcome.

New (& Not So New)

Member Orientation

Saturday, November 16, 10–11 a.m.

at our office

444 Peninsula Avenue, Suite 1

San Mateo, CA

(click here to register)



or

Tuesday, Nov 19, 7–8 p.m. via Zoom

(click here to register)

Welcome to our new members! Please join us for new member orientation to:

•    learn about the League and find answers to your questions
•    meet other League members
•    discover how you can get involved

Whether you’re a new member or have been a member for a while and would like to reconnect, everyone is welcome. Prospective members are also welcome, so please bring a friend!

Linda Jansen, chair, Membership

“Welcome to California” photo credit: Tobias Müller (Twam), www.twam.info, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Many who work in our County cannot afford to live here. Join the Housing Caucus, committed to engaging and educating the Local League about our region’s affordability crisis. Register at the link below.

If you are new to our Caucus, please watch our April 11, 2023 General Meeting, Affordable Housing in San Mateo County: Behind the Numbers, to better understand some of the challenges and roadblocks our cities face, as they plan to reach the State's target of 48,000 new housing units--nearly 20,000 of which should be affordable--by 2031.

We meet monthly, on the third Monday at 5 p.m. Next month's meeting will be on December 16.

Elana Lieberman, co-chair

Join us as we work to raise awareness and help League members and San Mateo County residents make informed choices on social, political, and personal decisions that impact climate at local and global levels.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Tina Doede, co-lead

Gail Whipple, co-lead

Mark your calendars for this special

**Members Only** event

Member Celebration Open House

Date: Saturday, December 7, 2024

Time:  1–3 p.m.

Location: San Mateo Senior Center

2645 Alameda de las Pulgas, San Mateo

Join us for a wonderful afternoon enjoying the company of other League members and light refreshments.

If you would like to have fun and lend a hand with decorations, food, and the program for this event, please contact eileen.easterbrook@lwvncsmc.org or gayle.hardt@lwvncsmc.org.

Further details coming soon.

Eileen Easterbrook, co-chair, Program Committee

Welcome to Our New Members

Christine Krolik

Rita Armstrong

Mark Your Calendar

Stay Informed

Stay informed with updates and alerts from your state and national Leagues. Use these links to register:

• For California League updates, sent monthly: LWVC    
• For national League updates, sent twice a month: LWVUS (scroll to the bottom of the page to sign up for e-mail updates).

Keep an eye on our website, lwvncsmc.org, for the latest on upcoming events.

Join the League

We love having new members join us and help with the important work we are doing. Click here to join online or print out a mail-in form. Scholarships are available for new members. Please contact us at membership@lwvncsmc.org.