Welcome back to your exclusive, bi-weekly newsletter of the League of Women Voters of Wake County. If someone forwarded this to you and you'd like to become a member, or are interested in learning more, just click here.
| IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please do not mail anything to our old office address.
We have officially moved and we do not want to miss any mail from our members.
Our new address:
LWV of Wake County
1001 Wade Avenue Suite 025
Raleigh, NC USA 27605
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Dear ~~first_name~~,
As we step into fall, our work continues to grow in both importance and impact. Thank you to our sponsors, volunteers, and attendees who made our Women’s Equality Day fundraiser such a success. Your energy and commitment keep our mission—to empower voters and defend democracy—alive and thriving.
We were honored to welcome Leoneda Inge, co-host of WUNC’s Due South program, as our keynote speaker. Her storytelling and community engagement continue to educate and inspire. Don’t miss her interview with LWV-Wake President Gaye Williams, where they discuss the vital role the League plays right here in Wake County. Click here to listen (The interview begins 33 minutes into the program.)
This month, we recognize several important dates that connect directly to our mission:
• September 1 – Labor Day
• September 15 – National Hispanic Heritage Month begins
• September 15 – International Democracy Day
• September 16 – National Voter Registration Day
• September 17 – Constitution Day
In recognition of National Voter registration Day, you can learn more and get involved by visiting this website.
LWVUS continues to provide members with opportunities to deepen their understanding of democracy and civic engagement. We have highlighted a few informational presentations scheduled for September towards the end of this newsletter. We encourage you to take advantage of these resources and strengthen your role as an informed, active citizen.
With election season approaching, we have added several volunteer opportunities. We encourage you to check them out, sign up, and help us to empower voters!
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Our Women's Equality Day 2025–LWV WAKE Annual Event was a big success. We thank all of you who volunteered to make this event happen, the individuals and organizations who sponsored the event, our keynote speaker, Leoneda Inge, and all who attended.
Through the event, you helped raise nearly $17,000 toward programs we'll carry out throughout the year. We make a difference by giving our time, energy, effort and our financial contributions. We can do more because of the generosity of our members and supportive community.
Thank you for your support!
|  | | Join us as we welcome Suzanne Fisher.
Suzanne is currently the President of the Asheville-Buncombe County League, Secretary for the LWVNC, and leader of the Election of the President by Popular Vote Action Teams for both Asheville-Buncombe and all of North Carolina.
There are over 500,000 elected offices in our country. For all but one of them, the candidate with the most votes is assured of being the winner. The exception is our one national office – the President of the United States. The One Person/One Vote campaign of the LWVUS is dedicated to achieving the election of the President by popular vote. Suzanne Fisher will cover the history of the LWV in this effort, the many problems of the Electoral College, the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact as the first step in ultimately abolishing the Electoral College by constitutional amendment, and how our state and local leagues can support this work.
Attendees are encouraged to bring their own lunch. Light snacks will be provided. If you'd like to help out by bringing light snacks/desserts, you can sign up here. |  | | As an all-volunteer organization, our work is largely achieved through Committees. Investing your time here is a great way to learn about the work of our League and meet other active League members. You can review our online calendar anytime for upcoming meetings and other events happening every month.
See Upcoming Meetings and register online. To learn more about LWV-Wake’s current committees or to email a chair/co-chair, go to our Our Work page.
Consider one of these committee meetings scheduled over the next two weeks:
Civics Education Committee
Monday, September 8, 10:30 AM until 12:00 PM
The Women's Rights & Healthcare Committee
Tuesday, September 9, 3:00 PM until 4:30 PM
The Membership Committee
Thursday, September 11, from 5:00 PM-6:00 PM.
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We’ve added new pages of Civics Education Resources on the LWC-WAKE website! The new topics include Media Literacy, Political & Economic Systems and How a Bill Becomes a Law. Also in the works is a “Civic Spotlight” page where we will feature topics currently in the news. Want to take a look? Click the "Civics Resources" tab at the top of the LWC-WAKE homepage to access a drop down menu of all the topics covered.
The Civic Education Committee Meeting - 9/8/2025 will be meeting next on Monday, September 8 @ 10:30 am in the new League office as we turn our attention to promoting these resources in our community. If you are interested in working on this project, come join us!
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Have you joined the League recently? Did you participate in League 101? Do you want to know how to get more involved? Maybe you joined us for our very successful ice cream social in the early summer.
Good news! The League’s membership team has devised a series of fall meet ups for you. We have dates in September, October, and November.
First up, join us at Ladyfingers Market and Eatery, 3710 Exchange Glenwood Place, Suite 104, Raleigh, 27612, September 17th from 4-6pm. Grab a drink and a snack and chat with other members. We will also have a special guest, Liz Simon of the Affordable Housing Committee. She’ll be available to chat about the committee and answer your questions about what’s involved in being a committee member.
Questions? Email Pauline Houlden at Pauline.houlden82@gmail.com
Click here to register. This will ensure you receive reminders. Not registered, no problem. Come anyway! |
On August 25, 2025, members of our Affordable Housing Committee attended the ground-breakiing for the Cottages of Idlewild in Raleigh, an innovative small-cottage community designed to expand affordable housing options. Projects like this demonstrate that affordable housing can be both functional and beautiful, providing dignity and stability for residents while strengthening neighborhoods. We encourage you to read more here about this inspiring project.
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Volunteers Needed!
Vote411 needs volunteers familiar with one (or more) Wake County municipalities to help us identify locations to place VOTE411 signs during the run-up to election day in November. There will only be 4 Early Voting sites in the whole county, so we want to find good, highly visible locations beyond early voting sites. We need help especially in Apex, Cary, Fuquay Varina, Holly Springs, Knightdale and Zebulon. If you have ideas about good locations, contact Sandy Hutchinson.
Are you are willing to put signs out, and monitor them throughout the Early Voting period (Oct. 27 - Nov. 2)?Please sign up on the Volunteer page for your preferred municipality, Vote411 Yard Signs in Wake County Municipalities.
If you are willing to contact candidates (mostly via text) to follow-up on the communications sent to them via the VOTE411 software and encourage them to participate in our on-line voter guide, sign up on the Volunteer page, Vote411 Candidate Contact Team Member.
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Membership Renewals and Credit Cards
To renew your membership visit the Join page on our website and click "Join and Renew" to access the renewal portal on LWV.org. If you'd like to make an additional contribution to LWV-Wake, there is an opportunity to do so in the renewal process. Please note that your credit card will only be retained in the lwv.org system if you sign up for automatic renewals. Thank you for your support!
|  | | September 11, 2025
Power Mapping
Learn about “power mapping,” a strategic tool for identifying and understanding the people, institutions, and networks that influence your advocacy goals.
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm ET
Learn more
Join the LWVUS Advocacy team for a discussion on “power mapping,” a strategic tool for identifying and understanding the people, institutions, and networks that influence your advocacy goals. We’ll walk through the fundamentals of creating a power map, explore how to assess allies and decision-makers, and share practical tips for applying this method to your state and local work. This session will help you build targeted strategies that maximize your impact.
September 17, 2025
Working With Local Election Officials to Anchor Change
From experiences via voter services committees to highlighting events that feature local election officials, this webinar will explore the best ways for League leaders to get more engaged with local election officials. This session is part of our Democracy in Your Hands series.
11:00 am – 12:15 pm ET
Learn more
Democracy in Your Hands Overview
Our democracy is at a crossroads as the levers of power are out of balance and we are at the onset of a constitutional crisis. It’s important now more than ever that League members understand the role that they play as anchors of democracy and be aware of the role that we all play, collectively in fighting for and sustaining our democracy.
Through civic engagement and educational activations, folks will grasp a better knowledge of the tools and tactics to mobilize themselves and their communities to advocate for change. We need a functioning democracy so that our voices are heard, the issues that we care about are advanced, and the prosperity of ourselves and our communities are centered.
The Democracy in Your Hands webinar series will highlight five topics that are key to building an essential knowledge base on how to navigate in a changing political environment. How does democracy remain front and center, how do we expand our knowledge base as trusted messengers in our democracy, and what do we do to sustain ourselves, mobilize ourselves, and activate ourselves in the name of democracy?
|  | N.C. State Board of Elections Registration Repair Project
The NCSBE has issued instructions for voters to check their registrations and has begun a process to provide any missing information. Please look on the list and encourage family and friends to check for their names as well. It is essential that if your name is on the list, you follow the instructions carefully to ensure your voter registration is up to date.
Please share this information in your networks and help us spread the word that voters may need to check their voter registration for accuracy.
The LWVNC would like to know if League members are on the list. If you find your name, please reach out to communications@lwvnc.org to let us know and we'll share the information with the LWVNC Board.
Your vote is your power, so if your name is on the list, please take steps to ensure your information is up to date. https://www.ncsbe.gov/registrationrepair |  | Media placements help us get our voice heard. And being heard helps us make an impact. You can keep up with LWVUS press coverage at the League of Women's Voters Newsroom.
Gaye Williams, President LWV Wake County is interviewed by Leoneda Inge on WUNC Public Radio.
At 0:33:00 minutes into the Due South "Friday News Roundup," you can hear our president, Gaye Williams, discuss LW-Wake's preparations to educate voters this fall. From "Women's Equality Day" to the League of Women Voters’ upcoming 'get out the vote' and voter education plans this fall, Leoneda Inge learns from Gaye Williams.
Anne speaks with Celina Stewart, the inspiring and unstoppable CEO of The League of Women Voters who is making history of her own. Celina, an expert in redistricting, the Census and voting rights is the League’s first African American CEO.
Federal Judge Rejects Broad Bid to Toss VACIR Voting Rights Case
Press Release / Last Updated: August 19, 2025
Plaintiffs’ core claims proceed and the case moves to discovery. Read release here.
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September 3, 1838 - Anti-slavery leader Frederick Douglass began his escape from slavery by boarding a train in Baltimore dressed as a sailor. He rode to Wilmington, Delaware, where he caught a steamboat to the free city of Philadelphia, then took a train to New York City where he came under the protection of the Underground Railway network.
September 5, 1774 - The First Continental Congress assembled in Philadelphia with 56 delegates, representing every colony, except Georgia. Attendants included Patrick Henry, George Washington, Sam Adams and John Hancock.
September 9, 1776 - The United States came into existence as the Continental Congress changed the name of the new American nation from the United Colonies.
| | Gaye Williams, President
League of Women Voters
Wake County
| | | The League of Women Voters of Wake County is a designated 501(c)3 nonprofit charitable organization by the IRS. Donations and membership dues are fully tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. | |