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Date: 7/10/2022
Subject: LWV-Wake Update July 11th 2022
From: League of Women Voters of Wake County



LWV-Wake Update 7/11/2022

 

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Dear ~~first_name~~,
 
Greetings from LWV-Wake.
 
The anger and frustration, resulting from the Dobbs decision, are still very much with us as we read daily news stories about the dangers pregnant people and health care providers face in a post-Roe America. In addition, the postponement of Saturday's 'Bans off our Bodies Rally', due to a security threat made to Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, was unnerving. While we wait for the rally to be rescheduled, you can show support for abortion rights by participating in Planned Parenthood's 'Bans Off Our Bodies Walkout' this Wednesday, July 13th at 4pm. For details on two ways to participate, click here. 
 
Abortion protection in NC hangs by a thread (specifically 2 seats in the Senate and 3 House seats).  As mentioned in the previous League Update, House Speaker Tim Moore recently told WRAL “North Carolinians can also expect pro-life protections to be a top priority of the legislature when we return to our normal legislative session in January."  GOTV efforts by the League are extremely important as we approach November and we need all hands on deck! 
 
On a positive note, Governor Cooper took a stand for reproductive rights last Wednesday, signing an executive order ensuring North Carolinian's rights to abortion. Thank you Governor Cooper!
 
January 6th Public Hearings - July 12th 10am
Another January 6th hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday, July 12th at 10am.  At this hearing, the committee will present its findings on the connections between former President Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election and the domestic violent extremist groups that helped to organize the January 6th attack. 
 
Signature Matching Decision by NCSBOE Expected July 14th 
The NSCBOE board is expected to rule on the request for a declaratory ruling for signature matching, during their July 14th meeting, which begins at 9:30am. LWVNC spoke out against signature matching and sent an advocacy alert requesting public comment on the NCSBOE public comment portal.
 
NCSBOE received approximately 7500 comments via their website portal, 5 mailed comments and a few hundred emails. In a quick review, the majority of online portal comments were against signature matching, while the email comments were roughly divided. You can read the comments here and find the meeting agenda here. Thank you to all Leaguers who took the time to submit comments! 
 
News from the League
Voter Services
As we approach mid-term elections, our Voter Services committee is determining projects aimed at educating voters and encouraging everyone to VOTE. Project ideas include combating mis- and disinformation about elections and voting, instilling confidence in our elections, and protecting our votes. If you are interested in working on upcoming election/voting projects, please plan to attend the next Voter Services Committee meeting on Wednesday, July 20th. Registration link can be found here.
 
LWV-Wake Volunteer Opportunity - Finance Committee
As part of our strategic plan implementation, LWW-Wake is creating a finance committee. This committee will work with the Treasurer to expand the types of financial reporting presented to the board, create processes to mitigate financial risk and assist with the yearly budget process. Experience with, or knowledge of, budgeting, financial statements, and Quickbooks would be helpful. The committee will determine the frequency of meetings and work process. If you are interested, please email Elaine Okal
 
 

📣 Dianna Wynn Joins League of Women Voters of the United States Board of Directors 📣
 
LWV-Wake Immediate Past-President and member Dianna Wynn was elected to the National League of Women Voters board of directors during the organization’s biennial Convention held in Denver in June, which included a keynote address from MSNBC's Joy Reid.
 
“It is a tremendous honor to serve on the board of directors for this esteemed organization,” said Wynn. “Voting rights are critical to our democracy, and I look forward to working with this new board to ensure that every eligible voter has equal access to make their voices heard.” 
 
The selection of LWVUS board members is a highly selective process, with hundreds of applicants and multiple rounds of interviews by the nominating committee. We are extremely proud of Dianna and wish her all the best in her new role!


ICYMI: LWVUS Convention Briefing
The LWVUS Biennium Convention, held in Denver, CO, ended on Sunday, June 26th. For a daily briefing of activities, including several important resolutions and amendments that were voted on, click here.
By the Numbers for newsletter
Please also take a few moments to learn about the impressive work we have accomplished as part of a national organization in the 2020-2022 LWVUS Biennium Impact.

Upcoming LWV-Wake Events
League Lit July 2022
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  • July 21st 2pm-3pm - League Lit Raleigh - Will discuss Once I Was You by Maria Hinojosa. From Simon & Schuster: "The Emmy Award–winning journalist and anchor of NPR’s Latino USA tells the story of immigration in America through her family’s experiences and decades of reporting, painting an unflinching portrait of a country in crisis in this memoir that is “quite simply beautiful, written in Maria Hinojosa’s honest, passionate voice” (BookPage). Register here.
  • August 10th 11am - Anna Julia Cooper Gravesite Trip & Lunch - League members and their guests will visit the gravesite of Anna Julia Cooper at the City Cemetery of Raleigh and learn the highlights of her accomplishments. After the visit, we will meet for lunch at a downtown restaurant. For more details and to register, click here.
  • September 14th 10am - Pauli Murray Exhibit at the NC Museum of History Field Trip & Lunch - Join other Leaguers to visit the Pauli Murray exhibition at the NC Museum of History. After the tour, we will gather for lunch at one of the restaurants across the walkway. For more details and to register, click here.

Registration is now open for our largest fundraising event of the year, our Women's Equality Day celebration. Our theme this year is The Power of Pearls...And the Women Who Wear Them. We invite you to put on your pearls and join us!
 
During this event, we will recognize and honor all women elected officials serving Wake County. In addition, Janet Cowell, former NC state treasurer, state senator, and current CEO of Dix Park Conservancy, will serve as the keynote speaker. The event, held at the beautiful All Faiths Chapel at Dix Park, begins at 5:30 on Thursday, August 18th. We invite you to join us as a sponsor. Dues alone does not cover our annual expenses and we rely on sponsorships to help us fund:
  • Programming - Timely Topics, DEI Roundtable, and other programs during the year that serve to educate our community on important issues.
  • Civics Education program - A new program of short videos that provide information on local and state government, voting, elections, redistricting and other related topics, to our community.
  • GOTV/Election projects - As we approach mid-term elections, our Voter Services committee is planning a host of GOTV projects, including media promotion for VOTE411.org, candidate forums, door hanger and post card projects, yard signs, etc.  We must also push back against election disinformation meant to confuse, intimidate and harass voters, suppress the right to vote, or otherwise disrupt our democracy.
  • Leadership Development Training - As we focus on developing leaders among our members, we need to invest in training and materials to help potential leaders learn how to be effective in the League to ensure the growth and stability of LWV-Wake.
  • Technology - As the ability to reach citizens relies more on technology, LWV-Wake must adapt and invest in technology that allows us to educate, organize and activate in order to advocate more effectively. 
To learn more about our sponsorship levels and to register, click on the link below:
 
 
 
 

LWVNC Events
To see all upcoming LWVNC sponsored events, please view their Events Calendar
 
 

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Membership Renewals - Thank you for renewing your membership!
 
Members with a June/July renewal date have received three renewal email notices generated by the membership roster on our website. Many members have completed their renewal online or by printing an invoice and mailing it to the League office. We sincerely appreciate all who have renewed their League membership! For those who have not yet renewed, you will be prompted to renew when you login to our website. 
A Reminder: You can extend your membership for another full year by paying dues in one of three ways: on the website, using your credit card through our  PayPal credit card processing system (no PayPal account required), via a PayPal account, or by downloading the form and mailing a check ($60 individual; $90 household). Our office address is 3509 Haworth Drive Suite 306  Raleigh, NC 27609. Office mail is checked once or twice a week. Once your check is received, your membership will be noted as paid on our website directory.
In addition to our regular individual/household membership, we now offer a benefactor/benefactor household level membership for $100/$150.  This type of membership is being offered to raise funds for memberships for those that may want to join the League but lack adequate financial resources to do so. Once we have collected enough benefactor memberships, we will begin to offer a "Pay What You Can" membership. We encourage any member who is interested in helping others join the League to choose this membership level. 

If you have forgotten your password in order to log in to your account, you may follow the instructions to create a new one, or you may contact roster guru Laurel Voelker to assist you. Should you have any questions about memberships, please contact Dale Cousins.

We hope all of you will continue your membership and support the League of Women Voters of Wake County.

NCGA Short Session Wrap-Up
 
Legislators ended (maybe) the short session on July 1st, with no agreement to expand Medicaid.  The 27.9 billion budget that passed provides neither adequate public education funding nor teacher raises, when adjusted for inflation, that would prevent a possible teacher shortage that is expected in the new school year. To add insult to injury, a $56 million increase in funding for the state’s Opportunity Scholarship Program was included, which in previous years has seen money go unused. 
 
The resolution that was passed ending the short session also provides for several mini-sessions outlined here. For an overview of possible considerations that could be taken up during these sessions, election laws for one, read this article from NC Policy Watch. 
 
If you are interested in hearing what NC Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger thinks about (among other things): Medicaid expansion, abortion, guns, governing, the 2024 governor’s race, schools and LGBTQ issues, future redistricting plans, Moore v. Harper, political discourse and social media, listen to Travis Fain's 45 minute interview on the WRAL NC Capital podcast here. 

Looking for information from a past newsletter? Previous League Updates can now be viewed on our website's home page. Look for the "League Updates" blue tab on the top menu.
Thank you for continuing to support the League of Women Voters of Wake County. 
Sincerely,
Cheryl Tung
President
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.
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Support the LWV-Wake with Amazon Smile donations
You can now select our League as your charity of choice and support LWV-Wake at no cost to you. A portion of all your Amazon purchases will be donated to LWV-Wake by Amazon. To learn more about Amazon Smile and how to sign up, click here. Once you have signed up and chosen League of Women Voters of Wake County as your charity, you can bookmark the Amazon Smile page. Thank you!