eVOTER NEWSLETTER
January 7, 2024 - Vol. 5, No. 07 |
Upcoming Board Meetings. All Welcome!
- Wed. Jan. 3 | 4 PM | Schell Room, WRL (Scotland Street)
- Wed. Feb. 7 | 4 PM | Kitzinger Room, James City County Library Branch (Croaker Rd)
For Your Calendar
- Come to any or all of League of Voters of Virginia Legislative Roundtables (in-person or virtual attendance) in Jan & Feb | Sign Up Here
- Feb. 6 & 7 is League Day | Sign Up Here!
Virginia League members advocate in Richmond for bills aligned with League priorities. Visiting League members are recognized by the Senate and House of Delegates.
- Register for Great Decisions
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FROM OUR LOCAL LEAGUE PRESIDENT
| Two great benefits of joining the Williamsburg Area League are Great Decisions and Women's Legislative Roundtable. Registration for Great Decisions is now open, and this year we are bringing back the cookies. At 9:45 before each talk there will be coffee and cookies in the lobby. It's a great chance to chat with your fellow great ‘Decisioners.’ Starting February, every Tuesday morning.
The Roundtable provides all the insight into the General Assembly, without the pain of going. One hour each week (Wednesday mornings) there is a Zoom bringing us up to date on issues we follow in the League. Sign Up Here. | 2023 Annual LWV Survey
"As the League of Women Voters continues to focus on the future, it is critical that we are able to effectively tell our story. Not only will this information be useful for our work with national, state, and local partners, it can show our impact to the press, academics, thought-leaders, and potential funders. By administering this Annual League Survey to more than 700 Local Leagues, we are aiming to gather the data needed to do so.” ~ LWVUS Survey Admin.
Thanks to Board Members, past and present, who provided input for our response to the 2023 LWV Annual Survey. Given the Survey period is January through December while our League year is July through June, it’s always a little more challenging. Not only is data required from two different sets of Board Members, it’s all being collected the week before the holidays. Once again, everyone rose to the challenge, so thank you. We reported numbers of events, volunteers and hours for Election related Events and Non-Election related Events. Election related events include, for example, Voter Services such as Registration drives, work on Vote.411, candidate forums, and publication and distribution of Facts for Voters and other materials needed bu voters.
This year, we added a QR Code from local registrars into our literature and received good feed-back on the ease of the digital access. All of the other wonderful programs and events we conduct are considered Non-Election related, such as Advocacy, DEI, Observer Corps, Great Decisions, annual member meetings with speakers, special programs (The Janes), Women’s History Month display at WRL, high school scholarships, updating website, eVoter, Public Relations, Social media updates, work with State Issue committees, membership drives, tracking membership and dues, building the budget, nominating new Board members and so much more.
These are our numbers as reported, but we most likely exceeded these hours. Our Local League conducted 44 Election related events with 62 volunteers and 286 hours and 46 Non-Election related events with 134 volunteers and 896 volunteer hours. Congratulations to the League of Women Voters of the Williamsburg Area and may we continue our efforts to Defend Democracy and Empower Voters in 2024.
~ Laura Tripp, VP of LWV-WA | Hard To Believe, But
...in two weeks the 2024 Election season begins! The Presidential Primary/Super Tuesday is March 5th and early voting for this begins January 19. The cutoff date to register or make changes to your registration for this primary is February 12. You can register after that date, but their ballot will be provisional. There will be a Republican Primary and perhaps a Democratic Primary with candidates on the ballot.
If you have chosen to use the permanent absentee ballot for primary elections, you will receive these ballots in the mail. If you did not choose to receive primary ballots, none will be mailed. If you wish to change this selection, contact your local registrar.
Early voting takes place at:
- James City County: 4095 Ironbound Rd
- City of Williamsburg: 401 Lafayette St
- York County: 5322 George Washington Memorial Hwy in Yorktown and at Victory Village in Williamsburg
Voters can check their registration to make sure all the information is correct at Virginia Dept. of Election's
Kudos to the many League members who worked as local Poll Workers helping people who came to cast their votes in Williamsburg, James City County, and York County Elections Offices in 2023.
This new year, 2024, is a presidential election year will be even busier. Consider helping out. It’s not only necessary, it’s fun. We need you!
| On League Day we advocate at the Virginia General Assembly for our legislative priorities. This is an in-person only event.
League Day activities will kick off with something new: a reception at the Omni Richmond Hotel on Tuesday, February 6 from 6-8 PM. All the members of the General Assembly and their assistants are invited. This is a great way to mix and mingle with legislators in a relaxed setting. For members who want to stay overnight in Richmond after the reception, there is a special LWV rate at the Omni.
Tuesday, February 7 begins with a buffet breakfast and speakers at the Omni at 9 AM. Following the speakers, League members can visit their legislators’ offices. We will be officially recognized on the floor of the House and Senate at noon.
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League Pre-Session of December 6
Missed LWV of Virginia's annual pre-General Assembly session that brings together our League partners to discuss Legislative Priorities for the 2024 VA General Assembly?
Watch it here on YouTube:
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WLRTs - ZOOM AND IN-PERSON
| Women's Legislative Roundtables
Every year during the General Assembly session, LWV of Virginia organizes nonpartisan forums open to our members and the public to discuss and share information on issues and legislation. We invite Legislators to discuss bills they are sponsoring and answer questions. Leaders of nonprofit groups share priority issues. League Issue Group Leaders update us on League priority issues.
These Jan/Feb/March Roundtables are both in-person and virtual (on Zoom).
The in-person meetings are in the Virginia General Assembly Building, 201 North 9th Street - in the 7th Floor North Meeting Room.
Presentations are free and run from 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM.
We attended the Chamber of Commerce's annual Legislative Priorities Forum on January 3. Read Our Notes
| Roundtable Schedule
Jan 10 Voting and Elections
Jan 17 Gun Violence & Domestic Violence
Jan 24 Education
Jan 31 Child Care
Feb 14 Housing
Feb 21 Environment
Feb 28 Behavioral Health and Criminal Justice
March 6 – Wrap Up. This will be virtual only! | Great Decisions is from February 6th through March 26th for eight sessions. Meetings are Tuesday mornings from 10:30 AM-11:45 AM at the Williamsburg Regional Library in Williamsburg. The program is hybrid with in-person and Zoom participation available.
Topics
The Foreign Policy Association selected these topics: Mideast realignment, Climate technology, Science across borders, US-China trade rivalry, NATO’s future, Understanding Indonesia, High Seas Treaty, and Pandemic preparation.
The program cost is $65 for an individual and $90 for a household.
| Thurs. Jan. 25 | 4:30 PM
Member's Home
The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet by Jeff Goodell
Thurs. Apr. 25 | 4:30 PM
April 25, 2024 | 4:30 PM – The Gun Dilemma: How history is Against Expanded Gun Rights by Robert Spitzer
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Monday Jan. 8 | 12:30 PM | Zoom
Attend this online Zoom session sponsored by YCWF NAACP on lobbying.
Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82517429552?pwd=hS7ZZpYWBm0zdZLl1eim89ghmamoQZ.1
From Ti'Juana A. Gholson, at the YJCW NAACP
"We are excited for another great NAACP year. We are happy to partner with the political action committee, IPC & LIPSs to offer this 12 session CIVIC series throughout 2024. We started the last quarter of 2023 and we are now at session 4. Our hope is to enrich our education to be more informed voters and citizens in the community. We want to not only promote voting, help register our neighbors to vote and register to work the polls this year, we also want to assure the issues that we are concerned with are being addressed. As we approach a new election year we hope that you will join us and spread the word about our series AND show up yourselves. Our next session is a lunch and learn session via Zoom with Angela Bezik founder of Principle Advantage Government Relations Group." | Observer Corps of Local League
Our Observers are hard at work attending local service and governmental meetings and report back. Read the latest here:
James City County Electoral Board
WJCC School Board
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JCC Community Conversations
Wed. Jan. 31 | 6 PM | Legacy Hall
James City County invites residents to the first Community Conversations event of 2024! Community Conversations is a series of public meetings where citizens can discuss important topics with local government representatives.
On Wednesday January 31, County Administrator Scott Stevens will host a discussion and Q&A on the following:
Public safety update from Chief of Police
Williamsburg Regional Sports Complex
James City County Trash Consolidation
James City County Government Center
| New & Renewing Members
Thank you renewing members! Welcome new members!
Names with asterisks gave an extra amount above basic dues!
Karen Berquist, Katherine Cheves, Patricia Collmeyer, Loretta Conen, Linda & Joran Gendell, Roswitha Goossens-Winter**, Nancy Greene, Claudia Johnson**, Mary Kayrouz, Judy Kinshaw-Ellis, Bonnie Konowitch, Paul Langenus, Lonnie Mattes, Karen McPherson, Lane Olson, Ellen Peters**, Leonard Scharf Jr**, Deborah Van Doren, Lola Warren
(renewing / joining 12/3/2023 thru 1/4/2025)
Renewals
Based on the month you joined, we will remind you to renew your membership yearly. Students (aged 16+) are free.
| Did you know that LWVUS holds regular policy, advocacy, and litigation briefings for League members? Watch them live or view the recordings later.
UPCOMING
Introduction to the modules Thurs. Jan. 18 | 3 PM | Zoom
At the request of League members and in coordination with League leaders, LWVUS built multiple module tools to help train voting rights advocates to take advocacy actions to advance League positions successfully. Join this webinar to see an overview of the tools and learn how you can use the content- like template PowerPoint presentations, educational one-pagers, and short recordings, to grow the advocacy skills of your League.
Where Are Reproductive Rights Post-Dobbs? Thurs. Jan. 25 | 3 PM | Zoom
LWVUS will provide a snapshot of the reproductive rights legislative landscape a year and a half after the Dobbs decision.
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FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
| Hey! We have a social media campaign to present vital information about voting and upcoming Virginia elections. We have accounts on:
Encourage GenX, GenY, and GenZ family and friends to check us out. | Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy.
League of Women Voters of Williamsburg Area
P O Box 1086
Williamsburg, VA 23187-1086
501(c)(4) organization | |