Newsletter of the League of Women Voters of Williamsburg Area (Virginia)
May 05, 2024 - Vol. 5, No. 10

This practice disproportionately impacts persons of color with 12% of Black Virginians not being able to vote. The process is a remnant of the Jim Crow South that could have been fixed with the 1971 Virginia Constitution, but there were other issues that were addressed instead, leaving disenfranchisement festering.

However, there are several solutions being worked on. The Virginia system is being challenged in the courts for its overbroad use and lack of transparency. There's also a proposed legislative fix with a state Constitutional amendment. This Constitutional change would automatically reinstate voting rights once punishment is completed. The Constitutional route takes two consecutive votes by the General Assembly in two different terms, plus a state referendum. It's going to be a long, but worthwhile, project.

Next Board Meeting. All Welcome!

Shelly Simonds represents District 70, which includes part of the city of Newport News in the Virginia House of Delegates. She is a former teacher, who started her time in elected office as a member of the Newport News School Board and as the Chair of Board for the New Horizons Regional Education Centers. In the House, she co-founded the Career and Technical Education Caucus, a bi-partisan effort to connect students to careers. She currently serves as the Vice Chair of the House Education Committee and the Chair of the K-12 subcommittee. She is also a member of the Aerospace Advisory Board, the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, and the Finance Committee.

Del. Simonds attended Bucknell University for her undergraduate degree and Stanford University for her master’s degree. Also of note, she studied economic development at the University of Chile, spent a year in Spain as an exchange student, and speaks fluent Spanish. She lives with her husband, a NASA engineer, in the Northern part of Newport News and has two daughters attending university.

More about the National Civics Bee

The 2024 National Civics Bee is “aimed at encouraging more young Americans to engage in civics and contribute to their communities.” The competition, open to middle school students in grades 6-8, is sponsored by The Civic Trust, founded by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.

Abby & Lee Anderson, Barbara Anderson, Georgianna Avioli, Ann & Winston Bateman, **Susan Bivins & James Akridge, Pat & Mark Bowyer, Susan & Michael Carron, Tracey Charity-Ray, Clare Conner, **Bobbie & Alan Falquet, Corinne Garland, Suzan Griffin, Helen Hansen, Sue Langston-Ames, John McGlennon, **Mary Moore & Family, Scott Orr, Lisa Ownby, Jane Randall, **Rita Sams, Abra Smith, Bob & Cindy Stoothoff, Susan Strock, Angela Taormina, James Tobin & Jean Balutanski, Toni Webb, Pamela Young, Sheila Zubkoff.

The League of Women Voters of the Williamsburg Area has been recognized by the Virginia School Board Association for our support of WJCC public schools and students.

We work with the Social Studies Coordinator for WJCC Schools, Lee Ann Chisenhall, to schedule in-person Voter Registration events several times a year at the three public high schools. We thank Ms. Chisenhall, a former AP Government teacher at New Kent High School, for very kindly nominating us for this award.

To provide students a reminder and a means to register to vote, League members developed a poster with the Virginia Department of Elections QR Code and information and dates for the 2023 State and Local Elections and the 2024 Federal Primaries and General Election. We provided Ms. Chisenhall enough copies to display in all junior and senior level Social Studies classrooms at the three high schools. Students could register throughout the year as they became eligible (18 years of age by Nov 5).

Even though today’s tech savvy students seem more likely to register online using the QR Code, especially if they didn’t have access to their SSN, we think it’s important that League members continue to conduct in-person registration.

During the last week of April, we held our final in-person events for this school year. We were gratified when students we had registered previously stopped by to say hello and update us on their post-graduation plans. Others let us know they’d already registered online using the poster in their classroom. Students, teachers and staff members thanked us for being there. We assured them we’ll “see them in September.”
Get #VoteReady

Our busy Voter Services team reminds us that:

May 3rd. marks the beginning of early voting for the 2024 federal elections. There are two primaries being held on June 18th this year. There is a Democratic primary for Congressional district 1, with two candidates. There is also a Republican primary for the United States Senate seat for Virginia. There are five candidates in that primary. The Democratic party is not holding a Senate primary (incumbent Tim Kaine). The Republican party is holding a convention on May 3rd. to select its CD1 candidate (incumbent Rob Wittman)...

Voter services continues to visit our local high schools, senior communities, and Farmers Market through May 28th. We have also held registration tables at community events like ‘Birth in Color” held May 6th in Newport News in support of our DEI committee. Facts for Voters 2024 is in our libraries and participating local businesses. We are also planning voter tables for the local Juneteenth celebration on Saturday, June 15th at Freedom Park.

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Contact Us

Did you know that LWVUS holds regular policy, advocacy, and litigation briefings for League members? Watch them live or view the recordings later. You can view the recordings and slides from past webinars.

Take a Look!

We have a social media campaign to present vital information about voting and upcoming Virginia elections. Check us out on:

Encourage GenX, GenY, and GenZ family and friends to follow us!

Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy.