eVOTER
August 2023 - Vol. 5, No. 02
Newsletter of the League of Women Voters of the Williamsburg Area |
Upcoming Board Meetings. All Members Welcome!
- Wed. Sept. 6 | 6:00 PM | Schell Memorial Meeting Room
- Wed. Oct. 4 | 4:00 PM | Schell Memorial Meeting Room
Save the Date
- Tues. Sept 12 | 5:00 PM | Film: The Janes at WRL
- Thur. Sept. 21 | 6:00 PM | Candidate Forum (Virginia General Assembly)
- Thur. Sept. 28 | 6:00 PM | Candidate Forum (JCC BOS and WJCC School Board)
- Thur. Oct. 19 | 4:00 PM | Back to League Fall Meeting (Legacy Hall)
Are you a member or want more information?
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Take Action
Keep up with League. Read these blogs:
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Are Women Really Equal - Now - in 2023?
| | August 26, Women’s Equality Day, marks the anniversary of the certification of the 19th Amendment, which granted some women the right to vote. However, women have fewer rights than we have had in decades, and we are far from equal in our democracy. In the aftermath of the Dobbs decision, last year we declared this day to be Women’s Inequality Day, calling on Congress to support women’s equality.
This year, we are demanding that our rights be restored and our voices be heard.
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Women's Equality Day, Reflections from Susan Bivins, President LWV-WA
| Women's Equality Day is 26 August. Historically, it is the day the 19th Amendment, granting the vote to women, was officially adopted. However, after the Dobbs decision by the Supreme Court in 2022, the LWVUS is calling this Women's Inequality Day, to recognize the great step backward. Among items still on the agenda for women's equality is the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), an amendment originally proposed by Alice Paul in 1923, 100 years ago. Virginia was the last state to pass the ERA in 2020, but the Amendment has not been adopted due to Congress (not the Constitution) imposing a seven-year period for ratification. Neither the Trump nor the Biden administration have championed this cause.
So, on the 26th, while we think about the Vote, consider writing your representatives and push for women's rights, both to be free from discrimination (ERA) and control over our own bodies. It's a busy election year, a great time to get involved!! |
Come See The Janes at WRL
| September 12 | 5 PM
Williamsburg Regional Library
515 Scotland St
Watch for an Eventbrite Registration later in August
The Janes provides a very timely look at the 'Jane Collective' - a group of women who built a clandestine network in Chicago to help women seeking safe, affordable, illegal abortions between 1968 and the landmark Supreme Court Case Roe v. Wade. These 'Janes' risked their personal and professional lives to help others at a time when abortion was a felony in Illinois. | | |
September Candidate Forums: Save the Dates
| September 21
The League, the York-James City-Williamsburg NAACP, and the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy will sponsor this forum for candidates for State Senate and House of Delegates on Thursday September 21 from 6-8 pm at the Williamsburg Regional Library Auditorium. This will include Senate Districts 24 (J.D. Diggs and Monty Mason) and 26 (Ryan McDougle and Pamela Garner) and House District 71 (Amanda Batten and Jessica Anderson).
September 28
The League and the York-James City-Williamsburg NAACP are sponsoring a forum for candidates for James City County Board of Supervisors and the WJCC School Board on Thursday September 28 from 6-8 pm at the Williamsburg Regional Library Auditorium. This will be for the Berkeley, Roberts, and Stonehouse Districts. | | |
Save the Date: We are Planning the Back To League Event
| Thurs. Oct. 19 | 4 PM | Legacy Hall, 4301 New Town Ave.
We are in the planning stages, getting speakers and arranging refreshments. Invitations to all League members will go out in early Fall. Mark your calendars!
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October | 4:30 PM | Member's Home | (exact date to be announced later)
In October, we will discuss the The Shadow Docket: How the Supreme Court Uses Stealth Rulings to Amass Power and Undermine the Republic by Stephen Vladeck. Stephen Vladeck, a nationally recognized expert on the federal courts, constitutional law, national security law, and military justice examines the Supreme Court's use of unsigned orders, the shadow docket.
| | | A Note From Jodi, Our Local Reclaim Our Vote Organizer
I thought you'd like to know that LWV members are really turning out for the Reclaim Our Vote postcard drive! At least 28 of the 51 people (55%) who have signed up so far are affiliated with the League. (Many are affiliated with other organizations as well.) League members have requested more than 1700 cards, which is about 48% of the total.
So Let's Grab our Pens and Do More!
Write Non-Partisan Get Out the Vote Postcards to Virginians. Reclaim Our Vote is organizing non-partisan postcards to Black, Hispanic, and Asian-American voters who live in key competitive districts in Virginia. Order your postcards now and mail completed postcards between September 8 and October 25.
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Curious about latest developments at the WJCC School Board?
| | | Welcome New Members
Linda Stocker
Welcome Renewing Members
Virnell Bruce, Patricia Dalton, Pat & Bill Evers, Rubyjean Gould, Lynn Griswold, Deborah Kennedy, Diane Lederer, Mary Christine Miller, Janet & Alexander Ross, Don Schilling, Sudie & Rich Watkins, Linda & Mark Wenger, Marie White, Hoda Zaki
Membership Anniversaries
Your League membership renewal occurs on the anniversary of the month you originally joined. Students aged 16+ are free.
| | | State & National League Updates |
Join the LWV of Virginia Right to Vote Study Group | |
We have a new League study addressing the issue of expanding the right to vote in Virginia to encompass universal suffrage.
Part of this study will be look at felon disenfranchisement.
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Join the LWV of Virginia Child Care Study Issue Group
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CHILD CARE IN THE NEWS
In Virginia if child care exists in an area, it is often unaffordable. If you are concerned, join the child care issue group, meeting online on the second Sunday of every month 7:30-8:30 pm.
~ Maria Posey, WV-VA Child Care Issue Group Chair
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Congratulations James City County
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The Center for Digital Government and the National Association of Counties announced James City County as a winner of its 20th annual Digital Counties Survey. One of the County's innovations was adding Chatbot technology to the county’s website which can answer your questions online and in real time.The result? an 82% customer resolution rate.
WYDAILY, July 21, 2023
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About WJCC Schools - Online Town Hall Meeting
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The Village Initiative for Equity in Education in Williamsburg-James City County is happy to partner with the Williamsburg/James City Education Association to facilitate this public discussion on the possible break up of the WJCC Schools into two separate school divisions. Please join us! All community members are welcome.
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Reproduction Rights and Women's Health
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KFF Health News, July 28, 2023
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Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy.
League of Women Voters of Williamsburg Area
P O Box 1086
Williamsburg, VA 23187-1086
501(c)(4) organization | |