Hope everyone is doing well and staying safe this summer. We’re learning new skills (Zoom and Signup Genius, for example), staying in touch by phone, email, and Facebook (well, not everyone likes Facebook!) and learning how it’s possible to have both a heat wave and a monsoon season in Virginia during the same eight-week period. Here’s to cooler weather and finding more ways to get our message out to the public. Thanks for everyone’s participation.
WELCOME NEW LEAGUE MEMBERS!
The League welcomes three new members in the last two months.
Robert Choplin lives inSpotsylvania County and is already enthusiastically serving on the Voter Services Team. He spends part of each week in Arlington County where his wife, Marjorie Bowman — also a new member – works. Jane Singley from Stafford County has also joined our League after a long career with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She is leading our small group discussion on implicit/unconscious racism. We celebrate you all for joining our ranks and working with us to “Empower Voters and Defend Democracy.”
VOTERS SERVICES TEAM
A group of Sue Botts’ team of volunteers met for brunch in August (observing all CDC precautions, of course) and discussed how to register voters and get-out-the-vote in the age of COVID-19. A lot of great ideas were considered – some were set-aside for now, others will proceed if we have enough volunteers, and others are being researched/tested on a small scale before we decide whether to advance them.
The remaining Team members will be meeting by Zoom on September 1st at 10:30 a.m. If you are interested in joining the Voters Services Team, contact Sue Botts at suebotts1@gmail.com.
We will also be letting the entire membership how they can participate in spreading the word about registration and absentee voting. As a start, you can go to the LWVFRA webpage (search League of Women Voters of the Fredericksburg Region) and find information sheets to share and disseminate.
Announcement: An in-person LWVFRA registration event will take place September 12, 9:30 a.m. – 12 noon in Hurkamp Park, downtown Fredericksburg. If you’re interested in volunteering to help, contact Sue Botts at suebotts1@gmail.com who is scheduling volunteers on SignUp Genius.
Note: One thing everyone can do is spread CORRECT information. Last week it was learned that some well-meaning people wanted to bundle ballots together for the elderly and sick and FedEx them to the Registrar or carry them to the Registrar’s office. That is called “ballot harvesting” and is illegal in VA. A person isnot allowed to pick up, or mail in, or drop off anyone else’s ballot. Everyone must mail or return their own ballot.
Please consider posting this on your Facebook page, neighborhood and church list serves, etc. (You can also follow and share the voting info sheets on the LWVFRA Facebook page. Search League of Women Voters of the Fredericksburg Area.), or print and distribute the info sheets attached to this email. It’s another way to battle misinformation.
In September, the most important words you can say to a voter: DO NOT WAIT!!
REGISTER TO VOTE NOW!
UPDATE YOUR REGISTRATION NOW!
FIND YOUR POLLING PLACE, NOW!
REQUEST YOUR ABSENTEE MAIL BALLOT, NOW!
ONCE RECEIVED, CAREFULLY COMPLETE YOUR BALLOT, NOW!
RETURN YOUR BALLOT, NOW!
VOTE EARLY IN PERSON, NOW!
LIBRARY CIRCULATING LWVFRA FACTS FOR VOTERS
In the next few weeks the Central Rappahanock Regional Library (CRRL) hopes to begin distributing the League’s 2020 Facts for Voters to all the library branches offering curbside pickup to customers. In the meantime, they are putting a link to the Facts for Voters PDF (which has updated voting information ) in an upcoming newsletter, which will reach approximately 130,000 customers. They will also mention Facts for Voters on their next Town Talk radio spot with Ted Schubel.
The Facts for Voters link has been on CRRL’s Get Ready to Vote for some time and its Digital Services team added a cover image to the page to make it stand out. In addition, the library’s Community Engagement Manager was able to re-do the PDF with alt-text for images and compatibility with screen readers, making it readable for the blind and print disabled.
LWVFRA is very grateful to our library partner for helping us spread the word and publicizing Facts for Voters as best as is possible during the current pandemic. Thank you, CRRL! Virginia General Assembly Special Session Begins
Governor Northam announced on August 18th that he would propose to the VA General Assembly that voting be made easier. He is proposing to:
Allow secure drop boxes for voters to deposit their absentee ballots,
Have the State provide prepaid postage on absentee ballots, and
Create a process so that absentee voters can correct errors on their ballots rather than require that the ballots be discarded for mistakes.
Deb Wake, LWV-VA President, issued a press release endorsing the changes and urging the legislature to adopt them. The Governor’s recommendations are in his initial budget request. The General Assembly special session (which began on August 18) will review the budget over the coming weeks.
Here are some links, if you wish to stream the Session.
DON’T FORGET THE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT ON EVERYONE’S BALLOT
Fair Maps Virginia is the newly-named anti-gerrymandering campaign formed by OneVA2021, focused solely on helping the ballot referendum to pass on November 3rd. The LWV is cooperating on the campaign in a variety of ways.
All League members are encouraged to “take the pledge to vote YES on #1” by clicking on the button on the www.Fairmapsvirginia.org website
League members can encourage/invite friends to do the same.
Postcards
The LWV-VA is mailing out a supply of postcards to the key contacts for each local League (For our League, it’s Fran Larkins, franlarkins40@gmail.com.)
Who should we write to?
Voters in our communities: names/addresses from lists of voters will be provided by LWV-VA.
To friends and neighbors – research has shown that people will “listen to the message” more favorably if they already have a “relationship” with the writer
Stamps – if possible, writers are asked to pay for stamps on their own.
LWV-VA might be able to provide reimbursements for some stamps – perhaps ½; perhaps more, and will provide information about how to request reimbursement.
Scripts – to make sure we have consistent messages, LWV-VA will provide the script and send to our League contact, Fran Larkins.
When to mail? – on or before September 8th – 10 days before absentee/early voting begins. This will allow voters to do some “research” before they vote.
Yard Signs
Our League will receive a few yard signs from LWV-VA, about September 6-7 or earlier. If you want one for your yard or another location, contact Fran.
Mark Your Calendars!
CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION EVENT
“When in the Course of Women’s Events…,” a lecture about Virginia suffragists and notable Fredericksburg women
SPEAKER: G. Scott Walker, Director, Hallowed Ground Tours
WHEN: September 26, 2020, 1:30 p.m.
For ZOOM link, sign in with: Debbie Combest, debbiecombest@gmail.com
Free and open to the public… Discussion Group on Implicit/Unconscious Racism
The LWVFRA has started a small informal discussion group to explore how people can sometimes embrace biases and prejudices without being conscious of it. It’s a preliminary part of an effort to reexamine our League’s diversity policy and gain a deeper understanding of broader issues that expand beyond our organization’s own governance.
We plan to meet outside on Saturday mornings/afternoon and Sunday afternoons with pleasant weather (depending on everyone’s availability) in September and October (socially distancing, with masks). We’re keeping the group small so everyone can feel comfortable speaking about matters that are sometimes difficult. If you are interested in joining us, please contact Jane Singley, jvsingley@yahoo.com. Census to Stop Counting at End of September
The U.S. Census Bureau announced that it will cease door-knocking efforts and will stop collecting responses online, over the phone, and by mail on September 30, a month earlier than the previously- extended deadline of October 31.
In Virginia, only 68.3% of households have responded to the census leaving more than 30% uncounted. Virginia counties, cities and states government could lose out on billions of dollars that fund critical services needed during and after the pandemic, including school lunch programs, food stamps, Head Start programs and many more.
Please pass along to your families, neighbors, organizations, and Facebook friends that it’s not too late to access the Census online questionnaire. It’s available at my2020census.gov.
Register for the LWV-VA Fall Workshop
Voting and Access to the Polls
League Basics
September 11-12, 2020
Join the LWV-VA at 7 PM on September 11 for an opportunity to informally meet with fellow members and discuss important topics. COVID 19 has taken away this chance to learn from one another. We will break into virtual rooms to try to gain some of that back.
We start at 9:00 AM (“doors open” at 8:50 AM), with our informational program.
For more information and to RSVP go to: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lwv-va-fall-workshop-tickets-116100430513
Speakers include:
Maggie Bush, LWV US, “Get Out the Vote in 2020”
Andrea Miller, Poor People’s Campaign Virginia, “Combating Voter Suppression.”
Kelley McFarland Stratman, LWV US – “Leadership Development.”
Betsy Lawson, LWV US, “League Lingo and Position Studies.”
State LWV-VA Issue Committees
All League members are invited to be added to the email groups of the issue committees of the League of Women Voters of Virginia. Issue committees serve as virtual discussion forums that can help members across the state learn more about topics or become interested and engaged, and they may turn the engagement and information into more involvement at your Local League. You can be a thoughtful sounding board for group members’ ideas, hear about their goals, or further their understanding of topics.
You can join those that interest you, and/or you can coordinate a group. Coordinating generally involves determining a time for regular virtual meetings, and distributing the Zoom information via email. We do not launch a group until it has a coordinator.
If you’d like to join, go to the SignUp link. You may leave an email group at any time. A description of the committees is here. UMW INVITES LWVFRA TO SERVE ON CCE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE
LWVFRA has accepted an invitation to be a member of the University of Mary Washington’s Center for Community Engagement’s (CCE’s) Community Advisory Committee. The Center’s function is to get students, faculty & staff more deeply involved in our region in many ways, including civic engagement.
The Community Advisory Committee will provide input and advice on the CCE’s direction and help chart its course each year. It plans to bring together people with insights about diverse elements of the Fredericksburg region and its component communities. Its members are expected to push the University to be its best in interactions with the community. A few of the other participating organizations are Fredericksburg Main Street, Germanna Community College, Rappahannock Community Service Board, and Rappahannock United Way, and Fredericksburg City Schools. Thanks to all of you for being League members, and as always, feel free to contact me with any questions, comments or concerns.
Diane S. Shea, President League of Women Voters of the Fredericksburg Area shea.sullivan70@gmail.com
