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January 2023 Action News!
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Happy New Year!
As we begin 2023, I reviewed the LWV Texas five-year strategic plan. I am very proud of our progress and looking forward to the work ahead of us. With the 88th Texas Legislature session beginning on January 10th, our focus is primarily on our advocacy work.
Our top priorities are:
- Voting Rights and Elections Law- We expect it to be another business session fighting bad voter suppression bills. We think and hope there will be some positive progress on voter rights.
- Women’s Health and Reproductive Choice- With the Dobbs decision overturning 50 years of precedence of Roe v. Wade, we will be collaborating with LWVUS and Texas Reproductive Rights organizations on what progress we might be able to make in Texas.
- Public Education- We expect several bills concerning public education funding. We will continue to stand for increasing funding for public schools and opposing all voucher programs.
- Gun Safety- There will be many good and bad bills on gun safety and rights. We will continue to advocate for bills regulating handguns and semi-automatic weapons ownership.
Texas has one of the lowest percentages of population in voter turnout (45th of 51), so Voter Education is always a priority of LWV Texas. Given this, developing a new strategy to increase voter turnout, in particular for communities that are typically underrepresented, is paramount. In addition, we will support our local Leagues with the local election this spring and prepare our nonpartisan Voters Guide for the Constitutional Amendment election in November. Finally, a relatively new area for LWVTX is promoting a diverse pool of people running for office at all levels through collaboration with organizations with expertise.
While we are always looking for ways to increase League coverage across the state, we are also working on better supporting the 32 local Leagues in Texas. Our local Leagues are amazing and do incredible work to further our missions with limited resources. Starting in 2023, LWVTX will provide financial help to local Leagues by now providing the state-level Voter Guides to all the Texas local Leagues at no cost, along with VOTE411. We are also working on updated training programs, grants for voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts, and ready-to-use digital communications for them.
As you can see from this overview of our mission-critical work in 2023, we have much to accomplish. While our 2022 year-end appeal is over, it's never too late to support our mission to Empower Voters and Defend Democracy by:
On behalf of the League of Women Voters of Texas, I wish you a happy and healthy new year. Thank you for being so supportive this past year. Let's make everyone's voice heard in 2023 and beyond!
In League, |
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| Your Texas League in Action |
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Women Power Texas ~ A Making Democracy Work Dinner
You're cordially invited to attend "Women Power Texas ~ A Making Democracy Work Dinner," our annual fundraising dinner, on Monday, February 27th, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. at the UT Etter-Harbin Alumni Center, located at 2110 San Jacinto Boulevard in Austin, Texas. Our keynote speaker is Rochelle Garza, and our honorees are Texas Gun Sense, Texas Impact, and the Texas Tribune.
Honorees:
- Texas Gun Sense, Nicole Golden, Executive Director- As a leader in gun policy advocacy, we appreciate Texas Gun Sense’s efforts in creating a coalition on behalf of Texans to raise awareness of and advocate for common-sense gun policy.
- Texas Impact, Bee Moorehead, Executive Director- We honor Texas Impact for their work on Voting Rights, Women’s Health, and Medicare expansion. We appreciate their outreach not only to people of faith but to all Texans including our policymakers.
- Texas Tribune, Rebekah Allen, Politics Editor, and Carla Astudillo, Elections and Political Data Visuals- The League appreciates the Texas Tribune’s commitment to provide nonpartisan news, information, and events to promote an informed civic engagement in our democracy.
Sponsorship packages are available. For more information about the event, click here.
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Introducing Elisabeth McNamara, New LWVTX Vice President of Advocacy
New to Texas, MacNamara served as president of the League of Women Voters of the United States from 2010-2016. Elisabeth joined LWV in 1983 and has served in various leadership roles, including president of the Georgia state League and a local League in Georgia. Elisabeth is an attorney and a career prosecutor in Georgia. She retired in 2010. She recently moved to Texas where she joins a son and two granddaughters. She is currently a member of LWV Collin County.
(Pictured above: Charlotte McKenzie, LWVTX Vice President Service to Local Leagues, Janet Imhoff, former LWVTX Vice President of Advocacy, and Elisabeth MacNamara, current LWVTX Vice President of Advocacy)
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The League needs your support as we fight for our democracy and push back against anti-voter bills, expand the electorate to create a more inclusive democracy, and ensure elections remain fair and accessible. Will you join the fight?
Your support helps us to keep providing nonpartisan voter resources like our printed Voters Guide and VOTE411.org, a one-stop-shop for voting information that empowers voters in multiple languages.
To make a donation to help support the important work of the League of Women Voters of Texas in defending democracy and empowering voters, click here.
Make a Donation!
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LWV Tyler/Smith County
Photo credit: League of Women Voters - Tyler/Smith County Facebook page. LWV Tyler/Smith County did a popcorn fundraiser through Double Good to raise money for their local League to empower voters and defend democracy. Read more here.
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LWV Houston
Photo credit: League of Women Voters of Houston Facebook page. On Dec. 14, 2022, LWV Houston registered 1,478 new citizens from 114 countries. In 2022, over 9,000 citizens were registered to vote by LWV Houston at Naturalization Ceremonies. Read more here.
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LWV Austin Area
Photo credit: League of Women Voters of Austin Area Facebook page. LWV Austin Area is hosting an art & writing contest "Picture This: What Does Democracy Mean to You" for Austin area students in 1st through 12th grades. Read more here.
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LWV Amarillo
Photo credit: Amarillo League of Women Voters Facebook page. LWV Amarillo held a meet and greet for new members at Palace Coffee Company to gather and talk about what the League has done this year. Read more here.
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| Your Texas League in the News |
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The League’s Statement about the Busing of People Seeking Asylum
Joyce LeBombard, LWVTX |Published on 12/28/2022
The League of Women Voters of Texas condemns Governor Abbott’s busing documented immigrant asylum seekers to Washington DC, New York, Chicago, and other cities without warning or coordination with local and state officials, or aid organizations in those cities.
Read the full article here.
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Critics are pouncing on Harris County’s election fumbles, real and concocted, to fuel legal challenges
Natalia Contreras, Votebeat and Texas Tribune |Published on 12/9/2022
Harris County officials have yet to explain the full cause of the ballot paper shortages, long lines and voting machine problems on Election Day, and experts say the lack of information is fueling a bipartisan surge of criticism — both valid and baseless. At least two losing Republican candidates, citing the problems, have already filed legal challenges to void the Nov. 8 election and order a new one, and lawyers are warning election officials to expect more.
Read the full article here.
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Remembering January 6, 2021
January 6, 2021, was a dark day in our nation’s history, and the disinformation that sparked the insurrection continues to attack our election system.
The 2022 midterm elections ran smoothly, fairly, and securely, and our trusted election workers should be praised for their dedication to our democracy. As we remember the violence of January 6, 2021, we commit to ensuring peace at the polls so that every American and every poll worker can make democracy work together.
In a bipartisan response to the disinformation behind the insurrection, Congress passed the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022,a bill (which was attached to a year-end omnibus funding bill)signed into law by President Biden on December 23, 2022.To read more about the provisions in the bill, click here, and to read the full bill, click here.
In a recent press release, LWVUS CEO Virginia Kase Solomón stated, "We applaud Congress for working together in a bipartisan fashion to pass meaningful legislation crucial to our democracy. This necessary legislation is one step towards ensuring our country never experiences another January 6." To view the LWVUS press release, click here.
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LWV's 103rd Birthday
Celebrate the League’s 103rd birthday on Feb. 14th with LWV's national day of action! LWVUS will have a marquee event with featured speakers live-streamed on their Facebook page at 11:00 a.m. ET on the day of the event.
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Volunteer Deputy Registrar Certification
Volunteer Deputy Registrar (VDR) certification expires on December 31st of every even-number year. So, it's time to renew your VDR certification or become a new VDR if you want to register voters for the 2023 and 2024 elections.
VDRs help to register voters. You must be certified in the county in which you are registering voters. Learn more here or at your local Voter Registrar's office.
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League of Women Voters of Texas
1212 Guadalupe St. #107
Austin Texas, 78701
(512) 472-1100
lwvtexas@lwvtexas.org
lwvtexas.org
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