2016 Election Marks 96 Years Since Women Earned the Right to Vote
Excerpt from Sally Barber's article in the November 7, 2016 issue of the Record Eagle:
“My grandmother never had the vote,” said historian Jane Purkis, president of the Benzie Area Women’s History Project. “We’re not talking about that long ago. It was a big deal to my mother to vote.”
The movement gained traction in Traverse City by the late 1800s. Suffrage icon Susan B. Anthony came to town on a spring day in 1879. She stoked the fire for women’s voting rights from the steps of the Ladies Library Building on East Front Street.
“We continue to fulfill the League’s mission by promoting and facilitating the informed and active participation of citizens in government on all levels,” said chapter president Jan Warren. “We strongly believe that democracy is not a spectator sport.”
Continue reading on the Record Eagle website
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Upcoming Events
Consensus Meeting (2/2)
Government Finance Study
Tuesday, January 17, 2017, 12-2pm
Thirlby Room, Woodmere, TADL
Purpose: to update the LWVMI's current position on taxation and budgeting. There are three components of the new study:
- Understand state revenue sources
- Examine state expenditures
- Look at state/local fiscal relationships
Moderator: League member Jan Geht, J.D., CPA. Jan is a tax lawyer in Traverse City. Prior to moving to Traverse City, Jan worked for several major accounting and law firms and also for the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Suggested readings: LWVMI Current Taxation and Budgeting Position (last revised 1995), Consensus Questions and Background Information, PowerPoint Presentation on Background Information and Issues, a List of Michigan's Revenue Sources, the Michigan Government Finance Definitions, and an additional List of Resources. All League members are welcome, including those who were unable to attend the first session!
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Annual Meeting Report:
League of Women Voters
Lake Michigan Region
Report submitted by Jill Claybour,
LWVGTA Natural Resource Director
The theme of this year’s conference was 'The Art and Craft of Saving Lake Michigan', with focus on efforts in and around the Indiana Dunes. The Spring House Inn, where the meeting was held, is located on the East Branch of the Little Calumet River. I gather that there is a considerable effort underway to make at least part of the Calumet Watershed another nationally-protected area.
An excellent field trip on Friday afternoon highlighted efforts by many units of government and nonprofit agencies to restore Trail Creek, an important waterway through the Dunes area that enters Lake Michigan at Michigan City. We saw creek shoreline stabilization, fish habitat restoration, a sea lamprey barrier, the sanitary district plant, a handicapped-accessible kayak launch, and the marina.
The evening keynote speaker, Natalie Johnson, spoke on 'Threats to Lake Michigan and Optimistic Outlook.' She has an interesting background, having worked in her native Illinois and across the river in Missouri on Mississippi River Basin issues. She gave an overview of many topics, from funding to invasive species threats. Her talk was followed by a film, Lake Michigan in a Dug Out, presented by the filmmakers/stars Amy Lucas and Mary Catterlin, two young women from Beverly Shores, a nearby in-parcel area of the Indiana Dunes park.
The annual meeting took place after breakfast on Saturday. After the business items were covered, the morning’s keynote speaker, Noel Pavlovic, an ecologist from the Lake Michigan Ecological Center, talked on the topic “Invasive Species and Lake Communities, from Beachscapes to Landscapes”. There was particular emphasis on Oriental Bittersweet, although he covered a variety of other plants. His presentation was followed by a pre-lunch resources fair. I will bring the materials I collected to the next Traverse City and Benzie Unit meetings for those who are interested.
The luncheon speaker, Cathy Martin, of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and Save the Dunes, talked about “The Art of Crafting Partnerships for Lake Michigan”, sharing good news about the accomplishments of a group she has helped assemble, made up of public agencies, nonprofits and businesses such as the power company (NIPSCO).
(Report submitted October 2016)
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LWVGTA Voter Service News
VOTE411.org viewing statistics for Michigan:
The total number of viewer sessions in 2016 for Michigan was 218,066. That is 2 1/2 times the number of sessions in 2012 (88,616). In 2014, the total was 92,742.
Detailed Michigan statistics:
- 75% of the sessions in 2016 (163,862) occurred between 10/1 and 11/8 for the General Election.
- 45% of the sessions in 2016 (98,810) occurred 11/5-8, the last 4 days before the General Election.
- 23% of the sessions in 2016 (49,373) occurred 1/1-8/6 for the Presidential Primary + Primary Election.
Detailed local statistics:
- 3,292 VOTE411 viewer sessions in Traverse City, 79% new visitors to the website
- 3,975 VOTE411 total viewers sessions in the Grand Traverse Area
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