Contents of the May 2020 Voter:

• President’s Message
• Annual Meeting - Saturday, June 20th (10:00am -12:00pm) Save the date
• Census: it is not too late to help!
• LWV Centennial Celebrations
• Open Board Positions
• Voting fears during the COVID-19 Pandemic
• LWVUS Advocacy: The Rise in Voter Purge Litigation
• Climate Action News
• Photos & memorabilia for Women’s Suffrage Exhibit  
• Women's Suffrage Articles
• Upcoming League Events:

President’s Message

I hope that this message finds you and your family safe and well. 

We hope that you will attend our Annual Meeting on June 20th from 10:00am-12:00pm.  Since it will be virtual, you can attend in your pajamas, relax with a nice cup of tea and help us conduct our business. We anticipate that the meeting will run about 60 minutes and will be followed by a question and answer session with Jerry Hill, our state senator. 

We are already working on our candidate forums and Pros & Cons events for the general election in November. Given that in-person group events may not be allowed, we are researching all of our options and working with other local leagues, LWVC and LWVUS to figure out what are best practices. While the events will likely be virtual, you will have the opportunity to meet your candidates and ask questions. 

For the foreseeable future our meetings and work will done virtually.  We have postponed until August our in-person countywide Centennial Celebration with our sister leagues and may have to postpone it again. The LWVUS will be hosting its national convention at the end of June but, alas, it will also be virtual.  We are hoping to have one or two virtual socials this summer for members to catch up and talk about league activities. Look for more information. 

Take care,

Lisa McLain

Annual Meeting - Saturday, June 20th (10:00am -12:00pm) Save the date

Come learn about what we have been doing, help us elect new officers and, once business is completed, State Senator Jerry Hill will join us for a question and answer period. Pajamas OK. Please attend!

Annual Meeting Kits will be emailed on June 1st and include a link for registering for the Annual Meeting. 

For questions, contact:
Carol Kuiper
annualmeeting@lwvlamv.org

Census: it is not too late to help!

The Census brings money back to our county for healthcare, education, and more. You can help by reaching out to family, friends and those you work with to remind them to complete their Census form. Let’s make sure that EVERYONE is counted, including all non-citizens. Please let people know that their identity and personal information is kept safe.

To learn how your identity is protected:  https://2020census.gov/en/data-protection.html

To read more about the Census: https://2020census.gov/en/census-data.html

What is Santa Clara County's response rate?  69.2% overall
      Los Altos: 80.9%
      Los Altos Hills: 75.6%
      Mountain View: 68.1%

Check out response rates throughout the country:

   Census Bureau  or

   Public Tableau to see various rankings or to search on states, counties and cites.

LWV Centennial Celebrations

Countywide LWV Celebration, August 16th 5:00 - 7:00pm

The excitement is building – few organizations make it 100 years. Come celebrate with LWV members from all five Santa Clara county leagues. Special guest speakers start at 6pm, including Supervisor Cindy Chavez. We will also highlight LWV accomplishments, our efforts in our local communities as well as what we do at the state and national level. Be inspired!  Save the date!

We will be honoring one of our most dedicated members, Crownie Billik, who has been a member over forty years, held many offices and been our County Council Voter Services chair for the last 12 years. We hope that you will join us.

Los Altos Mountain View Centennial Celebration on August 18th , 5:00 - 7:00 at Los Altos History Museum

Come celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the League of Women Voters with other LAMV league members. There will be food, drink, festivities and you can tour the LWV sponsored Rise Up!, Women’s Suffrage exhibit. We will be welcomed by Amy Ellison, the exhibit’s curator, who can answer questions about the exhibit. Save

Open Board Positions

The following board positions are open for the 2020-2021 year. We would love to hear from you if you are interested in working with our board. We provide training for all of our jobs and a mentor to assist you.

• VP Program is responsible for organizing our Program Planning and Annual Meeting events. This position sits on the board.
• Secretary is responsible for taking minutes at monthly board meetings and at the Annual Meeting. Agendas and minutes are stored on our document management tool, SharePoint.
• Data Manager is responsible for managing our database of members using NeonCRM. Members are added when they join and updated when they renew their membership. This position does not need to sit on the board but may elect to.
• Government serves as a conduit between National, State and the local League in government policy areas. Should be knowledgeable about or interested in government issues at the local level. 
• Book Group Coordinator helps facilitate the meetings, making sure everyone gets to talk, gathers book suggestions at the end of each meeting and announces via email the next meeting and book selection to the Book Group members.

Contact Sue Graham sgraham@batnet.com

Voting fears during the COVID-19 Pandemic

To ensure our state's voter safety, Governor Newsom signs executive order making California a vote-by-mail state.

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bNNS11gQYk

Other Leagues Fight to Make Absentee Voting Safe and Easy. 

LWV Virginia has been fighting the requirement that anyone who uses an absentee ballot must have someone witness it.  LWV of Virginia, ACLU, and the ACLU of Virginia sued the Commissioner and the State Board of Elections in the state of Virginia to remove the witness requirement to cast absentee ballots in the upcoming election. The parties recently came to an agreement to eliminate the witness requirement.  To read more 

LWVUS Advocacy: The Rise in Voter Purge Litigation

Leagues around the country have seen a rise in voter purge litigation over the past few years. State and local Leagues have joined litigation in response to actions filed by third-party think tanks seeking to force voter roll purges. Leagues have also initiated lawsuits to ensure that voter list maintenance practices are done reasonably and in compliance with the National Voter Registration Act. The NVRA requires list maintenance be undertaken with due care and respect for the right to vote. Read our blog. 

Climate Action News

At the Program Planning Meeting February 1, 2020, a consensus was reached to add Climate Change for action focus. Subsequently, a group of five interested members met to discuss forming a committee and how to proceed. Both the national and state Leagues urge groups to become active on the local and regional levels to preserve the ecosystem. They recognize that climate change is the greatest challenge to our ecological well being. 

Our committee has taken action by writing a letter of support to the council-members of Mountain View for passing a resolution this April for the city to become carbon neutral by 2045. In addition to reducing greenhouse gases to 75% below 2005 levels, they decided to negate any remaining emissions with carbon sequestration - planting trees or restoring wetlands - or carbon offsets. The 75% goal by 2045 applies to community-wide emissions, as does the pledge to offset these emissions completely. 

Photos & memorabilia for Women’s Suffrage Exhibit  

We are looking for photos and objects for the upcoming Women’s Suffrage Exhibit at the Los Altos History Museum.  Our league is helping sponsor the exhibit and we are helping to find  photos of women’s struggle for equality: women’s suffrage, the ERA and women’s rights. We are also looking for photos of LWV activities from the 50s or 60s.  If you have photos and memorabilia or can suggest someone who might,  please contact Amy Ellison, curator of the exhibit. We are also looking for video of the 2017 Women’s March in San Jose.

Women's Suffrage Articles

Online Women’s Suffrage Exhibit at National Archives

While the National Archives museums are closed, you can browse the Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Voter Exhibit from the comfort of your home. There are seven (7) online exhibits about the struggle for women’s suffrage and the impact of the 19th Amendment. 

https://museum.archives.gov/rightfully-hers

How the devastating 1918 flu pandemic helped advance US women’s rights

A 2018 Smithsonian Magazine article about how the Spanish Flu disproportionately affected young men giving women opportunities not previously available to them and shifting public opinion about women’s rights.

https://theconversation.com/how-the-devastating-1918-flu-pandemic-helped-advance-us-womens-rights-91045?xid=PS_smithsonian 

LWV San Diego article “The League of Women Voters is Turning 100!” with page of resources. 

https://my.lwv.org/california/north-county-san-diego/lwv-centennial-anniversary 

Upcoming League Events:

For details go to: https://www.lwvlamv.org/calendar/