It's September - check out our National Voter Registration Day event!
Read on to learn more! |  |
Dear Members,
As we gear up for the general election season, it's time to bring our A-game -- this is our Super Bowl here at the League! The excitement is building, and we're ready to hit the ground running. We've been preparing for this moment, and now, more than ever, we need your energy, passion, and commitment to make a difference. Whether you've been with us for years or are just joining the fight, we hope you're ready to jump in and contribute to our shared goal of empowering voters and defending our democracy.
In the coming weeks, you may notice more communication from us as we ramp up our efforts to get out the vote, provide crucial election information, and ensure election protection. We'll be sharing tools and resources to help you dispel misinformation, protect the integrity of our elections, and encourage your friends, family, neighbors, and community to turn out and make their voices heard. This is our moment -- let's make it count!
Return to top | | LWVAA volunteers register voters at the naturalization ceremony at the Austin Public Library. | Volunteer Deputy Registrars Needed!
We had volunteers out in the community registering voters all summer. We continue to register voters at Austin area Alamo Drafthouse locations on Friday and Saturday nights and have been registering new citizens at area naturalization ceremonies. Invitations to host voter registration tables are ramping up in the Austin area, and we couldn’t be happier about it! Whether it's a farmers market, an outdoor concert or festival, an apartment complex, a club, or anything in between, we’re excited that there's so much interest in empowering voters and defending democracy!
This also means that we need more volunteers to both lead and serve as VDRs for recurring and one-off events. Are you a VDR? Are you ready to register voters with LWVAA? Then please visit our Event Calendar to sign up for one or more of the many voter registration events that are happening around our area! Voter registration events are highlighted in light blue to make them easy to find. And make it a habit to visit the calendar often -- we're always adding events!
If you aren't a VDR, it isn't too late to get your certificate and help us out! Visit the "Be a VDR" page on our website to learn more.
| Voters Guide Distribution
| Voters Guide Distribution Day is Friday, October 4!
LWVAA volunteers are needed to distribute printed copies of our nonpartisan Voters Guide. Volunteer to pick up Guides at the main distribution location at ACES A/C Supply warehouse at 1810 Rutherford Lane, Austin, TX, 78754.
How you can help:
- Contact businesses or nonprofits and invite them to help educate voters by being a Voters Guide distribution site. Share contact information for the business or group with Nancy Mossman or Polly Elrod.
- Volunteer on Friday, October 4, to deliver the Voters Guide to distribution points.
Volunteer signup will open on Saturday, September 21, on the LWVAA website. Get to the signup page using the "Volunteer" link on the “Get Involved” dropdown menu.
Contact: Nancy Mossman or Polly Elrod, Voters Guide Distribution Chairs
| | First Vote! Volunteers Are About to Get Busy!
Fresh out of our First Vote! training sessions on August 17 and August 28, our volunteers will have a lot of opportunities to help register and educate young voters. We have secured dates with 13 schools so far, and expect to schedule others soon.
If you missed the training, don’t worry! A recording of the August 28 training will be available on the First Vote! page soon. If you plan to volunteer as a Volunteer Deputy Registrar (VDR), the First Vote! training is recommended but optional. If you plan to be a presenter and did not attend a training session, please watch the video. We will offer several opportunities to co-present with an experienced presenter and get hands-on experience.
Note: links to our volunteer opportunities can now be found in the Events Calendar. First Vote opportunities are highlighted in bright yellow, so they're hard to miss.
First Vote! Interest Form
If you have not done so already, please fill out this Google Form with your volunteering preferences and other info. All volunteers will be invited to sign up to all First Vote! opportunities, but the form will help us with planning. Not sure whether you've filled it out? There's no harm in filling it out again!
Add Yourself to the First Vote! Mailing List
This will ensure that you'll receive info on upcoming opportunities at each school. (You don't need to be a member to volunteer with First Vote! or to sign up for our mailing list, but if you are interested in joining the League, check out our "Join Us" page.)
Join the First Vote! Email List |
Contact: Susana Carranza, First Vote! Chair
| Communications & Technology
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You Can Help Fight Dis- and Misinformation -- Here's How!
- Learn more about dis- and misinformation here. Follow LWVUS suggested best practice to prevent the spread of false information.
- Join the Civic Listening Corps (CLC) and help us recruit others to join the CLC to combat mis- and disinformation. The CLC is a volunteer network of individuals trained to monitor, critically evaluate, and report mis/dis/malinformation on topics central to our civic life. Learn more about the CLC here, and sign up to volunteer here.
- Share the Texas Tribune's excellent 2024 Texas Election series with your friends and family.
Help the LWVAA Communications Team Share Voting Information!
- Share voter education from LWVAA on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, etc.
- Reach out to the local social media influencers you follow. Ask them if they would be interested in sharing nonpartisan posts from LWVAA. Send their Instagram account information to Grace Chimene.
- If you can safely take a photo or video of one of the three CapMetro buses promoting VOTE411.org, send it to me at gchimene@lwvaustin.org -- I haven't seen it yet!
| School's Back in Session! Do You Have a New Voter in the House?
A gift of League membership is a great back-to-school gift. Student memberships are only $5 and are a terrific way to introduce a new voter to civic life. Purchase a gift membership here.
Ready to join the League? Get started here. We can't wait to welcome you!
| Register Voters Across the Austin Area
Help needed! There are lots of opportunities to register voters!
Contact: Claudia Torres-Yanez, Voter Registration and Turnout Director
Election Protection: Train to #HelpTexasVote!
Poll monitor training is offered every Tuesday (6:00 - 7:30 pm), Thursday (12:00 - 1:30 pm) and Saturday (11:00 am - 12:30 pm) through October.
Power the Polls
Working the polls is one of the most effective ways to support democracy. Sign up to be a poll worker and help our elections run smoothly. Sign up today!
Apply to Serve on a City of Austin Board or Commission
Take part in Austin's government by serving on a board or commission. These groups help shape and influence rules and laws by giving different viewpoints for the City Council to consider.
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Updates From the LWVAA Observer Corps
- Carol Limaye, Observer Corps - County Commission, shares Commissioner's Court Highlights including an Update on Travis County Initiative to Provide Counsel on First Appearance on a 24/7 Basis and Travis County Commissioners Approve Tax Rate Election for Affordable Child Care initiative.
- Joan Quenan, Observer Corps - Environment, The Environment blog shares an Update on Austin Energy's Resouce, Generation, and Climate Protection Plan
Thanks to everyone who has expressed interest in the Advocacy Committee and the Observer Corps! We are contacting each of you about where you’d most like to serve. Advocacy volunteer opportunities include, but are not limited to:
- Interviewing Elected Officials, including City Council members, County Commissioners, and the AISD Board/Superintendent. Introduce them to LWVAA, learn the issues most important to each member and to the body on which they serve, and ask how the League can help.
- Observer Corps. Follow City Council, County Commission, or AISD Board meetings, keep League members abreast of issues that the League is interested in, and identify opportunities for advocacy. Follow the City Bond Task Force once the City has formed it. Follow ballot measures/bonds (child care).
- Environment. Follow Austin Energy and the long-term city plan in development/review.
- Administration of Justice
|  | Mark Your Calendar for These Upcoming LWVAA Events
- Candidate forums for Austin Mayor and City Council members (all forums begin at 6:30 p.m.):
- September 17: National Voter Registration Day music event with KOOP Austin Community Radio! KOOP is organizing a nighttime benefit at the 13th Floor, a club in the Red River Cultural District. There will be bands, DJs and LWV volunteers registering voters.
Upcoming Community Events
- September 5th: The Betty Anderson Speaker Series, named for a past LWV Texas President. LWV members are invited to attend a lunch and a moderated conversation between Ali Velshi, MSNBC news anchor, and Dr. Peniel Joseph, founding director for the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy and the Barbara Jordan Chair in Ethics and Political Values. The event will take place at 12:15 - 1:45 p.m. in the LBJ School classroom SRH 3.122 on the University of Texas campus. Register today!
- September 5-7: While attending the entire Texas Tribune Festival costs money, Open Congress is free and open to the public! Open Congress will be held outdoors on Congress Avenue between 7th and 11th Streets and will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 7. Stop by and say "Hi" at the LWVAA voter registration table.
- September 11: Join the Greater Austin YMCA for an advance screening of the documentary UNDIVIDE US, benefiting the YMCA Youth and Government program. The screening will take place at 6:00 p.m. at the KMFA Draylen Mason studio, located at 41 Navasota Street, Austin, 78702. Tickets are $25. Buy tickets here.
| Check Out the New Items In Our Shop!
Drink your morning beverage of choice from a League mug. Wear a League t-shirt. Carry your voter registration forms in a League tote bag. Slap a League sticker on your laptop or water bottle. All these things and more are available from the LWVAA store on Threadless. Let's get geared up for election season!
| LWVUS
Read LWVUS statements:
Keep up with our work through the LWVUS Newsroom.
LWVUS Blogs and press releases offer insight on League work and news.
Action Alerts
Urge your members of Congress to oppose the SAVE Act, which would require citizenship documentation to register to vote, even though voters in every state are already required to affirm or verify their citizenship status when registering to vote.
| Welcome to Our Newest Members!
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Lorena Alperin
Kay Wolking Bratton*
Meryem Britton
Danielle Bryant
Karla Campalans
LeeAnn Christie
Lucretia Dennis-Small*
Caren Dickstein
Nancy Dismukes
Carol Edwards*
Genna Eneman Smith
Doug Farrell*
Crystal Fox
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| Nathalie Frensley
Gary Gallo
Lisa Gallo
Virginia Gannaway
Gloria Gonzalez
Mary Hanson*
Sunil Khanna*
Nora Levesque
Holly Marcks
Susan Markus
Donna Martino
Elizabeth Murray
Bryan Newton |
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| Christine Newton
Dawn Orsak
Ashley Prevost
Frank Rader*
Rae Rader*
Rebecca Rebecca
Ann Rice
Lynn Sarcione*
Dorothy Tiernan
Monica Tietje*
Kathy Weiler
Yvonne Weldon
Julia Woods
Emily Wright |
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* Indicates a Sustaining Member
| Thank You to Our Sustaining and Renewing Members!
When you join LWV Austin Area, you automatically become a member of the National and Texas Leagues.
| | The League shall not support or oppose any political party or candidates. It may take action on governmental measures and policies in the public interest after significant study and consensus is reached. | |