NEWSLETTER https://www.facebook.com/lwvalpena/ http://www.lwvalpenacounty.org/ Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy. We envision a democracy where every person has the desire, the right, the knowledge, and the confidence to participate. VOTE YES ON PROPOSALS 2 and 3 2018-2019 Board President: Dottie Haase Vice President: Trina Borenstein Treasurer: Jennifer Dutcher Secretary: Ann Hardesty Membership Chair: Doris Feys Leadership Team: Marcia Aten Bev Bodem Pauline Buchner Robert Kennedy Anne Nave Vernie Nethercut Florence Stibitz Newsletter: Trina Borenstein Website: Jennifer Dutcher Mission Statement: The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization encouraging informed and active participation in government. It influences public policy through education and advocacy. IN NOVEMBER! LWV CANDIDATE FORUM SET FOR SEPTEMBER 24 A forum for candidates running in the November 6 election for state and local offices will be held on Monday, Sept. 24, from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Alpena County library in downtown Alpena. The public is encouraged to attend the candidate forum, which is organized by the League of Women Voters of Alpena County to inform voters. Candidates participating will be: Democrat Joe Weir and Republican Jim Stamas running for Michigan Senate, District 36; Republican Sue Allor and Democrat Lora Greene, Michigan Representative, District 106; Denise Burke and Thomas LaCross, Alpena County Probate Judge (non-partisan); Democrat Richard Neumann and Republican Nicholas Modrzynski, Alpena County Commissioner District 3; Republican Brenda Fournier and Democrat Mary Hess, Alpena County Commissioner District 5. Candidates will give introductory and closing statements and answer written questions from the audience. The regular League procedures will be September 2018 Newsletter 1
Calendar of Events September 21, Friday, noon - Lunch Bunch, Mountain Inn, 5495 US-23, Black River September 22, Absentee Ballots available for General Election and Federal and State races published on Vote411.org September 24, Monday, 6:30-8:30 pm - Voter Candidate Forum for Alpena, Alcona, and Presque Isle Counties. Alpena County Library Conference Room. September 25 - National Voter Registration Day October 8, 7-8 pm - Congressional District 1 Candidate Forum, ACC Room 106, across from the Granum Theatre October 9 - Last day to register for November General Election October 15, 6-8:30 pm - Ballot Issues Forum, ACC Granum Theatre October 19, Friday, noon - Lunch Bunch, Mango s, Thunder Bay Shopping Center, Alpena November 6 - General Election November 16, Friday, noon - Lunch Bunch, Chee Peng, 1237 US-23, Alpena December 21, Friday, noon - Lunch Bunch, As You Wish, 104 N 2nd Ave, Alpena May 17-19, 2019 - LWV-MI State Convention, Embassy Suites, Livonia followed, with time-limited responses. The League neither supports nor opposes any candidate or political party. Anne Nave is chair of the forum and Debra Mischley will be the moderator. The Michigan Senate and Representative parts of the forum will be live streamed to the Alcona County library in Harrisville, and to the Presque Isle District library in Rogers City. The League is planning two more forums. On October 8 candidates for U.S. Representative to Congress, Rep. Jack Bergman and Matt Morgan, will participate in a forum and on Oct. 15 the League will present information on the ballot issues. We are in need of volunteers to collect questions, screen questions, time the candidates, etc. If you are available to help, please contact Doris Feys, jdfeys@hotmail.com or (989) 255-5534. National Voter Registration Day We're heading into National Voter Registration Day on a BIG wave of grassroots momentum, registering record-breaking numbers of young voters... 20,000 students at more than 600 high school voter registration drives...... and registering new U.S. citizens at more than 600 citizenship ceremonies, exceeding previous years' registration numbers. Voter registration is just one of the critical ways in which the League defends our democracy and this year we re seeing new levels of enthusiasm among young and first-time voters. But we can't stop there. Right through Election Day and beyond we're empowering voters to carry out their responsibilities as new voters, explaining what to expect at the polls and providing accurate, up-to-date voting and election information through our VOTE411.org online resource. Please rush a special gift right now in honor of National Voter Registration Day. With so much at stake in the upcoming mid-term elections, your gift will help us communicate with as many voters as possible the September 2018 Newsletter 2
importance of participating in our democracy. Donate here: https://tinyurl.com/yc9fqme9 Saturday Book Club All We Ever Wanted: A Novel, by Emily Giffin NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In the riveting new novel from the #1 bestselling author of Something Borrowed and First Comes Love, three very different people must choose between their families and their most deeply held values.... An unpredictable page-turner that unfolds in the voices of three superbly distinct characters. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution A gripping, thought-provoking journey. Jodi Picoult In July, we conducted a survey to see what book people were most interested in reading. The results were a tie. We chose to read and discuss What The Eyes Don t See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City, by Mona Hanna- Attisha. In October, we will discuss the other book in the tie, All We Ever Wanted: A Novel, by Emily Giffin." October 27, Saturday, 1-2:30 pm, at the Blue Phoenix Books, 106 N 2nd Ave, Alpena. STRAIGHT PARTY TICKET ELIMINATED On September 6, the Federal Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled voters could not use straight party ticket voting in the November election. Voters are encouraged to vote absentee if they meet any of the criteria and to vote at non-peak voting times in their precincts. September 2018 Newsletter 3
Ballot Issues Forum Monday, October 15, 6-8:30 pm, Alpena Community College, Granum Theatre Ballot Issues Education Christina Schlitt, VP Membership of LWV-MI will present educational information on all three ballot issues. Ballot Issues Advocacy Bob Kennedy and Pauline Buchner, LWV- Alpena County, will cover Voters Not Politicians (Proposal 2) and Promote the Vote (Proposal 3). NOTE: This replaces the Redistricting presentation previously scheduled for Sept. 27 September 2018 Newsletter 4
Membership Be sure that you invite your friends to join LWV. Membership is open to men and women, 16 years or older. Membership in LWV-Alpena County includes membership in LWV-MI and LWV-US. $55 Individual Membership for one year (not tax deductible) $82.50 Household Membership for one year (two members at same address, not tax deductible) Educational Fund Donation (tax deductible) Make check payable to LWV of Alpena County, and mail to LWV, 307 W. Maple St., Alpena, MI 48707 Name(s) Address City State Zip code Email Phone Voter Guides Soon, the LWV-MI Voter Guides will be coming in! We make these available to libraries and senior centers and other points of public contact in Alpena, Alcona, and Presque Isle towns and townships. Please let Jennifer Dutcher (989-657-4406, jdutcher@wmcrkfc.com) know if you are able to help with the distribution! This is an easy one off activity, and is a wonderful service to the citizens in our area! September 2018 Newsletter 5
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League of Women Voters of Alpena County September 2018 Adapted from the League of Women Voters of the Ann Arbor Area Newsletter: As you may imagine, we are very busy preparing for the November election, so if you ve been sitting around wondering how you can make the world Safe for Democracy, you ve come to the right place! The great thing is, you don t have to be able to fly or see through walls in order to be a superhero with the League of Women Voters. Whatever your superpower is, we ve got a place for it. For instance: Greeters Do you like making people feel at home? Then you re in luck! We have several candidate forums requiring Greeters. All you need to do is, well, greet people as they come in, make sure they have the information they need, and make them feel welcome. And, depending on the forum, you might also get to meet your state or federal representative or other candidate that you might not otherwise get to see. Timers Do you like watching the clock? Great! We need two Timers at each of our forums, and, for those shy people among us, you don t even need to talk just hold up the signs we give you, indicating how much time each speaker has left. Most of our forums are less than two hours, so you won t even wear out your sign-holding hand. In most cases, you ll be back home in time to catch the news before bed. Moderators Do you like asking questions and controlling a room? Then we ve got just the job for you! We still need moderators for a couple of our forums. This involves asking questions that have been prepared for you, and making sure that the candidates follow the rules and don t get out of control. If you ve ever had kids, you ll know exactly what to do. Delivery people Do you like Defending Democracy while you run errands? Then we need you! We need people to deliver our printed Voter Guides to various locations in the Ann Arbor Area. All you need to do is take them to the addresses we give you, and you will have done your part in creating an informed electorate. Voter Registration Do you want to give the next generation of voters their start? Then you ve come to the right place! Voter Registration is one of the most important things the League does, and you can be a part of it. You have to be trained (next class is September 5th), but there is still time (October 9th is the deadline) to create a new batch of voters. When it comes to Defending Democracy, there is no more important task. So there you have it. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but these are some of the jobs we desperately need to fill going into the election. They don t require a long-term commitment, and at least one of them can be done on your own time. We have plenty of others, so if you don t see what you want (and especially if you do), please give me a call or text (989-255-5534) or an email (jdfeys@hotmail.com) to let Doris know what you re interested in, and she ll make sure that you are Saving Democracy with the rest of us. September 2018 Newsletter 7