! November 2018 November Unit: The Office of the County Attorney Stearns County Attorney, Janelle P. Kendall Wednesday, November 14, 2018 1:00-3:00 pm Bremer Room, St. Cloud Public Library 300 W St. Germain, St. Cloud MN 56301 The Office of the County Attorney performs criminal and civil legal duties as specified by Minnesota statutes. The goal of this work is to protect public safety and the rights of the people and businesses in Stearns County. Responsibilities of the office include: prosecuting adult criminal offenders, helping victims of crime, providing child protection services, prosecuting juvenile delinquency and child protection, participating in efforts to reduce crime and giving legal advice to county boards, officials and departments. Protecting public safety and the rights of people and businesses in Stearns County is our goal--and our duty, says Janelle Kendall, Stearns County Attorney. Through continuously improving support for law enforcement, county departments and schools, active leadership, and accountability for the use of tax dollars, we strive to make Stearns County the best place to live, learn, and grow. Be sure to join us at our November Unit and learn about the mission, goals and responsibilities of the Stearns County Attorney s Office as well as its community outreach efforts. Dialogue & a Drink - Cheers to Making Democracy Work Thursday, November 1, 2018, 5:00pm Red Carpet Martini Lounge, 11-5th Ave S, St. Cloud Please join us as we reflect on how our League has contributed to making Democracy work. From voter registrations to the many forums we've held to talks given in schools and even the constitutional training given a year ago all contribute to making democracy work. Complimentary hors d'oeuvres are available with the purchase of 2 drinks--which can be non-alcoholic. IN THIS EDITION Holiday Party Info... 2 Registration Recap...2 Forums Recap... 3 Membership... 4 LWVMN Exhibit... 4 Observer Corp... 5 Early Voting... 5 Kavanaugh... 5 Book Club...6 Calendar...6 Unit Reminders... 7 November 2018 Page!1
2018 Holiday Potluck Brunch WHEN: Saturday, December 1, 2018, 11:00am to 1:00pm WHERE: TIMING: St. Cloud Unitarian Universalist Fellowship 3226 Maine Prairie Road, St. Cloud MN 10:45AM Bring items for the silent auction. 11:00AM Social time begins 11:30 AM Brunch begins 12:30AM Bidding closes for the silent auction 1:00PM Party Ends PLEASE BRING: A dish to share $5.00 fee for incidental costs Great items to donate to the silent auction Checkbook Our local League expenses are greater than the money we bring in, so the silent auction this year is a true fundraising effort. Every member can help by donating quality items that you would like to give or receive as gifts. When a member donates an item to the silent auction, they will put a value on the item and that amount is tax deductible. Purchasing an item is not tax deductible BUT is very helpful for our local League. Please contact Ann Fleming if you have questions. We Have Been Busy Registering Voters! The Outreach Team has been involved in many voter registration events over the last several months. Our League members participated in several large community events, including Juneteenth, which was sponsored by Promise Neighborhood, the Somali Independence Day Celebration, and Mainstreet at SCSU. On National Registration Day (Sept. 25), we had a table at the St. Cloud Library. We were asked to provide information on voter registration and voting by absentee ballot in an event sponsored by the National Guard at the River's Edge Convention Center. Julie Busta led an effort to connect with high school students. She was invited to talk to three classes of seniors at Sartell High School about registering to vote and the importance of voting. We have been contacted by many community organizations to do voter registration, candidate education, and voter registration training. Outreach has also had a table at each of the LWVSCA's candidate forums. Our members have answered many questions about early registration and absentee ballots. There has also been a lot of interest in the online voter registration site. Thank you to everyone who volunteered at any of the many events we participated in! From Sheila Ferguson, Outreach Team November 2018 Page!2
2018 CANDIDATE FORUMS Starting with the Stearns County Sheriff's forum, attendance at LWVSCA forums exceeded expectations in a mid-term election year. By many measures, citizen engagement is high and will continue until November 6. Chart below shows total number of participants at forums, not including the candidates, but counting all League members present, whether as volunteers or audience members. The Voter Service Team had two primary goals, that of increasing volunteer preparation/participation, as well as improving question facilitation of audience questions. Two forums (St. Cloud City Council and School District #47) involved eight candidates, giving moderators a chance to test their grid management skills. In all cases, question facilitators received many audience questions on note cards to review, order and combine. Stearns County Sheriff (pre-primary) Whitney Senior Center Monday, August 6 Minnesota House Districts 14A & 14B Whitney Senior Center Monday, October 1 School Board: St. Cloud District #742 Tuesday, October 2 St. Cloud City Council Wednesday, October 10 168 School Board: Sauk Rapids/Rice District #47 Thursday, October 11 97 Minnesota House Districts 14A & 14B St. Cloud State University Wednesday, October 17 73 House District 13A & Senate District 13 Thursday, October 18 123 House District 13B & Senate District 13 Tuesday, October 23 72 100 56 65 (Left) District #742 has six candidates for three open seats on the General Election Ballot. (Right) Nine candidates filed for three open seats in District #47, and eight appeared at the forum. With a special election in Minnesota House District 13 to fill two years remaining on the Senate seat, forums occurred in two locations. Both featured the Senate candidates, along with either the 13A or 13B candidates. District 13A and SD13 candidates in Avon District 13B and SD13 candidates in Sartell November 2018 Page!3
Membership and Member News ~ Ralph Carr, Chair rwcarr@stcloudstate.edu Have you picked up your membership directory yet? No? Then please attend the November Unit Meeting on Wednesday, November 14 at 1:00 P.M. in the St. Cloud Library Bremer Room. Stearns County District Attorney Janelle Kendall will be speaking. If you are a new member who has not yet had an orientation session the Membership Committee will be hosting orientation sessions to help us understand how you can best benefit from your membership and be engaged with LWVSCA. Whatever the outcome of the fall midterm elections we know that issues regarding climate change, health care, immigration, redistricting, renewable energy, money in politics, and voter suppression will be on the table regardless of who wins. Take advantage of your membership to become informed by attending unit meetings, volunteering for committees that will be studying these issues, and taking action. SAVE THE DATE LWVSCA Annual Membership Dinner Saturday, February 16, 2019 We will be meeting in the Marriott Hotel in downtown St. Cloud. We plan to have a speaker and a time for discussion followed by a catered dinner. Please mark this date on your calendar now! Traveling Exhibit: Share Your Ideas As part of our Centennial series, we will be creating a traveling exhibit for 100 Years of League and sending it all over the state, as hosted by local LWVs and other organizations, like libraries, historical societies, and schools. In collaboration with our exhibit curator, we wanted to give you, our League membership, an opportunity to contribute your ideas. If you would like to share your input, click the button below to fill out the quick survey by October 26, 2018. If you have any questions, please contact Kristin Smith at ksmith@lwvmn.org. Thank you for helping us shape this important piece of our Centennial celebration! Fill out the 3-question survey November 2018 Page!4
Join the LWVSCA Local Observer Corps Following a great October Unit Meeting on launching a local observer corps eight members have expressed an interest in becoming an observer! We are hoping to start the program after the first of the year. If you are interested in joining our local Observer Corps please contact Linda Kotschevar at jlkotsch@hotmail.com. Look for further information in the coming months. Early Voting is Off the Charts in Minnesota! In an October 18 press release Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon said: Minnesotans are early voting even more than they did in the 2016 Presidential election. This level of participation is off the charts! Minnesota is already the envy of the nation if you haven t voted yet, you can help your friends and neighbors keep our state #1 in voter participation by early voting today. But remember, whether you vote early or vote on Election Day, be a voter! As of Thursday, October 18, 2018, at least 301,107 absentee ballots have been requested by Minnesota voters. 159,660 have been accepted by election officials. The rate of absentee ballot requests is an increase of 170 percent over the same time in the 2014 (last statewide non-presidential election) calendar. The rate of accepted ballots is an increase of 252 percent over the same time in 2014! League Statement on Kavanaugh Confirmation Washington, DC 10/6/2018 The League of Women Voters President Chris Carson and CEO Virginia Kase issued the following joint statement after the Senate voted to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh as the next Supreme Court justice. The decision today will have long-term impacts on the justice system as we know it. Judge Kavanaugh s hearing was a spectacle that we had not witnessed in modern day American history. For decades, Supreme Court nomination hearings have been conducted with great transparency, with respectful input from both sides of the aisle, and with support beyond a simple majority. That was not the case this time." Judge Kavanaugh was confirmed by a margin of one, whereas historically Supreme Court nominees have been confirmed by much larger majorities. Two years ago, the Senate refused to even consider a presidential nominee for the Supreme Court, which is without precedent. The rancor of these recent departures from established processes has damaged the reputation of the Supreme Court. We must ask: do we need to reform the process? Is it time to change the way the Senate confirms Supreme Court justices? Should the Senate restore the 60-vote threshold for nominees? These are tough questions that the American people will need to grapple with if we re serious about making democracy work." For those who feel as though their interests are not being represented by the politicians in Washington today, know that you have the power to change the system. You have the power in your votes. The League s bedrock remains nonpartisanship and we encourage all voters to use their voice to elect those that reflect your community and personal ideologies, your rights, and your voice. November 2018 Page!5
Book Club LWVSCA Book Club is open to all members and friends who are welcome to attend at any time. We usually meet at 6:30 P. M. on the third Thursday of each month. For more information, please call Pat Fillmore at 320-259-0542. Our current book title and meeting place schedule is as follows: Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Thursday, November 15, 2018, 6:30pm Hostess: Sonja Berg 1529-8th Ave. N., St. Cloud 320-253-5437 Angry Housewives Eating Bonbons by Lorna Landvik Thursday, December 20, 2018, 6:30pm Hostess: TBD Calendar November 1 Dialogue & Drink, 5:00pm 6 Election Day 14 Unit Meeting, 1:00pm, GRRL, Bremer Room 15 Book Club, 6:30pm 28 Board Meeting, 1:00pm, Rm 268, GRRLibrary League Lines deadline - not till December December 1 Holiday Party, 11:00am to 1:00pm 20 Book Club, 6:30pm 26 League Lines, deadline, noon January 2019 3 Dialogue & Drink, 5:00pm November 2018 Page!6
Upcoming Unit Topics and Conveners: January 9, 2019 Human Trafficking Convener: Mary Kivi February 13, 2019 EPA Convener: Ralph Carr March 13, 2019 Rank Choice Voting Convener: Carolyn Garven Please consider giving one or all of these people a call and volunteering to help on the committee. It is the best way to become versed about the issue. A publication of the League of Women Voters of the St. Cloud Area LEAGUE LINES PO BX 5084, St. Cloud MN 56302 Visit us at www.lwvsca.org or www.facebook.com/lwvstcloudarea Email us at: league@lwvsca.org Via Twitter at: https://twitter.com/lwvofstcloud MISSION: The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization encouraging the informed and active participation in government. It influences public policy through education and advocacy. League of Women Voters affirms its commitment to reflecting the diversity of the membership...and strives to overcome barriers of gender, race, creed, age, sexual orientation, national origin, or disability in the activities of the organization. President: Lolly Loomis Secretary: Susan Smith Treasurer: Diane Bublitz Membership: Ralph Carr Editor: Marlene Haider Membership dues are $70.00, of that $38.00 is tax deductible. Make your check payable to: LWVSCA. November 2018 Page!7