Newsletter-September, 2023 |  | | Greetings, LWV members and friends!
Welcome to our newsletter. We hope this, along with our revamped website LWVWilco.org will be an easy way for you to stay up-to-date with our very busy League. Over the summer our board members have been learning how to take care of League business, and we head into the election cycle in great shape.
As you all know, there are no off years in Democracy! At the local level, we are ramping up our fall voter registration events. We will be on high school and college campuses and at community events around the county. We are an official partner for National Voter Registration Day (Sept. 19) and will host six events. If you are a VDR and would like to help at one of these events, please contact our Director of Voter Services, Karen Darby.
Our high school voter registration/voter education program is off to a great start. Five schools have already contacted our Civics Education Coordinator, Helen Cordes, to schedule our First Vote program!
As always, we are participating in and distributing the Voters Guide. This fall the Voters Guide will only be available online. You can find it atvote411.org.
These efforts are only possible because we have such a devoted group of volunteers. If you are not yet involved as a volunteer, we would love to talk with you about possible ways in which you can help advance the League’s mission. Even an hour a week makes a huge difference. Please read on through the newsletter to see how you can be involved.
As a voter registration enthusiast, I will be out and about registering voters this fall. I hope to connect with a good many of you as I make my way through the county. In the meantime, I welcome your comments, suggestions, and inquiries! You can always reach me at President@LWVwilco.org.
My very best to all of you!
Felicia Miyakawa
President, LWV Williamson County
|  | Announcement!
Please be watching your inbox for an incoming message from LWVWilco. Our Events/Fundraising lead, Brenda Chlapek, is spearheading LWVWilco's very first ad campaign to raise funds to advertise the League's message ahead of the November election. We need to get people registered by deadline date October 10th and to the polls in November. We need to let them know where to get non-partisan election information they can count on. Print, social and digital media, and television ads-we're open to any and all means to get the message out to people in Williamson County.
But why wait? To donate to the ad campaign now, please click on the QR code to our campaign on Zeffy, where 100% of your tax-deductible donation comes to us.
Thank you!!
| | -by Karen Darby, Voter Services Director
We are working diligently to complete the Voters Guide for the November 7 Constitutional Amendments election and have secured volunteer assistance to complete this fall's Guide. But the 2024 Primary election is just around the corner! Work on researching races/propositions, developing candidate questions, and contacting candidates will begin in late November-December. If you like doing research, contacting candidates, writing, data entry, proofreading, or even distributing hard copies of the Guide, contact Judi Doyle, our Voters Guide lead, jdoyle30000@gmail.com for more information! | | | Upcoming Voter Registration Events
September 18, 2023 Central Texas Beauty College starting at 9:00
September 19, 2023 National Voter Registration Day
Calling all VDRs to show up and help at the LWVWilco NVRD events all over Williamson County. Contact VoterServices@WLVWilco.org to volunteer at any VR event listed. We will have tables at Temple College in Taylor from 8:30-1:00; Texas State from 9:00-2:00; ACC Cypress Creek 9:00-4:00; ACC San Gabriel 9:00-4:00; Round Rock Public Library 9:00-5:00; Georgetown Public Library 9:00-5:00.
September 23 and September 30 at Round Rock Public Library
September 25-29 at South University
October 4 at South University from 9:30-1:30
October 7 12:00-3:00 Round Rock Public Library
October 9 at Central Texas Beauty College from 1:00-4:00.
October 10 DEADLINE DAY! We’ll have tables set up at all 3 ACC campuses as noted above.
October 26 Georgetown Independent School District Future Readiness Fair
These dates and times are accurate to publishing date. To get your name on our distribution list or double check dates and times, please contact VoterServices@LWVWilco.org. To volunteer at high school registration events, please contact FirstVote@LWVWilco.org.
LWV Wilco Open Meetings
Meetings are always open to members and prospective members!
October 11, 2023 from 6:00-7:30 at Round Rock Public Library and online at Google Meets. Find the meeting link on our website, LWVWilco.org.
December 13 location TBD
Community Events of Note
September 19, 2023 from 6:00-8:00 at Georgetown Public Library. Learn about the life and accomplishments of Georgetown"s “She”ro, Jessie Daniel Ames, in a presentation by local historian Helen Cordes, hosted by Georgetown Public Library and Williamson County Commissioners to commemorate the 175 Birthday of Georgetown and Williamson County.
| Welcome (and Welcome Back) to our New and Renewing Members!
The first quarter of our fiscal year saw a surge of new and renewing members. Members are the lifeblood of our organization and community, and we welcome you all and thank you for joining or renewing with LWV Wilco! We invite you to check out our website to see how you can get involved. LWVWilco.org.
Jenny Ancira, Emmalynne Arita, Susan Backer, Ann Ball, Janis Bryant, Carol Bubinas, Roileen Chamberlin, Judi Doyle, Ruth Fuller, Lynne Hester, Carol Hubbard, Pam Mitchell, Ethelynn Morlier, Jose Orta, Susan Patterson, Angela Parsons, April Pfeiffer, Valerie Sandham, Diane Sandlin, Mary Starnes, Sally Strong, Lynne Switzky, Venice Taylor, Linda Vaden-Goad, Norma A. Van Buskirk, Greg Wallace, and Jan Pelosi.
T h a n k Y o u ! |  | The atmosphere was both solemn and celebratory as 47 new citizens from 31 countries raised their right hands and took and oath of allegiance to the United States. Tears of joy and gratitude shone in the eyes of observers and immigrants as they reflected on this culmination of many years of effort and study to become the newest citizens of our country. August 14th, 2023, marked their first day as citizens and the first time Round Rock Public Library hosted the event. Amidst all these firsts, LWV Wilco and LWV AA VDRs felt honored and privileged to register 90% of these new citizens to be VOTERS in Travis, Williamson, Bell, and Hays county.
|  | | League President Felicia Miyakawa (taking the photo) said, "We are thrilled to partner with Round Rock Public Library to bring this joyous occasion to Round Rock. We have so many immigrants in Round Rock and we want them to know they all are welcome here." | | |
| Meet Georgetown Shero Jessie Daniel Ames
In celebration of Georgetown and Williamson County's 175 Birthday and National Voter Registration Day, our very own Helen Cordes will give a presentation about Georgetown activist Jesse Daniel Ames, who was the first LWV Texas president. Jessie spearheaded the suffrage victory for Wilco women and went on to fight for racial justice with her organization, The Association of Southern Women for the Prevention of Lynching.
Come by Georgetown Public Library September 19, 2023 starting at 6:00 pm. All are welcome! | | | The League shall not support nor oppose any party or candidates. It may take positions on governmental measures and policies in the public interest after significant study and consensus is reached. If you would like to unsubscribe from emails from LWVWilco, please email Communications@LWVWilco.org. | |