Corrected the meeting time for the New & Prospective Member Orientation.
| It's July - Happy Independence Day! Look in this update for:
Read on to learn more! |  |
Happy 4th of July! 🎆
The 56th LWVUS Biennial Convention was a smashing success! 🎉
Last Sunday, we wrapped up four action-packed days of learning, business, and camaraderie at the 56th Biennial LWVUS National Convention. We had 1,279 attendees from all 50 states, DC, and the Virgin Islands, both in-person in DC and online. I attended virtually, while our VP of Communication, Grace Chimene, was there in person.
We celebrated our achievements over the past two years with a slideshow highlighting the League's impact across the US. This data came from individual leagues like Austin reporting their amazing work. We also looked ahead as our new LWVUS 22nd board president, Dianna Wynn, delivered inspiring remarks.
What's Next?
In July, your new Austin Area board will meet for our annual strategic retreat. We're gearing up for Get Out the Vote efforts, along with our essential voter services like the Voter’s Guide, Vote411, and candidate forums. Our August newsletter will outline all our goals for the general election and how you can get involved.
We can't wait to join you in empowering voters and defending democracy in another exciting election season!
Jessica Foreman, LWVAA President
Return to top |  | Kudos
The advocacy committee has sent so many congratulatory email messages to Bridget Grumet, the The Austin American Statesman's Metro Columnist, expressing our gratitude for her stellar, clearly written columns that the LWVAA holds dear that we offered her and she has accepted a complimentary one-year membership in the League of Women Voters Austin Area. If you are unfamiliar with her twice weekly column, start reading it! You are in for a treat.
Attend: 70th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education
We are planning a panel discussion in late August around the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education. A two-part panel is envisioned: Part 1 will cover the student experience then and now, and Part 2 will focus on the educator experience then and now. Panelists TBA.
When: Sunday, August 31, from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Where: Windsor Park Branch Public Library
Coming This Fall: Affordable Child Care Now
We will be collaborating with the Affordable Child Care Now coalition to host a panel discussion in the fall around the Travis County affordable childcare measure that will be on the November ballot.
| Communications & Technology
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Dealing With Election Stress
- Recognize you’re not alone
- Talk to a trusted friend or family member
- Seek community
- Contact a professional
- Utilize available resources
Read the full article shared by Defender Network, providing Houston and Texas African-American news since 1930. Then seek community through events and volunteer opportunities - the LWVAA is a great place to start! - and encourage friends and family to join you. You don't have to be a member to volunteer with LWVAA to empower voters and defend democracy.
Great News!
CapMetro awarded a grant to LWVAA to promote our Voters Guide with an advertisement on three buses and placards inside 50 buses! Watch for the image above on busses around town. Also, KOOP, Austin's community radio, and KVRX, UT's student radio station, are partnering with LWVAA to promote voting!
Disability Pride Month
Disability Pride Month is celebrated each year in July. Disability Pride initially started as a day of celebration in 1990 - the year that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law. Watch for - and be sure to share - LWVAA posts about voting with a disability.
Global Disinformation Lab Resource Library
LWV Texas has partnered with the Global Disinformation Lab (GDIL) at the University of Texas for the past year to develop resources for Texas Leagues on mis-, dis-, and malinformation. GDIL recruited Liz Wong, a PhD student at the Lyndon Baines Johnson School of Public Policy, to make a presentation on mis-, dis-, and malinformation at the LWV Texas State Convention. GDIL took this opportunity to reveal the new Election Disinformation Resource Library they created on our behalf. The purpose of this resource library is to empower individuals to learn, understand, and detect disinformation.
Comms Volunteers Needed
Are you a creative? Do you have Canva graphic or video skills? Help us empower voters with the information they need to vote! Do you have editing skills? Help pull together the monthly newsletter! We welcome fresh ideas and energy to help us inform voters and get out the vote.
| New & Prospective Member Orientation on July 27
New member? Interested in learning more about the League? Long-time member and want to get reconnected? Join us at the LWVAA office on Saturday, July 27, for our quarterly meeting for new and prospective League members. You’ll learn about the history of the League, about how LWVAA is organized, and about how you can support our mission of empowering voters and defending democracy. Know a friend or neighbor who might be interested in League membership? Bring them along!
When: Saturday, July 27, 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. (note corrected time)
Where: LWVAA office at the Alamo Baker Center, 3908 Avenue B, Austin, 78751 |  | | June Brewtorium Mixer |
 | | Where will our next mixer be? |
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 | | All are welcome. Join us! |
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LWVAA Mixer: Thanks for Coming!
The inaugural LWVAA mixer was held on June 6 at The Brewtorium, and it was a great success! LWVAA members and friends of the League got together for food, drinks, and conversation – check out the photo album here!
If you missed it - or if you can’t wait to do it again - don’t worry. We’ll be hosting more mixers throughout the year, so keep an eye on The VOTER and watch your email for an invitation to our next event. Do you know of a good spot for us to get together? Please send your suggestions to Joyce Jackson, Membership Director, or Krista Weatherford, Outreach Director/Member Engagement.
| Voter Registration & Turnout | | The LWVAA & The Austin Urban League register voters at the Freedom Festival. | abc
Nervous About the Election? Find a Way to Defend Democracy!
LWVAA offers many opportunities for you to empower voters in your community.
- Register voters at an Alamo Drafthouse, at a naturalization ceremony, or at a community event.
- Get inspired! See photos from Voter Registration Events!
- If you know of an event, business, or organization that would like to partner with the League, let us know.
| | First Vote volunteers registered voters at Manor High School graduation |
Mark Your Calendars for First Vote Training!
During the summer we focus on training and planning for the fall. If you are interested in helping to review presentation materials, to brainstorm ideas for interactive activities, and other planning tasks, please let me know.
We plan to book as many schools as possible between September 5th and October 4th to ensure that all seniors eligible to vote in the November 2024 election will have a chance to register to vote and learn how to get ready.
When: Saturday, August 17, 2024, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Where: LWVAA office at the Alamo Baker Building, 3908 Avenue B, Austin, 78751
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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
Apply to Serve on a City of Austin Board or Commission
Provide your perspective and provide a public service.
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| Mark your calendar for these upcoming LWVAA events:
- June 27: New & Prospective Member Orientation, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m., 3908 Avenue B, Austin, 78751 (note corrected time)
- August 17: First Vote! Training, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., 3908 Avenue B, Austin, 78751
- August 31: Panel - 70th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m., Austin Public Library - Windsor Park Branch
| LWVUS
Keep up with democracy with LWVUS Newsroom.
LWVUS Blogs offer insight on League work and news.
Action Alerts
NEW ACTION! 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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Rachel Allen
Cheryl Carter*
Nancy Gentzel
Bridget Grumet*
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| Karen Meschke
Angela Nixon
Janet Obadiah
Sharon O'Toole |
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| Deborah Ro*
Sherri Taylor
Diane Wilson |
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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. | |