It's October, and here's your treat: Election Day is almost here!
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!
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Fall Kick Off: All About Ballot Propositions
Join LWVAA for our fall kickoff! Panelists will discuss the propositions that Travis County voters will see on their ballots in November.
What? All About Ballot Propositions
When? Sunday, October 13, 1:30 - 3:30 p.m.
Where? Alamo Baker Center Cafetorium, 3908 Avenue B, Austin, 78751
Note: Park and enter the building on the south (39th Street) side. Look for the LWVAA signs.
Panelists include:
- Brigid Shea -- Travis County Commissioner, Precinct 2
- Cathy McHorse -- Affordable Childcare Now! Coalition Manager
- Chandra Villanueva -- Director of Policy & Advocacy, Every Texan
- Arati Singh -- President, Austin ISD Board
- Monique Celedon -- President, Manor ISD Board
|  | | Registering voters at ACC Northridge |
 | | National Voter Registration Day at the 13th Floor with KOOP Community Radio |
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 | | Open Congress at Texas Tribune Festival |
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Voter Registration Deadline Day is October 7!
League Of Women Voters Austin Area is working with Travis County Voter Registration to host all-day voter registration on October 7! VDRs will be at locations across Travis County, and each Travis County tax office and the Elections Division office on Airport Boulevard will have a lead VDR certified in multiple central Texas counties. If you or anyone you know needs to register or update their registration before the deadline, send them to one of these locations!
If you are a VDR and are available on Monday, October 7, please consider signing up for a shift on our event calendar!
Travis County Tax Offices (8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.):
- Main: 2433 Ridgepoint Drive, Austin, TX 78754-5231
- North - Pflugerville: 15822 Foothill Farms Loop, Pflugerville, Texas 78660-3422
- Northwest Austin: 8110 N FM 620 Road, Austin, Texas 78726-4005
- Southeast Austin - Near ABIA: 4011 McKinney Falls Parkway, Austin, Texas 78744-4103
- Southwest Austin - Oak Hill: 8656 West HWY 71, Building B, Austin, Texas 78735-8075
Travis County Elections Division - Airport Blvd. (8:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.)
- 5501 Airport Blvd, Austin, TX 78751
Thundercloud Subs - 9 locations (12:00 - 8:00 p.m.)
Radio Coffee - 2 locations (4:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.)
US Post Offices - 9 locations (6:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.)
| Rescheduled: Voters Guide Distribution Day is Friday, October 11!
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, and deliver them to distribution sites throughout the Austin area.
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 11, to deliver the Voters Guide to distribution points.
Volunteer signup is now open 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
| | Thank You to All Our First Vote! Volunteers
We visited 20 schools in Travis County in September, shared our presentation with 3,750 students, and registered 417 new voters! We still have a few days to go before the October 7 deadline and we'll report all of our accomplishments in the next issue. This was only possible with the wonderful presenters and VDRs who signed up for shifts and for everyone who helped behind the scenes.
Join the First Vote! Email List |
Contact: Susana Carranza, First Vote! Chair
| Communications & Technology
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Want to Share Nonpartisan Voter Resources? Our Get Out the Vote Tool Kit Makes it Easy!
LWVAA knows that you want voters to have the knowledge and confidence to participate in US elections. By sharing information about our nonpartisan Voters Guide, VOTE411, educational events, and candidate forums, you can help prepare voters to make their voices heard.
- Graphics and sample messaging to post on social media
- Opportunities to support voters
- Information about nonpartisan events
- Graphics to promote the League's nonpartisan Voters Guide
- Links to shop the LWVAA store, buy a yard sign, or print a poster
- Videos that you can share with friends and family
We are so grateful to work with you to empower voters and to defend democracy!
LWVAA Website Updates!
- Check out the new slide show on our homepage -- now with clickable links!
- The November 5 Election page now provides job descriptions for county and city elected officials.
- Watch for updates to the Voters Guide page.
| Register Voters Across the Austin Area
Help needed! There are still opportunities to register voters!
Contact: Claudia Torres-Yanez, Voter Registration & 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!
Civic Listening Corps
Join the Civic Listening Corps (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.
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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| | Help Shape CapMetro's Transit Plan 2035
CapMetro is developing a public transportation plan for the next ten years and wants input from the Central Texas community.
- Learn about the plan here.
- Take the CapMetro Community Visioning Survey by October 18 and be entered for a chance to win one of ten $100 H-E-B cards.
- Share your thoughts at the Community Night Open House on Thursday, October 10, from 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. at the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex. The first 250 to arrive will get free treats and complimentary bowling or roller skating! RSVP here, then help us spread the word by sharing CapMetro's event flyer with your family & friends!
- Attend a live webinar on October 15 at 6:00 p.m. Register here.
Update: Austin Energy's Resource and Energy Generation Plan
Now that fall is here, expect to hear more about the new plan for generating electricity and about the fate of the coal-fired Fayette Power Project. The public utility and various citizens' groups continue to meet as Austin Energy closes in on a December presentation to City Council. Petitions have begun circulating asking citizens to weigh in on the plan.
Read an Austin Monitor article on where things stand.
"They Came for the Schools"
The LWVTX Advocacy Committee recommends an October 10 virtual seminar, sponsored by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) of Texas, on the current fight over race and identity in America’s classrooms. Pulitzer nominee Mike Hixenbaugh will discuss his book and related investigative reporting on the issue. Learn more here. Register for the seminar here.
In a related issue, Llano County has been in the national news recently for its efforts to ban books in its public libraries. Learn more about the ongoing court battle here. The LWVUS stands against book banning, saying it believes that public libraries support our First Amendment right to intellectual freedom and expression by playing an important role in facilitating free and open access to information.
Outreach Team
The LWVAA Outreach Team is ready to work with community organizations to share nonpartisan information about civic engagement for the upcoming election and beyond. Please reach out to Krista Weatherford at partnerships@lwvaustin.org to explore what LWVAA can do to support your organization. We would love to meet with you!
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70 Years After Brown: Public Education in Texas
The Advocacy & Education Committee would like to thank everyone who supported our August 31 event, 70 Years After Brown: Public Education in Texas. We would also like to send a special shout-out to the volunteers and panelists for their participation; this event was a huge success because of YOU!
A YouTube video of the second half of the program is available now; feel free to share this with family and friends. Unfortunately, we were unable to record the first half of the program and panel discussion due to technical difficulties.
| New & Prospective Member Orientation on October 19
Join us at the LWVAA office on Saturday, October 19, 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!
What? LWVAA New & Prospective Member Orientation
When? Saturday, October 19, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Where? Alamo Baker Center, 3908 Avenue B, Austin, 78751
| Get Ready to Do a Little Victory Dance!
By Monday, October 7, we will have pulled off an amazing SIX Candidate Forums for the City of Austin Ethics Review Commission! 🎉 From brainstorming questions to perfecting edits, emailing city staff, and scheduling all those volunteer positions, everyone has put in a mountain of woman-hours that deserves a standing ovation!
A Heartfelt Thanks to All Our Volunteers!
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your incredible dedication and support. We appreciate you for diving headfirst into the chaos of this election season and showing up to volunteer at our candidate forums. Your commitment to our League has truly made a difference. By stepping up to help, you’ve not only showcased the importance of civic engagement but have also empowered our community to make informed choices. We are so grateful for the time and effort you’ve invested in this vital work. Your passion and enthusiasm inspire us all!
With heartfelt appreciation,
| Mark Your Calendar for These Upcoming LWVAA Events
Upcoming Community Events
- October 2, 6:00 p.m.: VOCES Our Texas, Our Vote Film Screening - Join Austin PBS for an exclusive screening of the VOCES documentary Our Texas, Our Vote, and go inside the largest Latino voter registration mobilization in Texas history. A Q&A with the director Hector Galán will follow. Complimentary refreshments. Learn more and RSVP here.
- October 10, 6:00 p.m.: Virtual Seminar - They Came for the Schools - Join AAUW of Texas for a virtual seminar with NBC News senior investigative reporter Mike Hixenbaugh, author of They Came for the Schools: One Town's Fight over Race and Identity and the New War for America's Classrooms. Register here.
- October 10, 4:00 - 8:00 p.m.: CapMetro Community Night Open House - Come to the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex for free treats and bowling or roller skating while you share your thoughts with the CapMetro project team! RSVP here. Share CapMetro's event flyer with your family & friends!
- October 14, 1:00 p.m.: Brave Communities Connection - Breaking the Myths: Uncovering the Truth about Immigration - Join Brave Communities for an impactful and timely panel discussion that will take a deep dive into how misinformation shapes immigration and discrimination. Learn more and register here.
- October 15, 6:00 p.m.: CapMetro live webinar on Transit Plan 2035 - The CapMetro project team will discuss the plan, explain how your feedback can help shape the plan, and answer questions. Register here.
| More New Items In Our Shop!
Wear a League-branded VOTE t-shirt. Carry your voter registration forms and a copy of the Voters Guide 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 to Get Out the Vote!
| 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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Donna Birdwell
Lynn Carter*
Victoria Collins-Becker*
Jennifer Duncan*
Maureen Haskell
Wendi Hundley
Barbara Koenig
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Cassie Kwon
Albert Kyi
Layla Lester Harkness
Hannah Lilly*
Jonathan March
Alexis Menendez
Deborah Morgan
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| Elyse Munselle*
Gerda Ray
Isadora Rochin
Sally Stengem*
Amanda Whaley
Chris Willmann
Kristina Zvinakis*
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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. | |