With your help, LWVAA volunteers registered
6,559 first-time voters in 2024! |
Look in this newsletter for:
Read on to learn more! | |
Keep reading for ways you can take action -- because hope is alive and well, and it starts with us!
As February unfolds, we’re reflecting on the incredible work we’ve done together, looking ahead to exciting events, and finding ways to keep hope alive in these challenging times. From celebrating voter engagement milestones to gearing up for an unforgettable fundraiser, there’s a lot to share this month. Let’s dive in!
What a Year for Voter Engagement!
In 2024, we registered an impressive 6,559 first-time voters! Our First Vote team brought 1,502 young people onto the voter rolls at high schools across Travis and surrounding counties. At hundreds of voter service events, we registered 4,048 new voters in Travis County and 1,109 voters from other Texas counties. These numbers are more than just statistics -- they reflect the dedication of our volunteers and the incredible impact of grassroots democracy in action.
Raise Hell for Democracy!
Mark your calendars for April 2nd and join us at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar for an unforgettable evening celebrating democracy. We’ll watch the Molly Ivins documentary and raise a toast (and maybe a little hell) in honor of her fiery spirit. This fundraiser, Raise Hell for Democracy, promises to inspire and energize our community. Tickets will go fast, so stay tuned!
A Place for Hope.
“I still believe in hope -- mostly because there's no such place as Fingers Crossed, Arkansas.” Molly Ivins’ wit and wisdom feel especially poignant now. The news can be heavy and relentless, but there’s always space for hope. And where there’s hope, there’s work to be done. Let’s get our hands dirty, help our neighbors, and build the kind of community we want to live in. Keep reading this newsletter for ways you can take action—because hope is alive and well, and it starts with us.
| Register Voters in 2025 & 2026
Volunteer Deputy Registrar certificates run on two-year cycles, starting on the first day of the odd year and ending on the last day of the even year. All VDR certificates expired on December 31, 2024, regardless of when you got certified!
Travis County offers many convenient ways to get certified. There is a self-guided video and test that you can take on your own and there are many virtual training sessions scheduled throughout the year.
Visit Travis County's VDR training website to find the dates and to sign up.
Once you get your Travis County certificate, you can request reciprocity by emailing Williamson County VDR and Hays County VDR.
2025 voter registration opportunities will be posted on the LWV Calendar. You can also sign up for the LWV VDR Mailing List to receive highlights and last minute opportunities.
| | First Vote!
Each year, more than 15,000 people turn 18 in Travis County, and many of them will turn 18 during their senior year in high school. In the fall of 2024, we presented to over 4,000 students and registered 450 of them. We anticipate visiting schools again later this spring, as many more students will turn 18 this semester.
This year we are trying something new: we will host in-person workshops to perfect interactive portions of the presentation, to learn how to present data graphs, and to serve as opportunities to get involved in behind-the-scenes activities. The first workshop will be held on Saturday March 8, 2025!
RSVP for the First Vote! Workshop
Note that we are constantly looking for ways to increase engagement in the classroom. If you have ideas for brief interactive activities suitable for high school students, we would love to hear from you.
Sign up for the First Vote! mailing list to receive notifications about volunteering opportunities and workshop/training schedules.
Add Me To The First Vote Mailing List | Join the LWVUS Federal Judiciary Study Process
At the LWVUS 2024 Convention, delegates voted to proceed with a study on the federal judiciary. The study will be completed on a fast-track timeline in time for a position to be announced at the LWVUS 2025 Council in June 2025.
And you can be a part of the study!
Join the US League on February 4 at 6:00 p.m. Central time for a National Town Hall on the Federal Judiciary. Hear from leading experts on this work, pose questions, and get information about the federal judiciary. The town hall will be hosted by Microsoft Teams. Learn more about the study and about how to attend the Town Hall by clicking the link below.
The LWVAA Advocacy & Education Committee will spearhead this effort locally. If you are interested in taking an active role, please email Joanne Richards.
Texas Lege 101 Presentation
In preparation for the 89th Texas legislative session, LWVAA A&E Committee hosted a presentation by Stephanie Chiarello, Chief of Staff for Rep. R.D. “Bobby” Guerra (HD-41), on how a bill becomes law in Texas and how everyday folks can make a difference. It was well attended and well received by all. In case you were not able to attend, watch a recording of the presentation. Apologies for the sound quality. We are learning how to use new equipment.
Watch TX Lege 101
Update: House Finalizes Rules -- No Democratic Chairs, Two New Committees
The House debated its rules of procedure on Thursday, January 23, 2025. The major rule changes include:
- Restricting the appointment of a chair of a standing committee to those members of the political party that constitutes a majority of the house membership and to provide that a majority party member may not be appointed as a vice chair of a standing committee
- Abolishing six standing committees and transferring the authority over to other standing committees
- Creating two new standing committees: Delivery of Government Efficiency and Intergovernmental Affairs
- Creating new Permanent Subcommittees (PSC), including the PSC on Academic and Career-Oriented Education within the Public Education Committee and the PSC on Property Tax Appraisals within the Ways and Means Committee
Contact: Joanne Richards, VP Advocacy & Education
| Advocacy: Opportunities Abound in February!
Capitol Corps
Volunteer to be a member of LWVTX Capitol Corps and help ensure that the League has a voice during the legislative session. Volunteers' duties include: register the League's position on a piece of legislation without testifying; hand-deliver written testimony to a legislative clerk; or read that testimony into the legislative record. Testimony is written by LWVTX Issue Chairs. Contact Gina McCool, Chair Capitol Corps. Training is provided.
LWVTX Lobby Days
LWVTX Lobby Days is a biennial event during the Texas legislative session. This year, Lobby Days fall on February 24-25. Registration includes Lobby Days training, a boxed lunch, visits with our legislators at the Capitol, and three issues webinars leading up to Lobby Days.
Schedule:
- Lobby Day Training - February 24, 12:00 - 4:30 p.m. at the Austin Southpark Hotel, located at 4140 Governors Row in Austin
- Making Democracy Work® Dinner - February 24, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. at the Austin Public Library Central Branch, located at 710 West Cesar Chavez in Austin
- Lobby Day Advocacy & Legislative Visits - February 25, 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. at the State Capitol and via social media.
- We are making appointments for Lobby Day visits with the Austin delegation on February 25. If you’re interested in participating, contact Joanne Richards or Cynthia Griffin.
- LWVTX will email a Lobby Days Toolkit to all participants before Lobby Days.
Issues Webinars
LWVTX is hosting three webinars over Zoom from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. on February 4, 11, and 18. They will cover some of our top priority issues: Voting Rights & Election Law, Healthcare & Reproductive Rights in Texas, and What's Happening with Water in Texas?
Register for LWV Texas Issue Webinars
Making Democracy Work Dinner
You're invited to attend the Making Democracy Work® Dinner, LWVTX's annual fundraising dinner, on Monday, February 24, from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. at the Austin Public Library Central Branch, located at 710 West Cesar Chavez in Austin.
The keynote speaker will be Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson, and honorees are the NALEO Educational Fund, Texas NAACP State Conference, and Texas Classroom Teachers Association (TCTA).
Individual tickets are $119/person. The registration and sponsorship deadline is February 10. For more information about the event and to purchase tickets and sponsorship packages, click the link below.
Legislative Interviews
During January, LWVAA members interviewed the Austin legislative delegation, focusing on 5 questions requested by LWVTX. LWVTX will use the responses to inform advocacy during the session and on Lobby Day visits. We will share the responses. The questions:
- What are your priority issues for this legislative session?
- What issues do you see dominating this session?
- What legislation do you plan to introduce?
- Are there changes you would like to see in Election laws?
- Are there changes you would like to see in the redistricting process?
A huge shout-out to the members who volunteered and interviewed: Meryam Britton, Cynthia Griffin, Gina McCool, Cathy McHorse, Heather McKenzie, Cyral Miller, Karen Nicholson, Carol Olewin, Madelyne Smith, and Laura Ts’ao. | Contact: Cynthia Griffin, Director of Advocacy
| LWV Member Portal Launches February 3
LWVAA members: during the week of February 3, you will receive an email from LWVUS inviting you to activate your account in the new LWV Member Portal. You’ll be asked to confirm that the information included in your profile is current and to provide some demographic information. If your membership is up for renewal, you can renew while you’re there!
Things to know about the new membership structure:
- Each member must have a unique email address. Your email address will be your username for the LWV Member Portal, so you won’t be able to share an email with another League member.
- LWV has adopted a “pay-what-you-want” dues model. The recommended dues rate will be $75, but you can pay any amount over the minimum dues rate of $20, including LWVAA's current Individual rate of $60.
- You can no longer pay dues from Donor-Advised Funds or other accounts that must go entirely to 501(c)(3)s. However, you can continue to make donations to LWVAA from these accounts.
- There are only two types of membership available: Individual and Life. The following memberships are no longer available:
- Sustaining memberships: Instead, join as an individual member and make a separate donation to LWVAA. Your donation will support voter education and advocacy programs right here in the Austin area and is tax deductible to the extent provided by law.
- Household memberships: Instead, each member in a household will be considered an individual member. (Tip: You will be able to join or renew on behalf of a second person at the time that you join or renew.)
- Student memberships: Instead, join as an individual member and pay what you can ($20 minimum). LWVAA is continuing its membership grant program so that finances will never be a barrier to League membership.
- Your dues will be shared among the three levels of the League: 33% to LWVUS, 47% to LWV Texas, and 20% to LWVAA.
- Only that part of your membership dues that are shared with LWV Texas and LWVAA will be eligible for a tax deduction. If you’d like to support our work in the Austin area, be sure to make a separate, fully tax deductible donation to LWVAA when you renew or on our website.
Have additional questions about the LWV Member Portal or about the new membership structure? Read our Member FAQ or contact Joyce Jackson.
Return to top |  | It's Time to Learn About the League!
Join us at the LWVAA office on Saturday, February 15, for League 101, 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!
Date: Saturday, February 15
Time: 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Location: Alamo Baker Center, 3908 Avenue B, Austin, 78751
|  | Thanks for a Successful new Year Brunch!
On January 18, LWVAA members gathered for our annual brunch to honor the new members who joined us in the past year. We enjoyed live music and a tasty brunch buffet, and got to know each other a little better by filling out our “Find Someone Who…” game cards.
Board members and committee chairs talked about their volunteer needs in the upcoming year, and we had a chance to learn more about some of our newest members. We’re excited to welcome these talented, enthusiastic advocates and activists! Thanks to Erni Fields, Phyllis Myers, Shebah Washington, and Debbi Voss for all their hard work to make the event a success!
| |
Youth Art & Writing Contest
| 2025 Picture This Theme: What Makes a Strong Community?
We are now taking submissions for our 2025 Picture This youth art and writing contest. This year's theme is "What Makes a Strong Community?" Austin area students in elementary school (grades 1- 5), middle school (grades 6-8), and high school (grades 9-12) may submit entries.
A $150 Amazon gift card will be awarded to winners within each age group (with up to six total awards), and winners will be recognized at our 2025 Friends & Family Spring Festival.
Help us spread the word! Please invite -- and encourage! -- anyone you know who may like to participate.
| Raise Hell for Democracy!
Join LWVAA on Wednesday, April 2, for dinner and a movie at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar! We'll be screening Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins, a 2019 documentary that that captures the wit and fearless spirit of a journalist who never backed down.
What: Raise Hell For Democracy
When: Wednesday, April 2, 5:30 - 9:00 p.m.
Where: Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar, 1120 S Lamar, Austin, 78704
Individual tickets cost $125 and include a choice of entree, small popcorn, soft drink, and two drink tickets. Our signature cocktail and mocktail for the evening: The Raise Hell and The Raise Heck!
Ticket sales open on February 3! Get them while you can!
Interested in sponsoring the event? Check out our sponsor packet!
For more information about the event or sponsorship, please contact Lisa Chang, Director of Development, at lchang@lwvaustin.org or at 512-222-7421.
Save the Date: Amplify Austin Day
It’s easy to love Central Texas, and part of what makes it great is our incredible nonprofit community.
We invite you to join us on March 5 - 6 for the biggest giving event in Central Texas, Amplify Austin Day. On Amplify Austin Day, you can make a difference in our community through your support of over 700 local nonprofits.
Love where you live -- love where you give! Please support LWVAA's mission of empowering voters and defending democracy on Amplify Austin Day. The early giving period kicks off today. Make your donation now!
| LWVAA Nominating Committee
| The Nominating Committee Search is On!
Would you like to “up” your involvement in the League? The Nominating Committee is looking for member leaders in Board and Off-Board positions for the June 2025-May 2026 year. As an all-volunteer grassroots organization, we rely on the skills, time, and passion of our members to carry out our mission. If you would like to be considered to serve in leadership, please contact Debbi Voss, Nominating Committee Chair, at dvoss@lwvaustin.org or 713-826-1580.
| Communications & Technology
| The League of Women Voters supports credible and ethical local journalism, in whatever format it is published, as essential to our democracy.
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Help LWV Austin Area Share Trusted Resources
- Learn how you can help the LWV's Democracy Truth Project support a bold and civically courageous electorate.
- Please share informative, accurate resources with folks in our community who are scared and need our support.
Influence Your State Government
Influence Your Local Government
| LWV Events
- Saturday, February 15, 2:00 p.m. - League 101
- Monday, February 24, 12:00 p.m. - LWV Texas Lobby Days Training
- Monday, February 24, 6:00 p.m. - LWV Texas Making Democracy Work Dinner
- Tuesday, February 25 - Join LWV Austin Area members at the Capitol to meet with your legislators -- contact Joann Richards
- Saturday, March 8, 10:00 a.m. - First Vote! Workshop
- Wednesday, April 2, 5:30 p.m.- Raise Hell for Democracy! A Fundraiser for LWV Austin Area
- Saturday, April 26, 2:00 p.m. - Friends & Family Spring Festival
Community Events
- Saturday, February 15, 1:00 - 3:30 p.m. - In Celebration of Black History Month, join the University of Texas, Huston-Tillotson University, the Briscoe Center, and Osher LIfelong Learning Institute for a free screening of the film When I Rise. When I Rise tells the inspiring story of Barbara Smith Conrad, one of the first Black undergraduates at The University of Texas. When she was cast as the female lead opposite a white male student in the opera Dido and Aeneas, she became a target of racial discrimination but ultimately ascended to the heights of international opera.
- Celebrate Black History Month at Carver Museum ATX! The Carver Museum, Cultural, and Genealogical Center is proud to present a exciting month of programming for Black History Month 2025!
| Read LWVUS Statements
Urgent Action Needed!
| Visit the LWVAA Shop for Your Voter Registration Apparel!
Promote the League with t-shirt, mug, or tote bag! League stickers are great to hand out! All these things and more are available from the LWVAA store on Threadless.
| Welcome to Our Newest Members!
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Hans Baade*
Leah Farnsworth
Amy Gold*
Kathleen Hubbard* |
| Anna Land
Elizabeth McIntyre-Hodges*
Laurie Najjar
Janet Singelyn |
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Madelyne Smith
Christi Vitela
Deborah Voorhees*
Lily Zamarripa-Saenz*
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* Indicates a Sustaining Member
| Thank You to Our Sustaining & 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. | |