Welcome to LWVAA's Weekly VOTER
The Weekly VOTER is here to make sure everyone stays in the know about opportunities to empower voters and defend democracy in our community. Like what you see? Please share with your friends!
| Election Day is just 50 days away!
LWVAA is busy empowering voters across the Austin area.
This week brings National Voter Registration Day, First Vote! programs in area high schools, an Austin City Council candidate forum, voter registration events throughout the community, and a timely League program on freedom of the press.
This newsletter is chock full of ways to get involved. Find your place and join us! | Empowering Voters.
Defending Democracy. | 🇺🇸 Help Austin get "vote ready" on National Voter Registration Day!
🗳️ National Voter Registration Day is September 15, and LWVAA volunteers will be registering voters throughout the Austin area: at Lush on 6th, ACC Highland, ACC Northridge, St. Edward’s University, Dell Parmer South Campus, Birds Barbershop locations, and other community sites. Ready to help? Visit our calendar to sign up for a shift.
⏰ The deadline to register to vote for the November 3 election is Monday, October 5.
Help spread the word! Send friends, family and neighbors to VOTE411.org to verify that they're registered and ready to vote.
The League needs your support! Click the button below to make a safe donation supporting our mission.
| 🗳️ Three things to do for democracy this week
- Volunteer to help register voters, help at a candidate forum, educate the community, and support League events. Check out our calendar or email us about where you'd like to help.
- Train to be a poll monitor and help ensure that every eligible voter can cast their ballot at the polls.
- Serve as a poll worker, a student election clerk, a ballot-by-mail clerk, or a call center representative. Help your community vote with confidence this election season. Go here to learn more about serving as a Travis County Election Worker.
| Watch Laura's Video
The League of Women Voters recently spoke out about reports of federal overreach and made one thing clear: the president does not control election administration. Read the statement here.
- Congress sets Election Day.
- States run elections.
- Local officials carry them out.
- Courts step in if something goes wrong.
And when that system is tested, there are people and institutions ready to respond and defend it. | 🗳️ Can your organization or business share nonpartisan voter information?
- Distribute the LWVAA Voters Guide at your business or organization. Our nonpartisan Voters Guide is a trusted resource that helps our community get ready for election season. To offer the Voters Guide to customers or visitors, complete this form to reserve your copies. The deadline for orders is September 25. Copies will be delivered or available to pick up on Friday October 9. Don't miss this chance to support informed voting in Austin!
- Share voter education material from LWVAA. We have flyers, voter info bookmarks, VOTE411 how-tos, voting plan checklists -- we've got you covered! Check our calendar for drop-in hours or email Joyce Jackson to arrange a pick-up time.
- Ask to have a VDR register voters at your business or organization.
- Request a speaker for your organization's next meeting.
|  | 🎤 September 17: Austin City Council District 5 Candidate Forum
6:30 - 8:00 p.m., South Austin Senior Activity Center, 3911 Menchaca Road - RSVP
Housing choices, safer streets, and neighborhood investment are on the agenda for the District 5 City Council Candidate Forum. Join LWVAA for a nonpartisan conversation exploring housing affordability, transportation along South Lamar and other major corridors, and priorities for parks, drainage, and city spending. Planned topics also include balancing redevelopment with environmental protection and reducing construction disruptions for residents and local businesses. Bring a neighbor, hear the candidates’ approaches, and leave better prepared to make your choice.
🎤 September 21: Austin City Council District 8 Candidate Forum
6:30 - 8:00 p.m., Hampton Branch Library, 5125 Convict Hill Road - RSVP
How should Southwest Austin grow while protecting the places and resources residents value? Hear from District 8 City Council candidates at a nonpartisan forum moderated by LWVAA. Planned topics include housing and development, transportation infrastructure, support for local businesses, water quality, and the resource demands of data centers. The conversation will also explore wildfire preparedness, emergency response, and city spending priorities. Join your neighbors to compare candidates’ ideas for the district’s future and make an informed decision at the ballot box.
If you’re unable to attend in person, all forums will air live on ATXN and KAZI 88.7 FM, with recordings posted afterward on ATXN’s YouTube channel. |  | 📰 September 19: Freedom of the Press in a Digital World
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., Yarborough Branch Library, 2200 Hancock Drive - Register
Amidst the flood of misinformation freely flowing online, we hear rising calls for government regulation of content. The media must be reined in, people say. Even long-time defenders of a free press increasingly argue that digitization has altered communications so radically that we must change the law’s treatment of speech. Should we? Professor Tara Smith suggests that the source of the problem is deeper than our laws can fix, and that recognizing this points toward the answer. |
But wait -- there's more!
Sept. 14:
LWVAA: First Vote! Presenter Training - Register (only a few spots left!)
Sept. 15:
Votebeat: Will the Midterms Happen? Your Election Questions, Answered (Pt 2) - Register
Sept. 16:
LWV of the Roselle-Bloomingdale Area (IL): Healthcare Affordability Crisis - Reforms We Needed Yesterday - Register
Sept. 17:
LWVUS: Building Networks of Trust in a Digital Democracy - Register
National Constitution Center: Rediscovering America's Forgotten Founders -
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LWVAA maintains an online event calendar for meetings, trainings, voter outreach, and registration opportunities.
|  | Step up to register voters in our community!
🗳️ Are you a Volunteer Deputy Registrar (VDR)? No? Then become one today! Helping to register voters is a great way to start volunteering with LWVAA.
Visit our calendar to sign up for a volunteer shift at Alamo Drafthouse, First Light Books, LUSH Cosmetics, Concordia University, and so many other locations.
Email our Voters Service team to learn more about sharing your time and talents with LWVAA.
Train to safeguard the November elections!
🗳️ Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays in September. The League of Women Voters, a proud member of the Election Protection coalition, encourages members to sign up for poll monitor training led by Common Cause. The Election Protection program and its volunteers make sure eligible voters know how to cast their ballots and ensure they are counted. All poll monitor volunteers must attend one training session. Sign up for a session today!
🗳️ Support First Vote! before the October 5th deadline! 📚
🚌 LWVAA volunteers are visiting Anderson High School, LASA, Navarro ECHS, Bowie High School and Manor New Tech high schools to help eligible students register to vote and learn how to participate in their first election. We need your help to reach first-time high school voters before the October 5 registration deadline!
Sept. 14
Sept. 15
Sept. 16
Sept. 17
First Vote! Data Entry & Kit Restocking - RSVP
Sept. 18
Sept. 20
First Vote! Data Entry & Kit Restocking - RSVP
Check our calendar to find more opportunities to help our First Vote! team. Email Susana Carranza, First Vote! Chair, to learn more.
Young Voter Power Initiative
🇺🇸 Are you age18-30? Apply for the national League's Young Voter Power Initiative (YVPI), a program dedicated to building a pipeline of young civic leaders nationwide. Participants in YVPI will gain experience and skills in advocacy, organizing, and community work, and prepare themselves to make a difference in the nonpartisan democracy space as we head into a critical period in our nation’s history. | Volunteers needed for City of Austin candidate forums
The League will be moderating five candidate forums in September and October, and we need our members to help everything run smoothly. Log in to our website, then click one of the links below to sign up for a shift:
New to volunteering or to candidate forums? Don't worry -- Pam Bixby, our Candidate Forum Chair, will guide you every step of the way! Email Pam if you have any questions about candidate forums.
Volunteer or show up for the fun at Paws to the Polls!
🐾 Our last Paws to the Polls event will be on Tuesday, September 22, and we need you!
📆 Tuesday, September 22
🕰️ 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
📍 Austin Community College Highland Campus, 6101 Highland Campus Drive
Volunteer slots are still open: setting up, cleaning up, serving as a greeter and event guide, and helping with kids' activities. Set-up starts at 9:30 a.m. and clean-up starts at 1:00 p.m. Members, log in and volunteer here. We hope to see you there! | Public schools
🏫 Read Austin mayor releases plan to prevent Texas from taking over the school district- Acacia Coronado, Austin Current
"Austin Mayor Kirk Watson has proposed a plan aimed at preventing a Texas Education Agency takeover of Austin ISD. The issue involves two middle schools whose accountability ratings have triggered provisions of the state’s school intervention law."
Energy
⚡ Read Texas cities say Abbott’s proposal to disband their electric companies won’t lower costs - Paul Cobler, TheTexas Tribune
"A proposal by Gov. Greg Abbott to dismantle Austin’s and San Antonio’s municipally owned electric utilities is drawing opposition from city officials. Supporters argue that introducing private competition could lower electric bills, while Austin officials say deregulation could increase costs and affect revenue used for city services." | Upcoming League & community events
Sept. 21:
City Council District 8 Candidate Forum - RSVP
Sept. 22:
LWVAA: Paws to the Polls at ACC Highland - RSVP
Sept. 23:
Hands Off Central TX: Election Protection Activation - Register
Sept. 24:
Austin Equity and Inclusion: Know Your Rights - Refugees' Rights - Join webinar
Sept. 26:
LWVAA & Braver Angels Central Texas: The Life of the Party film screening & community conversation - Tickets
Sept. 28:
National Constitution Center: Previewing the Supreme Court's 2026 - 2027 Term -
Sept. 29:
City Council District 9 Candidate Forum - RSVP
Oct. 1:
City Council District 3 Candidate Forum - RSVP
Amy's Ice Creams / Phil's Ice House profit share day benefiting LWVAA
| 📢 Take Action!
Congress will soon be back in session! Tell members of Congress to reject anti-voter policies.
News!
📫 Court Keeps Block on Key Parts of New USPS Mail-Ballot Rule
A federal appeals court has kept a preliminary injunction in place blocking the U.S. Postal Service from enforcing key provisions of a new mail-ballot rule through the November 3 election. The Trump administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stay the injunction.
Read the LWVUS press release
| If you've read this far, it must be worth it.
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| We're going batty...for elections 🦇 🗳️ | | 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. | |