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!
| Empowering Voters.
Defending Democracy. | Election Day is almost here! 🎉
Grab your ID, your coffee, maybe a friend, and head to the polls on November 3.
In Travis County, you can vote anywhere you see the “Vote Here/Aquí” sign between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Election Protection
If you have voting questions or need to report a problem at the polls, the Election Protection hotline is here to help. You can get help from a live person by calling or texting 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683). | 📢 One thing you can do to support democracy for election day: Get out the vote!
We've had record turnout, but it's a close election. I'm confident that folks who read the Weekly Voter already have an "I voted" sticker. Now we need to encourage our friends, family, coworkers, and community to vote on Election Day. Voting is how democracy works!
League Resources:
✅ Print and share the Midterm Election Ballot Worksheet in English or Spanish.
📲 VOTE411 provides a personalized Voters Guide.
💻 The LWVAA website provides trusted voting and election information and PDF versions of the Voters Guide.
📫 If a voter you know hasn't mailed their ballot by mail, learn about vote-by-mail options here.
🗣️ Talk with your neighbors, friends, and family about the voting process. Tell your story about how local, state, and federal elected officials affect your everyday life: your job, health care, bills, education, food, transportation, etc.
📷 Share your "I voted" sticker photo with communications@lwvaustin.org so we can share it on social media! | |
Nov. 3
🗳️ Election Day - Info
📬 Voting by mail options - Info
Nov. 4
📰 TribCast Live: Breaking Down the 2026 Election (live & online) - RSVP
Nov. 10
🗳️ LWVUS: Democracy Integrity Briefing. Join LWV and the National Conference on Citizenship Algorithmic Transparency Institute as they identify and address the latest national, state, and local trends in mis- and disinformation. RSVP
Nov. 13
🏢 LBJ School: Powering the AI Buildout: Data Centers, Public Power, & the Municipal Market - RSVP
Nov. 17
🏡 Austin Equity and Inclusion: Know Your Rights - Housing - Join webinar
Nov. 21
LWVAA: Transparency in Local Government - A local journalist and two former Travis County Commissioners will sit down for a candid conversation about how city and county decisions are made, what information residents should be able to access and understand, where transparency can fall short, and what citizens can do when it does. - RSVP
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LWVAA maintains an online event calendar for meetings, trainings, voter outreach, and registration opportunities.
| An organization whose mission is "Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy." is worth volunteering for
Thank you for the countless hours you have spent registering voters, hosting candidate forums, answering questions, sharing trusted information, and helping voters make their voices heard. League members, volunteers, and supporters have met this moment with energy, dedication, and an unwavering commitment to empowering voters and defending democracy.
Give yourself a pat on the back and a round of applause. Our mission is strengthened when we join together to support democracy in Central Texas.
Send your fellow volunteers a thank-you note to communications@lwvaustin.org or make a donation in their honor.
|  | Why save the best for last? Thank you, VOTERS!
We're thankful for all the voters who showed up in record numbers for the primary and for early voting in the general election! This is what the work of the League is all about: a democracy where every person has the desire, the right, the knowledge, and the confidence to participate. |  | | Carol Eckelcamp |
 | | Debbie Voss |
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LWVAA presidents
We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the three LWVAA presidents who served during the 2026 election season. The presidents coordinated the efforts of all League volunteers to support our mission. | Pick a Winner GOTV volunteers
2026 started with the primary election. Let's celebrate our "Pick a Winner" volunteers who led the GOTV effort for the primaries, addressing postcards, crowd canvassing at the Austin Marathon, and tabling at events throughout the Austin Area. | Paws to the Polls volunteers
A round of applause to our dedicated Paws to the Polls volunteers who hosted events all over Travis County, and to Travis County Elections staff who provided new voters a fun opportunity to practice voting on a real voting machine. One more time: are you Team Dog or Team Cat?? |  | Speakers Bureau: Celebrating our first year
As the Speakers Bureau celebrates its first year, we have a lot to be proud of! Since our launch in January, we received 14 requests to speak to community organizations to share the League's mission and help people become more informed and engaged citizens.
We're especially grateful to the wonderful speakers who stepped up to represent the League: Grace Chimene, Anne Morgan, Saliyah Parker, Sharron Rush, Iris Saenz, and Kaitlin Tran. Most of these speakers were new League members who generously volunteered their time and talents to take on this role. Their willingness to learn, prepare, and share their voices has been an important part of the Bureau’s success.
The Speakers Bureau is also grateful to the volunteers who helped research, develop, refine, and strengthen our presentations: Heather Becker, Grace Chimene, Karen Nicholson, Peggy Pleasant, Anita Taylor, and Shebah Washington. Developing a strong presentation takes teamwork, and their contributions have helped make our programs informative, engaging, and useful to the audiences we speak to.
Thank you to everyone who helped make our first year such a success. We look forward to an even bigger and more impactful second year!
Barbara Martin, Speakers Bureau Coordinator |  | VDR volunteers
Our thanks to the unstoppable volunteers who empower voters by offering voter registration opportunities year-round. | First Vote! volunteers
Let's thank our First Vote! team for traveling to area high schools to introduce the next generation to the importance of civic participation. | Candidate forum volunteers
LWVAA volunteers helped host candidate forums in collaboration with the City of Austin. Thanks for all you did to help voters get better-informed about the people running in our local elections. | GOTV postcard volunteers
In 2026, League volunteers and community partners sent almost 30,000 postcards to voters in under-engaged areas of Austin, encouraging everyone to use their voice in our democracy! | Voter Guide volunteers
Our team of dedicated volunteers published and distributed the Voters Guide for both the primary and general elections. LWVAA volunteers researched candidates, developed questions, proofread copy, and uploaded data to VOTE411. Even more volunteers prepared Voters Guide orders and distributed them throughout Austin and Travis County. Thank you for for helping community members become knowledgeable, more confident voters! | Friends & Family volunteers
To the folks who help plan our Friends & Family Spring Festival, and to the event volunteers who help make it happen: thank you for helping to make voting and democracy a family affair. | Volunteers who raise money and the folks who donate
Thanks to the creative volunteers on the Development team who help raise money to support our mission. And thanks to our donors who make everything we do possible! | Education Committee
Many thanks to the volunteers who plan and host voter and civics education events, from finding speakers to informing the community about the events to volunteering at the event itself. |
Advocacy volunteers
Give a shout-out to our Advocacy Director and to her efforts to support League positions. Our efforts will ramp up quickly during the legislative session. Let's get ready for Capitol Corps and League Lobby Days!
| Social Media volunteers
Our creative Social Media Team loves it when you follow, watch, and share their work on your favorite social media channels. | Membership volunteers
Membership volunteers provide opportunities for members to gather, support members, and work behind the scenes to ensure each member is counted. Thanks for all you do! | Partner organizations
Don't forget our wonderful partner organizations, churches, libraries, businesses, and community centers that share the Voters Guide and encourage community members to vote in every election. | Election Workers
Working the elections takes a lot of time, patience, and teamwork. Election workers set up polling places, prepare ballots, check equipment, help voters, and answer questions. Some days start before sunrise and end late at night. When something unexpected comes up, workers have to figure it out while keeping things moving.
Much of this work happens out of sight, but voters count on it. Whether you worked at a polling place or behind the scenes at the elections office, you gave your time and energy to help people cast their ballots.
We know it’s a long season, and we appreciate everyone who showed up, put in the hours, and helped make it all happen. Thank you for being there for our community. | Midterm Election
🗳️ Read & Watch Translating Information Into Voter Turnout - Blair Waltman-Alexin, Decibel Austin PBS. "Nguyen teams up with the League of Women Voters of the Austin Area to translate their voter guides. Gretchen Otto is a volunteer with the League and helps produce the guides. She says they had translated material into Spanish for years, but they were inspired to expand their efforts after the Houston branch started producing their own voter guides in Vietnamese."
🗳️ Read Who won the money race? Austin council candidates submit final campaign finance report before election - Sam Stark, The Austin Current
🗳️ Read Elder Black Texans pass the baton to next generation to keep up fight at ballot box - Stephen Simpson, The Texas Tribune. Pam Gaskin, LWV Fort Bend and former LWV Texas Board member, and Annie Bennifield, first Black president of LWV Houston, speak of their lifelong dedication to voting and elections and their hope for the next generation.
🗳️ Read Voting rights groups in Texas have cut back on outreach efforts amid threat of criminal penalties - Natalia Contreras, VoteBeat & The Texas Tribune. State lawmakers passed strict restrictions in SB1 that criminalize paid workers helping voters with mail ballots. | Blog
We mourn the loss of the incomparable Dolores Huerta. Her life was a testament to what is possible when courage meets action and when ordinary people organize for extraordinary change. LWV is heartbroken by her passing and profoundly grateful for the path she forged for all of us. May we honor her by continuing the work. Sí, se puede.
You can read about her extraordinary lifetime of work here.
| Welcome Our Newest Members! | Julie Atchley
Robin Dochen Atwood
Sarah Bodine
Kara Brodman
Brandi Burton
Jess Chapin
Sonia Colorito
Laura Lee Daigle
Laura Das
Sonja Delafuente
Kati Elliott
Avery Evans
RuthAnn Gaede
Tania Garza
Katherine Gross |
Mimi Halferty
Ashley Hanson
Paige Henney
Christopher Hynes
Marcie Julian Goltz
Terri Koen
Julia Kuglen
Kate McAfee Campbell
Robyn McAllen Broughton
Kristin McGrath
Laura McIntyre
Anika Mehta
Amy Penn
Olivia Primanis
Elle Reid |
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Denise Rhew
Hilary Ricky
Courtney Rogers
Lynn Rosenberg
Emma Ross
Marisel Saucedo-Tarin
Kat Scherer
Amy Schreider
Robin Silberling
Kay Silver
Louise Single
Margaret Tenney
Kat Vacek
Tamara Vannoy
Don Wells
Sarah Woelk |
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 | | Grace celebrates voting in a child sized voting booth at the Jeremiah Project. |
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This edition is my last. It has been a joy and an honor to provide you with the League's Weekly VOTER. I've been inspired by your hard work and by your dedication to our mission of empowering voters and defending democracy in Central Texas. With democracy under siege and the chaos of daily news, I loved choosing a topic each week for you to "Take a Moment to Smile."
See you at the voting booth.
Grace Chimene, VP Communications & Technology | If you've read this far, it must be worth it.
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| | 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. | |