The Voter
The League of Women Voters of Glen Ellyn
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100th Anniversary of the League of Women Voters!
We have a busy year as we celebrate the 100th Anniversary founding of the League of Women Voters. For 100 years the League has grown into the vital organization that educates and engages the active involvement of citizens in their communities, state and nation. The anniversary slogan selected by the LWVUS is “Creating a More Perfect Democracy.” The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex” gave women the right to vote. An important part of that history is that not until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were African American women/women of color finally given the right to vote. It is for all women- for all citizens - to exercise their right to vote that the League of Women Voters continues its advocacy.
Welcome to our new members - Alison Hayes is making plans for new member orientation to welcome and engage you in our many league activities and events. We are excited for your involvement. Please reach out to us with questions and ideas to make our league stronger.
Welcome to our new and returning Board Members - We are fortunate to have another strong board to lead our educational activities and advocacy this year. Thanks to Sarah Allen, Jayne Boeckelman and Michelle Thorsell for attending the LWVIL Convention in Champaign June 7-9. Their report includes program recommendations for all leagues this year.
League Events - Thank you to Lucy Dallman, Vice-President Programs, for leading this year’s community meeting development and planning.
August 22 – We welcomed the Glen Ellyn School Superintendents to our Summer Kick-off event at Reserve 22 – A great way to start our year!
September 19 – “Supporting our Community” – Local Non-Profits Panel and Discussion – join us as we meet with local leaders and learn about their work in areas aligned with our league positions. Bring your neighbors to learn about volunteer opportunities here in Glen Ellyn.
Go to
lwvge.org for our calendar of events and all league information. Thank you for your involvement with LWV Glen Ellyn. We have much to celebrate!
Sincerely,
Kristin B. Malone and Erica Nelson,
LWVGE Co-presidents
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County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek (center) is flanked by LWV representatives from Glen Ellyn, Naperville, Downers Grove, Woodridge & Lisle, Elmhurst, & Wheaton.
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With the 2019 merger of the DuPage Election Division with the County Clerk’s office, representatives from the LWV chapters located throughout DuPage County approached Clerk Jean Kaczmarek to offer our assistance to help elections run smoothly in the county. Our own Sandra Alexander represents LWVGE on this committee.
The committee is currently focused on recruiting election judges, voter registration, and ensuring adequate funding and resources for the clerk’s office to conduct elections.
Please see complete report below!
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Member Information for You
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Fall voter registration events are starting.
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On September 12 at 6:30 PM
at the Civic Center (Clayton Room) League members may be trained and certified as voter registrars. If you are interested, please contact Julie Nolan (630) 835-6616.
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September 24 is National Voter Registration Day. Watch the website and email blasts for voter registration opportunities around September 24.
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We will register voters October 2 at the Glendale Heights Family Health and Safety Fair.
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On October 3, we will register voters at a Medicare information seminar sponsored by West Indivisible Suburban Engagement (WISE).
The County Clerk is starting two projects with which we will be involved. One is to partner Leagues in DuPage County with Nursing homes to register voters on a quarterly basis to keep addresses up to date. The second is to reach out to high schools and junior colleges to encourage eligible students to become election judges to help fill the shortage of election judges the county has experienced in the past.
Submitted by Frank & Gail Bernstein
League Cafe
In June we organized a second “League Cafe” event at Maize + Mash. Gathering in their upstairs space, we were able to hear a presentation by speakers Deb Hornell, League member and her colleague Tami Fay on the “Three C’s Of Leadership.” Members were able to socialize, partake of libations and great food as well as listen to a very interesting presentation by Deb and Tami.
Thanks to all who attended and to our speakers for sharing their great insights with us. It was indeed a winning combination.
Submitted by Joyce Hothan
Publicity
Publicity
and member support are the driving forces behind all League efforts and events. What a milestone ahead- 2020 should be an exciting year- with the 100-year anniversary of
both the founding of the LWV and the ratification of the 19
th Amendment, giving women the right to vote.
This year is a wonderful opportunity to promote LWV as a civic engagement organization devoted to “Empowering Voters through Education and Advocacy.” Many people know LWVGE as the organization that runs Candidate Forums, but are unaware of our excellent voter education Community Programs.
Social Media largely drives LWVGE publicity. If you are on Facebook, please follow us at facebook.com/lwvge and “like” and “share” the posts about our Community Programs. Publicity comes in many forms, but often the best is by word of mouth from someone you respect.
Submitted by Sarah Allen
Events On the Horizon
Save the date: February 14, 2020 for a LWVIL 100 year anniversary event before the Issues Briefing on February 15. Look for details in the coming weeks.
Submitted by Michelle Thorsell
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New Member Corner
LWVGE would like to welcome our newest members! We’re certain that you’ll find the League to be an educational and empowering experience, and look forward to greeting you at our upcoming events.
Submitted by Terri Gorski
Rafaela Brosnan May 2019
Julia Brosnan May 2019
Robert Bruno May 2019
Sarah Bruno May 2019
Philip Price May 2019
Nancy Masse May 2019
Jo Anne McGuire May 2019
Roberta Wheatley May 2019
Karen Gylling July 16, 2019
Rosemary Beutell July 2019
Suzanne Gagner August 2019
Debbie Ness August 2019
Karen Schulz August 2019
Welcome New Members
I want to welcome the many new members who have joined the Glen Ellyn League during the past year. We are delighted to have you united with us in the work and mission of the League.
I hope that all new members will be able to attend at least one of our new member orientation sessions which will be held throughout the coming year. The League is a complex organization and many have said they benefit from the info given at these meetings.
The exciting news is that some of these sessions will be held
an hour or so
prior to our community meetings,
some will be held on
Saturday mornings
, and others on
weeknights
. We hope that these times will be varied enough to be convenient. I will put out a schedule of the meetings in the near future, and I look forward to meeting all of you.
Alison Hayes, New Member Orientation Director
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Get Involved!
Book Club
Our next League book club selection is
My
(Underground) American Dream
by Julissa Arce. Book club is Saturday October 5, 9 AM at Michelle Peterson's, (579 Riford). As an added bonus, the League is co-sponsoring the Julissa Arce speaking engagement with the Glenbard Parent Series on October 14, 7 PM at Glenbard South. Copies of the book will be available beginning September 7 at the library, 2nd floor.
Separately, you may also want to see David Grann, author of
Killers Of The Flower Moon
, a previous selection of our book club, on September 5, 7 PM at Glenbard West.
Submitted by Shawn Fasules
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2019 Award Winners presented at
Annual Banquet in May.
Gail Bernstein (Voter Service),
Sania Irwin (Community Action) and Jodi Baltimore (New Member Service).
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Outgoing LWVGE Co-Presidents Amy Hohulin and Michelle Peterson pose with 2019 award winners.
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Current Co-Presidents Erica Nelson and Kristin Malone at our annual banquet in May.
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Allison Haut LWVIL President,
Erica Nelson and Sarah Allen at 19th Amendment event in June celebrating Illinois as one of the amendment's earliest ratifiers.
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Gardeners benefited from our annual Ladybug Giveaway in June at the Glen Ellyn French Market. Pictured: Erica Nelson and Tiffany Ruddle.
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Sips with the Sups
on August 22 was an informative, casual conversation with the Glen Ellyn School Superintendents at Reserve 22. Pictured: Lucy Dallman (VP Program), Dr. Melissa Kaczkowski (D41), Dr. Emily K. Tammaru (D89), Kristin Malone (Co-President), Dr. David Larson (D87).
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Kudos to our voter registrars including Stephanie Zvirini and Mary Schieve (pictured here) who registered 27 voters at the COD Student Life Fair August 28.
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Debut DuPage County Leagues Meeting
The first full meeting of representatives from the DuPage County Leagues of Women Voters was held on July 29, 2019 at DuPage County Administration offices. Representatives were present from the League of Women Voters of Wheaton, Naperville, Elmhurst, Downers Grove and Glen Ellyn. (League member Sandra Alexander is representing Glen Ellyn on this Committee.)
DuPage County is seeking League assistance with voter registration - particularly in DuPage County nursing homes, and recruiting election judges. Sandra raised the issue of election security in light of the recently released (7/25/19) Senate Committee on Intelligence on Russian Active Measures Campaigns and Interference in the 2016 Election, and previously published (2/18) report by the Center for American Progress on Election Security in all 50 States. A brief discussion of the County’s effort in this regard was held.
1) Nursing Home Project - The League is asked to provide volunteers who will be assigned to specific nursing home facilities in the county to ensure residents are registered and to update registration information as needed. It is ideal if this is done on a regular basis (e.g., quarterly) and beginning asap so there is not a backlog close to election day. The Clerk’s office held a meeting in late August for these volunteers to be given their assignments of facilities, and to provide instruction. Also, there may be an opportunity for individuals who are not currently Registrars to receive training and credentials just prior to this meeting (to be determined).
2) Recruiting Election Judges - The County is starting a “First Judge Program” where high school and college students can apply to be at the precincts on Election Day to observe the process and assist on the day of election. In-person training, which is mandatory, will be provided by the county. This is a volunteer opportunity that may be of interest to political science, social studies, and other students who want to participate in the democratic process. The County is asking whether the League has members with contacts at targeted schools to help boost participation in this program. At this time, the County does not have a contact at COD in order that they (County election staff) can make an introduction to this program. If someone does, please contact Valerie Prohammer at
valerie.prohammer@dupageco.org
.
3) The County Clerk was present at the DuPage County Finance Committee meeting on Tuesday, August 13. (See photograph above.)
The meeting was held in the County Administration Building in Wheaton. Two requests were made. The first is for funding, estimated at approximately $1.5 million, to replace all of the e-poll books used in the County. The e-poll books would be funded in FY 19 so that the County will be ready for the 2020 elections. All the e-poll books in the county have reached their useful life and multiple problems have surfaced during past elections with this equipment. The second item is that the Clerk’s office will present their proposed budget for FY 20. League members asked for budget information ahead of this meeting.
4) Clerk Kaczmarek stated that the County is aware of concerns about security issues and plans to increase security for the 2020 elections. They are looking at the feasibility of installing cameras and engaging security consultation.
Submitted by Sandra Alexander
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Rhetoric vs. Reality: Why the Time is Now for Equal Pay
At the recent LWVIL 2019 Annual Luncheon, Laurel Bellows, an internationally recognized business lawyer and keynote speaker, passionately urged League members to work for pay equality. She pointed out that on average women’s salaries are 20% less than men’s salaries, and that the pay gap is even greater when contrasting pay earned by black women, Latinas and Native American women. Bellows stated that it is imperative that we advocate NOW for change at the state and national level, engaging with legislators from both sides of the aisle.
Bellows also commended LWVIL and local leagues for successfully working for passage of the ERA Amendment by the Illinois General Assembly.
Barb Yong, League member from the LaGrange area, received the Sapphire Award, recognizing her work, including founding Equal Pay Day Chicago, a rally held annually that raises awareness of pay inequities and is a platform for organizations to collaborate across Illinois.
Our League was well represented at the LWVIL Annual Meeting. Those attending included Jayne Boeckelman, Amy Hohulin, Lois Walter, Carrie Burrows, Kristin Malone, Lucy Dallman, Kim Reed, and her daughter Alex, Gail Kalinich, and her daughter Chaney, Michelle Thorsell, Sarah Allen and Sonja Faulkner.
Submitted by Sonja Faulkner
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Look for your 2019-2020 Membership Directory!
Distribution at our Sept. 19 Community Meeting.
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National Voter
Registration Day
September 24, 2019
National Voter Registration Day started in 2012 to focus attention on the importance of registering to vote. This date has been endorsed by the National Association of Secretaries of State, the National Association of State Election Directors, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, and the National Association of Election Officials.
On National Voter Registration Day ask your neighbors, co-workers, family and friends to get the vote out by educating them about voter registration.
Want to get involved? Contact Julie Nolan at
southie398@aol.com
, to get information to become a voter registrar.
Q: How do I register to vote?
Q: For nonpartisan election information?
A:Go to
lwvge.org
- under "General Voter Information" tab
Contact DuPage County Board to Support Funding for E-poll books & DuPage County elections
The DuPage County Board will be voting soon on a budget for 2020. The 2020 elections are expected to have high voter turnout and you can give your opinion about funding for the Election Division by responding to the budget survey:
Contact your DuPage County Board representatives and let them know the importance of supporting funding for the DuPage County elections in the 2020 budget. A free and fair election begins with the a strong election process and resources.
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Please visit our wonderful advertisers!
If you patronize any of our local business supporters, let them know we appreciate their attention. They help make what we do possible.
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CALENDAR
September 12
Voter registrar verification at the Civic Center (Clayton Room), 6:30 PM
September 12
League Board Meeting at the Civic Center (Clayton Room), 7:15 PM
September 19
Community Meeting: "Supporting Our Community" Local Non-Profits Panel & Discussion, 7:30 PM (Doors open at 7 PM). Glen Ellyn Park Dist. Building,
185 Spring Ave., Glen Ellyn
September 24
National Voter Registration Day
October 5
LWVGE Book Club, 9 AM, Michelle Peterson's house, 579 Riford Rd., Glen Ellyn. Featured title:
My
(Underground) American Dream
by Julissa Arce
October 10
League Board Meeting at the Civic Center (Clayton Room), 7:15 PM
October 14
Community Meeting: Partnering with Glenbard Parent Series to feature author Julissa Arce with
My Undocumented American Life,
7 PM, Glenbard South High School Auditorium, 23W200 Butterfield Rd., Glen Ellyn
November 14
League Board Meeting at the Civic Center (Clayton Room), 7:15 PM
November 21
Community Meeting: "Juvenile Justice," 7:30 PM (Doors open at 7 PM). Details pending.
December 5
Annual Holiday Fundraiser and Social at Ten Thousand Villages. 503 Pennsylvania Ave., Glen Ellyn, 5-8 PM
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Please visit our website for the most current information.
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PO Box 2391, Glen Ellyn, IL 60138
(630) 790-2237
(630) 347-0922
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