Voter
March & April, 2022
Serving the people of Canton, Garden City, Livonia, Northville City and Township, Plymouth City and Township, Redford Township, Sumpter Township, Belleville, Van Buren Township, Wayne and Westland, Michigan
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Intro to the Candidate Forums Process
Thurs., April 7 @ 7 p.m.
See Val Nelson's article below
General Membership Meeting
Sat., April 9 @ 10 a.m.
Last Day to Submit Member Dues for Entry into Dues Raffle
Wed., June 1
See Maureen Hughes's article below
Annual Meeting (IN PERSON)
Sat., June 18 @ 12 p.m.
Invitation will be sent in the coming months
Deadline to Collect Promote the Vote 2022 Ballot Proposal Signatures
Mon., July 11 @ 5 p.m.
See Lois Baughman's article below to learn how to get involved
2022 LWVNWW Auction
Sat., November 12 @ 11:30 a.m.
Alexander Blue House @ Greenmead Historical Park, Livonia
See Angela Ryan's article below
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The sunflower has always been one of my favorite flowers. You can’t help but smile when you see a field of these “happy” flowers. One of my greatest experiences was when I was in Italy and watched an entire field of sunflowers rotate with the warmth of the sun. My relationship with these flowers was cemented when I visited the Women’s Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls, New York, and discovered that sunflowers were the early symbol of the suffragette movement. Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Candy Stanton wore sunflower pins as they campaigned in 1867.
The beautiful sunflower is also the Ukrainian national flower. As we have seen brave Ukrainians defending their democracy, the sunflower has shown up all over social media as a rallying cry to support the Ukrainian people. It is awe-inspiring to see many Ukrainians willing to give up their lives to safeguard their homeland. This begs the question, what would we do to defend our democracy?
Recently, at a voting rights presentation, a question from an audience member gave me pause. She first commented that our voting participation is dismal for a democracy and that there are many countries that have a much higher participation rate. Therefore, she asked, “Why can’t it be mandated that eligible voters must vote?” In the last presidential election, Michigan had a 71% participation rate of eligible voters (MLive). While this is up from the 2016 presidential rate of 63% (Michigan SOS), it is still rather bleak. Of note is the fact that in 2020 more than half of Michigan voters voted absentee (MLive).
I have to admit that mandating voting has a certain appeal, but it smacks of totalitarianism, and I can’t see this happening in the United States. As members of the League of Women Voters, we work hard to encourage voter participation and will continue to do so this next election cycle. This is where you can do your part. Unlike the Ukrainian people who are fighting a war, you can defend democracy by participating in one of the many upcoming opportunities to encourage voter participation. Don’t sit on the sidelines and just admire the sunflowers; help to ensure that they continue to bloom.
Carrie Moon-Dupree, President
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Interested in Getting Involved in Candidate Forums?
By Valerie Nelson
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Would you like to help with candidate forums this election year? The way that we create and conduct our forums has changed with the pandemic, and you may be wondering what it involves. I will do an introduction to the process on April 7 at 7 p.m. via Zoom. I will go over the types of forums that we now do, how they are created, and what the roles of the producer, timer, moderator, and others entail.
Candidate forums are a very important tool for the League to help voters learn about candidates and working on a candidate forum is a great way to get involved in voter service. If you would like to learn more about the process of producing a candidate forum, please join us. Send me an email at vnelson@prodigy.net if you would like to attend and I will send you the link.
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Don't Forget the Drawing!
By Maureen Hughes
To enter, simply pay your dues by June 1 (either via PayPal or postmarked by that date). The winner will be chosen in a random drawing at the Annual Meeting and will receive free dues (via reimbursement) for the 2022-23 fiscal year.
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Promote the Vote 2022 Ballot Proposal
By Lois Baughman
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LWVNWW and LWVMI have started collecting signatures for the Promote the Vote 2022 constitutional amendment ballot proposal as of April 1, 2022. We are working in conjunction with the ACLU, Promote the Vote, and other organizations to gather signatures. We need to gather 425,059 valid signatures by July 11, 2022, at 5 p.m. to make sure this proposal is on the November ballot. Click here to read the Promote the Vote 2022 proposal.
A quote from the Promote the Vote 2022 website states: “Our Promote the Vote 2022 proposal includes common-sense solutions to increase access to the ballot and the security of our elections, because we know that Michiganders would love to get behind policies that advance voting rights, nullify voter suppression efforts, and eliminate the threat of future election subversion.
Promote the Vote 2022 will move Michigan forward, and ensure Michiganders have a voting system that works for all of us!”
My name is Lois Baughman and I have volunteered to be the organizer for our local League with the support of our president, Carrie Moon-Dupree. Jackie Peters has offered to be a team leader to help organize those who will be collecting valid signatures. I would like to thank Jackie and Carrie as well as the signature circulators David Baughman, Maureen Hughes, Toni Jones, Carin Meyer, Val Nelson, Lena Packer, and Susan Rowe for volunteering in this effort to protect voting rights.
Training was provided for League leaders, team leaders, and circulators on March 22 and 23, and a training video is available on YouTube for all circulators and team leaders as needed.
If you are interested in helping with this ballot proposal, it is not too late. Please feel free to contact me at loisbaughman1960@gmail.com or at (313) 303-5515. Volunteers who are not members are welcome as well but, of course, will be required to follow League guidelines.
Together we can make a change.
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Make Democracy Work Grant Wrap-Up
By Carrie Moon-Dupree
The Make Democracy Work Grant Committee has completed their work. The committee—made up of Valerie Nelson, Donna Gilkey-Lavin, Toni Jones, Susan Rowe, and me—did three presentations titled “Update on Voting Rights, Voting Bills, & 2 Initiatives.” The other two presentations originally scheduled for Westland could not be rescheduled at this time.
On January 9, 2022, we did a Zoom presentation for the Canton area. This event was hosted by Geneva Presbyterian Church, and Canton Township Clerk Michael Siegrist was in attendance to answer questions. A handout was available for participants to download, and hard copies were left at the church for those who could not attend. You can view the presentation here.
On March 2, 2022, our League partnered with the Plymouth District Library to do a virtual presentation for the community. As the clerk could not attend, the League answered participant questions. A handout was available to download. You can view the presentation here.
On March 3, 2022, our final event was a hybrid presentation at the Belleville Area District Library. There were about 20 people in attendance and others watching on Zoom. The Belleville, Van Buren, and Sumpter Township clerks were unable to attend, but they did review the presentation material ahead of time. As president of our League, I stepped in to answer questions in the absence of a clerk. Handouts were available both in person and online.
At the March 3 event, a few audience members wanted their petitions to be passed around. However, as this was an informational and educational meeting hosted by the League, they were denied. While I do believe these individuals were representing Secure MI Vote, based on comments they made throughout the presentation, I don’t know for sure. As you might remember, LWVMI is encouraging people to “decline to sign” these petitions.
While we did not do these presentations for the money, we did earn $500 from the Make Democracy Work grant. We had no expenses, as all printing costs for handouts were borne by the event hosts. The most important reason for doing these presentations was to inform our citizens of the voting rights they currently enjoy and the moves afoot to undermine these rights.
Thank you to the committee and to James Moon-Dupree and Manny Lavin, who worked behind the scenes to make this happen.
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Announcement of the Friedrichs/Bowman Scholarship
By Angela Ryan
The League’s board of directors has approved offering one to three scholarships to students enrolled in either Oakland Community College, Schoolcraft College, Washtenaw Community College, or Wayne County Community College. The scholarship program is named to honor deceased lifetime League member Esther Friedrichs and former League president Paula Bowman.
Each scholarship will be between $1,000 and $2,000, depending on the number of winners, not to exceed a total of $3,000 awarded. Background information and the application form will be provided to the four colleges in early April with applications due back by May 31, 2022. The same information will be posted on the League’s website, Facebook, and Instagram pages. Scholarships will be awarded in July 2022. Winners will also receive a one-year free membership in our League.
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The Auction is Back – We Hope!
By Angela Ryan
We have not been able to hold a fundraising auction since 2019. We are hopeful that we will be able to hold one on November 12, 2022, at the Alexander Blue House at Greenmead Historical Park in Livonia, starting at 11:30 a.m.
It’s not too early to start thinking about how you can participate in this fundraising event. You may serve on one of the committees that help to organize the auction. You can start looking around your home or when out shopping for a new or gently used item to donate. You may want to organize a tour or plan a home event (e.g., luncheon or card party). You can be an Auction Angel by making a monetary donation, or you can obtain a donation from a local business. Last, but certainly not least, you can attend the auction. We can't succeed if no one attends. We encourage members to bring guests.
There will be more information provided in the coming months pertaining to all of these options. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer for one of the committees, please contact Angela Ryan at 734-591-0995 or cruiserryan@ameritech.net.
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Observer Corps Update
By Lena Packer
Our Observers continue to monitor our local government decision-makers. Here are a couple of updates from our Observers:
Northville Planning Commission
Observed by Deanna Master
Downtown Northville is undergoing a massive redevelopment of the Northville Downs property. The Northville Planning Commission has twice monthly in-person and live-streamed meetings typically lasting several hours and always well attended by hundreds of community members. The developer has submitted a recently approved application for single and multifamily housing, a 1.2-acre central public park, commercial space, and the “daylighting” of an underground branch of the Rouge River along with a planned 1100-foot river walkway. The project will encompass 49 acres and increase the number of housing units by 470.
The meetings have been well run and transparent and allow ample opportunity for comment from the community. Concerns about the density of housing, the change in community character, parking, and traffic flow are being expressed by citizens at the meetings. A public hearing is scheduled for March 15, 2022, prior to the Preliminary Site Plan review and action by the city council.
Plymouth Township Board of Trustees
Observed by Paula Bowman
I observed the Plymouth Township Board of Trustees meeting on March 8. During the public comment portion of the meeting, several people made statements about the deplorable conditions of the roads in their subdivisions. The supervisor had to gently give them a tough lesson in the way townships work: roads are maintained only by the county (which is why township taxes are usually lower).
The residents indicated they had discovered that repairs of the streets in their subs would cost most households $20-$30,000 each in special assessments and they were pleading for township help. Unfortunately, that is not an option. Another item of interest: because staffing shortages are causing Plymouth-Canton buses to run two weeks on/two weeks off for most bus routes, the traffic around schools during morning and afternoon drop-off and pick-up times is dangerously congested. One of the trustees asked for additional help from the police to avoid accidents.
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Archived Documents
By Lena Packer
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Welcome to our newest League member:
Maddie Andrews,
Plymouth
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League of Women Voters of NW Wayne County
Board of Directors
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President: Carrie Moon-Dupree
VP Voter Service: Val Nelson
VP Development: Angela Ryan
Secretary: Deanna Master
Treasurer: Susan Rowe
Voter Editor: Eva Koelzer
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Directors:
Lois Baughman
Donna Gilkey-Lavin
Gwen Hooks
Maureen Hughes
Toni Jones
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Manny Lavin
Carin Meyer
Lena Packer
Jackie Peters
Mary Visos
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Advocacy: Carrie Moon-Dupree
Auction: Angela Ryan
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion: Lena Packer
Financial Review: Nancy White
Legislative Interviews: Susan Rowe
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Membership: Maureen Hughes
Nominating: Linda Curry
Observer Corps: Lena Packer
Redistricting: Angela Ryan
Scholarship: Angela Ryan
Voter Registration: Mary Visos
Voter Service: Val Nelson
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League of Women Voters of
NW Wayne County
PO Box 51502, Livonia, MI 48151
734-421-4420
Membership in the League is open to anyone age 16 & older. Dues: Student $5, Individual $60, Household $90. Join through our website or call 734-421-4420.
The League of Women Voters is a non-partisan, political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.
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