by Ginger Walters

Co-President's Message

Greetings! It’s hard to believe that our year is winding down and summer is just around the corner! I would like to recognize and thank our health committee, headed by Alicia Wingate, for the tremendous job they did organizing the Dare to Be Safe Program II, which was held at the Baum Center on April 25^th. Representatives from Moms Demand Action and NCSafe shared their knowledge and expertise on the important issue of gun safety within our community. It was a great presentation followed by an interesting discussion.  

On June 7^th, we will hold our Annual Meeting at Duck Country Club. This important event is for ALL League members, so we hope you will join us. It’s a fun occasion with food, wine, and an opportunity to socialize with your fellow League members. We will conduct a small amount of business and provide a short program as well. You will be receiving more information about this event in your email in the coming days so stay tuned.   

RSVP for Annual Meeting here

by Tianna Stathis

LWV-Dare Hosts a Mock Election with Cape Hatteras Elementary

This April, our League had the pleasure to partner with Cape Hatteras Elementary School in Buxton for a new mock election. The voting booths from the Dare County Board of Elections were set up in the gymnasium to enhance the voting experience for the children.

The school chose to vote for the 2024 North Carolina Children's Book Award. While visiting the library, the students read several different books from the list of nominees.The top four books made it to the ballot and the winner is...Negative Cat by Sophie Blackall. 

We are excited to host our final mock election for the 2023-2024 school year at First Flight Middle School in May. Stay tuned!

Read more on the CHES Facebook page:

To see the full list of nominees for the NC Children's Book Award and to find out the 2024 winner, visit the North Carolina Library Association website.

We are honored to have as our speaker for this event, Jennifer Rubin, LWVNC President Hope you'll join us. RSVP.

Members should have received an email with important information about the business end of our Annual Meeting.

by Judy Lotas

North Carolina has a gun safety problem: of the 1.7 million homes that have guns, half have guns that are NOT safely stored. And our kids are 51% more likely to die from guns compared to the national average.

These were two of the statistics shared by Shannon Halbur and Mary Lahr Cain of Moms Demand Action at the Baum Center the evening of April 25. Gun safety is the  concern of every community and the more we know, the safer we are.

TreNeice Townes described actions taken by NC SAFE, a state organization whose purpose is to educate gun owners about safe storage and handling of firearms. Kids are curious and accidents happen! Ms. Townes urged parents to triple check their own gun situation and said it is not out of bounds to ask other parents, whose homes their kids may visit, about safe storage.

The meeting at Baum Center was the second “Dare to be Safe” program sponsored by League of Women Voters of Dare County and chaired by board member Tess Judge. The effort is not anti-gun but rather, pro safety. Common sense and everyday vigilance could dramatically reduce the incidence of gun tragedies.

Special thanks to Tess Judge, Alicia Wingate, and other volunteers for coordinating this important program for our community.

Notes from Lorelei DiBernardo

The North Carolina Second Primary Election is here! Also known as a Run-off Election, a Second Primary Election is held when no candidate in a race reaches 30% of the vote. The top 2 candidates in the race then face the Run-off Election. There were 2 Republican races in the March Primary that met this criterion for Dare County voters.

Republican race for NC Lieutenant Governor: Jim O’Neill  vs  Hal Weatherman

Republican race for NC Auditor: Dave Boliek  vs  Jack Clark

 All registered Republican & Unaffiliated* voters are eligible to participate in this election!

*Unaffiliated voters who didn’t vote in the 1^st Primary election may participate. Unaffiliated Voters who voted a Republic ballot in the 1^st Primary election may participate.

Early Voting: Thursday, April 25 – Saturday, May 11, 2024

Where: Dare Co Admin Bldg. in Manteo, KDH Town Hall, Fessenden Ctr. Annex in Buxton

When: Weekdays from 8:00 am – 7:30 pm and Saturday, May 11 from 8:00 am – 3:00 pm 

Second Primary Election Day: Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Where: at your assigned polling place

When: 6:30 am – 7:30 pm

Remember to bring Photo ID! If you have questions go to: Dare Co Board of Elections



Maine Is 18th State to Join National Popular Vote. Thanks to Maine, the National Popular Vote is now law in 18 states possessing 209 electoral votes, including:

6 small states (Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Rhode Island, Vermont, District of Columbia)

9 medium-sized states (Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington)

3 big states (California, Illinois, New York)  

The National Popular Vote bill will take effect when enacted into law by states possessing 270 electoral votes (a majority of the 538 electoral votes). So, we need an additional 61 electoral votes. The bill has passed one or more legislative chambers in 7 additional states possessing 74 electoral votes (Arkansas, Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, Oklahoma, Virginia). 

Learn more: National Popular Vote Website



Watch this 9 minute video explaining National Popular Vote 

by Judy Lotas

Make Laws, not wishes.

One way to effect change in our laws is to elect people who champion our positions. Another way is to work from the ground up, with a Citizen’s Initiative.

The League’s Citizen Initiative study team invites you to an informational online meeting to learn what’s involved and what the League’s position should be. Featured speaker is Duke Sanford School of Public Policy professor Asher Hildebrand. After his talk, virtual attendees will go into breakout groups for discussion.

If we had CI, we could use it to cement the Equal Rights Amendment to our national Constitution. CI is being used successfully by several states on various issues. Sometimes the People can get done what legislatures can’t. Or won’t.

This online event is Tuesday, May 14^th at 7:00 pm. Register and read details here.

The ERA-NC Alliance is launching a campaign reasserting women’s rights over their own reproductive lives. Themed “Birth Controller” it makes the important connection between the ERA and bodily autonomy. When the Equal Rights Amendment is published, discrimination based on sex will be illegal. And what is forced pregnancy if not discrimination? For more information, email me: judylotas@gmail.com

by Claudia Kozinetz

Right To Read

The American Library Association (ALA) reports a total of 4,240 titles were targeted for censorship at schools and libraries in 2023. This number of titles is not only the biggest number ever recorded by the group, but a 65% spike from the year before. 

Four key trends emerged from the data gathered:

• Pressure groups in 2023 focused on public libraries in addition to targeting school libraries. The number of titles targeted for censorship at public libraries increased by 92% over the previous year, accounting for about 46% of all book challenges in 2023; school libraries saw an 11% increase over 2022 numbers.
• Groups and individuals demanding the censorship of multiple titles, often dozens or hundreds at a time, drove this surge.
• Titles representing the voices and lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC individuals made up 47% of those targeted in censorship attempts.
• There were attempts to censor more than 100 titles in each of these 17 states: Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

ALA unveiled the list of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books in the U.S. for 2023 on Monday, April 8th, Right to Read Day as part of the release of the State of America's Libraries Report that kicks off National Library Week. Because many book challenges are not reported to the ALA or covered by the press, the data compiled by ALA represents a snapshot of book censorship.

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League of Women Voters - National

League of Women Voters of Dare County

League of Women Voters of North Carolina

LWV Statement on Women's Equality