For this nation to remain true to its principles, we cannot allow any American’s vote to be denied, diluted or defiled.
– Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States
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From the League President |
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The latest news reports suggest that the elections officials don't feel safe getting the word out about how to vote by mail because it could be construed as soliciting a mail ballot and they fear facing felony charges as per the bill SB1. The surge in mail ballot rejection, therefore, continues.
What this means is that the League needs to step up its efforts from now till November. We play an important role in keeping citizens informed about what they need to do to fulfill their role as voters.
We have put together a one-page flyer, Steps to Voting by Mail in Texas, that also includes how to prevent your application from being rejected. It is being made available digitally to other organizations. To address the digital divide, we are also printing the Vote by Mail applications and distributing the applications along with the printed flyers. Voter education is our focus and this newsletter illustrates our efforts. We will need to continue this for the May run-off as well as the November election.
I urge you to please support our efforts by making a generous contribution today by responding to the League’s annual appeal letter that was sent to you in the mail last week.
As Glenda Wolin, VP for Voter Services put it, “At this point, we are not just working to defend democracy - we are fighting to save it.”
Madhu Sridhar, President
League of Women Voters of the San Antonio Area
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Election Day | Tuesday, March 1, 2022
Early Voting | Monday, February 14–Friday, February 25
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Clearing Up Some Confusion
Voter Registration Certificate
Many people have been calling the League asking if they are no longer registered to vote because they have not received voter registration certificates to replace the ones that expired on December 31, 2021. Every voter’s card expired on that date, and it does not affect their registration status. This year, the cards that usually go out around January 1 were delayed because of redistricting, which affects the information on them. The Bexar County Elections Department says everyone should have them by the end of the month. They are not needed for voting – an approved Texas ID or alternate ID is what is required.
Application to Vote by Mail
Not much time is left for eligible people to get applications for a ballot by mail completed and returned – the deadline for the elections office to have it is February 18. At this point you should download an application here, and be sure to include your driver’s license number or the last four digits of your Social Security number. It is suggested that you put both, because the number must match what is on your voter application record. And get the application in the mail right away.
Important change in returning the ballot
Once you receive your ballot and fill it out, put it in the Ballot Envelope, which then goes in the Carrier Envelope. DO NOT seal the flap yet. Under the flap is a section marked Required information. You must fill it out with the same number(s) you listed on your ballot application. Under that is a space for your phone number and email. That is optional, but if the number above it is incorrect, the elections office must contact you to correct it or your ballot will be rejected. It is in your interest to be able to be contacted quickly. Now seal the envelope and sign your name by the red X. DO NOT sign until the envelope is sealed.
More information
Download and read Steps to Vote by Mail on the League website for more information on these and other tips, such as how to track your ballot, show to return your completed ballot in person and what to do if you change your mind and want to vote in person.
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Voters Guide – 20K Distributed
As the March 1 primary elections draw near, the League’s Voters Guide is available in all public libraries in Bexar County. Our largest-ever guide, at 60 pages, includes questions on important issues answered by candidates in their own unedited words, information on voting and elections, the Texas Voters’ Bill of Rights, and early voting times and locations.
Every candidate in each race was asked the same questions, so voters can compare their answers and decide who to vote for after finding the candidates whose ideas align most closely with their own. The ballot this time is long, but voters can mark the candidates they like and take the guide with them when they vote to make voting quick and easy.
We also offer VOTE411.org, the online version of the guide, with additional questions as well as answers from candidates who missed the deadline for the printed Voters Guide. For the primaries, VOTE411 lets users choose either the Republican or the Democratic party, as they will do when they vote, and then shows them their personalized “ballot.” It lets them check a box next to each candidate they want to vote for and print out the list to take to the polls.
Contributing their time and effort to creating the Voters Guide were Vice President of Voter Services Glenda Wolin and committee members Barbara Baruch, Alyssa Gooch, Krystina Irvin, Martha Lankford, and Teri Swartz.
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Voter Outreach
The focus in January was to identify and register voters. Over 13,000 postcards were mailed to every residence in identified east, west and south San Antonio precincts/mail routes to spark voter registration and to highlight the importance of voting in the Primary Elections. These postcards were also shared with the Food Bank to distribute during their curbside pickup. A voter checklist is included on the postcard to help voters prepare for exercising their right to vote.
Community Outreach volunteers conducted a voter registration drive at Madison High School in NEISD, registering 143 new voters. Additionally, our volunteers supported St. Mary’s University’s voter registration drive.
In February, the Community Outreach volunteers shared voter education materials to help get out the vote. On February 7, volunteers distributed voter education information about the March elections to families awaiting the Food Bank distribution at Gustafson Stadium on Culebra Road.
On February 12, volunteers shared voter education/election information with those attending the SoFlo market. On February 21, the committee members will present information about LWVSA, the upcoming primary election, and the new vote by mail procedures to the Northeast Neighborhood Alliance. Volunteer opportunities will be shared with Voter Outreach volunteers as they are scheduled.
Joining the efforts of Outreach Committee chair Alene Lindley and committee members Hal Broth, Katie Brown, Mary Dierolf, Pat Jasso, Martha Lankford, and Gina Sandlin at these events were volunteers Rebecca Baker, Alison Beam, Lou Broth, Janis Bryant, Cathy Buson, Meg Domas, Ralph Domas, Gary Mattison, Jane Peek, Jill Torbert, and Elaine Valdez. Many thanks, everyone!
The Community Outreach Committee welcomes new members to serve on the committee and additional volunteers to assist in efforts to share information about voting in Texas. Contact Alene Lindley at alindley.lwvsa@gmail.com to volunteer for helping with this important work.
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Informed Voters – Fair Judges Webinar
Conscientious voters too often do not vote for judges, concerned that they don’t know enough about those judges or their work to make informed decisions. It’s understandable. In our high school US History and Government classes, the judiciary does not often get top billing. Their qualifications, responsibilities and purviews may differ depending on the courts they serve and the levels of government. Most of us see only a traffic court or family law judge, if we see anyone at all. Judge Judy notwithstanding, many people just do not feel comfortable voting for judges.
The League of Women Voters of San Antonio, in collaboration with the National Association of Women Judges (NAWJ) and the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL), hopes to begin to change this. We are offering a free, nonpartisan, interactive webinar, featuring Judge Norma Gonzales, 131st District Court, and Jane Bockus, Trial Lawyer and Educator, on Thursday, February 17th, 2022 from 6:00 p.m.–7:15 p.m. via Zoom.
Informed Voters – Fair Judges will address:
* The US Constitution’s role in establishing our judiciary
* The responsibilities distinguishing the judicial branch of government
* The importance and challenges of ensuring a fair and impartial judiciary
* How you can learn about and evaluate judges on the ballot
* Your questions
We urge you to sign up for this timely and important webinar using this link or via the League website. (The link is at the bottom left of the home page.)
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Congratulations. . .
to the winners of the Picture This: Our Future – Our Vote contest.
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LWVSA Economic Inequity Study - A Progress Report
In the spring of 2020, the League of Women Voters of the San Antonio Area Board approved an issue study of the causes and effects of wealth and income inequities in Bexar County and the greater San Antonio area.
In addition to considering the extent and impacts of inequity, the study evaluated a number of public policy issues that contribute to inequity, including workforce and labor, tax policies, housing, criminal justice, healthcare, childcare, and education.
After a year of research, the team conducted a series of four virtual webinars, presented during the spring and summer of 2021. The recordings of the webinars are available for viewing at LWVSA Economic Inequity Study Videos.
The webinars were intended both to inform our members of our research findings and to encourage members to let us know about any gaps in that research. Over the course of the study, the effects of Covid, transportation, and broadband connectivity were incorporated into the scope of the research, as appropriate.
By the fall of 2021, the team was writing and editing a full report detailing the research findings. This report will be used to develop possible consensus questions for LWVSA board comment, changes and possible approval. These consensus questions which are designed to elicit thoughtful discussion of the issues raised, will then go to the membership, and if consensus is obtained, will define new league policy positions. The positions developed from consensus may be used to guide members’ actions and advocacy on issues for years.
The full report will also form the basis for a shorter, formal LWV document known as Facts & Issues, which will be published later this spring. Watch your email and for the next newsletter for additional information on this critical issue study.
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Inaugural 5K Run/Walk
100 Years and Running, the League’s inaugural 5K Run/Walk, is Sunday, March 20. Join others for a run or a walk along the Salado Creek Greenbelt. This lovely greenbelt adjoins the Wheatley Heights Sports Complex, 200 Noblewood, where the event starts and ends. There will be music, food, drinks, games, family art activities and a free kids 100 yard dash. You also have the option to participate virtually.
The price for early bird registration is $30, available through February 19. After that date the price increases to $35. Children 14 and under can participate in the 5K for $15. T-shirts are included in the price.
For some friendly competition, create a team among your friends, family and co-workers. The largest team gets bragging rights for a year!
If you would like to participate by being a volunteer, we can use the help! Volunteers are needed to set-up, clean-up, marshal the course, distribute water, and direct participants to parking.
To register, get more information, or to volunteer, visit the League website. If you have any questions, please call (210) 732-5910.
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Climate Change Seminar Planned for April
Our changing climate affects us all. We’ve all experienced or read about extreme weather events becoming more intense and more frequent. People lost their lives because our southern state was wholly unprepared for the freeze of last February and every year, heatstroke claims hundreds in the US, children and adults. We’ve watched as the polar ice caps melt and the sea rises, forcing people from their homes around the world. But many other effects are creeping up on us that are not widely discussed. In June 2021, “climate change” was entered on a patient’s hospital chart as the reason for admission. Reports of invasive plants, microbes, insects and other creatures migrating north from tropical climates are increasing. Major coral reefs and fish populations are dying out. Researchers are beginning to add up the costs of the effects of climate change and it is significant.
Many of us are asking: What’s causing all this? What can and should we do about it, if anything? Many are content to allow these changes to occur. Many are convinced we need to make immediate changes to our ways of life. We hope to begin to address these issues this spring.
In the tradition of the League of Women Voters, we are in the early stages of planning a seminar on Climate Change, possibly for April 23, 2022, the day after Earth Day. The Climate Change Committee could use your help. We need help identifying areas we should pay attention to and finding the experts who can help us do so. We need research and technical assistance. If climate change issues concern you and you can give us a couple of hours a week for the next two months, please contact Diann Andy at DiannAndyTX@gmail.com.
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Save the Date
Annual Meeting May 14, 2022
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Welcome To Our Newest Members! |
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Sue Hall
Rachael Duke
Angela Toler
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Sarah Harte
Susan Crippin
Yolanda Acuna Uresti
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Rebecca Huston
John Huston
Janet Scott
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Thanks also to all of our renewing members! |
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