By Lynn Frazier
Dear Alachua County,
I sincerely hope you had a wonderful holiday season filled with family, relaxation, and enjoyment. Now the new year has begun. The legislative session began on the 12th, and it is time to jump back into action as there are so many issues that are of great importance to the League. League is fighting back against anti-voter laws, gerrymandered maps, climate injustice, and attacks on reproductive rights. I hope each of you will choose at least one of these important issues and make the time to have your voice heard by your legislators and fellow citizens.
As you know, at the heart of the League is voter rights. We should all feel very proud of the work the League has done in championing two bills that would bring about national standards to protect voting rights: The Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Take action by telling your Senators to support the acts.
Redistricting is another issue that is of key importance currently. Redistricting impacts how our community will be represented and how resources are distributed. Diane Dimperio, our point person on redistricting, has been writing monthly articles and the Board passed and widely distributed a Resolution requesting that Alachua County be kept intact, not split as it is in some models. To view all the work we have done locally, please visit the redistricting page on our website.
As members, you will receive action alerts during the legislative session from both LWVUS and LWVFL. You will also receive the LWVFL Capitol Report each Friday. Take the time to read and act if requested. The small actions we take may seem unimportant, but when each of us does our part, it adds up to a strong contribution in support of issues we deem important. Thank you for your activism and participation in our democracy
You also receive the LWVAC calendar on the 1st of each month. Take time to consider the various meetings and make the time to become active in one or more committees. As shared in the Calendar, the runoff candidate forum recordings are now available on our website. If you are a city resident, please be sure to vote in the upcoming city election; it is a very important election.
See you at a League meeting soon!
Lynn
elgfrazier@gmail.com
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Redistricting Updates
by Diane Dimperio
Even though the 2022 Legislative Session is just beginning, redistricting is in full swing. District maps for the Florida House and Senate, as well as Congressional maps, should be completed by the end of the legislative session. To date, the Senate maps are viewed favorably as they are not as politically gerrymandered as was feared. The statewide consensus alleges the proposed House maps are politically gerrymandered.
The LWVFL has been urging the Senate and House to conduct an analysis of minority rights. We will have more information on that in the last article in our redistricting series. Watch our website and Facebook page for updates.
Of biggest concern to LWVAC is that all versions of Senate maps split Alachua County into two districts. This dilutes our ability to vote for a Senator that represents our interests and thereby influence state policy. Since the general impression of the Senate maps is positive, there will be no statewide push back, so we are on our own in trying to influence the Senate Committee to revise the map to put Alachua County in a single senate district. The LWVAC Board of Directors has approved a resolution requesting the Florida Senate direct staff to draft a constitutionally compliant Florida Senate map that retains all of Alachua County in a single district.
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We encourage all LWVAC members to go the state redistricting website and submit written testimony requesting Alachua County be kept in a single district. | |
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It can be a short comment. To submit testimony please go here. You can review what others have said by going here. We are also approaching City and County Commissioners to ask them to participate in advocacy to keep Alachua County in a single senate district.
Read the full update here.
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Follow redistricting in Florida with the ongoing series of articles about the redistricting process in Florida on the LWVAC Redistricting webpage. Below is an introduction and link to Part 5 in the series.
Minority Voting Rights
by Diane Dimperio
The ability to vote for our lawmakers is the cornerstone of our Democracy. We are now seeing Florida, and other states, pass laws eroding the progress we have made in increasing the ability of all citizens to vote. The Florida constitution clearly protects minority rights. The League of Women Voters of Florida has been testifying before the Senate and House redistricting committees to urge them to analyze their proposed maps to ensure minority rights. The League is insisting the committees conduct an analysis of the entire state using recent census data, which is important because Florida had more minority residents in 2020 than it did in 2010.
Read the full article here.
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Introducing the New Voter Services Co-Chair
We are happy to welcome Dr. Diana Boxer to the LWVAC Board as Co-Chair of Voter Services. Thank you for your service!
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As a new member of the board, I am serving as co-chair of Voter Services. I am recently retired from UF as Professor Emerita of Linguistics. My 2014 book focused on Discourse, Politics, and Women as Global Leaders. Having taught a course on Political Discourse for many years at UF, I am very interested in all voter issues. I also serve on the board of The Friends of the Susan B. Anthony Society, and I am a member of the Gainesville Commission on the Status of Women.
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Join the Next Voter Services Meeting - 1/24 @ 5:30 PM
On Monday, January 24th at 5:30 p.m., on Zoom, Voter Services will be having their first meeting of 2022. Want to get involved? Email Courtney or Diana for the meeting link.
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Gainesville City Commission Runoff Election - 1/25 | |
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The City of Gainesville is hosting a runoff election on January 25th to fill the Gainesville City Commission’s At-Large Seat B. A recording of the runoff candidates' responses from the LWVAC Virtual Candidate Forum held in October is now available on our website.
For more information about the election or to check your registration status, please visit the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections website.
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Introducing Your LWVAC Committees | |
In this section, we are introducing you to your LWVAC Committees, with one Committee highlighted per month. Committees are the best way to get involved in LWVAC and your local community. Feel free to reach out to the Committee Chairs to express interest, join their meetings, and get involved. | |
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The Education Committee studies and investigates issues that impact our public schools here in Alachua County as well as state legislative policy and its impact on public education. We are committed to strong and equitable public education for all children. The committee shares data and written material at our monthly meetings and invites speakers to aid in our learning about current issues of concern.
Meetings for the 2022 year are held online through Zoom and are open to all League members. We meet the second Wednesday of every month from 12:00-1:30. Contact the committee chair, Karen McCann, to receive the zoom link to our meetings. We are a welcoming group and open to ideas and interests from every League member.
Recent meetings have addressed:
- Employee shortages in Alachua County Public Schools and how the district is addressing the shortage
- Professional Development of employees in our public schools from new teachers coming in from fields other than education to staff and leadership
- What and how the district is using Federal Stimulus dollars to close the achievement gap
- Legislation that curtails CRT, home rule with covid policy, and testing students
- Zoning of schools in Alachua County
Your voice can be heard locally and with our state legislators so consider joining us for the future generation of voters. Please join us! The next meeting is on February 9 at 12:00 PM.
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Volunteer Opportunity - LWVAC Nominating Committee
According to by-laws, the nominating committee shall present to the membership at the Annual Meeting a slate of officers, directors, and nominating committee members for the coming year. Terms ending that must be filled are: president, secretary, treasurer, and one director position. And a nominating committee slate for next year.
The LWVAC Nominating Committee is currently seeking a Chair and two committee members, who must not be board members. Please consider volunteering and help shape the future of LWVAC. Contact Deb Shimon for more information.
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OutreachCircle
is a fun way to follow LWV and get involved with regular action items on the most important issues of our day. Just scan the QR code with a QR reader or iPhone camera or use this link.
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Cybersecurity Tips: Facebook Scams | |
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Scammers often use their own third-party applications (apps) to hijack Facebook accounts. If you download and open one of these malicious apps, you see a familiar feature: the “Continue with Facebook” button. Legitimate apps often integrate with websites like Facebook to make account creation quick and easy. In malicious apps, this type of link often leads to a phony login page designed to steal your login credentials.
This scam is unique because clicking the “Continue with Facebook” button actually opens the official Facebook login page. If you log in to your Facebook account, you’ll give the bad guys far more than your username and password. The malicious apps include an extra bit of code that gathers your account details, location, IP address, and more. Once they hijack your account, the bad guys can use it to generate ad revenue, spread disinformation, or even scam your friends and family.
Follow these tips to stay safe from malicious applications:
- Always be careful when downloading apps or software, regardless of the device that you are using.
- Before downloading an app, read the reviews and ratings. Look for critical reviews with three stars or less, as these reviews are more likely to be real.
- Only download apps from trusted publishers. Remember, anyone can publish an app on official app stores, including cybercriminals.
- Do not click on links or attachments you were not expecting, even if they come from a friend's account.
- Always create separate login credentials for every app; do not share your credentials or link your login to Facebook or other application.
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LWVAC Leadership Team
President: Lynn Frazier
Vice-President: Deb Shimon
Secretary: Carole Fernandez
Treasurer: Fran Towk
A full list of LWVAC Board Members and Committee Chairs can be found here.
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To avoid missing future LWVAC email, please add our email address to your Safe Senders List
or add the From address (lwv@lwv-alachua.org) to your Address Book or Contacts.
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