Welcome to Herstory Month!



At the beginning of this year, the LWVAB Board decided that we should include a land acknowledgement in our public meetings. Here is our statement:

“North Carolina is the homeland of many indigenous nations. We recognize the sovereignty and traditional territories of these local tribal nations, the treaties used to remove them, and the histories of dispossession. We honor and respect the many diverse indigenous people who came before us, who are still here, and who are connected to the land on which we reside.”

In connection with this statement, and as part of Herstory Month, we are proud to celebrate Wilma Mankiller, the first woman elected Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, activist for Native American rights and women's rights and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998. Read more about Wilma Mankiller here. She is represented on a U.S. quarter as part of the U.S. Mint's American Women Quarters Program, which began in 2022 and will run through 2025. Read more about this program, the women whose likenesses have already appeared on the coins and those who will appear, here.

Herstory Month is an opportunity to recognize and honor the experiences and achievements of women. We would love to share stories from our members and friends about women they admire – someone you know or someone in the public eye, now or in the past. Just send a paragraph and a photo to Suzanne Fisher.

Volunteers Needed!

The Junior League of Asheville's annual Volunteer Expo is Saturday, March 23 at the Crowne Plaza Resort. LWVAB participates in this event each year and we could use another volunteer at our table for the 11:00am to 1:30pm and 1:30pm to 4:00pm shifts. Let Suzanne Fisher know if you are interested.  

On April 24, 2024 the League of Women Voters of North Carolina (LWVNC) will hold a regional meeting at the Hilton Garden Inn in Hickory (just off Interstate 40). This will include League members from Asheville-Buncombe County, Catawba Valley, Henderson County, and Charlotte Mecklenburg. There will be presentations on a variety of topics and a discussion of how the state Board can help local Leagues. The meeting will run from roughly 10 am to 3 pm and lunch will be provided. Each League may send four representatives; let Suzanne Fisher know if you are interested in attending.

Would you like to know more about the League of Women Voters at the local, state, and national level? Joining our Board is a great way to have a broader perspective. There are several vacancies for two-year terms. Let me know if you are interested or talk to any Board member about this opportunity. We are also seeking a new Treasurer; Lynn Lederer will be happy to explain what is involved.

Suzanne Fisher

President, LWVAB

The League of Women Voters of the United States (LWVUS) recently updated its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policy:

“Discrimination or harassment of any kind will not be accepted within the League, including but not limited to race, socio-economic status, age, ability status, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, gender, or marital status. The League is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and belonging for all people. The League is an organization that respects and values the richness of our community and our members. The collective sum of our individual differences and life experiences represents not only our culture, but our reputation and the organization's mission/achievements as well.”

VOTER OUTREACH

During February, Asheville Community Theater produced Flyin’ West, a powerful portrayal of the determination and grit of Black pioneers that gave audiences a glimpse into an often-overlooked chapter of American history. At the well-attended performances, CJ Breland, Ruth Planey, Linda Kinsinger (pictured) and Cheryl Williams passed out information about Vote 411 and Early Voting in both Buncombe and Madison Counties and answered a host of questions!

Boards of Elections Observation

In all three counties – Buncombe, Madison and McDowell – Early Voting has gone smoothly and the focus of meetings has been counting absentee ballots. The absentee ballot review process has run smoothly in each county and a total of 4 ballots were rejected; three because the ballot numbers did not match the return envelope number and one because the voter did not sign the form. In all five cases the voters have been contacted and offered either a new absentee ballot or the option to vote during Early Voting, which ended March 2.

All ballots submitted with exemption forms have been accepted. The primary reason for not having a photo ID was the lack of access to copying equipment.

Next Meeting - 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 14, in the program room of the North Asheville Library.

Women’s History Month

and the ERA

In 1987, the month of March was officially designated as Women’s History Month in the United States. This is a time for celebration of women whose contributions and achievements have shaped our society.

Such a celebration may feel painful at this moment, when we are facing the fall of Roe v. Wade and the Black maternal mortality crisis as well as ongoing systemic barriers, including the gender wage gap (white women earn just 84 cents for every dollar a man makes, Black women earn only 64 cents and Latinas only 54 cents, according to AAUW.org), family policing, lack of affordable housing and sexual harassment. Yet it is precisely at times like these that we are reminded of why we still fight – and that we will still win.

TAKE ACTION TODAY

• Call U.S. Senators Thom Tillis (202-224-6342) and Ted Budd (202-224-3154) to urge support for Senate Joint Resolution 4.
• Call U.S. Representative Chuck Edwards, 11th District (202-225-6401), to urge support for House Joint Resolution 25.

Both resolutions affirm the ERA as the 28th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Join us! The ERA and Gender Equality team meets via Zoom on the second Monday of the month at 12:30 pm. If you are interested in learning more about the ERA, contact Lynne Joshi (302-521-7741) and she will send you the Zoom login link.

Direct Election of the President

In the March 5 Primary Election, all the candidates knew that if they got the most votes, they would win the election. In the General Election in November, the same will be true for all but one item on the ballot – the election of the President and Vice President of the United States.

Our Electoral College gives undue influence to small states and allows for a candidate to win the Electoral College votes but not the popular vote. We have had five second place presidents in our history and two of those in this century. If no presidential candidate gets at least 270 Electoral College votes, then the election will be decided by the Federal Senate and House. The Senate would pick the Vice President and the House the President. Each state gets exactly one vote. That means that Wyoming, our smallest state, has exactly the same input as California, our largest state. It could also lead to the President and Vice President being from different parties. This is not in keeping with the principle of one person/one vote.

Because of these and other problems with the Electoral College, the League of Women Voters has embarked on an effort (we call it the Moonshot effort) to ultimately abolish the Electoral College by amendment of the United States Constitution. This is not an easy task and will take a long time. Therefore, the first step is the enactment of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.

The Compact will go into effect when enacted by states possessing a majority of the electoral votes—that is, enough to elect a President (270 of 538). At that time, every voter in the country will acquire a direct vote for a group of at least 270 presidential electors supporting their choice for President. At present, states totaling 205 Electoral College votes have joined the Compact.

It is important that all League members understand this effort and help make it part of a national conversation. Therefore, the LWV North Carolina (LWVNC) has established a Direct Election of the President Action Team and there are monthly Zoom presentations on the Moonshot effort for League members.

Here is the Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81712312424

Please try to attend one of these:

March 20 – Wednesday at 5 pm

April 11 – Thursday at 7 pm

May 13– Monday at 2 pm

June 4 – Tuesday at 5 pm

July 10 – Wednesday at noon

August 8 – Thursday at 7 pm

September 9 - Monday at 5 pm

October 15 – Tuesday at 7 pm

November 20 – Wednesday at 2pm

December 12 – Thursday at noon

If you have questions or would like to join our local action team, contact Suzanne Fisher.

Books to Action Book Club: Focus on Elections

Wednesday, April 3, 2024 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm at Buncombe County Elections Services, 59 Woodfin Place, Asheville, NC

Books to Action is a book club coordinated by Buncombe County Public Libraries that explores nonfiction books centered on key issues facing our community. The book discussions take place in conjunction with a community service project, educational field trip, or presentations from local experts.

The next Books to Action Book Club will be focused on elections and voting. The book is Thank you for voting: the maddening, enlightening, inspiring truth about voting in America by Erin Geiger Smith. Please call 828-250-4700 if you would like help putting a hold on a library copy of this book. The library also plans to send some supplemental suggested resources (news articles, podcasts, etc.) to registrants to help round out the reading. 

The group will come together to discuss the book and these issues at Buncombe County Elections Services. Participants will meet with elections staff and elections officials for a Q&A. They may also get to incorporate some hands-on activities, such as a ballot checking exercise and/or a demo of the new touch screen voting machines. Registration is required; register here. This activity and discussion are best suited for teens and adults.

Coming up...

March - Women's History Month

11 ERA and Gender Equity Action Team: 12:30pm (Zoom)

14 Voter Services Action Team: 5:30pm

20 Zoom presentation on Direct Election of the President:

5:00pm

23 Junior League Volunteer Expo

April

3 Books to Action Book Club: 5:30pm

8 ERA and Gender Equity Team: 12:30pm (Zoom)

11 Zoom presentation on Direct Election of the President:

7:00pm

24 LWVNC Regional Meeting in Hickory NC

Support our League!

Instagram: Follow us at lwv_ab!

Facebook: The LWVAB Facebook page has a variety of items specific to our chapter as well posts shared from the LWVUS, LWVNC, and other sources. Suzanne Fisher would love to have your story about voting and a picture to share. Please keep your story nonpartisan. And please Like and Share! Sharing our posts with your Facebook friends helps let people know about our efforts.

LWVAB is on Twitter! Follow us @ashebunlwv. If you have recommendations for items to post, let Suzanne Fisher know. Writing a piece with a 280-character limit is a good mental challenge!