As we all struggle to make better sense of the presidential election, the League will also be seeing how what we learned will impact our plans for 2025.
Be sure to see the report included here about the two Zoom calls we had with members where we shared our experiences at polling places and elsewhere during the election. We gained new insights from your comments and are really grateful that so many of you showed up!
A major realization is that getting people to register and vote is not enough. We need to help new voters learn more about what voting will be like so they are not intimidated by the process. We will also be talking about how to inform everyone better about ballot issues. We were proud of our efforts to help get Prop #1 passed, but other ballot issues remained a total mystery to many. This problem won’t be easy to solve but we will see what more we CAN do to address it.
The reports we all shared gave us insights but not a full picture, so we will be following up with our own Boards of Elections and with the state Board of Election and hear what THEY say. If you’d like to be part of these conversations, let me or another League board member know.
One easy thing to think about with the elections is who represents you in the state Assembly and Senate. First of all, we are in the process of putting up a list on our LWVMHR Website. Check it out. Secondly, none of the districts in our three counties changed hands! So when we go back to these offices in early 2025 to talk about League priorities, the legislators and their staff members will already know us. We can pick up where we left off.
Don’t underestimate the value of these visits even when a legislator doesn’t agree with us. These folks talk among themselves and you are showing them that League people are polite and reasonable people who come armed with facts, not just emotion. Our reputation is our “gold,” so this really matters. Even in highly charged times, doors remain open to us. We are going to be starting as soon as possible to set up appointments so we can get many of you to join us, even if you just come to watch. If this interests you, let us know.
We know these are challenging times but that means there is much for us to do. Thanks for being on the League team!
Dare Thompson, President
845-236-3074 (preferred) 845-591-3445 (cell)