Notes from the 11.15.2022 Board Meeting
The Board of Directors for the League of Women Voters of Colorado met virtually on the evening of October 18th.
Present: Board President Irene Tynes, Vice President Sharon Davis, Secretary Veniece Miller, Treasurer Bonnie Seals, Lena Brown, Barb Whinery, Maud Naroll, Kathy Wilson, and Deborah Lively
Also present were Executive Director Beth Hendrix, Operations Manager Hannah Pogue who recorded minutes, and LWVCO VOTE411 Administrator, Cath Perrone.
Consent Agenda Included:
Report: Action & Advocacy
Report: Voter Services, VOTE411 information
| Call on Congress to Protect Dreamers in Lame Duck Session
The League of Women Voters strongly supports legislation that would permanently protect recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Individuals who benefit from DACA live in every state around the country and contribute to their communities. For decades, they have lived in fear of deportation while hearing promises of reform. People who are protected by DACA deserve to have peace of mind regarding where they call home.
House and Senate leadership have stated that protecting the Dreamers is a high priority for the remaining time of the 117th Congress.
A true democracy includes fair and equitable immigration policies with a path to citizenship. With just a few short working weeks left this year, please call on your members of Congress to take immediate action to protect the Dreamers for once and for all.
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Monday, November 21, 2022
Colorado Springs, CO — Today, the Leagues of Women Voters of the Pikes Peak Region, Colorado, and the United States issued the following statement in response to the mass shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs, CO:
The League of Women Voters of the Pikes Peak Region (LWVPPR), League of Women Voters of Colorado (LWVCO), and League of Women Voters of the United States (LWVUS) grieve the senseless tragedy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, late Saturday night, when a man shot and killed five people and injured at least 19 at Club Q, an LGBTQ+ nightclub.
LWVPPR, LWVCO and LWVUS stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community in mourning those killed or injured and grieve with their families, friends, and the entire Colorado Springs community. In times like these, we look to each other for the compassion, strength, and resilience necessary to heal from this horrific event.
“LWVPPR is committed to building a stronger, healthier culture of acceptance that begins with focusing on our local community, continually speaking up against discriminatory campaigns with anti-gay or anti-trans rhetoric, and taking decisive action when necessary,” said LWVPPR spokeperson Shelly Roehrs. “Hate doesn’t belong in a free society. True freedom is based on acceptance, equity, and respect for all. This is what we strive for and what we believe the United States of America should represent.”
LWV, LWVCO and LWVPPR continue to work for common sense gun safety legislation at the local, state, and federal levels to allow all people to live safely and with confidence in their personal and community spaces. For more information on LWV gun safety positions, click here.
We encourage our League membership and the general public to reach out to those affected by this cowardly act of hate and to our LGBTQ+ partners Inside Out Youth Services ( insideoutys.org), One Colorado ( one-colorado.org) and The Trevor Project ( thetrevorproject.org) to show your support.
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PRESS CONTACT: Shelly Roehrs, LWVPPR Spokesperson | 719-447-9400 | lwvppr@gmail.com |
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| Moore v. Harper
In February 2022, the North Carolina supreme court issued a historic ruling that partisan gerrymandering violates the North Carolina constitution and ordered new maps to be drawn.
North Carolina lawmakers have appealed the ruling to the US Supreme Court, putting forward a dangerous theory known as the “independent state legislature theory,” or ISLT, which argues that state legislatures have unconditional power to legislate on election issues and cannot be reviewed by any established checks and balances, like a governor’s veto or a state court’s ruling.
The League of Women Voters has serious concerns about this case because a ruling adopting ISLT would give state legislatures nearly unrestricted authority to set the rules for federal elections, prioritizing the ambitions of politicians over the American voter. Furthermore, if the Supreme Court condones this theory, it will undermine the role of state courts to protect voters when politicians create unconstitutional barriers to voting, draw unlawful voting maps, and invalidate direct democracy efforts like ballot initiatives.
The League of Women Voters of the United States and League chapters from all 50 states and the District of Columbia filed an amicus brief in the Moore v. Harper case before the Supreme Court. The League is represented by Fair Elections Center and O’Melveny & Myers LLP.
"In creating the US Constitution, the framers were intentional about establishing a checks and balances system to disrupt any one branch of government from becoming too powerful," said Celina Stewart, chief counsel and senior director of advocacy and litigation at the League of Women Voters of the US. "Because state courts have been vested in the salient role of deciding disputes that govern our daily lives, any unraveling of this longstanding balancing would be a dangerous and historic blow to democracy as we know it. We implore the Court to rule in favor of voters and reject the Independent State Legislature Theory."
As this case has massive implications for every state, the League of Women Voters' amicus brief expresses the concerns of Leagues representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The League’s brief focuses on the practical, negative impacts that ISLT will have across the country. Specifically, the brief explores how implementing such a theory would create different election rules for state, local, and federal elections that would cause confusion for administrators and voters alike and would have a deleterious effect in maintaining free and fair elections.
To read more about Moore v. Harper, click here.
To read about the amicus brief LWVUS filed, click here.
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REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE
TASK FORCE!
| | |  | | Early giving has started and runs through December 6th which is Colorado Gives Day! The League of Women Voters of Colorado is the state's go-to organization for nonpartisan voting information and education. We educate voters and we fight for democracy every day, but what does that look like day in and day out?
It's showing up at naturalization ceremonies to register our newest citizens to vote, who are excited to be participating in a fair voting process. It's advocating for bills at the Colorado State Capitol, answering the phones to provide free, nonpartisan information, and its creating task forces to fight for gun safety, quality health care, better education, and a clean environment.
We want to continue advocating for equity and justice, but we can't do that alone. We will partner with people like you and advance the causes that are close to your heart and mind that strengthen our state and support future elections.
We believe in the League. We believe in the work we are doing. And we are grateful for your partnership.
|  | | EQUAL PAY DAY
Because women around the world and in the US earn less, on average, than men, they must work far into the next year to earn what the average man earns the previous year, and the wage gap is even greater for most women of color. Equal Pay Day marks the day into the year on which it takes for women on average to earn what men did in 2021.
All US women: March 15, 2022
AANHPI women: May 3, 2022
LGBTQ+ women: June 15, 2022
Black women: Sept. 21, 2022
Native women: Nov. 30, 2022
Latina women: Dec. 8, 2022
Equal Pay Day was originated by the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) in 1996 as a public awareness event to illustrate the gap between men's and women's wages.
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December 5
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December 8
December 9
December 12
December 13
December 14
NOTE: All times are Mountain. Are any events missing from this list? Please notify
info@lwvcolorado.org to be included in our next email. Thank you! | |