Serving the people of Comal and Guadalupe Counties

From the President 

Roxanna Deane

 It was thrilling to be a part of the League of Women Voters National Convention.  Over 1200 delegates participated each day via Zoom webinar.  An additional 500 plus members were observers on Facebook Live.  As you will read below, the League conducted business, took positions, and elected new leadership.  Missing was some of the camaraderie that an actual event was included but in my opinion having more people able to participate made up for that. Our League had two delegates, myself and Jerrie Champlin.  Several other members were observers.  You can read more from Jerrie and Daphne Spratizer, one of the observers, below.  It is important to remember as a member of the League of Women Voters of the Comal Area, we are also members of LWV Texas and LWVUS.

Our Board will also be using Zoom to conduct our annual leadership training and planning meeting.  We know that the future of in-person meetings is uncertain.  But we will be planning opportunities for members to get together in the Zoom universe and hold informational programs for the general public.

We still intend to advocate for issues that are important to our community and state.  We will encourage voter registration and give voters information they need to vote.  As with any organization, we will be stronger and more productive if all members participate in these activities.

Please complete the 2020-2021 Member Interest Survey so that we can connect you with meaningful opportunities to make a difference.  Please send me (roxanna@gvtc.com) your suggestions for membership activities and public programming.

LWVUS National Convention Highlights

Jerrie's Convention Recap

It was a small silver lining to the pandemic gloom when the LWV National Convention switched to an online event which meant that I could attend!  Being a voting delegate added to my excitement about the event during this Centennial Year for the League.

A few technical glitches didn’t slow us down and the business of approving budgets and electing officers was completed handily.  If you did not get a chance to observe, I encourage you to check out the Biennium Impact Report summarizing what the LWV has accomplished in the last 2 years (over 12 million voters reached!).

Delegates voted to retain all current positions and continue to work on urgent issues:  Climate Change, the Equal Rights Amendment, Health Care, Gun Safety and Immigration.

A Voter Representation/ Electoral Systems Concurrence proposed by several state Leagues was adopted.  The position in brief is: "The LWV supports electoral systems at each level of government that encourage participation, are verifiable and auditable and enhance representation for all voters."  

Finally, an added action focus item supporting the abolition of the Electoral College by constitutional amendment was also adopted.  I was thrilled to be able to voice this supporting statement to the convention: “whenever I say to a potential voter, ‘your vote counts’, I know as any informed voter knows that this statement is not entirely accurate when it comes to the presidential election.  A vote in Texas counts a fraction of a vote in Nebraska because of the electoral college.  It was designed by wealthy white men to maintain a balance of power in a nation that has changed beyond their imaginings.  It’s past time for it to go.  It may not be expedient at this time or 2 years from now or 10 years from now but if the suffragists had stuck with what was expedient, we would not be celebrating our Centennial.”

The inspiring convention takeaway for me is that after 100 years, Leaguers can adapt to a less than ideal situation, discuss differing viewpoints and come to consensus while holding fast to our commitment to empower voters and defend our democracy.

Notes from Daphne Spraitzar

I registered as an observer at this year's LWVUS Convention, my first LWVUS Convention.  It was an amazing experience for me in that it was a huge celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment and the LWV.   Also, I was amazed at the number and variety of national leaders who made themselves available to participate - Members of Congress, national media leaders, former Executive Branch officials, DC mayor -  in addition to our very talented LWVUS leaders.  All spoke with passion and inspiring eloquence to encourage, lift up, and move democracy in the United States forward.

I especially enjoyed listening in on Thursday's panel discussions and Friday's keynote address.    Read More

HIgh School Voter Registration Summit 

Janyth Frederickson, Director, Youth Empowernment 

Registering eligible high school students to vote in Texas is a work in progress but volunteer registrars have significant support, attendees learned at a weeklong Zoom summit sponsored by the Texas Civil Rights Project in June.

Stephanie Gomez, HSVR campaign coordinator, chaired the sessions that included representatives from the League of Women Voters, Children’s Defense Fund, Texas Secretary of State, Texas Freedom Network, and other state groups.

Topics during the week included high school voter registration law, data about registration efforts and counties with low participation, successful local school efforts, resources available, and areas for cooperation between organizations.

Among the information shared are these items:

•     In 2017, 14% of high schools requested the special voter registration forms from the Secretary of State.  In 2020, 36% did…but the data is not complete.

•     Some 50% of high school educators are not aware of any plan by their school to register students to vote.

•     Due to the coronavirus, it is unlikely that outside groups will be allowed into schools this fall to register students.

•     So teachers (and student clubs) need to take a bigger role in registering students and motivating them to vote.

•     By 2022, one in three eligible Texas voters will be younger than 30, so they have much potential power…if they vote.

•     Part of our work as volunteers is to educate students as well as register them to vote.

More information is available HERE.

Encouraging students to register to vote

Ada Conlan, Voter Services VP

As we wait to safely resume in person voter registration, LWV-CA member Kim Farlow researched Register2Vote.org.  Thanks to her work, we are reaching out to high school students with a direct mail registration drive armed with addresses from Comal ISD of students that will be eligible to vote in the November General Electio.

We've designed a postcard to encourage students to to register and informing them of several methods to complete the required application.  Thank you to student member Helena MacCrossen and our other student consultants who assisted in the postcard design.  If students can not pick up a form at school, library, or election office, Kim found another option.   Any student who does not have access to an application, printer, or stamp can go to Register2Vote.org, fill out information online and receive a completed application by mail which they  then sign, and mail in a provided postage paid envelope.

It is expected that 800 postcards will go out.  Contact bbat2@aol.com if you can help with the postcards. 

Register to Vote License Plates

Thanks to Rep. Gina Hinojosa and a bipartisan vote in the Texas Legislature last session, Texas drivers can now urge eligible citizens to register and vote - from the back of their vehicles. Register to Vote plates cost $30 with $22 going to the Texas Secretary of State for Project V.O.T.E. to promote student education on voter registration and voting.  You can order your plates from the TxDMV specialty license site HERE!

Member Interest Survey

Please think about how you would like to fit into LWV of the Comal Area and let us know by completing the survey.

Census 2020

Anyone that has not completed the 2020 Census should STOP and go HERE and get it done.  In August census takers will fan out and knock on the doors of anyone that has not responded.  For so many reasons, this is not a comfortable thought.  Please send this message to any friends or family that you think may not have responded.

RESPONSE RATES

United States  62%

Texas   56.8

Comal County   63.7

Guadalupe County  65.3