President's Message

On behalf of the League of Women Voters of New York State, I rang the opening bell for NASDAQ on Election Day 2012, and was able to broadcast over Times Square the League's message about the importance of citizens exercising their right to vote, including these words:  

"I am more aware than ever of how treasured the right to choose our leaders is. In addition to the tragic loss of life in our area from Hurricane Sandy, many spent the week before the election dealing with the loss of homes, property and electricity. Yet the League had many calls asking how they can still vote. It is remarkable how people who have lost so much are so concerned that they be able to exercise their right to vote."

I hope all those of you who were impacted by Hurricane Sandy are well and recovering in spirit and property. The last few weeks have proved that unexpected things can impact Election Day and League schedules.   I want to thank all the league leaders in Westchester, New York City and Long Island who worked so hard before Election Day to make sure that our state League website had the latest information on last-minute changes in polling sites and ballot requirements. We were fortunate that our state office is in Albany and not in downtown Manhattan, like many of our good government colleagues, and this helped us prove yet again our important role in providing voting information.

Watch the video here of the event at NASDAQ.

LWVNYS 2013 State Convention

We can celebrate that Vote411 was well used for this election. Thanks to all of our local Leagues who helped implement the program and urge candidates to participate. In looking at the analytics, there were 39,886 different users on the site between Oct. 1 and Nov. 6, 2012 - that is a lot of educated voters. We are now evaluating the program and its implementation and will be offering training for local Leagues on Vote 411. With the elections being local elections next fall, the success of Vote 411 will be determined by the number of local Leagues who implement the program - the state League will not be able to cover the local races. So, watch for more information and start finding volunteers to help implement Vote 411 for your local League.

 All of the local Leagues were very busy throughout the election season - between the primaries and the general election, we covered a lot of candidate forums and voter registration drives. Now is the time to boast about those efforts. Each League has been asked to complete a Voter Service Survey and attach photos, media articles and sample brochures - and send it to the State League office. We will compile the results and be amazed at all the good work that was done to educate our voters.

Thanks for your help!

 

Dare Thompson, MLD State Coordinator, and I met with a local league to discuss its concerns of having a small number of members and a need for new leadership.  We focused on the strengths that this League possesses.  They have a strong sense of League history in their area as well as  a community that supports them.  Given this we came up with a plan small enough not to overwhelm their small group, but has  a high probability of success.  Their goal is to increase their membership by 100%.   Currently they are implementing this plan with enthusiasm.  There are other small leagues that face similar challenges and we continue to try to meet with them.  If you are interested, give me a call.

Local League News

 Congratulations to the LWV of Nassau County which just received a grant of $10,000 to educate and inform the public about redistricting in Nassau County. The money will be used for mailings, for meetings on redistricting with the public, and to get the League's website more available and accessible on this and other areas of interest .  

The Broome/Tioga Counties League held several Voter Registration and Naturalization ceremonies between July and October. They had over 135 individual contacts with the public, registered 25 new voters, distributed 11 absentee ballot applications, and recruited two new LWV members. The League also participated in two ceremonies at which 76 new citizens were naturalized.

 In western NY, the League of Buffalo-Niagara held 21 voter registration drives with over 40 volunteers participating.  The LWVBN attended citizenship ceremonies in September and October at which approximately 55-60 new citizens took the oath of allegiance to our country at each of the ceremonies. Members of the Wayne County (MAL) attended the first Naturalization Ceremony in Wayne County in over 50 years.

LWVBN members served as organizers, moderators and time keepers for four candidate forums and the Channels 17 and 2 debates between Kathy Hochul and Chris Collins, candidates for the 27th congressional district. These events offered voters a close look at candidates in their communities.

The Rivertowns League and the Hamptons League each participated in the LWVUS Voter Registration Day Tuesday, September 25. The Hamptons League set up 15 voter registration tables, while the Rivertowns League passed out registration forms at train stations.