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SUMMER IS HERE AT LAST!
While a number of our members will be traveling or visiting with family over the summer months, many will also be engaged in work to register new voters, connect with registered voters and will be helping to create awareness of the August election. Much of the focus gets put on the presidential election which is an important election but too often, the races in August that have an immediate impact on our daily lives get little fanfare and yield low voter turnout. Many of our county's school boards, judges, and Florida house and senate races will be decided in August. We hope that as you are out and about in your community and participating in events with other organizations that you will help create awareness of the August election so voters can cast a vote in races that can impact the education, housing, economy, infrastructure, and home rule in our local municipalities.
While our luncheon series and New Member Orientation is on hiatus over the summer months, we hope you will continue to connect with us to support our postcarding events, petition gathering, and voter registration. Voter registration is one of our most active committees and conducts numerous events each month throughout the year. Voter registration allows us to connect with neighbors in low income communities, seniors, new Americans, communities where English is not the primary language, LGBTQ communities, and people among diverse political ideologies and party affiliation.
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Petition gathering not only allows us to gather petition signatures from registered voters to get citizens initiatives on the November 2026 ballot but also allows us to create awareness of the League of Women Voters, educate the public about the initiatives so they are apt to turn out and vote in favor of them and also helps recruit new members. And our returning citizens postcard projects have allowed us to collaborate with community organizations while creating awareness of the ongoing struggle to restore voting rights in Florida, spread the word about League work, and recruit new members.
We look forward to running into you over the summer at League and other local community events. Be safe in your summer travels.
Lanelle Phillmon, President
LWV/JFC
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Seeking Volunteers to Contact Candidates for VOTE411
The League of Women Voters Education Fund produces an online voter guide, VOTE411.org, for federal and state races, judicial retention races, and local races and ballot measures for Clay, Duval, Nassau, and St. Johns counties. If you are interested in helping with the voter guide for the 2024 election cycle, please contact Deb Miller, debunf@gmail.com. We need a few more folks to make phone calls in late June/early July to candidates to encourage them to participate as a follow up to the email we will send out inviting their participation. | |
LWV/JFC Annual Program Planning
Program planning is like voting in an election - it's where your voice is heard to influence our local league's focus for the next year. Program planning is how we develop the areas where we will prioritize our time and talents in the next 12 months. For example, last year we agreed to work on "Why I Vote" messaging as part of our on-going commitment to voter education. This led to the development of our "Why I Vote" photo frame and our "Voting Issues" poster to facilitate discussion at our events of why it is so important to vote. Click here to view the complete 2023-2024 local program.
Please join Rhona DiCamillo at the Southeast Branch Library on Saturday, June 8, 2024 at 4pm to work on our 2024-2025 Program. RSVP HERE!
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Returning Citizens Postcard Events in June
The League of Women Voters of Florida remains committed to reach out to the over 900,000 returning citizens in Florida. Our postcard campaigns allows us to send postcards to returning citizens across the state to make sure they are aware of LWVFL's returning citizen supportive services to determine their voter eligibility status and when appropriate, assist in having their fines or fees converted to community service or forgiven or connect with Florida Rights Restoration Coalition to gain assistance in paying off outstanding fines or fees. We cannot do this work without YOU!
Please sign up for one of our June postcarding events. We will provide the postcards, pens, names and addresses of returning citizens, and postage. We ask that you come prepared to sign a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) and write the names and addresses on the postcards. The NDA is signed by all persons handling the names and addresses of the returning citizens as we have a responsibility to protect them and ensure they do not end up in the hands of persons who may be seeking them for nefarious reasons.
| League Election Protection Opportunity
Trying to find a way to support free and fair elections but don't have time to serve as a poll worker? Here's an opportunity for you!
The LWVFL is part of the Election Protection coalition providing Poll Monitors at early voting sites and election day precincts. We are making preparations for the August elections and will be providing virtual training during the summer. Election protection volunteer shifts and hours will be flexible based on the local need and your availability.
If you are interested in learning more about election protection or attending the training, please email Lanelle at lwvjaxfc@gmail.com. | |
Legal Professionals Needed to Assist With Reinstatement of Voting Rights Work
We are asking all pro bono attorneys and legal professionals to take our new, FREE, updated Continuing Legal Education Program, which is available 24/7 online. You can submit your request for access to the training HERE. The training has been approved by the Florida Bar for two hours of continuing legal education credit. Once you have completed the training, you will be contacted by one of our Restoration of Rights team members who will acclimate you to our process, program, and legal library of forms and petitions.
We have a number of returning citizens who are seeking legal assistance researching their records for the purpose of reinstatement of their voting rights:
- A returning citizen in Pinellas County has a single conviction from several years ago – this is likely an online search; a Florida barred lawyer is needed.
- A returning citizen from Hillsborough County requires a Florida barred lawyer, we believe he has only a single conviction and all LFOs paid.
- A Florida barred lawyer is needed to confirm that a person with a single conviction in Clay County is eligible to vote.
- In Broward and Dade County we have several returning citizens in need of assistance.
- A returning citizen with more than 20 convictions is seeking advice: a legal professional (retired lawyer from any jurisdiction, for example) is sought to do initial intake and research.
If you are interested in taking one of these referrals or volunteer opportunities after completing the online CLE, please email kelly@lwvfl.org.
Helping a returning citizen with the reinstatement of their voting rights also counts towards your annual pro bono service requirement.
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Join the Education Committee
If you want to join the local chapter’s Education Committee or the Google group that posts summaries of Duval School Board meetings contact our committee chair, Susan Aertker at lwv.jax.education@gmail.com
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Looking To Do Local League Work?
You do not need to be a member of the board to stand up a committee that does work on League issues. Anyone desiring to stand up a committee is welcome to let us know so we can help you create awareness and recruit members. If you are interested in doing work on an issue that does not have a local committee and aren't in a position to start a local committee, you are welcome to attend any of the LWVFL's state action committee meetings which are held via zoom each month and are listed at the very bottom of The Florida Voter that is published twice each month.
| New Members - Welcome aboard!
Ashlee Duncan-Robinson
Ann Labriola
CeCe Lichtenstein
Kathleen Ligare
Eileen Norrington
Ronny & Bob Doll
Interested in being part of the League? Click JOIN TODAY | Donations are always appreciated!
We wish to acknowledge and thank those who made donations this month:
Sandy Martin
Donation to Ed Fund from Risa Kaufman, IHO Hattie Kaufman, for Mother's Day
Our website lwvjaxfc.org offers an easy way to make donations to LWVJFC, even if you prefer to pay by check. Click on the red "Donate" button at the top of the Homepage. | | Volunteers are needed!
Quite often, our League needs volunteers to help with small tasks that are not time consuming but vital to our leadership and membership.
If you are willing to help make phone calls, be trained to send text messages, or assist in other ways, please contact us and let us help you figure out how to invest your time in our League and our democracy.
For more specific volunteer tasks, click HERE.
| | | | Local
Stay up-to-date on all local upcoming events on the LWV of Jacksonville / First Coast:
• Website
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
Regional
The Regional Facebook Group, LWV Florida North Region Leagues, includes Alachua, Bay, Jacksonville/First Coast, Okaloosa & Walton, Pensacola Bay Area, and Tallahassee.
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Contact Us!
Phone: 904-355-8683
Email: LWVJAXFC@gmail.com
Postal Address:
League of Women Voters of Jacksonville First Coast
PO Box 330353
Atlantic Beach, FL 32233 | | | | The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization encouraging informed and active participation in government. We influence public policy through education and advocacy. | | |
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