Everything You Need to Know for Voting

Check out our playlists on the League YouTube Channel which you may access athttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvppI3yS3Hcus_mTECDsbFAor by clicking the link on our webpage atwww.lwvsonoma.org. We have videos on the Pros & Cons of all seven Statewide Propositions. You will also find recording of all our 2022 Candidate forums in both English and Spanish. We are getting over a thousand view of these recordings.

Don’t forget to visit Voter’s Edgewww.votersedge.org/CAto learn about all the candidates before you vote.

And if you can’t find all the information you need you may also want to visit Ballotpediahttps://ballotpedia.org/California_elections,_2022

Track your Ballot athttps://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ballot-status/wheres-my-ballot

Did you know that each ballot has its own unique serial number? That is part of keeping our elections secure and preventing voter fraud. And it also allows you to see exactly where your ballot is in the system.

Sign & Postmark your ballot:If you are mailing in your ballot, be sure you sign the envelope. Believe it or not forgetting to sign the ballot envelope is the most common mistake voters make. If it is close to election day, go a post office and ask that your ballot be date stamped to prove that you mailed it before or on election day. Envelopes dropped off in mail collection boxes, or left in your mailbox for the mail person, are not always date stamped.

Ballots have been mailed to you from the Registrar of Voters.

Need more information before you vote? Check out Voter’s Edge California.

Get the facts before you vote. | Voter's Edge California Voter ...

https://votersedge.org

When prompted, enter your address and your zip code. Your choices will pop up. Click on the proposition, the measure, or the candidate you want to research. Candidates submit information about their priorities, biography, education, qualifications, and political philosophy. If there is no information about your candidate, it is because he or she has not participated in our service. It is free to candidates and is increasing in viewer usage with each election cycle.

Alice Johnstone

Vote Forward Parties a Big Success

Our League has written over 1300 letters to reluctant voters in swing states prepared and ready to be mailed during the last week of October. The letters were written during five Vote Forward parties held this summer and fall. We partnered with both AAWU Santa Rosa and AAUW Petaluma, as well as the Petaluma Women’s Center and the Sebastopol Library to host our parties. Jim Masters also held a party at Spring Lake village. In addition, some of our members wrote letters at home. A big thanks to everyone who participated.

Help Get Out The Vote --Become a Silent Sentinel!

Want to have some fun and make a difference for our democracy? Join us on Saturday morning, October 29th from 10-12, as we encourage the VOTE and honor the suffragists. Hold signs that say “VOTE.” Wear suffragist colors of purple, white and gold. Brave men are invited to join the fun and wear black pants, a white shirt, and a vest.
Santa Rosa Courthouse Square -- 3^rdStreet side

The League will provide free VOTE signs to the first 25 people who sign up. Or make your own VOTE sign. Bring your friends & family. For more information and/or to sign up: email Debbie Mc Kay atsecretary@lwvsonoma.org

History of the Silent Sentinels: In 1917, over 2000 women silently protested at the While House for the right to vote. Many went to jail and suffered greatly. To honor them, and to promote the vote, we will gather on street corners, dressed in the colors of those brave suffragists, and hold signs that simply say “VOTE.”

In 2020, over 150 women in the Sacramento region re-created the inspirational effort of the Silent Sentinels to encourage people to vote. It’s even more important this year!

By the time you read this we will have had our final City /Town council candidate forum. From mid-September to mid-October the Voter Service team hosted a total of eightforums in Petaluma, Sebastopol, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa and Windsor. In a number of these communities we had two forums due to the number of candidates as well as district configurations. The candidate forums were live streamed on ZOOM, YouTube, and Facebook. Each forum also had Spanish interpretation. Even though ZOOM creates some complexity it also enables us to reach a VERY BROAD audience. As of this article we have had a total of 8 forums and have had a total of 3,339 viewers! The most views we have had are for the Sebastopol forum with a total of 941 views! Many in our team worked on multiple forums and a huge thank you to all who helped – Leona Judson, Debbie McKay, Therese Scherrer, Linda Robinett, Linda Lamb, Judie Coleman, Paula Hawkes, Chris Reizenman, Barbara Coen, Jim Masters, Ann Whitman, Connie Williams, Pamela Stevens, Donna Roper, Lorraine Kelman, Lynn Dooley and Karen Weeks.

Again, thanks and gratitude to those who have stepped up to make this all happen!

Library Visits

As this edition of The Voter goes out, League members, Carolyne Sybelle, Chris Riezenman, Debbie McKay, Nancy Richards, Nan Butterworth, and Paula Hawkes, are talking to youth at seven of our Sonoma County Library branches. We are meeting with16-24 year-olds about the importance of voting, how the voting process works, and finding reliable information. We register and pre-register those who have not yet registered to vote and explain the new Voter’s Choice program in Sonoma County.

Here is a reminder for what you can do in this election season. The results of this year’s elections will be felt for a long time to come.

Here are eight ways YOU can help make sure this election year matters:

1. Check your voter registrationand ask at least five friends to do the same. If you’ve moved or changed your name since the last time you voted, you most likely need to update your registration record. Don’t wait until it’s too late: check your status now.
2. Find out where the candidates standon the issues that matter most to you. Access votersedge.org and check to see who is on your ballot, what they stand for, and what options you have for voting.
3. Sign up tojoin the election workforce! Our elections depend on thousands of people working to staff and secure them every year. If you have time to spare,sign up as a poll worker. It’s a paid gig!
4. Put your money to usefor democracy! Support brands that value civic engagement and voting.
5. Know a young person, new citizen, or someone else who will be voting for the first time?Walk them through the processto help make sure they're prepared.
6. Find out who’s funding the ballot propositions and other basic information by viewing our YouTube video on Pros and Cons.lwvsonoma.org
7. Learn about our nation’s historic – and persistent– struggle for voting rights, thenget involved in organizations whose mission you believe in.
8. Seriously,Voter’s Edgehas everything you and your friends need to successfully cast your votes this year.Spread the word!

Info fromLWV National office

We started with the idea of furnishing one room, but League members have been so generous, that we will be able to furnish two rooms with a few more donations to complete the list of items needed. Cash donations are still needed to cover the cost of large items such as the two bed frames and mattresses.

There are several ways to participate--

• Purchase items needed from an approved list
• Make a cash donation for other furnishings (You chose the amount)
• Volunteer 3 hours of your time to clean and set up the rooms

To see more aboutyour choicesand to sign up to help go to https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0945a4ae2aa3f49-adopt

Help give someone a new start and a safe place to live.

For cash donations: Please send a check made payable to the League. We will collect all the cash donations and then our Treasurer, Linda Rosen,will write one check to the property management company. We are asking members to write "adopt a room" on the memo section of their check and mail it to 555 Fifth St., Suite 300 O.

For the items being donated: Either drop off the item(s) at Debbie Mc Kay’s house by October 20th or contact her to pick up the item(s) the week of October 17th. We will set up the room on October 22nd.

If you have questions about how to help or need to arrange drop-off/pickup of your items, please send an email to Debbie Mc Kaysecretary@lwvsonoma.org.

Check theOnline Calendarfor the latest schedule

and for location or links to virtual meetings.

• Ballot Measure Pros and Cons, Youth Registration,numerous meetings, checkcalendarfor latest details
• Silent SentinelEvent--October 29th, 10-12,Santa Rosa Courthouse Square -- 3^rdStreet side (See article above)

Standing Meetings

• Board of Directors,1st Saturday of the month from 10:30 AM to Noon.
  
• Advocacy Committee-1st Wednesday of the month from 10:00 AM to Noon
• Voter Service Committee- 1stThursday of the month from 2:00 to 3:00 PM
• Book Group: 3rd Thursday of the month from 10:30 AM to Noon
  

Here are a few highlights of what is happening with our areas of emphasis:

Criminal Justice-Carrie Anabo follows the monthly meetings of the Citizen Advisory Committee of IOLERO. IOLERO now has a new executive director, and they recently hired a community engagement manager. With these key people in place, IOLERO can now be more effective investigating complaints. Our board sent a letter to the Board of Supervisors asking that they renegotiate the MOU between the labor unions & IOLERO and tothe sheriff’s office to allow IOLERO to perform their duties as provided under Measure P.

Housing-Therese Scherrer recently reviewed the Point in Time findings, the annual homeless count, with the committee. There were 2,893 individuals counted, a 5% increase from last year. The good news is there were fewer families. The bad news is that 69% are chronically homeless for a year or more. Homelessness is not going away anytime soon. On another front, Rohnert Park through the DignityMoves organization is soon to open a 60-unit facility for the the homeless. League members have an opportunity to help furnish these room. Read more about that in the Adopt A Room article in this issue.

Climate Change- Jan Randall, our subcommittee chair has been helping us focus on the many issues that the county faces regarding climate change. Our board sent a letter to the board of supervisors recommending changes in the current draft of the well drilling ordinance. The BoS just passed a 6-month moratorium on most well drilling. Jan is also working on a proposed letter regarding revisions in the county tree ordinance. Trees are an important tool for carbon sequestration, and many native species are adversely affected by drought.

We welcome members to check out our advocacy committee that meets monthly on the first Wednesday each month at 10 AM.

Financial Report: The Board reviewed the end of the year report for 2021-2022 andwe had small a net profit, which will go into our reserves account.Lynn Dooley, who is coordinating the Pros & Cons presentations this year, asked that funds be set aside to pay someone to do the Zoom hosting for the numerous Pros & Cons presentations we will be doing this fall. She is requesting a similar amount from the League of Marin County. Corine Newman, who is experienced in accounting, will look at our financial records for the previous fiscal year and she will issue a letter regarding her review

Membership:

A bequest fromNancy Burrington’s family will be used to fund an SSU student intern from the Political Science department to work on membership.

Social:Donna Roper reported that Equality Vines has agreed we may hold a social at their tasting room in Guerneville on Sunday, October 9^thfrom 3 – 5 pm. They will provide wine and munchies.

Advocacy:The Board agreed to send a letter regarding IOLERO to the Board of Supervisors requesting that the Board follow the provision of measure P, which is inhibited by the contract negotiated with the sheriff deputies.

So. Co. Transportation AuthorityRepresentative: Max Bridges has volunteered to serve on the Sonoma County Transportation Authority Citizens Advisory Committee, replacing Will Richards who served for many years.

Club Express Training: Juanita Roland will be providing training for Board members after each board meeting on the Club Express system. Email blasts, news article, and events were identified as the most needed training.

GOTV:Lynn Dooley and Donna Roper are working on ads to place in local newspapers. They shared mockups of several ads. By consensus the Board selected the “Your Vote is Your Voice” ad. The same slogan may be used to make T-shirts and “window clings” to put on vehicles.

Position Descriptions: New member Robin Bramhill has volunteered to look over all our positions descriptions to make then accurate and more uniform.

Next Mtg: November 5th 10:30 am via Zoom.

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