 | PLEASE NOTE:
There were errors in the original version of the October 1 League Lines issued this morning.
Correct information appears in the body of this CORRECTED version. Please delete the previous version.
To ensure all are aware of where the errors were, the corrections, in order of occurrence, are summarized here:
1. Voter Services Team information, under October General Meeting - Ballot Issues Presentation: The previous version incorrectly indicated that the portion of the presentation devoted to local ballot issues would focus on Fort Collins issues. The presentation of local ballot issues will cover as many issues as time allows, including Fort Collins and Loveland issues.
2. ON AIR - Speaking of Elections...: A name was incorrectly rendered. The name of the Voter Registration Lead who participated in the KRFC interview is Linda Thomas.
3. More Ballot Issues Presentations: The date of the presentation at the Loveland Public Library was incorrect. The presentation at the Loveland Public Library will take place on October 11.
| In This Issue
- LWVLC Talks Elections with KRFC
- Membership News
- 'Tis the Season: Candidate Forums & Ballot Issue Presentations
- The Environment Can't Vote, But YOU Can
- Election Rumors Report: Tune Your Misinformation Antenna
- WAPO Prints News Access & Literacy Member's LTE
- Election Reform Team News
- Master League Lingo
- Fend Off a Post-Election Slump at the NoCo Seed Swap!
| | Hi, Larimer Leaguers!
Have you been to our website recently How about our Facebook page? Our Instagram account?
If you haven't, I request that you check out these resources... like right away. If you are on Facebook, please follow the League of Women Voters, Larimer County, Colorado. Like the most recent videos. These include our new effort to produce shorts of you voters talking about what issues are most important to them. You will also see a picture from our recent Leadership Team meeting at Odell's (copied below), where we continued our work on our Strategic Plan.
Lots of great events in the next few weeks. It is a very busy time for your League. Thanks for supporting our work!
Yours in League,
Pat Burger | | | Orientation to the League
Saturday, October 5, 2024
10:00-11:30 AM
Our Saviour's Lutheran Church
2000 Lemay Ave., Fort Collins
Meet LWV members face to face, learn about the League and how you can engage around your interests and passions to make our democracy work!
We'll start with refreshments and informal conversation and move into a discussion of our mission, structure and program priorities. Bring your questions and join us for a stimulating conversation.
Carpooling can be arranged.
Print Member Directories
| | League-Wide News and Events | | Photo: LWVLC Leadership Team met at Odell Brewery in Fort Collins on September 24 to refine our Strategic Plan. Seated (from left): Ruth Long, Linda Mahan, Fran Feinerman, Anne Thompson. Standing (from left): Trish Warner, Kathy Maher, Linda Thomas, Julie Hellman, Beth DeHaven, Julie Stackhouse, Jupe Herrick, Linda Hutchinson, Lee Thielen. | Voter Services Team Meeting
October 8th, 6:30-8:30 PM Online via Zoom
Election season is upon us! The Voter Services Team has been hard at work creating materials to help all voters be informed about what’s on their ballots. Thanks to all of our dedicated volunteers, and especially to those leading this important work!
Candidate Forums
The candidate forum committee, led by Patty and Michael Nekonchuk, has two candidate forums planned, and is working on rescheduling a third that had low candidate availability. Please consider attending a forum and invite your friends, family, and neighbors! Recordings of the forums will be available on the LWVLC website and on Vote411.org as soon as they are ready.
Larimer County Commissioners, Clerk and Recorder, and District Attorney
Monday, September 30, 7:00 PM
300 Laporte Ave, Fort Collins OR FCTV Channel 14 or online FCGOV.COM/FCTV
(in the past as of newsletter publishing date; video will be posted to the website soon)
House Districts 52, 53, and 65 and Senate District 14
Wednesday, October 2, 7:00 PM
300 Laporte Ave, Fort Collins OR FCTV Channel 14 or online FCGOV.COM/FCTV
October General Meeting - Ballot Issues Presentation
Monday, October 7 6:30-8:30 PM
Foothills Unitarian Church or Online on Zoom
There will be fourteen State Issues on your ballot this year. On Monday, October 7th, Anne Hall, Barb Hansen, and Kathy Wilson will be presenting background information on these issues, as well as selected local ballot issues as time allows. Please join us as we will present the issues and answer your questions. The meeting is open to the public, so invite your friends and neighbors. A recording of this presentation will be available for later viewing on the LWVLC website, or on Vote411.org.
The Ballot Issues team, led by Carol Gertsch, has put together printed pamphlets of information about local Fort Collins and Loveland issues. You can find these at ballot issue presentations, or at local libraries.
Vote411.org
Help us spread the word about this amazing resource! At Vote411.org, you can enter your address and get information specific to your ballot, including candidate questionnaires and information about ballot issues. Big thanks to Annette DeMartine, Anne Thompson, and Sarah Wood for their work on Vote411!
| |
Speaking of Elections...
On September 20, LWVLC President Pat Burger and Voter Registration Lead Linda Thomas sat down with KRFC Radio in Fort Collins for a recorded conversation about the League's nonpartisan election-related activities.
Thank you, Pat and Linda, for making our League heard!
| | | The Environment Can’t Vote—But YOU Can
-by LWVLC Environmental Team Leader Jane Hamburger
Of all the many important issues that are a targeted political point for Advocacy, the one issue that broadly affects us all is the Climate Crisis in the Environment we live in.
The League of Women Voters educates and advocates. Our Voter Services Team has arranged many Candidate and Issues Forums to educate the Larimer communities about the positions and people who will make the environmental regulations. Check out our calendar for those most applicable to you.
Here is what LWVUS says about the Environment with an emphasis on Environmental Justice.
https://www.lwv.org/other-issues/environment
The LWVLC Environmental Team is focusing on Environmental Justice to learn about, collaborate with other like-minded organizations, then to advocate at the local level. Join us!
Use our News Access & Literacy Team’s section in “Our Work” from our website. They provide excellent resources you can trust in order to become educated and literate about what you see and hear in the news.
We don’t have to mimic Pogo’s famous words, “We have met the enemy, and it is us!” Do what you can. Do it through your educated VOTE.
| Great Decisions - International Relations Discussion Group
Upcoming Zoom meeting: October 7, 11:30 a.m.
We will discuss: Understanding Indonesia, Chapter 6 in the 2024 Great Decisions book.
Despite its large size, Indonesia remains virtually invisible to most Americans. But as one of the world’s largest democracies, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, and as an economic driver of ASEAN, why does it fly below the radar? What are current issues in U.S.-Indonesian relations, and what role can the country play in Asia?
A Zoom invitation will be sent to all previous participants.
If you are new to GD and wish to participate, contact Annette DeMartine at ademartine@prolynx.com.
For more information about Great Decisions, please contact Karen Heckman at keheckman@gmail.com.
Upcoming meetings are always announced in the League Lines, and you can find us at Great Decisions - International Relations Discussion Group or, navigating from the main menu our LWVLC website Home page, you'll find us among the "Education Groups" under the “Our Work” tab.
Great Decisions meetings are held on the first Monday of each month from February to June and October to December.
| Informed Citizen Book Club
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM: In-person meeting, second Wednesday of the month.
7:00 – 8:30 PM: Zoom Meeting, on the second Wednesday of the month.
Morning regular attendees will meet at The Highland Meadows Grill (formerly Raff’s Tavern), 6300 Highland Meadows Parkway, Windsor, CO., or at a member’s home.
Evening attendees must register for the event on the LWVLC website Calendar.
Please join us for a lively discussion of our October book on October 9th, 2024.
Our book is: Walk the Walk: How Three Police Chiefs Defied the Odds and Changed Cop Culture by Neil Gross
Upcoming books:
November - Young and the Restless: The Girls Who Sparked America's Revolutions by Mattie Kahn
Please join us on the second Wednesday of each month.
Morning contact: Beth Jackson at: coloradojacksons4@yahoo.com
Evening contact: Pat Skrentny-Lamb at: pskrentnylamb@gmail.com
|
Election Reform Team
Team meets every 4th Tuesday, 4:00-5:30pm.
The Zoom link is available on the LWVLC Calendar.
Our issues team has successfully advocated in a wide variety of election reform initiatives since 2017. We have supported our allies to help:
- Represent Fort Collins do the important work of limiting the influence of money in politics;
- pass the National Popular Vote amendment for Colorado;
- pass a local ballot issue in support of Ranked Choice Voting for Fort Collins city elections.
Currently we have:
- Janet Schultz as the team lead looking into voting and resident representation issues with Metro Districts;
- Deborah Shulman as the team lead exploring support for a 5-member commissioner model for Larimer County; and
- Kathleen Schmidt will be leading the education effort of the Fort Collins community on ranked choice voting in our upcoming local 2025 election.
If you are looking for a way to get involved (more or for the first time) in our local LWV chapter, we welcome you to dip your toe into the world of election reform by joining us at our Zoom meeting on Tuesday, October 22 from 4-5:30 pm.
| | Voter Services Team hosts October General Meeting
State & Local Ballot Issues Presentation
October 7, 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Foothills Unitarian Church
1815 Yorktown Ave, Fort Collins
| | | |
South Larimer Discussion Group
State & Local Ballot Issues Presentation
October 16, 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Namaqua Unitarian Church
745 Fifth St, Loveland
OR via Zoom.
| | | More Ballot issue Presentations
October 9, 1:00 - 3:00 pm
Old Town Library, 201 Peterson St, Fort Collins
October 16, 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Poudre Library System-sponsored presentation via Zoom
October 17, 1:00 - 3:00 pm
Harmony Library, 4616 S Shields St, Fort Collins
October 11, 1:30 - 3:30 pm
Loveland Public Library (Gertrude Scott Room, Main Floor)
300 N Adams, Loveland
October 20, 1:30 - 2:30 pm
BILINGUAL, hosted by Affordable Housing Team
Northside Atzlan Community Center
112 E Willow St, Fort Collins
|  | CONTEXT:
-
Loveland's 3.00% sales tax rate has been in place since 1984.
- Sales Tax rates in other municipalities in the area range from 3.00% to 4.35%.
- The elimination of Loveland's sales tax on food as of 2024 caused a significant loss of revenue that was not replaced by another funding stream.
- This revenue reduction impacts City departments that rely on the General Fund, affecting police, fire stations, transportation, public works, small business support, parks, library, museum, and recreation offerings.
- Reduced funding will force these departments to significantly curtail expenditures, meaning cutting staff, reducing training, reducing capital projects, reducing hours of service, increasing fees for recreation, eliminating festivals and special events, and making further budget cuts if prior funding levels are not re-established with some additional funding stream.
- Such cutbacks will negatively affect public safety and quality of life in Loveland.
RATIONALE: The League of Women Voters of Larimer County supports Ballot Issue 2E because it creates a stable funding stream that would replace funding lost by the elimination of the sales tax on food. Re-establishing such funding would ensure critical public safety operations are not diminished, would support necessary public works operations, and would permit the City to continue to offer community, cultural, and recreational services at the current level.
LWV Principles & Positions Applicable to Ballot Issue 2E
|  | |
Rumors Report: General Election, 2024
September 10, 2024
Overview
The Algorithmic Transparency Instititute (ATI), a project of the National Conference on Citizenship, is partnering with the League of Women Voters during the 2024 U.S. general election to inform LWV and its State Leagues about narratives circulating online related to elections, democracy, and voting. This report summarizes key narratives based on internal monitoring by ATI and tips submitted by our volunteer network.
We also outline data deficits related to each narrative. A data deficit indicates an open question or lack of good information on a topic. Data deficits represent critical opportunities where advocates can insert good information to help combat the misleading narrative.
Summary of Narratives
National Narratives
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Misleading Claim: States are cheating by keeping Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. on the ballot.
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Confusion: Why am I hearing about the SAVE Act again?
State Narratives
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Unsupported Claim: Texas NGO volunteers are registering non-citizens to vote.
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Misleading Claim: 20% of Pennsylvania mail-in ballots are fraudulent.
| League Lingo: "Position" v. "Stance"
-by Kathy Maher and Linda Hutchinson
It's election season and the League wants to ensure the public knows where it stands on the issues. Here's a vocabulary usage tip to help you be proficient League-speakers when sharing information on League "positions" and "stances." You might be surprised to learn that in League usage these words are not interchangeable.
As with any organization, the League has a specialized vocabulary (League lingo) and specific applications for common English words, such as "position" and "stance." In League lingo, a position is a documented general statement of the League's point of view on a public issue. Each League position is arrived at through a grassroots process involving member study and agreement (consensus). Our positions are the basis for our advocacy efforts and guide us as we speak with one voice.
A stance is the official "for" or "against" decision taken by the League on proposed legislation or a ballot issue relating to a public issue. A stance is taken only after we evaluate what our positions say about the issue and the short- and long-term impact the pro or con stance would have. Having a position on an issue is no guarantee that we will take a stance on legislation or a ballot issue related to that issue.
An example of a position:
Amendment Proposals: Consider whether a proposal addresses matters of abiding importance, makes our political system more democratic, protects individual rights, could be achieved by a constitutional amendment or legislative proposal, and is consistent with other League positions.
Examples of stances:
YES on Amendment J, Repealing the Definition of Marriage
SUPPORT bill SB24-216, Standards for Decisions Regarding Library Resources
| Washington Post publishes Letter to the Editor by LWVCO member Iris Clark
Congratulations and thank you to Iris!
Iris is a member of the Pueblo League and a member of LWVCO's News Access and Literacy Task Force.
You can read the letter here, then register for the October 15 meeting so you can join such illustrious members of the statewide LWVCO News Access and Literacy Task Force, led by Larimer League member Linda Hutchinson. | Now Recruiting: Legislative Action Committee (LAC)
The statewide LWVCO LAC is recruiting League members who would be interested in joining this group of citizen lobbyists. Do you follow the Legislature when it is in session? Does delving into proposed legislation and being in a position to help shape it appeal to you? Do you consider yourself an advocate on a particular issue? If you answered YES to any of these questions, please consider joining the LAC. | | | Training is provided and the work you'll do will fast-track your understanding of the Advocacy side of the LWV house. What's more, you'd be joining a group of knowledgeable and dedicated League members from across Colorado whose biweekly presentations of legislation will round out your education on the legislative process and the state's most pressing issues. By joining the LAC, you'll make new friends, enjoy rewarding collaboration with League members, have opportunities to make connections with Colorado State legislators, and personally contribute to shaping legislation in positive ways.
You can read more about the LAC and the topics it covers HERE.
Our local League is represented by several members on the LAC. Contact Kathy Maher if you want to be put in touch with one or more of our local LAC members, who would be happy to talk to you about their experiences.
If you've heard enough and are ready to sign up, contact LAC Co-Chair Maud Naroll to volunteer. | NOCO Native Plant Seed Swap & Giveaway
No matter your gardening experience, you'll find something of interest at the NoCO Native Plant Seed Swap & Giveaway.
We'll have a variety of seeds including annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees, and grasses ranging from easy to difficult to propagate. One plant can produce hundreds of seeds so there is always plenty to share.
No need to have seeds to share. The League of Women Voters of Larimer County Pollinator Habitat Group is a co-host. Contact Cindy at Cynthialinafelter@gmail.com for information. | |