In This Issue
- MAY DAY Protest, May 1, Fort Collins
- Please attend the LWVLC Annual Meeting, May 5!
- Volunteer to Be A Delegate to the LWVCO Annual Meeting!
- Courageous Colorado Listening Tour Comes to Fort Collins
- Inaugural "Voter Girl Project" Was a Great Success!
- May 6 Health District Election Information
- News from Our Issues Teams & Education Groups
- Things You Should Know
| May Day Strong: May 1
Line the Streets in Fort Collins
4:00 - 6:00 pm
IndivisibleNOCO is joining a National Day of Action on May 1 and LWVUS supports League members' participating in about 1000 events across the country under this umbrella. So grab your sign, don your LWV gear, and join fellow Leaguers and community members in a mass protest along S College Ave in Fort Collins. Choose any intersection between Mulberry St and Horsetooth Rd. Information and optional registration on Mobilize.
| | Courageous Colorado
Listening Tour
May 12, 3:00 - 4:30 PM
Horse and Dragon Brewing Company
124 Racquette Dr, Fort Collins, CO 80524
This is the stop in our area for the statewide "listening tour." Join civic leaders across Colorado for a nonpartisan conversation about the future of our great state and to answer the questions: How can we build a more courageous and representative democracy in Colorado? How can Colorado inspire the nation?
| | | | League-Wide News and Events | | LWVLC ANNUAL MEETING!
May 5, 6:00 - 8:00
Northside Aztlan Community Center, Fort Collins
Quorum required. We need YOUR vote to transact annual business, including:
- adopting a budget;
- adopting an advocacy program;
- electing new Board members;
- reviewing our Strategic Plan.
This is also an opportunity for members to provide feedback and suggestions to the Board of Directors. Please register NOW and be sure to attend! | | | Call for LWVLC Delegates!
LWVCO Annual Meeting, May 16-17
Planning to attend the LWVCO Annual Meeting? Want to be a delegate and vote on behalf of your local Larimer League? LWV-Larimer County is the largest League in Colorado and is entitled to 14 delegates at the state-level Annual Meeting.
The meeting is held over two days -- Friday evening (May 16) and Saturday morning (May 17). Delegates must be present for the voting portion, which is on Saturday morning. Linda Mahan has arranged for our delegates to convene on Saturday at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Fort Collins to join the Zoom session as a group. Delegates also have the option to Zoom in from home. If you would like to volunteer to be a delegate, please contact Evelyn Peterson at evelyn.ac.peterson@gmail.com before May 6.
| Voter Girl Project in Action
Chants of "We are the Brownies. We are Voter Girls," were heard when the Brownies paraded through the halls of Timberline Church on Saturday, April 12th. Forty-nine girl scouts in grades K-8 -- Daisies, Brownies, Juniors, and Cadettes -- attended our League's Voter Girl Project. Our League, in partnership with the Girl Scouts of Colorado, held workshops to earn citizenship badges. The Girl Scouts also voted in a mock Polling Center with voting booths, ballot box, and "I Voted" stickers supplied by the Larimer County Clerk's Office. County Clerk Tina Harris attended to see the Polling Center in action. State Senator Cathy Kipp came as a speaker for the Juniors' badge workshop. Troop leaders and parents viewed a PowerPoint overview of the history of women's suffrage and the beginnings of the League of Women Voters.
Thank you to all the volunteers who made this happen. And a special thanks to our two high school students, Illyana Collins and Kayla Chapman, for playing the roles of Suffragist and Voter Girl, respectively. The Larimer League hopes to hold another event in the near future. You can peruse some photos of the event on our Voter Girl webpage.
| Call for Award Nominations!!
League members and the public are asked to submit nominations for the following awards:
- Women's Equality Day Award: This award recognizes women who have positively impacted the citizens of Larimer County by expanding and protecting voting rights of all eligible voters, working to empower women to reach their full potential, and creating an environment in which gender doesn't limit opportunity.
- League Legacy Award: This award recognizes a League member who has worked diligently to meet the goals of the LWV by encouraging informed and active participation in government, by working to increase understanding of major public policy issues, by influencing public policy through education and advocacy, or by promoting DEI in principle and practice.
Honorees will be recognized at a celebration of Women's Equality Day at the Sweet Heart Winery in Loveland on Thursday, August 21, from 5:00 to 7:30.
| Voter Services Team Meeting
Saturday, May 3, 9:30 - 11:30 AM
In Person at the Harmony Library in Fort Collins
Voter Registration
The Voter Registration Team has had a busy April. We have been registering new voters and updating others. This includes high school students, visitors at Fort Collins Homeless Connect, students at CSU, and others. It is not too late to sign up to register voters for the remainder of 2025. To do this, email Mary Carraher.
Health District Board of Directors Election on May 6, 2025
Don't forget to vote in this important election if you live in northern Larimer County. You can find information about the candidates at Vote411.org. The video of the candidate forum is also on Vote411.org, or you can find it on the LWV-Larimer County website.
The Health District of Northern Larimer County is a special tax district created by voters in 1960 to serve community health needs. Today, the Health District provides dental care, behavioral health services, and assistance with health insurance enrollment and literacy. The district also collaborates at the systems level with commmunity partners to improve the health of our community.
The district boundaries span the northern two-thirds of Larimer County, including Fort Collins, Laporte, Timnath, Wellington, Livermore, and Red Feather Lakes. The Health District is primarily supported by local property tax dollars and is governed by its publicly elected, five-member Board of Directors.
If you requested an absentee ballot (before April 29th), completed ballots need to be returned by May 6th at 7:00 PM. You can vote in person from 7 AM - 7 PM on May 6th.
Polling Locations
Health District of Northern Larimer County
120 Bristlecone Dr, Fort Collins, CO 80524
Council Tree Covenant Church
4825 LeMay Ave, Fort Collins, CO 80525
Wellington Area Chamber of Commerce
8129 3rd St, Wellington, CO 80549
| Great Decisions Discussion Group
Upcoming Zoom meeting: May 5, 11:30 AM
We will discuss India: Between China, the West, and the Global South, Chapter 4 in the 2025 Great Decisions book.
India is an emerging major power in world affairs, occupying a pivotal position between China, the United States, and the Global South. Its population size, economy, and geopolitical location ensure that it will be an influential voice in debates and political struggles over global order. What are India's choices and opportunities for regional and global leadership? How will it maneuver between China and the United States, and what is its role as a voice of the Global South? What opportunities exist for Washington to work with India?
A Zoom invitation will be sent to all previous participants.
If you are new to Great Decisions and wish to participate, contact Annette DeMartine at ademartine@prolynx.com.
Great Decisions meetings are held on the first Monday of each month from February to June and October to December.
| Health Care Team News
Medicaid Cuts and Local Health Care Impact: View the recording of our panel discussion on budget pressures, impact on the accessibility of affordable health care, and beyond. Thanks to the committee that pulled this forum together in just a couple of weeks. Contact your legislators and ask them to support health care (or thank them if they are already doing so).
Team Meeting with Health Department Epidemiologist: Join Us on May 8, 11:30-1:00 PM for our team meeting. Register on the Event Calendar.
- We will discuss ongoing efforts to protect Medicaid and advance access to affordable care for all.
- We will be joined at 12:20 PM by Jared Olson, an epidemiologist with the Larimer County Department of Health. Jared will share his concerns regarding health care in our community and how the department's Health, Well-Being and Resilience Dashboard is a data resource covering some essential aspects of life in Larimer County. Our observation of the most recent Health District meeting highlighted their work to prevent measles and to plan a response in the event there is an outbreak, with highly effective vaccines being central to their strategy.
- If you live within the Health District of Northern Colorado (check map here), remember to vote by May 6 for open Board of Directors positions.
Health Care Legislation Advances:
- SB25-045 Health-Care Payment System Analysis concerning the analysis of a statewide universal health-care payment system passed and is ready for the governor's signature! Thanks to team member Elaine Branjord for her ongoing leadership toward universal health care, and to those of you who made calls and sent emails in support.
- Important Gun Violence Prevention and Reproductive Health Care legislation is also progressing. You can find highlights in the Health Care Team's blog.
| Affordable Housing Team Welcomes Housing Manager
Vanessa Finley, Fort Collins Housing Manager, will be the guest speaker at the Affordable Housing Team meeting via Zoom on May 8. Vanessa spent time as Director of Homeward 2020 in past work. She will share what she sees as the greatest housing needs and challenges in our area and how we can best advocate to help our communities meet these needs. Registration for this meeting will open on the Event Calendar soon.
The Colorado State Legislature's last day for this session will be May 7. Two bills passed that will impact homeowners are:
HB25-1272 Construction Defects/Middle-Market Housing extends the statute of limitations and increases HOA approval
HB25-1093 Limitations on Local Anti-Growth Land Use Policies breaks down government barriers blocking new housing, e.g., zoning laws so more lower-cost housing can be built.
If you were unable to attend the April 28 meeting on Supportive Housing: Pathway to Stability, check out the video that will be posted on the League website under the News-Videos-Events tab.
| Orientation to the League
Tuesday, May 13, 3:00-4:30 pm
Heart of the Rockies Church
6501 Brittany Dr, Fort Collins, CO 80525
Celebrate the League's 105th birthday and learn about our history, mission, and program priorities. New and prospective members are invited to explore opportunities for involvement and have questions answered. Bring a friend for refreshments and conversation followed by the presentations. Reservations requested by May 10 on the Event Calendar. Carpooling can be arranged.
| Informed Citizen Book Club
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM In-person meeting, 2nd Wednesday of the month.
7:00 - 8:30 PM Zoom meeting, 2nd Wednesday of the month.
Morning attendees meet at Epic Egg, 1477 E Eisenhower Blvd, Loveland (new location).
Please join us on May 14 for a lively discussion of our May book:
Code Dependent: Living in the Shadow of AI by Madhumita Murgia
AI has already infiltrated our day-to-day, through language-generating chatbots like ChatGPT and social media. But it's also affecting us in more insidious ways. It touches everything from our interpersonal relationships, to our kids' education, work, finances, public services, and even our human rights. In Code Dependent, Murgia not only sheds light on this chilling phenomenon, but also charts a path of resistance. AI is already changing what it means to be human, in ways large and small, and Murgia reveals what could happen if we fail to reclaim our humanity.
Please join us on the second Wednesday of each month.
| South Larimer Discussion Group
Firewise Landscaping and Managing Your Defensible Space
May 21, 7:00-8:30 pm via Zoom
What can you do to protect your home from wildfire?
Kevin Lyles, a Certified Wildfire Mitigation Specialist (defensible-space assessor and educator), will give us a presentation covering fire behavior, defensible space, firewise plants (characteristics and examples), home/structure hardening, and maintenance. Kevin is a professional landscape architect and has over 25 years of experience designing open space, parks, trails, and native landscapes. In 2023, he started Horsetooth Nursery, a small nursery offering native, waterwise, and firewise plants at his home in the Foothills near Horsetooth Reservoir.
| | LARIMER CAPITOL WATCH
The 2025 session of the Colorado Legislature will adjourn on May 7 this year after four busy months dealing with 724 bills. Some of these bills have been passed by the General Assembly and successfully signed by Governor Polis. (A few have been vetoed and are being challenged with overrides.)
Still under consideration is SB25-299, Dyslexia Screening READ Act, which the LWV is supporting. It has strong support in both the House and the Senate. The bill's purpose is to improve early identification and intervention for students with reading difficulties by enumerating characteristics of dyslexia, requiring mandatory screening for dyslexia by the 2026-27 school year, and setting timelines for screening for kindergarten through third grade.
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In addition, the LWVCO is supporting the joint resolution HRJ25-1023, Require General Assembly TABOR Constitutionality Lawsuit. The LWVCO has opposed the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, TABOR, since the late 1980s. If this Concurrent Resolution is adopted, it would authorize the General Assembly to sue the State of Colorado to challenge the constitutionality of TABOR. The basic premise of the potential lawsuit would focus on the core functions of legislatures in a representative democracy, arguing that TABOR law violates a clause in the U.S. Constitution which guarantees every state "a republican form of government" because TABOR restrictions nullify or infringe on the General Assembly's constitutional authority to assess taxes and appropriate money for public purposes. This proposed resolution seems to have stalled in the House without active debate since mid-April. The prospects of it's passing both chambers are fading as the legislative session quickly comes to a close.
The LWVCO Legislative Wrap-Up is scheduled for May 21, 2025, from 5:30 to 6:30 PM. You can register on the LWVCO Event Calendar for this Zoom meeting and there is no charge.
For more information on the status of bills in the General Assembly, contact Kathy Wilson.
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TYSK (Things You Should Know) | Save the Date!
Women's Equality Day Celebration
Thursday, August 21, 2025
Sweet Heart Winery, Loveland
Keynote Speaker: Kelly Evans, Executive Director, Neighbor to Neighbor
Watch for more details in upcoming newsletters.
| Membership Update - Time for Renewal?
When it's time to renew your membership you'll receive an email from LWVUS which directs you to your profile on the LWVUS member portal. From there you'll begin the renewal process. Many members use their renewal month to also donate to the LWV of Larimer County.
We appreciate these donations and they are best done separately from your dues payment. Log into the LWV Larimer County website and look for the red DONATE button in the upper right-hand corner. Select the amount and the fund to which your contribution will go. Further details are on our website (must be logged in to view) or by contacting Linda Mahan.
| Strong Password Requirement Is Coming
Strong passwords are important. Strong passwords make it more difficult for hackers to crack a password and gain access to our website.
For your protection, the LWVLC Board of Directors has decided to require "strong" passwords for our ClubExpress website, effective June 1, 2025. As of that date, each member password must have a minimum length of 12 characters, with each password containing at least one lowercase letter, uppercase letter, number, and special character. If your password does not meet those requirements, you will be prompted to change it before you will be able to log in.
You can change your password at any time. If you have any questions or issues with changing your password, please contact our Website Team.
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