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Upcoming registration drives
The closer the November general election gets, the more voter registration drives the League will be holding. Several are planned for August. The more deputized registrars we have, the more people we can register. The next classes at the Bexar County Elections Office are Aug. 14 at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. They are free and last less than an hour. For more information, go here. Once you are deputized, please let us know by emailing voterservices@lwvsa.org.
August registration drives:
Aug 4 – District 1 Back-to-School event, Edison High School, 701 Santa Monica, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Aug. 4 – District 4 Back-to-School event, Palo Alto Centro Med, 9011 Poteet Jourdanton Fwy 8-11 a.m.
Aug 14 – The Brick at the Blue Star Arts Complex, 6-8 p.m.
Commentary on court's gerrymandering ruling
By THOMAS WOLF and WENDY WEISER
Brennan Center for Justice
The Supreme Court once again passed up a historic opportunity to finally put some limits on partisan gerrymandering.
In a pair of cases from Wisconsin and Maryland, the court declined on June 18 to take on the big question: When does gerrymandering, the drawing of districts to benefit the political party in control, go so far as to be illegal?
The result is disappointing but not devastating: The cases will continue, and the court has left open several paths to rein in gerrymandering. For the sake of our democracy, the court needs to act soon.
To read the whole article, go HERE.
Submit a comment on Census
Right NOW, the public has the ability to impact the debate through public comments to the Department of Commerce. We must communicate to Secretary Ross that the American public wants an accurate and fair Census. Including a citizenship question on the Census undermines the participation of eligible persons and threatens the overall Census process that is vital to our democracy.
Including a citizenship question on the Census will suppress response rates in underserved communities, disproportionately impact the allocation of resources for government services in all communities, and jeoopardize our ability to obtain an accurate count of all person in the United States.
Use this form submit a comment to the U.S. Department of Commerce today!
Current Newsletter - August 2018
Reluctant to vote because you don't know how to use the voting machine? This video walks you through the process. And you can always ask the poll workers for help.
This video of our 'Vote! It's in Your Best Interest' brochure, with ASL interpretation and captioning, is accessible to deaf people thanks to the help of Deaf Link.
Forum to explore charter change proposals
Three important issues on the Nov. 6 ballot are proposed charter amendments that have gotten much publicity but require deeper understanding than an ad or sound bite can provide.
The League of Women Voters has plans underway for a forum to explore the proposals. Mark your calendars for Monday, Oct. 15, so you don’t miss Proposed Charter Amendments: Pros and Cons.
We will have two panelists for each side. Christopher Steele, head of the firefighters union, and District 6 Councilman Greg Brockhouse will speak in support of the amendments; Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Richard Perez with the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce will speak against the proposals.
One would cap the salary of the city manager at 10 times the earnings of the lowest-paid city
employee and limit the tenure to eight years; another would reduce the required number of signatures for any referendum from 10 percent of the number of registered voters in the previous municipal election (currently just under 70,000) to 20,000. It also would extend the amount of time that could be spent gathering those signatures; and one would give the fire union the sole right to declare when it has reached an impasse with the city on contract negotiations and unilaterally require that the city go to binding arbitration rather than file a lawsuit.
When: 6 p.m., October 15
Where: Auditorium, Central Library, 600 Soledad
Forum, three hours parking in library garage are free
The public is invited.