Fall Edition
In this issue:
President Notes
To be fair, playing by the “rules” and expecting that you will be rewarded has always been more a comforting illusion than reality for many citizens in our country. In the chaos of the pandemic, there are those who have taken the opportunity to chip away at newly-enacted voting rights here in Michigan. They are hoping we aren’t looking. The new voting rights had given our most disenfranchised citizens an opportunity for their voices to be heard. If our democracy is going to survive, we cannot pull the blankets over our heads and look away.
The League of Women Voters is a 101-year-old organization that is dedicated to protecting voting rights. We work with and for the people who don’t have a voice. Who in our community is in danger of having their voices muted or discounted altogether? It is usually those who can least afford not to have their voices heard. Legally-gained voting privileges should not be rolled back, based on mis- and dis-information that serves political interest. It doesn’t matter which political party seeks to disenfranchise the voters; it is wrong.
The members of the Northern Lower Michigan League and other Leagues across the county at the forefront of preserving voting rights. Along with the national and state Leagues, we will be engaging in educational efforts to make citizens aware of the voting rights and privileges that we currently enjoy. You can’t stand up for your rights if you are not aware of what they are. There are more details about the road ahead in the section below titled Make Democracy Work Grant. You can also get more information on our local, state, and national League websites. Please take a look and commit to doing something to contribute to this important work.
Your LWVNLM continues to grow and is becoming an active and vibrant organization. I encourage you to get engaged in at least one event and see what a team of committed individuals can do together. It is great to know that in all the chaos, you can make a difference. Thank you for all you do.
Robin Jordan
Local News
Membership Renewal
We currently have 87 members! Thank you to all the members who have already renewed their 2021-22 dues.
The membership year runs from July 1- June 30. All members share the same expiration date - June 30 and our bylaws state dues are payable by October 31.
We hope you will take a few minutes today to renew your 2021-22 dues, directions below. We hope you want to remain a member of the LWVNLM.
We now have two ways to renew your membership
Send a check payable to: League of Women Voters Northern Lower Michigan, PO BOX 795, Petoskey, MI 49770
Pay online by using Venmo - @lwvnlm
New Health Care Committee!
We’re excited to announce the LWVLM has a health care committee, headed by members Pat Fralick and Eileen Mikus. Both members have decades of experience in the health care system and will bring expertise to inform LWVNLM and community members about pertinent health issues. Topics of interest being explored are universal health care coverage, women health care issues and access to health care. Please contact Pat plfralick@gmail.com or Eileen eileen.mikus@gmail.com if you have ideas or want to join the committee. Read more about the LWVUS position on health care reform.
Environmental and Natural Resources Committee News
Green Energy Project - The ENR committee hosted a very successful Solar Tour in September in conjunction with Groundworks and the Sierra Club, with approximately 70 community member attending! Solar installations at two local farms farms, Petoskey City Hall, North Central Michigan College and two private homes were visited. The group of about 70 then heard about opportunity for a group solar buy in which participants can get discounted prices and special financing on solar panel installation. Community response and feedback to our first Solar Tour was very positive and enthusiastic!
Community Pesticide Management - The ENR committee is currently investigating curbing local municipal use of pesticides through the principles of integrated pest management. A phone survey of 12 cities and towns in Emmet, Charlevoix and Cheboygan counties is in the works to help us understand what is being done to manage pests in our outdoor public areas.
Are you interested in learning more about your local community’s use of herbicides and pesticides? If you want to participate in a defined task or simply learn more, please contact Nancy Dwan gold-dwan@outlook.com. The group is currently learning about the extent of local pesticide use in our municipalities with the goal of reducing use through education and adoption of Integrated Pest Management Policies. What is Integrated Pest Management you ask? Click here to find out more!
Join in! We are pleased to welcome Lauren Meisel, Mary Netzky, Beth Freeman and Pamela Carpenter to our committee. We are excited and know that they will offer fresh ideas and projects to our work. If anyone is interested in joining or have suggestions for our committee please contact Ann Scott at alscott2050@gmail.com or Marcia Meyer at marciakmeyer@gmail.com. Our next meeting is scheduled on zoom for Tuesday November 16th, 2:00PM.
Voter Services News
The Voter Services Committee has been busy during the 2021 election cycle!
VOTE 411 - Candidate information and county ballot proposals were added to our own www.VOTE411.org for Emmet and Charlevoix counties for the November 2021 election. Thank you to Nancy Byer for getting our Vote411 website going. We need volunteers for the 2022 election cycle, especially for Charlevoix and Cheboygan Counties! Please contact Dibby Smith if you are interested in learning more. Yard signs promoting VOTE411 are available to members at $5.00 per sign donation. Get yours now, and put it out every year!! We will send reminders every year to put out and take down your sign.
Voter Education - If you missed the October 13th public forum, Ask the Clerks How Voting Works!, be sure to watch the recording available on our YouTube channel. It was a very informative overview of the entire election process!
Voter Registration - Thank you to Lisa Blanchard, Penny Crim, Susan Hannah, Mary Netzky, and Sue VanDeventer, who participated in the National Voter Registration Day on September 28th at NCMC, registering voters and encouraging students and staff to check their voter registration status. Registration activities are being planned for spring and fall, in area high schools and at NCMC.
Election 2021 - Many thanks to Sharon Walker, Ethel Larsen, Penny Crim, Anne Becker, Ann Scott and Susan Hannah for supporting our clerks as poll workers in the November 2nd election. Consider working the polls during the 2022 elections. Information on poll worker training opportunities will be sent to members as soon as it becomes available.
Join In! The Voter Services Committee meets on the 2nd Thursday of each month at 4 PM, over zoom. Please consider joining us in this important work of encouraging informed and active participation in government through voting! Contact Dibby Smith dibbys@aol.com or at 231-881-3804 for the meeting link if you have an idea, want to join, or just listen!
Make Democracy Work Grant
The League of Women Voters of Michigan Education Fund (LWVMIEF) has presented local Leagues, including the LWVNLM with a $500 Make Democracy Work grant opportunity to undertake voter education programming in their communities. The goal is to remind Michigan voters of their rights that were enacted, through Proposal 3 in 2018, which gave Michigan citizens greater access to voting, especially to those who were previously disenfranchised. The current citizen petition drive to change these voting rights will also be noted.
The LWVNLM has partnered with the Petoskey Public Library to present an informative public forum on Voting Rights, Voting Bills, and Voting Initiatives. It will be offered twice. Anyone can join in person in the Library classroom room or by Zoom. Links to each session are below.
Topic: Know Your Voting Rights I
Time: Nov 18, 2021 05:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83845395504?pwd=Sk4zQ0RwME1DN203ZFlvWE5nWDZIUT09
Meeting ID: 838 4539 5504
Passcode: 755878
+13017158592,,83845395504#,,,,*755878# US (Washington DC)
Topic: Know Your Voting Rights II
November 30th, 2:00 -3:00 pm
Time: Nov 30, 2021 02:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82562493926?pwd=VnB5VW03TUZnUFNkcnhDZjV6L253Zz09
Meeting ID: 825 6249 3926
Passcode: 124721
+19292056099,,82562493926#,,,,*124721# US (New York)
Voting rights are now under significant attack in Michigan. Read more regarding the Voter Suppression Ballot Initiative in the LWV Michigan News section below.
The Make Democracy Work Grant comes from the C(3) educational fund for the purpose of educating, not advocating, in these presentations. The C(4) work of the League includes advocacy, where we can actively oppose legislative initiatives to reduce voting rights, and the LWVNLM plans to participate in this advocacy. Stay tuned for Letters to the Editor, social media campaigns and other strategies as we move forward!
New Clerk Project: Adopt a Clerk!
We first began our Clerk Project with the goal of meeting as many of our township and municipal clerks as possible in order to establish a positive and supportive working relationship with them. Last summer, we simplified the program to reach more of our clerks and make it easier for members to participate. To that end, we are asking our members to consider “adopting” one—or two—of the 60+ clerks in Charlevoix, Emmet or Cheboygan counties.
What’s involved? Just a once-a-year commitment to visit your clerk, say hello, and drop off a LWV business card and informational handout. That’s it! No need to schedule an appointment or conduct an interview, you can just stop by at your convenience during their office hours and help us put a friendly face on LWV Northern Lower Michigan. If you’d like to adopt a clerk or get on a list for poll worker training or retraining, email Sue VanDeventer at sue@vandeventer.org
In Case You Missed It…
To celebrate and honor Native American Heritage Month, the LWVNLM hosted a member and friends private docent-guided tour of the Crooked Tree Arts Center exhibit, "Kindred; Traditional Arts of the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians". Forty members and friends toured the amazing exhibit of historic and contemporary art made using traditional skills and learned more about Indigenous history in Northern Michigan. Thank you Penny Crim and Lisa Blanchard for providing us with your excellent docent services!
A wine and nibble reception after the tour allowed for much need re-connection with fellow members and meeting new friends!
Member Meetings and Covid-19 Update
Due to on-going Covid-19 cases in our area, your Board of Directors has decided to hold the Annual Holiday party as an online event.
It was always the plan to hold the member meetings scheduled in the winter months of January, February and March on Zoom due to potential for wintery weather and roads. We are hopeful that our April meeting will be back in person AND on Zoom.
Communications
LWVNLM posts and messages get more traction outside of our group the more people “like”, “follow” and subscribe to our communication venues.
Like us on FaceBook – https://www.facebook.com/lwvnlm
Follow us on Twitter - @LWVnorthernlowerMI
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Welcome New Members!
New members since 8/1/21:
Lauren Meisel
Mary Jean and Josh Meyerson
Carole Vial
Pamela Carpenter
Beth Freeman
Betsy Lawrence
Upper Peninsula Energy Task Force Findings
The LWV Marquette hosted a presentation on the findings of the UP Energy Task Force created by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2019.
Jenn Hill, Marquette City Commissioner and member of the UP Energy Task Force, presented the recommendations of the Task Force summarizing ten months of research, presentations and meetings conducted in the UP. The Task Force was created to assess the UP’s energy needs, find alternative solutions for meeting those needs with a focus on security and environmental soundness, and ways to respond to foreseeable changes to energy supply and distribution.
If you are interested in energy and the environment, you won’t want to miss this presentation!
Help Wanted
One to two more people are needed to join our new Nominating Committee. Help identify future leaders within our League – a very important component to ensure a dynamic and growing League! Take part in the process to create a slate of officers and board members presented at our annual meeting. Tasks are minimal and time limited to late winter - early spring. Contact Penny Crim paigeacrim@charter.net
LWVNLM Upcoming Events
Voting Rights and Ballot Initiative Public Forum
Thursday November 18th @ 5:30 pm and November 30th @ 2:00 pm. See info above.
Annual Holiday Gathering Wednesday December 8th @ 5:30 -6:30-pm
Your League party planners are busy creating a fun virtual social event to gather together to celebrate the holidays and the end of 2021! Save the date – Wednesday December 8th @ 5:30. More to come.
Public Forum and Member Meeting Wednesday January 12th @ 5:30 -6:45-pm
The new Health Care Committee is working on a public forum related to Covid-19 in our area. We’ve been living with the pandemic for almost two years and we are still seeing waves of active Covid-19 infection move through Northern Michigan. This is a topic of great interest to all and with many unanswered questions. We are hoping to hear from the experts. As of this writing, the plans for this forum continue to be in process; more to come.
2nd Annual Book Read Event
A list of book for the annual Book Read event in April 2022 will be presented to the membership for a vote. The plan is to use an on-line poll to allow more members to vote for their book of choice. The book with the most votes will be the selection for our Book Read. More to come.
State News
Voter Suppression Ballot Initiative
A citizen-led proposal put out by the group, Secure MI Vote in Michigan threatens to derail decades of progress. Secure MI Vote has received approval of its petition by our state’s Board of Canvassers to enact legislation that would take away Election Day voting options, make absentee voting less accessible and gut funding for election administration in Michigan.
In short, it would make voting harder for many people.
Here is what we know.
The proposal comes after the 2020 election, when we heard claims of fraud and that the presidential election results were unfair or incorrect. However, we know those claims are false because multiple audits, court cases and a report by the Michigan Senate Oversight Committee have all affirmed our election was fair and secure.
In Michigan, registered voters who don’t have their photo ID at the polls can verify their identity at their polling location by taking an oath and signing a legal affidavit. Thanks to this security feature in Michigan’s current voter identification law, more than 30,000 registered voters who did not have their photo ID at their polling place were able to perform their civic duty and vote in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.
The proposal eliminates this option and others that make voting more accessible to all, particularly Black and brown communities, seniors, students, youth, people with disabilities and rural voters.
*The proposal will prohibit the LWV from registering voters – something we have been doing for more than 100 years!*
The proposal also includes an appropriation that, if approved by the Michigan Legislature, would prevent a vote of the people from overturning the law, further denying voters of Michigan a voice on this issue.
Not only is the proposal unnecessary, it disenfranchises voters from participating in the democratic process which so many people have fought for. We cannot go backwards and silence the voices of voters in Michigan.
Don’t be deceived by the name! This proposal eliminates options that make voting more accessible to all, especially black and brown voters, seniors, youth, people with disabilities, and rural voters.
The group, Voters Not Politicians (VNP) gives an excellent overview of how this petition can easily be made law and what we can do to oppose the initiative.
The LWVNLM, along with other local Leagues, has been awarded a grant to educate the public on current voting rights. This is If you want to get involved in LWVNLM activities to preserve voting rights, contact Dibby Smith dibbys@aol.com or Robin Jordan robin.jordan.g@gmail.com
The language of the petition initiative is available at SOS - Board of State Canvassers (michigan.gov).
Stay Informed
The LWVMI, the state League, has revamped its website. Its highly recommend to visit starting with voting rights and advocacy. Some wonderfully committed members are working hard to keep us informed of the ever-changing landscape of voting rights!
Election Protection Hotline
Promote the Vote has officially launched a Michigan-based nonpartisan election protection hotline. The number is (855) I-VOTE-MI (855-486-8364). Hotline hours and staffing will be adjusted based on call volume, but voters can always leave a message, which will be returned promptly by hotline staff, supported by on-call attorneys.
Shareable Voting Information
Promote the Vote has released two videos dealing with voting. Information on these are on the website. The two are 1) Absentee voting and How to register to vote. Please share widely on your social media Thanks!!
National News
Fighting for Voting Rights
The LWVUS has been at the forefront of the fight to secure our voting rights by actively challenging restricting voting laws, ensuring compliance with laws like the Voting Rights Act (VRA) and the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), which have helped millions of Americans access their right to vote, forming partnerships with other Voting Rights groups across the country to oppose legislation that reduces access to the ballot.
Voting Rights groups including the LWVUS recently protested in front of the White House to end the filibuster to pass the Freedom to Vote Act which resulted in the arrests of 25 participants, including the LWVUS President Virginia Kase. This bill is THE legislation to ensure nationwide ballot access and fair elections, yet it continues to be held up by a Senate minority. Read more here.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
The August 2021 DEI webinar from LWV United States was on "Intersectionality". September's topic was "Revisiting Being Inclusive in Our Understanding of Holidays and Our Calendars". To watch these and other webinars in this series, go to LWV.org / League Management / type in "DEI webinars" or go directly here.
LWVNLM Member Appreciation
Getting to know members who have been active in League work this quarter!
Marcia Meyer
Marcia is co-chair of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee and the lead force behind the successful LWVNLM Solar Tour! Thanks, Marcia, for all of your work and dedication to the Environmental and Natural Resources Committee.
Getting to know me…
I grew up in a strict conservative home in south western Michigan, where school, church and family taught me that there was only one correct way to live. We tried to convert others because our way was right!
My college years were exploratory, showing me alternative lifestyles that seemed to work well for those I met. I learned that there are multiple ways to live an ethical life.
My career, teaching young children with special needs, brought me close to parents and families from many walks of life. Wealthy, poor; religious, secular; dysfunctional, harmonious. These families were very different, but shared commonalities. The parents all seemed to want a happy, safe, rewarding life for themselves and their children.
As a parent, and a grandparent, that’s what I want for my family and for everyone! There are a multitude of ways for this to occur. Diversity is an attribute of society that I now embrace- by seeking to understand others and accept their differing opinions, by respecting individuals and cultures who live in unfamiliar ways, by living with an open mind!
Society today makes this a tough challenge. I appreciate that the league of women voters takes on this challenge. Our bipartisan league supports listening to both sides, and having regular protocols and elections to bring forth the wishes of the majority. This is how democracy works.
Without democracy, those in power will decide for us, and that might feel like my childhood, where there was only one correct way to live.
I am also passionate in my concerns for the environment and many of my textile art pieces portray this. I feel that Art can, in a non-aggressive way, move people to think about issues.
Lisa Blanchard answers her own questionnaire—with lists!
Lisa has taken training and presented public forums on Voting Rights, participated in voter registration, curated a book list for our annual Book Read event, provided docent services during the Kindred Exhibit tour, and helped with Holiday Gathering party planning!
Why did you join the LWV? I care deeply about democracy, voter access & rights, voter education, and informed public policy. And I really like the other women in the group!
Where have you lived in your life?
Spruce & Hubbard Lake MI (growing up)
Albion MI (college)
Washington DC (Congressional intern, Rep. Phil Ruppe)
Pinetop, AZ (summer job)
Syracuse NY (Grad school, Maxwell MPA)
Kansas City, MO (worked for city manager of KC)
Rochester, MN (assistant to city manager)
Petoskey — 34 years!
Have you volunteered much? Why yes indeed, I have! I have served on/am serving on the following boards:
Petoskey- Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation
Women’s Resource Center Northern Michigan
Northern Community Mediation
Little Traverse Conservancy
Northern Chaplain Services
Resort Township Planning Commission
Emmet County Board of Commissioners, Planning Commission, Public Works, Parks & Recreation
Manna Project
Justice for Our Neighbors (a network providing free or low-cost, high-quality immigration legal services to immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers)
First Presbyterian Church, deacon and elder
Favorite books and authors? (I’m in two book groups and there are active LWV members in both!)
The Brothers K - Duncan
Shadow of the Wind - Zafon
A Gentleman in Moscow - Towles
Okay for Now, Schmidt
Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World, Armstrong (fascinated by Ernest Shackleton)
Barbara Kingsolver
Louise Erdrich
Rachel Held Evans
Gospels of Luke & John
Alphabet books (I have over 200)
Plant-based cookbooks
Favorite board and card games?
Wingspan
Ticket to Ride
Cribbage
I’m obnoxiously competitive when I play.
Family?
Married to Paul for 37 years. Two daughters, Katie and Ellen, born with the skilled assistance of midwife, Robin Jordan. Both live in Minneapolis.
My sister, Amy Gillard, is the Exec. Dir of the Harbor Springs Festival of the Book.
My brother, Peter Gillard, went to the MI School for the Blind with Stevie Wonder.
My amazing Mom, Lucille Gillard, is 95 and lives at Independence Village.
LWVNLM Calendar
November 18 - 5:15 -6:15 pm - Voting Rights Voting Bills & Petition Initiative Public Forum
November 16 - 2 pm -Environment and Natural Resources Committee Meeting
November 30 – 2 –3 pm - Voting Rights, Voting Bills & Petition Initiative Public Forum
December 8 – 5:30 pm - Holiday Zoom Gathering
January 12 – 5:30 - 6:45 pm Public Forum (TBA) and Member Meeting Zoom
January 13th – 4 -5 pm -Voter Services Committee Meeting
February 9 - 5:30 - 6:45 pm Public Forum (TBA) and Member Meeting Zoom
LWVNLM Board of Directors – through June 30, 2022
Officers:
Robin Jordan – President: 2021-2022
Susan VanDeventer - Vice President: 2021-2023
Paige (Penny) Crim – Secretary: 2021-2022
Jessica Shaw-Nolff – Treasurer: 2021-2023
Directors:
Susan Hannah: 2021-2023
Ethel Larsen: 2021 – 2023
Marcia Meyer: 2021-2023
Anne Scott: 2021-2022
Elizabeth (Dibby) Smith: 2021-2022
For more information:
Call LWVNLM President Robin Jordan at 231-881-4482
Follow LWVNLM on Facebook
Twitter @LWVnorthernlowerMI
Visit our website