 |  | PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
From the Desk of Diane Tasian
Welcome to 2023!
It’s hard to believe 2022 is already in the rear-view mirror! Some of the big items coming up:
- January 1 is the first opportunity to apply for Ballot by Mail. Please see related article in this edition of the VOTER for more information.
- The Texas legislature begins on January 10 at Noon.
- January 19 is Confederate Hero’s Day in Texas. Write your state representative to insist this change.
- The Susan B Anthony Luncheon is on February 9.
- Early Voting for the May 6 election begins on April 24.
- The Annual Meeting for LWV Dallas will be held on May 20.
Are you a volunteer deputy registrar?
It’s time to renew your Certificate of Appointment. All VDR certifications end on December 31 of even numbered years. There are 3 ways to renew your certificate:
- Visit the Dallas County Elections Department website at www.dallascountyvotes.org. Go to Getting Involved and scroll down to Volunteer Deputy Registrar Material to find your study guides. Visit Dallas County Elections Department in person between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.; pass the test; and you will be given a new certificate.
- Sign up for a virtual or in-person class at www.dallascountyvotes.org. Or, March to the Polls (MTTP) is offering a training on Thursday January 19 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The training at MTTP includes certification in four north Texas counties. https://www.marchtothepolls.org/act/vdr/training
- If you are already a VDR in another county, visit Dallas County Elections Department; show them your current certificate; and they will give you the Dallas County information and certificate.
Advocacy
Local: Observer Corps: Thank you Ashley Washington for organizing the Know Your Government: Public Meetings in Texas that was held on December 6. The Texas Open Meetings Act information is fundamental for our Observer Corps volunteers. Thank you, Joe Larsen – your meeting style of answering questions as they popped up during the meeting was so completely aligned with your mission. We hope you will join us again once we get our teams underway.
Observer Corps is under way and we need volunteers! To begin, we will be attending Dallas City Council briefings and Dallas County Commissioners Court. Click here for more information on the Observer Corps. You can also sign up to volunteer here: Volunteering State: LWV TX Take Action alerts will start coming out once the legislature gets underway. Many bills have already been pre-submitted and it promises to be another really busy session.
State: Redistricting: Stephanie Swanson, LWVTX Voting & Elections Chair, held a Zoom meeting to gather the advocates on December 16. She believes that the legislature will revisit the maps during this session. They will have election information in late January. If you provided any testimony in the last two years, please dust off your documents because we may be called to speak again. Communities of interest that were defined in the last round will still be relevant.
Local: DEI: The Diversity Equity and Inclusion interest group will be activated this month. The Board will receive training this month and a Task Force is being formed. Thank you to Denita Jones, our Director of DEI for leading this work!
State and national DEI: National DEI efforts have been in high gear for at least 6 years. The national Bylaws were updated to give the DEI policy equal footing with our nonpartisan policy and in 2021 the state and local bylaws were updated to agree. You can see the current Bylaws in Handbook 2022-2023 on page 13 and the updated policy on page 3.
Member document resources:
- Annual Meeting Workbook: In the April VOTER we email the business material for the Annual Meeting to all members per our Bylaws which requires us to send that material at least 21 days before the meeting. Those who are on the Mail Only list receive a printed copy. (If the Annual Meeting business information isn’t available on the regular VOTER schedule, we send a special emailing/mailing.) The Annual Meeting Workbook contains all of the business material, committee annual reports, information on the Annual Meeting award recipients, and State of the League reports.
During COVID we were mailing the printed Annual Meeting Workbook to everyone because the meeting was on Zoom. I believe that this year we only printed it for the Board and for those attending the Annual Meeting in person which I understand is the historical practice.
If you are a member, you can download the Annual Meeting Workbook from the website. Sign in and click on Document Library for access.
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Handbook: Thank you, Cecilia McKay, for editing the Handbook 2022-2023! Members can see the Handbook 2022-2023 on the website for easy download. You will need to log in to see it. The Handbook contains all business adopted at the Annual Meeting, our Mission, Vision, Bylaws, Policies, some history, Standing Committees, and Program Principles and local, state and national Positions. The Principles and Positions are our foundation for advocacy.
If you have never logged in or have forgotten how, please go to the website, www.lwvdallas.org to About Us > ClubExpress/Website Instruct. The first document LWVD Website Login Help is visible to everyone and is there for download. If, for any reason, you can’t download documents, please call or email the office for assistance.
Volunteers:
You are the action that makes our mission real! Shannon FitzGerald has done a masterful job of getting the VDR and Get Out the Vote opportunities on to the Volunteer page. We are working to add opportunities for other aspects of the League. Please watch the Friday Updates for new opportunities.
Recent coalition projects:
- The Apartment Voter Engagement Project was a partnership between March to the Polls, VoterZine and LWVD. Please see related article in this issue of the VOTER.
- If you missed the LWV Tarrant County program, Impact of Charter Schools and Vouchers on Texas’ Independent School Districts, on December 1, featuring Patti Everett, the recording will be available soon. Please watch for mention in the Friday Update.
In League,
Diane Tasian,
President
| Do you vote by mail? It is time to submit your Application for Ballot By Mail.
Did you know that one of the 2021 Texas legislature rule changes was to prohibit your Elections Department from sending you an application UNLESS YOU REQUEST IT? This change means that the county will not be sending out applications to folks who had been using Ballot by Mail before – a service many counties had been providing. Saying it again: an application from Elections Department will no longer just show up in your mailbox. You must ask!
Anyone else can send you an application though, so don’t be surprised if you get one from a political party (or two) or an organization promoting Ballot by Mail.
Applications need to be made every year. The earliest you can apply is January 1.
Where do you find an application?
- Simply use your favorite search engine to find Texas Application for Ballot by Mail.
- LWV Texas - https://lwvtexas.org/votebymail
- Dallas County Elections - www.dallascountyvotes.org Ballot by Mail
- We have also attached the LWVTX form here for your convenience. The Center for Civic Design worked with the Texas Secretary of State to improve this form
Do you need any assistance?
- On the Application for Ballot by Mail your assistant or witness must fill out Section 7. Assistant or Witness.
- LWV Dallas, or any other local League chapter, has volunteers whose mission is to answer your questions!
LWVD recommendations (based on common reasons the applications are rejected):
- Take care to ensure your printing on the form is legible.
- Give them lots of contact information - Your email, your phone number, and BOTH your identification number AND the last 4 of your social. If they have questions, they will be able contact you for more information.
- Check off which Ballots you want – see the section about this for students below. There are also great videos at LWVTX with information. https://lwvtexas.org/votebymail
- Sign the application.
- Mail the application to the Early Voting Clerk in the county of your home address. For Dallas County that is
Early Voting Clerk
Dallas County Elections Department
1520 Round Table Drive
Dallas, TX 75247
Are you a student living away from your home county? During the Midterms we heard from several students who never received their ballot. You have two options. (1) get registered where you are attending school OR (2) apply for Ballot by Mail. In addition to the info above:
- Simply use your favorite search engine to find Texas Application for Ballot by Mail. You will need to print it out, complete it, and sign it before mailing.
- Be sure you enter your college address in Section 2 on the application form. If you ask them to mail it to your home address (thinking your folks will forward it to you) your application will be rejected.
- Please examine Section 4 carefully – you are only eligible for options in the right column (crop shown below). Only the upper section on the right has options for you for 2023. There will be two Uniform elections - on May 6, 2023 and on November 7, 2023. Currently we are not aware of any Special Elections for 2023. We also advise checking off the box for “Any Resulting Runoff”.
|  | Do your paperwork early, send in your ballot early. The U.S. Postal Service isn’t as speedy as it used to be.
There is a link in the middle of their Homepage. This is a recent feature you can use to check where your Ballot is in the process. The tracker is activated when a ballot is mailed to you. Usually, the Ballot by Mail is mailed about a week before Early Voting begins. Early voting for the May election begins on April 24 and for the November election on October 23.
Get acquainted with where your nearest post office is. They have stamps for sale. They will be happy to receive your application, and later your ballot.
Should you find that you have not received a Ballot by Mail, or you received one, and are at home on Election Day, you can still vote in person. (During COVID precautions one could surrender a Ballot by Mail during Early Voting, but that is no longer an option.) Take your Ballot by Mail with you to the Vote Center and surrender it. It only takes a few minutes for them to process the surrendered ballot and get you added to the in-person e-poll book. If you didn’t receive your Ballot by Mail or lost it, the poll workers at the Vote Center will help you vote a provisional ballot.
In League,
Diane Tasian, Shannon FitzGerald
| Apartment Voter Engagement Project 2022
LWVD and March to the Polls helped Valerie Walraven of VoterZine expand a project she started in 2020. Basically, folders with voter information (in English and Spanish) and voter registration cards (in English and Spanish) were assembled and distributed to apartment complexes throughout Dallas County.
|  |
The materials were designed to be displayed in visible areas and shared with all residents when possible. Apartment staff were also invited to host in-person voter registration events on their property. The teams of volunteers exceeded the original goal to deliver to 500 complexes by visiting at least 600 properties and placing materials in about 400. Some businesses also accepted materials for display, especially in Deep Ellum and Uptown. Some groups also requested materials for National Night Out gatherings.
March to the Polls provided funding. LWVD got the voter registration cards from the Texas Secretary of State, recruited the volunteers for delivery, and manned voter education events in several apartment complexes. VoterZine designed, printed, assembled and bundled the folders, created the delivery routes and managed the project.
Thank you to all the volunteers who answered the call! We are planning to do this again in the Spring. Watch the Friday Updates for volunteer opportunities.
By Valerie Walraven and Diane Tasian |
WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS!
Monique Black
Jane Corley
Dan Donovan
Elizabeth Ginsberg
Nancy Latner
Yvonne Odimgbe
Jennifer Queen
********************************************************************
| Membership Directory and
Elected Official District Information in Your Profile!
Did you know there is a membership directory on our website?
Only LWV Dallas members can access the directory. It is not available to the public. Once you login, you can access the directory.
You may search for a member or search for all members. The information displayed is the information each individual member has chosen to make visible.
In setting up your contact information, please make visible as much of as you are comfortable sharing, so that our fellow League members can connect with you.
You can find instructions on the same page for changing the visibility of your own information and for correcting/adding to the information in your profile.
ALSO, we have added an exciting capability to our member profile. We can now capture your elected official district information to support our advocacy work. When we meet with City Council members we can talk about how many members live in their district. And when a local issue is hot, we can contact members in districts to Take Action!
Please go to your members webpage to see the instructions on how to add your district information. Please fill in this information by February 14th. Our "Your Elected Officials" has the name of your elected official and additional information.
The work of the League has never been more important, and we are stronger as a community than we are individually.
Thank you for completing this information and helping us to advocate more effectively!
Please contact Robin Lederer if you have any questions on updating your member profile, president-elect@lwvdallas.org.
| SUSAN B. ANTHONY LUNCHEON
What can I do to help with a Silent Auction?
Each year a wonderful Silent Auction is held in conjunction
with the Susan B. Anthony Luncheon in February.
We need items to sell:
Donated gift cards from restaurants
Theme baskets (wine, stationery, cheese, chocolate)
Theatre and Symphony tickets
Sports tickets (Mavs, Rangers, Cowboys, other)
Art and Antiques
Jewelry
Recently repurposed gifts
Children’s items
A hosted Luncheon or Dinner
Donated services of your own skill
Surprise us
And we need Volunteers for the event. Sign up to join the fun.
Please use the attached donation form and make extra copies as needed. We are sharing photos of auction items for the luncheon!
Thank you.
Feel free to contact Becky Brakke, bbindal@aol.com or 214-354-6638
Or Sandy Thornton, tubbsl@swbell.net or 214-356-7034
Or League Office, 214-688-4125 or lwvdallas@sbcglobal.net | 26th Annual Susan B. Anthony Award Luncheon, February 9, 2023
Silent Auction Donation Form
Company or Individual: __________________________________________________
Please print name exactly as it should appear in the auction.
Contact Name & Title: ___________________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Telephone: ____________________________________________________________
Email or Fax: __________________________________________________________
Auction Item(s) or Service(s):
Estimated Value(s):
____ Donation Enclosed
____ Donation to Be Delivered ____ or Picked Up ____: ________________________
(Date and location)
Contact’s Signature: ________________________________________
Date: ________________________________________
Please complete & forward copy and arrange delivery or pick up with Becky, Sandy or the League office anytime but no later than Friday, January 27, 2023. No items will be accepted the date of the event.:
Becky Brakke Sandy Thornton LWV Dallas
7027 Eudora 6910 Santa Maria Lane 6060 N Central Exp., Suite 500
Dallas, TX 75230 Dallas, TX 75214 Dallas, TX 75206
(214) 354-6638 (214) 827-1988 (214) 688-4125
bbindal@aol.com tubbsl@swbell.net lwvdallas@sbcglobal.net
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LWVD Calendar ‐ 2023 January through March
Note: Please refer to the LWVD website, www.lwvdallas.org/Events/Event Calendar for the most up‐to‐date information.
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Monday‐Friday,8a.m.to2:00p.m..Office contact information:
Officephysicallocation:
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LWVDOfficehours.(Theofficeisclosedonnationalholidays.)
6060NCentralExpwy,Ste500
Dallas,TX75206
214 688‐4125,info@lwvdallas.org
Ifyouarevisitingtheoffice,pleasegotoReceptionon5thFloor.
The receptionistwill direct you to our office which is on the 2nd Floor.
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PleasewatchthewebsiteEventCalendarandFridayUpdatesforcurrentinformation.
Tocalculatewhichweekofthemonth‐if the month starts with a day in theweek that is the first week.Example:October1isonaSaturdaysothatisWeek1.
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AdvocacyInterestgroups:
DallasISDEducation‐First,Third,FourthTuesdayat5:00p.m.Diversity,EquityandInclusion‐ThirdMonday,at6:00p.m.
Housing‐FourthWednesdayat 6:00 p.m.
Charter Review ‐ Second Wednesday,6:00 p.m.Meetings will begin in January.VoterServiceandVoterRights‐FourthTuesdayat6:00p.m.
MembershipConnections‐membersmeetingnewmembersevery other month, third Wednesday, at 7:00p.m.
NeighborhoodUnitmeetings‐membersdiscussissues
onTuesdayandThursdayofthethirdweekofthemonth,11:30a.m.to1p.m.andonWednesday of the third week, 5:30 to 7 p.m.
MeetingsoccurfromSeptemberthroughMay.
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FOROBSERVERS:
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DISDBoardofTrusteesmeetonceamonthonthefourthThursday.
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DallasCityCouncilbriefingsareonthefirstandthirdWednesday.
DallasCity Council meets on the second and fourth Wednesday.
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DallasCountyCommissionersCourtmeetsonthefirstandthirdTuesday.
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DATE
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DAY/TIME
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EVENT/LOCATION
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JANUARY2023
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Povertyin AmericaAwarenessMonth
FinanceCommittee.BeginAnnualMeetingcommittees
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1
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Saturday
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FIRSTDAYTOAPPLYFORBALLOTBYMAILfortheyear.ChangeinlawrequiresvotertorequestBallotbyMailapplication.Theelectionsdepartmentmaynolongersendout
applicationswithoutarequest.
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2
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MondayOFFICECLOSED
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NewYear'sDayObserved
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4
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Wednesday
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Board reportsdue.PleaseposttoDocumentLibraryBoardfolder.
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7
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Saturday,10:00‐Noon
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LWVDBoardMeeting(Leaguememberswelcome).Hybridmeeting.
Please gotoEventCalendaratwww.lwvdallas.orgtosignup.
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9
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Monday
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CarrieChapman Cattbirthday. BornJan. 9,1859, diedMar. 9,1947.
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10
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Tuesday
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88thTexasLegislature(Regular)convenesatNoon.ItendsMay29,2023.
WatchforLWVTXLegislativeActionAlerts.
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15
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Sunday
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NoVOTERarticledeadlinethismonth‐TheVOTERskipsFebruary
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16
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MondayOFFICECLOSED
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MartinLutherKingJr.Day
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17
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Tuesday11:30a.m.to1p.m.
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UnitMeeting‐CentralTopic:GunViolence
Location:(theoffice)6060NCentralExpwy,Ste500,LargeConferenceRoom.
PleaseconsultthewebsiteEventCalendarforthemostup‐to‐dateinformation.
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18
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Wednesday, 5:30to7p.m.
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UnitMeeting‐EastDallasTopic: Gun Violence
Location:TheChaneyhome,5907SwissAvenue,Dallas,TX75214.
PleaseconsultthewebsiteEventCalendarforthemostup‐to‐dateinformation.
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19
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Thursday
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ConfederateHeroes'Day,Texasstateholiday
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19
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Thursday11:30a.m.to 1p.m.
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UnitMeeting‐FarNorthDallasTopic: Gun Violence
Location:CoffeeHouseCafé,6150FrankfordRoad,Dallas,TX75252.
PleaseconsultthewebsiteEventCalendarforthemostup‐to‐dateinformation.
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21
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Saturday,10to11:30a.m.
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MembershipConnectionsmeetingattheoffice.
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22
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Sunday
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Roev.WadeSupremeCourtdecisionJanuary22,1973.OverturnedbyDobbsv.Jackson
Women'sHealth decision onJune 24, 2022.
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25
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Wednesday
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MaudWoodParkbirthday,bornJan.25,1871,diedMay8,1955
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DATE
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DAY/TIME
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EVENT/LOCATION
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FEBRUARY2023
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Black History Month
NOUnitmeetings.NoMembershipConnectionsmeetings.
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TBD
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LWVTXLobbyDays
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Allmonthlong
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WatchforLWVTXLegislativeActionAlerts.
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4
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Saturday
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RosaParksDay(inCalifornia,MissouriandNewYork)
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4
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Saturday,10:00‐Noon
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NOLWVDBoardMeetingTHISMONTH.
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6(Estimate)
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Monday
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Vote411/VoterGuide:Candidatesreceivelinktoquestionsfor
May6UniformElection
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7and9
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There willbeNOUnitmeetingsthismonth.Please joinus attheSusanBAnthony
Luncheon.
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9
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Thursday,11:30a.m.
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26thSUSANBANTHONYLUNCHEON
LakewoodCountryClub,6430GastonAve.,Dallas
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11
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Saturday
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InternationalDayofWomenandGirlsinScience
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February14,1920
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Tuesday
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LeagueofWomenVotersUSanniversaryoffounding.
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February15,1820
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Wednesday
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SusanB.Anthony'sbirthday.ShediedMar.13,1906
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15
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Wednesday
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MarchVOTERarticlesdue
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17
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Friday
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LastdaycandidatesmayfileforplaceonballotforMay6UniformElection
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20
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MondayOFFICECLOSED
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Presidents'Day
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27
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Monday
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VOTE411volunteersbeginverifyingcandidatecontactinformation.
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DATE
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DAY/TIME
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EVENT/LOCATION
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MARCH2023
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EthicsAwarenessMonth
Women'sHistoryMonth,TexasHistoryMonth
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Allmonthlong
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WatchforLWVTXLegislativeActionAlerts.
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1
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Wednesday
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MarchVOTERemailedandmailed
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2
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Wednesday
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Board reportsdue.PleaseposttoDocumentLibraryBoardfolder.
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4
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Saturday,10:00‐Noon
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LWVDBoardMeeting(Leaguememberswelcome).Hybridmeeting.
Please gotoEventCalendaratwww.lwvdallas.orgtosignup.
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6(Estimate)
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Monday
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Vote411/VoterGuide:CandidatesreceivelinktoquestionsfortheMay6UniformElection
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7
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Tuesday
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Holi‐FestivalofthebeginningofSpring(Hinducelebration)
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8
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Wednesday
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InternationalWomen'sDay‐Theme:TBD
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10
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Friday
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88th TexasLegislature ‐60thDay ‐deadline forbillfiling
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12
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Sunday
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DaylightSavingTimestarts
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14
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Tuesday11:30a.m.to1p.m.
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Unit Meeting‐ CentralTopic: Dallas Food Deserts
Location:(theoffice)6060NCentralExpwy,Ste500,LargeConferenceRoom.PleaseconsultthewebsiteEventCalendarforthemostup‐to‐dateinformation.
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15
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Wednesday, 5:30to7p.m.
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UnitMeeting‐EastDallasTopic: Dallas Food Deserts
Location:TheChaneyhome,5907SwissAvenue,Dallas,TX75214.
PleaseconsultthewebsiteEventCalendarforthemostup‐to‐dateinformation.
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15
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Wednesday
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AprilVOTERarticlesdue
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16
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Thursday11:30a.m.to 1p.m.
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UnitMeeting‐FarNorthDallasTopic:DallasFoodDeserts
Location:CoffeeHouseCafé,6150FrankfordRoad,Dallas,TX75252.
PleaseconsultthewebsiteEventCalendarforthemostup‐to‐dateinformation.
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18
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Saturday,10to11:30a.m.
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MembershipConnectionsmeetingattheoffice.
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20
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Monday
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MarchEquinox
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Mar.22toApr.21
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Ramadan(Muslimholiday)
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29
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Wednesday
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Board reportsdue.PleaseposttoDocumentLibraryBoardfolder.
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31
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Friday
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CaesarChavesandDoloresHuertaDay
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| THE BOARD
|
President
Diane Tasian
President-Elect
Robin Lederer
Advocacy VP
Ashley Washington
Membership VP
Paige Elphingstone
Organization VP
Sandy Thornton
Voter Services VP
Barbara Larkin
Programs VP
Patricia Muñoz
Secretary
Norma Arratia
Treasurer
Madge Cruse
SBAL Co-chair Appointed2022-2023
Annette Anderson
SBAL Co-chair Appointed2022-2023
Cathy Estrada
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Directors
Silent Auction, SBA Luncheon
Becky Brakke
At Large
Sally Branch
VOTER Editor
Open Posiiton
Voter Registration
Shannon FitzGerald
At Large
Zena Jackson
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Denita Jones
Candidate Forums
Chelsea Keller
Communications
Jessica Rivera-Lucas
Unit Coordinator
Eileen Rosenblum
Communications Specialist
Samantha Lucas
Operations Specialist
Open Staff Position
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LWVD Office
6060 N Central Expwy, Suite 500
Dallas, TX 75206
Phone: (214) 688-4125
Email: info@lwvdallas.org
www.lwvdallas.org
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