Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy. | | The Voter
The official newsletter of the
League of Women Voters of Piedmont.
Vol. 34, Issue 21 | March 15, 2022
| | | Defending Democracy Speaker Series | International Perspective
March 30th @ 4pm PT
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Can American Democracy Survive? An International Perspective.
Please join the League of Women Voters of Piedmont on Wednesday, March 30th, 2022, at 4pm for a fireside chat with Dr. Fiona Hill. She will speak about the current state of American democracy, from both domestic and international points of view.
| | | Since 2016, foreign meddling in US elections has become a cause for concern. If we cannot trust our own institutions, what does that mean for our democracy? What is likely to happen in Ukraine? Is the crisis likely to spill over into other neighboring countries? Learn what the current situation means for the international security order we have known since the end of the Cold War and what the implications are for our own democracy.
The talk will be held live on Zoom and YouTube and will include an audience question and answer session. This event is free and open to the public.
When: Wednesday, March 30, 2022 at 4pm PT (5pm MT | 6pm CT | 7pm ET)
Where: Online via Zoom and YouTube (register for free to receive the Zoom link)
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 2022
DEFENDING
DEMOCRACY
SERIES
See below for additional events in this virtual speaker series covering a range of topics related to elections, voters, and the health of our democracy. This series is cosponsored by the following Leagues: Collier County, Florida; Gunnison Valley, Colorado; Oakland, California; The Pikes Peak Region, Colorado; Portland, Oregon; Pueblo, Colorado; Santa Barbara, California; and Solano County, California.
| Upcoming “Defending Democracy Series” Events:
Rick Hasen | Co-Director, UCI Law Fair Elections and Free Speech Center | Apr. 5th | Election Subversion + Disinformation
Fonda Karelitz & Shannon Edwards | Central Valley Matters | Apr. 27th | GOTV in Central Valley, CA
| When Jim Crow Got Kicked Out of Hospitals
Thursday, March 24th at 6:30pm PT
| | Join the League of Women Voters of Berkeley Albany Emeryville for a virtual screening of “Power to Heal“, a film documenting the story of how civil rights and healthcare activists won the fight to desegregate hospitals. The film lasts 56 min and will be followed by a panel discussion with viewer participation.
“Power to Heal shows both the destructive legacy of racism in American health care and the potential for collective action to redress these wrongs. We should be inspired by Medicare’s role in desegregating our nation’s hospitals and should insist on further reform – like improved Medicare for all – to address the systemic racism that plagues patients of color to this day.” --Dr. Claudia Fegan, National Coordinator, Physicians for a National Health Program
| | | Pathways to Fair and Inclusive Elections
Monday, March 21st at 11:30am PT
| | Join the League of Women Voters of Marin County and the League of Women Voters of Sonoma County on Monday, March 21st at 11:30am for Pathways to Fair and Inclusive Elections: Ranked Choice Voting, Proportional Representation, and the Fair Representation Act.
Partisan gerrymandering and uncompetitive elections undermine representative government and democratic principles. Join speakers Paula Lee and David Daley to learn about solutions that give voters a stronger voice!
| | | Upcoming Community Events
| Artists 4 ERA: Art Show and Benefit for Gender Equality
Saturday, March 19th, 5-9pm | | Twenty-five artists will showcase their work at Oakstop’s Broadway Gallery in an effort to raise awareness of the collective effort to add gender equality to the U.S. Constitution with the Equal Rights Amendment. The art created for the project will financially support VoteEquality’s work to ensure gender equality is part of our Constitution through online and live releases of limited edition, signed ERA art prints. Prints will be available for purchase at the event.
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Thursday, March 30th @ 6:30pm | | Learn why YOUR VOTE MATTERS in the June 7th election for Alameda County Sheriff and District Attorney. Conditions in the Santa Rita Jail have led to unnecessary deaths, and suicides and to higher lawsuit payout than any other jail in the Bay Area. "The system continues to fail Black and brown people, poor people, and those with mental illness." --Brendon Woods, Head Public Defender.
| | | Welcome to Piedmont
Real Estate Practices in Support of an Inclusive Community
Thursday, April 7th @ 6pm | | Presented by the City of Piedmont and co-sponsored by LWVP, PADC and PREC, community members and real estate professionals are invited to participate in this online community conversation. Come brainstorm ideas for how the residents of Piedmont and the real estate community can develop best practices that affirm Piedmont’s commitment to be a more welcoming and inclusive community.
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Dean Erwin Chemerinsky speaks on election law in the Supreme Court.
| | Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of Berkeley Law, spoke about the state of election law and the Supreme Court including partisan gerrymandering, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Supreme Court justices & reform, and what we can do protect our democracy. Learn more about the presentation on our website and watch the recording of the event on our YouTube channel. Please share with friends and family who may also be interested in learning about these election reforms.
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Solving for Housing: Resources from League Day 2022
| | As wildfires worsen, temperatures peak and air quality decreases, Bay Area communities are already experiencing the impacts of climate change. These challenges directly impact the caliber and number of houses available and to be built. This year’s LWV Bay Area annual educational day focused on how we build more housing that is affordable while protecting critical natural and working lands. Learn more, watch the recording and access additional resource links on the Bay Area League website.
| | | | Humanitarian Aid to Ukraine
As members and friends of the League of Women Voters of Piedmont, we know you are paying attention to what is happening in the world. Visit the USAID Center for International Disaster Information to learn about and donate to reputable relief organizations that are responding in Ukraine and can make the most difference and save the most lives.
| | | | Take Action: Questions for County Candidates
Alameda County residents, as we approach the June 7, 2022 Primary Election, we need your help!
Please answer our survey to rank topics that are important to you and suggest questions for the following countywide offices: Sheriff, District Attorney, and County Superintendent of Schools. Your responses to this survey will be used in drafting questions for Voter’s Edge and in candidate forums hosted by the League of Women Voters.
Please submit your responses by March 21, 2022.
| | | LWVP Board Meeting
Wednesday, April 6th at 7pm
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Our next Board meeting is Wednesday, April 6, 2022 at 7pm. Our board meetings are open to all League members. If you would like to learn more about the League or are interested in becoming more involved, we'd love for you to join us. Register on our website for the Zoom link.
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LWVP Essay Contest
Deadline: April 15th
| | The League of Women Voters of Piedmont is proud to be sponsoring its third annual essay contest open to all high school juniors and seniors who are either 1) currently enrolled in Piedmont High School or Millennium High School or 2) residents of Piedmont, California.
Essays should answer the questions, “Should monetary political contributions be treated as ‘speech’ that deserves First Amendment protection? What actions should the League of Women Voters take with respect to this issue?” There is a $500 prize for the winning essay.
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Cheap Speech by Rick Hasen
April 19th at 4pm
| Join us on April 19th, at 4pm for the LWVP book club meeting. We will be discussing "Cheap Speech" by Richard L. Hasen.
"With piercing insight into the current debates over free speech, censorship, and Big Tech’s responsibilities, Richard L. Hasen proposes legal and social measures to restore Americans’ access to reliable information on which democracy depends. In an era when quack COVID treatments and bizarre QAnon theories have entered mainstream, this book explains how to assure both freedom of ideas and a commitment to truth."
The book club discussion is open to the public - you don't have to be a League member. We hope you'll join us!
| | | Weekly Office Hours
"League" Thursdays @ 10am or 5pm
| | Interested in learning more about the League? Join us for virtual coffee or cocktails. Find out about what we've been doing and what we have planned for the future. Discover opportunities to become more involved. Share ideas for events, activities or projects.
Coffee hours: 10am on the first and third Thursdays
Cocktail hours: 5pm on the second and fourth Thursdays
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We're social. Connect with us!
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