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Apply for Margaret McGrath League Leadership Program

 

This past January, the League lost an active member and leader when Margaret McGrath died unexpectedly. In her memory, friends and family generously donated to a fund the Broward League established to develop future leaders, like Margaret, in our League. 


Self-nominations are very welcome! However, if you know someone who you feel should be a candidate, please reach out to them directly to encourage them to apply or contact Co-Presidents Margie Rohrbach or Monica Elliott with your suggested candidate(s).


Be assured that we are not starting this program from scratch. We are modeling our program on the very successful leadership program the Collier County League began about five years ago. 

Read who, what, where, why and how to apply to the leadership program here.  


 





Margaret McGrath, League member who died earlier in 2023 and after whom the leadership program is named.




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LWV Broward Education Fund contributes $500 to Women’s Suffrage National Monument

The LWV Broward Education Funding Board, the 501c3 branch of the League of Women Voters of Broward County, has recently approved a $500 donation to the Women’s Suffrage National Monument Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a monument in Washington D.C. to honor the suffragists who fought the 72-year fight for the right to vote, and pay tribute to the early pioneers for equality in America.

The donation proposal was presented to the Board by League Member Katy Syed. 
 

The LWV Broward Education Funding Board is proud to support this important initiative, which aligns with the League’s position as a foremost leader in civic education.

The monument will remind all who visit of the indomitable spirit of the suffragists, including our founder Carrie Chapman Catt. It underlines the importance of women's participation in our democracy. The monument construction, itself, is an effort "by the People," with no federal funds used for its construction.

Read more  including how you can strengthen our donation with your actions. 

 


Request your Vote By Mail now and tell everyone else to do it too

Vote-By-Mail request is going to be an on-going topic for the next year. Even if you have heard or read this already, please do so again! Please spread the word!

First, all vote-by-mail (VBM) requests made for the 2022 election are NO longer valid. Voters don’t seem to realize this yet, so it will be a shock when it is time for the presidential preference primary (March 19, 2024) when VBM ballot packets don’t show up in voters' mailboxes.

You and your friends, family, colleagues, exercise buddies, etc. should request your VBM ballots NOW! You can do this online at browardvotes.gov, our SOE's website.  


 
Helpful hints when you complete the VBM request online:
  • You will need your current Florida driver license or Florida identification number or the last four digits of your social security number.
  • You will need to provide an email address.
  • On the screen that asks for your address, note it is asking for the house or building number for your residence and NOT the street number. For example, if your address is 17034 SW 209th Court, input “17034” and not “209.”
  • You can request a Vote-By-Mail ballot for all three elections in 2024 or for a specific election.
  • If you will be living outside of Broward County temporarily for a specific election, you can request to have the ballot for just that election be sent to your temporary address. 
  • Take a screen shot with your computer or your phone of the last screen confirming you have been successful in requesting a VBM ballot.
  • Don’t want to do it online? Just call the Broward SOE office at (954) 357-7055.

Sign the Abortion Rights Petition


The coalition “Floridians Protecting Freedom” has launched a citizen-led ballot initiative campaign to give women the right to seek abortions up to viability. The goal is to insert an amendment into the Florida Constitution that explicitly blocks the implementation of laws that prohibit, delay, or restrict abortion access.  The League of Women Voters of Florida Board of Directors has voted to support this effort. 

What you can do:


The first step is to put an amendment question on the November 2024 ballot, which requires almost 900,000 valid petitions.


If you are registered to vote in Florida, please download, print, complete, and mail your own petition form: floridiansprotectingfreedom.com/petition/
 
Share this information with your friends, family, social networks, co-workers, and every Florida voter who cares about our rights. Be proactive! Don’t wait for someone to ask you to sign or collect your signed form. You can mail your completed form to the address shown on the petition. We don't have much time to collect 900,000 petitions, so act now!
 
Each petition will be scrutinized carefully before being counted.

Hints for completing the petition correctly: The form requests your LAST name first, then your first and middle name. Input all three names. You can input your voter registration number OR date of birth. When signing the form, use the signature you would use for voting -- whether in-person or voting by mail. If you don't know how you sign when voting, use the signature on your Florida driver license or Florida identification card. Include the date when you sign the form.


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Photo by Molly White via WikiMedia

Ballot Title: 
Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion

 
Ballot Summary: No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider. This amendment does not change the Legislature’s constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion.

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UPCOMING EVENTS
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NEWS FROM THE LEAGUE

Slideshow
Gun Safety in the Community Happy Hour


Monica Elliott, Co-President LWVBC and Voters Services Chair, LWVBC & LWVFL, presented a talk Sept. 13 on about the 
new election laws, which have been passed in each of the last three Florida legislative sessions. With each law, restrictions have been placed on 3rd Party Voter Registration Organizations such as the League of Women Voters of Florida. Watch the video.



Fearless Women: Feminist Patriots from Abigail Adams to Beyoncé

Next meeting: Friday, Oct. 13, 2023, 11 a.m.


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Fearless Women 
by Elizabeth Cobbs 
tells the story of women who dared to take destiny into their own hands. They were feminists and antifeminists, activists and homemakers, victims of abuse and pathbreaking professionals. Inspired by the nation’s ideals and fueled by an unshakeable sense of right and wrong, they wouldn’t take no for an answer. In time, they carried the country with them.


When America became a nation, a woman had no legal existence beyond her husband. If he abused her, she couldn’t leave without abandoning her children. Abigail Adams tried to change this, reminding her husband John to “remember the ladies” when he wrote the Constitution. He simply laughed—and women have been fighting for their rights ever since.


Register Now





Get a good deal on rooftop solar with new solar co-op forming

Learn about solar energy, and how the nonprofit co-op model simplifies the process of going solar on your home or small business. The co-op will take you through the technology, economics, financing, and more.

The League is a sponsor and supporter of the solar co-op and some Broward members have purchased solar panels through previous rounds of the coop.


Upcoming events:

Florida Solar 101
In-person
Southwest Regional Library
Nov. 8 at 6 p.m.

More information at the the co-op website:  SolarUnitedNeighbors.org/Broward





Raising awareness of suicide 


The League of Women Voters of Broward County was busy in September raising awareness of National Suicide Prevention Month.

The League requested and accepted proclamations from 30 cities plus Broward County recognizing the month. 

There were also two key events featuring panels of experts discussing  how to identify red flags for suicidal thoughts and depression as well as the community resources available. 


Here's a video of the program: 

Suicide Prevention Awareness webinar

Other important resources 

Contact Gloria Lewis for free gun locks:  gloria.lewis@va.gov