• For an overview of LWVAL projects, goals and accomplishments, also see past issues of The Voter, LWVGB's newsletter.
• See the LWVAL home page for the most recent news.
  

VOTE in an Alabama Primary on Tuesday, May 24. Polls open 7AM - 7PM. Take valid photo ID. Election day problems? Report an election problem by calling:
1-866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683)
1-888-VE-Y-VOTA (en Español)
1-888-API-VOTE (Asian multilingual assistance)
1-844-YALLA-US (Arabic)
Get election and candidate information at vote411.org
#yourvotematters #alpolitics #vote411 @LWV @LWVEdFund @LWVAL VOTE411

The time has come! Make a plan to VOTE in the Alabama Party Primary Election of your choice this Tues., May 24! Check your polling place. (It may have changed.) Learn about the races. Compare the candidates. Read up on the one amendment question. Print out a sample ballot. Schedule the time and plan your trip to the polls. Why not bring a friend? Get online, get the facts, and make a plan to speak out at the polls! Get it done at VOTE411.ORG. #vote411 #alpolitics #election2022 #LWV #LWVAL #ElectionDay #YourVoteMatters

We dare defend your voting rights!

The League of Women Voters of Alabama will always stand up to make voting free, easy, safe, and secure. Sometimes that means filing suit, joining as amicus curiae (friend of the court), or otherwise supporting voting rights litigation. With your help the League will be ready and able to take those actions. We dare defend your voting rights and your donation to the LWVAL Legal Fund makes that possible. Thank you for your support!

#LWVALegalFund #LWVAL #LWV #votingrights #election2022

In this next LWVAL Environmental Education Series program, two expert environmentalists will discuss the climate crisis in Alabama and possible renewable energy solutions. Scot Duncan will review the causes of climate change, the current and future impacts on the Southeast, and what our goals should be in response. Daniel Tait will discuss the importance of utilizing clean energy here in Alabama, addressing the urgency related to climate change along with other challenges such as energy affordability and economic growth. By describing the economic and environmental risks of a continued reliance on fossil fuels in the power and transportation sectors, especially considering the context of Ukraine and COVID, Daniel will stress the great need of a swift transition to a renewable energy economy.

About Scot Duncan
Dr. R. Scot Duncan holds a BS in Biology from Eckerd College, and a MS and PhD in Zoology from the University of Florida. He has researched and explored in Antarctica, New Zealand, East Africa, Central and South America, the Pacific Northwest, and ecosystems across the southeastern US. For ten years he studied tropical forest restoration in Uganda and Latin America, but now focuses his efforts on endangered species and ecosystems of the Southeast. Scot is an expert on bird identification and ecology, and has observed over 610 species in the United States, and over 1200 species worldwide. He is the author or coauthor of many peer-reviewed science journal articles and technical reports.

Scot is also the author of Southern Wonder: Alabama’s Surprising Biodiversity, with foreword written by Dr. Edward O. Wilson. He is frequently interviewed by the press on issues of species and ecosystem conservation and climate change. He has served on the board of the Cahaba River Society (2006-2012), and now serves on the board of the Alabama Chapter of The Nature Conservancy.

Scot is a Professor of Biology at Birmingham-Southern College (BSC) and former chair of the Biology Department and was the chief architect of two majors at BSC: Urban Environmental Studies and Health Sciences. He also helped establish BSC’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, and has served on the committee for three years, including one year as co-chair.

About Daniel Tait
Daniel Tait is the Executive Director of Energy Alabama, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization advancing Alabama’s transition to sustainable energy through education and advocacy. Mr. Tait was named the 2015 International Young Energy Professional of the Year by the Association of Energy Engineers and is a Certified Energy Manager.Daniel graduated from the University of Alabama in Huntsville with a degree in International Trade and Foreign Language. He lives in Huntsville with his wife and two children.

#EarthDay2022 #climatechange #renewableenergy #alpolitics #LWVAL #LWV

Ahead of the party primary elections, the League of Women Voters of Alabama offers the nonpartisan election resource VOTE411.org. This “one-stop shop” for election information provides Alabama voters with simple, accessible tools to help them navigate the voting process. VOTE411 provides personalized candidate information, voter registration details, polling place locations, and other helpful election information for all voters nationwide.

Read the media advisory, released May 2, 2022.

#2022Election #Election2022 #vote #alpolitics #VOTEAlabama #LWVAL #LWV @LWV @LWVEdFund

Join us online Thursday, April 21 at 6:00 PM CDT to hear from the tri-chairs of the Alabama Poor People's Campaign, Rev. Carolyn Foster, Rev. Tonny Algood, and Ms. Wanda Bryant, as we discuss plans for the "PPC's Moral March on Washington and To the Polls" in Washington, DC on June 18, 2022.

The Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival has been addressing the interlocking injustices of systemic poverty, systemic racism, ecological devastation, the war economy and the moral narrative of religious nationalism. Alabama is one of the 40 states which has been part of this campaign since its inception.

Please join us for what will be a stimulating discussion.
Register at https://bit.ly/3iklw16
This program is free and open to the public.

#alpolitics #PPC #AlabamaPPC #PoorPeoplesCampaign #MoralMarch #ToThePolls #LWVAL #LWV #GOTV

Birds…. They remind us of the possibility of flight, of the delight of splashing in a puddle of water and they serenade us with songs. Many live in Alabama year round, while others make the long journey from South America to raise their young in the fertile Alabama wilds (or our backyards). Still others pass through as they head deep into the Arctic Circle to take advantage of the nearly 24 hour daylight. We’ll talk about some of the more common birds found in Alabama, some of those remarkably rare ones. There will be some tips on places to watch birds and things to pay attention to. And, given that birds genuinely are the “canary in the coal mine” of climate change, we’ll talk about the disturbing studies that show how we will see dramatic changes to some of our most beloved yard birds as the earth continues to heat up. Don’t worry, this isn’t a doom and gloom situation. There’s hope—and there will be lots of beautiful birds to see as well. 

About Joe Watts
Growing up in rural Southwest Alabama, Joe’s interest in the outdoors started early, with his mother carrying him into the deep woods long before he could walk. He has been active in the conservation community since joining the Sierra Club in the 1994. He helped craft the legislation that created Alabama’s scenic byways program in 1999 and remains committed to promoting Alabama’s natural environment, working on many statewide tourism programs, strengthening the connection between tourism, conservation, and economic development. He helped to create the system of 280 locations across Alabama collectively known as the Alabama Birding Trails, developing interpretive signage, a website and continually discussing birds as a source of joy AND positive economic impact to the communities that embrace them. Prior to venturing into the world of tourism and conservation, he worked as an editor at Southern Progress Corporation, developing recipes and writing articles about bird-watching and nature photography.

Joe has an active volunteer life as well. He was elected as President Elect to the board of Alabama Audubon in 2015, served as president for 3 years, as Vice President of Programs for two years, and continues to serve as an at-large board member and part of the executive committee. He was elected to the National Audubon Society Board of Directors in 2019 and currently serves as the chair of the Regional Directors, a subset of the National Board. He also serves as a board member and advisor for Birdability, a newly created nationwide nonprofit founded by Virginia Rose aimed at making birding accessible to every BODY.

• "League of Women Voters says Alabama bill would suppress voter outreach efforts" - al.com
• "Voting rights groups speak out against 'Zuckerbucks' bill" - Alabama Political Reporter
• "Alabama elections bill faces pushback from voting rights advocates" - WSFA 12 News / WTVY Channel 4 (Montgomery)
• "Rep. Allen says bill protects election integrity, others express concern" - WAFF Channel 48 (Huntsville)

*****

• Wednesday, March 9, 2022. Please be assembled ready to march at 8:30 AM
  
• Wright Chapel AME Zion Church, Lowndesboro, AL at mile marker 111 on US Highway 80, west of Montgomery

BREAKING NEWS
We have just learned that everyone participating in the march on Wednesday, March 9, is required to fill out this form.

They are also requiring that everyone provides a negative test done within 72 hours from March 9, even with full vaccination. This is the same requirement for the Sunday event. No at home test will be accepted. They will have rapid on-site testing on a first come first served basis.

*****

In March, 1965, after several bloody attempts, civil rights protesters marched from Selma to Montgomery, a 54-mile journey, to demonstrate against racial injustice and voter suppression. Led by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, they successfully made their way to Montgomery where they spoke out loud and clear on the capitol steps.

The fight against voter suppression continues and we march again on March 9!

LWV members across Alabama have been invited to join the National LWV and march alongside organizations such as Black Voters Matter and other groups to recommit ourselves to protecting the Vote as well as fighting to preserve Democracy itself. We will gather on Wednesday, March 9, 2022 at 8:30 AM at Mile Marker 111 Monument/Wright Chapel AME Zion Church in Lowndesboro, AL to walk a 7 mile leg of the Selma to Montgomery March. Some will make the entire journey of 54 miles March 6-11! Wright Chapel is near the site where Viola Liuzzo was murdered.

Participants need to be in place at 8:30 AM on March 9 ready to walk. You should wear your LWV regalia so everyone knows we are there in solidarity with the other organizations and the movement. Also, bring your nonpartisan signage calling for fair election, voting rights, passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights, etc! Even though the march is 7 miles, there will be several rest stops with ample opportunities to get hydrated and to catch your breath! And we will, of course, get you back to your car!

You can read more about the event and the plans by listening to this press conference.

Let's coordinate!
Will you be there? We certainly hope so! Please send your name, cell phone number, and email address to Kathy Jones, kathy(dot)u(dot)jones(at)gmail.com so that we can send you more information about the LWV gathering location and keep you informed about events on that day.

#civilrights #BloodySunday #votingrights #FreedomtoVoteAct #VotingRightsRestorationAct #JohnLewis #MLK #LWV #LWVAL #alpolitics

UPDATE! We hope all who attended appreciated this program as much as we did. Thank you Rick Eggerth! Did you miss it? You can view this program on the LWVAL YouTube Channel.


Register at https://bit.ly/3mQwOfg

Register now for "The Truth About Plastics," the next program in the League of Women Voters of Alabama's Environmental Education Series. This online program is scheduled for Tuesday, December 7, 2021, 6:30 - 8:00 PM CST and features keynote speaker Rick Eggerth, nationally renowned environmental litigator and activist against the world-wide blight of plastics pollution.

Rick's presentation explores the history of the plastics industry and the truth behind a decades-long campaign of lies and manipulation. His knowledge of the oil industry -- which is also the plastics industry -- obtained from years of litigating against oil companies, led him to research the question of how Big Oil has avoided any responsibility for the oceans, landfills and public places full of plastics in which we seem destined to drown. Rick shares what he has uncovered: decades of deceitful public and political manipulation which has led the public to believe it was responsible for cleaning up the mess, and that recycling is the way to do it, all of which is untrue. While the industry continues to massively expand its plastics production, Rick explains the problems this will create, and how we can get out of the plastics quicksand.


About Rick Eggerth

With an English degree from University of California, Davis, and a law degree from U.C. Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, Rick Eggerth began his legal career in 1981. During his 30-year career as a litigator in the San Francisco Bay Area, Rick represented a diverse array of clients in civil litigation matters. From insurance companies to Silicon Valley tech companies, from property managers to those harmed by medical and legal malpractice, he has seen and engaged with a wide breadth of litigation issues and experiences. An environmentalist at heart since childhood, his most relevant environmental law experience came during the decade of the 1990's. He represented several members of the insurance industry in lawsuits brought by members of the oil industry determined to force their insurers to pay for the extraordinary costs of cleanup of thousands of Superfund and toxic waste sites created by the oil industry since the beginning of oil extraction. These cases, involving billions of dollars of potential liability, were some of the largest financial exposure cases ever seen by the U.S. legal system, and so required the attorneys involved in them -- representing scores of insurance companies plus the oil companies -- to develop innovative and cutting edge methods of managing the millions of pages of documents and thousands of potential witnesses involved in the lawsuits, as well as working with judges to figure out how to bring such huge cases, unlike anything that had come before, to trial. None of Rick's clients lost any of these cases.

Since retiring to Bellingham, WA, Rick chairs the Mt. Baker Group of the Sierra Club where he continues to pursue his campaign against plastic production (among other things).

Mark your calendar and register soon for "The Truth About Plastics" at https://bit.ly/3mQwOfg. Zoom meeting space is limited.

#environment #plastics #plasticspollution #pollution #BigOil #alpolitics

On the fourth day of the Special Session, Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021, the Alabama Legislature passed all redistricting maps - congressional, state house, state senate, and state board of education. The final Community Mapping Forum on Nov. 4 is cancelled. We have previously reviewed the legislature's actions, examined the maps, and discussed their impact on voting rights and several issues of vital importance to the citizens of Alabama. Recordings of the Alabama Community Mapping Forums - Parts 1 and 2 - are available on the LWVAL Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/LWVAL/ and on the LWVAL YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/lwvalabama.

We thank the forum partner organizations for their hard work and invaluable expertise in making this forum series possible. Those forum partners are: #AlabamaForward, #AlabamaValues, Alabama Values Progress, ACLU of Alabama, Alabama Election Protection Network, League of Women Voters of Alabama, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Southern Coalition for Social Justice, and The Ordinary People Society TOPS.

Please check at https://ppfm.lwval.org or other partner organization websites for more news, information, and recommended actions as we go forward. Thank you for your ongoing interest and action for fair maps in Alabama!

#PPFM #FairMaps #alpolitics #redistricting #gerrymandering

UPDATE: On Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021, the Alabama Legislature passed all redistricted maps - Congress, Senate, House, and Education. In the Community Mapping Forum - Part 2 webinar on Wednesday evening, we discuss today's events and consider next steps. Join us at 6:30 PM CDT. Register at https://bit.ly/2XKMKao #PPFM #FairMaps #alpolitics #redistricting #gerrymandering

Each evening after the Ala. Legislature Special Session on Reapportionment meets, let's unpack the day's event, examine the proposed map(s), discuss their effects on Ala. Voters, and consider next steps.

On Tues., Oct. 26, 2021, the State maps were voted on and approved by the Alabama Reapportionment Committee. The Special Session of the Alabama Legislature will begin on Thursday Oct 28th at 4pm to receive the maps and draft legislative bills from the Reapportionment Committee. Concurrent to the legislative session, the LWV will work with several organizations to review these maps to identify where gerrymandering is occurring and potentially impacts communities of interest. We are holding a series of 1 hour sessions starting Thursday night, Oct. 28. These will be significant and informative for all voters (and legislators!) as we evaluate and provide public feedback on the maps.

Here's the Part 2 webinar schedule:

#1 - Thursday 10/28/21 at 6:30pm - Introduction and overview of legislative session and forum agenda
#2 - Monday 11/1/21 at 6:30pm - Discussion of day's events and also State House maps
#3 - Tuesday, 11/2/21 at 6:30pm - Discussion of day's events and also State Senate maps
#4 - Wednesday, 11/3/21 at 6:30pm - Discussion of day's events and also Congressional maps
#5 - Thursday, 11/4/21 at 6:30pm - Discussion of day's events and review of all the maps (wrap up)

Register for the forums at
bit.ly/2XKMKao
or at
bit.ly/communitymappingforum
#PPFM #gerrymandering #alpolitics #makeeveryvotecount

The #Alabama Legislature Committee on #Reapportionment is meeting at 1:00 PM on Tues., Oct. 26. Listen in. Let your legislators know that #FairMaps matter to you! https://bit.ly/3nvDYpJ #PPFM #gerrymandering #alpolitics #makeeveryvotecount

LWVAL Voter Education Series 
and
National Federation of the Blind Alabama
present

VOTING IN ALABAMA: 
THE BLIND EXPERIENCE
Oct. 23, 2021,10:00 AM CDT
REGISTER

• Register to attend the virtual forum
• Facebook Event - share and announce your participation
• Download the Flyer - for printing and distribution

Topics and speakers include: 

• Voter Legislation for the Blind – Lou Ann Blake, JD Deputy Executive Director, Blindness Initiatives,   National Federation of the Blind
• Voting Barriers for the Blind in Alabama – Michael Evers, NFBA Legislative Chairperson
• Independence For Blind Voters in Alabama, Current Voting Options - Larry Povinelli, JD, NFBA Treasurer

REGISTER NOW AT
https://bit.ly/2WZlS6c

  Questions? Contact: Barbara Manuel, President National Federation of the Blind Alabama Affiliate nfbal.president@gmail.com 251.656.5165

If you missed the live-stream of this event, you can view the Community Mapping Forum here on the LWVAL YouTube channel.

The Alabama Legislative Special Session to address redistricting for Congressional, State House, State Senate, and State Board of Education districts will begin on Thursday October 28, 2021. The nonprofit organizations that hosted this forum on Oct. 13th will host a second Community Mapping Forum to be held after the legislature releases its proposed district maps. Please stay tuned for information about Community Mapping Forum, Part II. When scheduled, you will find that information here and at the LWVAL website for redistricting at https://ppfm.lwval.org where you will find much more information about redistricting and how you can influence this process so critical to representative government in Alabama.

Register for the Alabama Community Mapping Forum by going at: https://bit.ly/3AoMc8r

For your preview, get a forum information packet, proposed maps, and a fair maps checklist.

The first meeting on Oct 13th is an effort for all of us to come together - to understand each other better, to share our state wide maps with other groups and the public, and to demonstrate that there is more than one way to create a fairer map. Ultimately we will establish a common understanding including shared terminology and correct any erroneous statements made during the hearings. The event organizers all agree we need to establish common understanding and work as allies.

More opportunities to discuss and plan action for Fair Maps
Stay tuned for dates and times.

• Community Mapping Forum, Part II - A second virtual forum will be held after the special legislative session starts.
• "Shadow Hearings" - We will be ready to jump into action when the state maps are filed. Attend LWVAL's virtual public/community meetings at night, during the session to review and highlight issues with the Alabama Reapportionment Committee’s maps. When the state-developed redistricting maps are available, we will have folks with Maptitude download them to analyze where they are gerrymandered and where they split communities of interest.

#NationalVoterRegistrationDay was Sept. 28, 2021. Celebrate democracy in America! Be ready to exercise your super power - VOTING! Register to vote or update your voter registration information today at https://www.vote411.org #VoteReady

How do gerrymandered maps affect you? Your priorities for drawing voting district maps? Submit testimony TODAY (last day) to district@alsenate.gov. Get redistricting testimony tips and info. at https://ppfm.lwval.org #PPFM #FairMaps #ForThePeopleAct #VRAA #LWVAL #LWV #alpolitics

Have you had your say to the Alabama Permanent Committee on Reapportionment to let them know what's important to you when it comes to defining local, state and congressional voting districts? Now's the time to make your voice heard! How are you and your community affected by gerrymandered maps? Tell your story in your own words. Submit by Thursday, Sept. 16 to district@alsenate.gov. Get redistricting testimony tips and info. at https://ppfm.lwval.org #PPFM #FairMaps #ForThePeopleAct #VRAA #LWVAL #LWV #alpolitics

It's the final week of public hearings by the Alabama Permanent Committee on Reapportionment. Now's the time to make your voice heard! How are you and your community affected by gerrymandered maps? Tell your story in your own words. Submit by Thursday, Sept. 16 to district@alsenate.gov. Get redistricting testimony tips and info. at https://ppfm.lwval.org #PPFM #FairMaps #ForThePeopleAct #VRAA #LWVAL #LWV #alpolitics



• Public Hearing Schedule - happening throughout Alabama Sept. 1-16, 2021. Includes meeting place, date, time, and link to attend each meeting virtually. You can speak at a hearing to submit testimony, submit testimony virtually during a hearing, or submit your testimony via email to district@alsenate.gov.
• Whole-County Congressional District Map - an example, offered by the LWVAL in public testimony, that will maintain Congressional district #FairMaps.
• LWVAL People Powered Fair Maps website - more resources to explain the principle of #FairMaps, their necessity for a true democracy, and how you can help.

Speak out for #FairMaps at one of the Alabama public hearings - in person, virtually during the meeting, or by email. See the schedule of meetings with date, time, location, and link to attend each meeting virtually. We encourage you to attend the meetings whether or not you speak to let the legislative committee know that #FairMaps is an important issue to you and that you are watching! Anyone may speak at any of the meetings (in person or virtually). Or, you can submit your testimony / statement at any time before/by Sept. 16 by email to district@alsenate.gov or donna.overton@alsenate.gov.

#FairMaps are critical to fair elections. Every 10 years, following the U.S. Census-taking, maps are drawn to define political districts. This is done at local, state, and federal levels of government in order to keep districts relatively equal in population. District maps should be fair and not "gerrymandered". That is, these maps should be drawn such that every voter has an equal opportunity to elect public officials, regardless of race, socio-economic standing, political party, etc., and so that the people can keep community connection. LWVAL advocates for a whole-county Congressional district map that meets these objectives. This is one example.

Go to https://ppfm.lwval.org for info. on how to attend virtually or in person and how to participate. #PPFM #FairMaps #ForThePeopleAct #VRAA #LWVAL #LWV #alpolitics

Redistricting in Alabama

Read Redistricting in Alabama Post #10, "What about all our state-level districts being redrawn?"

If you’ve read through the entire sequential set of posts, we hope that you’re now feeling relieved that you understand what’s going on and that the League is ON THE CASE as far as federal Congressional districts go. But then, immediately, you’re thinking: but what about all of the state-level districts?
Read more…

See our short film series to get a quick, fun overview of the problem of gerrymandering and how it affects you. View "Gerrymandering in Alabama", the 4-part film playlist!

Stay tuned to LWVAL's nonpartisan People Powered Fair Maps webpage for more redistricting news and information.

Be informed and be prepared to speak out for fair and nonpartisan (not "gerrymandered") voting districts. Let's make sure every vote counts and every voice is heard.

#PPFM #FairMaps #ForThePeopleAct #VRAA #LWVAL #alpolitics

Gerrymandering in Alabama

Act IV has dropped!
The bottom line
#ChillCity sums it up on the evening broadcast. Gerrymandering only helps the politicians feel secure. #FairMaps are a must for fair elections and getting problems solved.

See it. Share it. On YouTube at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odAbNEhiVxU

Jordan #ChillCity Moore brings it to the people via his WZZZ spot on the evening news. He sums it all up with the many ways partisan gerrymandering harms our democracy and our quality of life in Alabama.

Here's the bottom line, "Gerrymandering is a local, state, and national problem that is standing in the way of human rights and human progress." With fair and nonpartisan redistricting, we can have equal votes and equal justice for all.

How do we make that happen? Speak up and speak out for #FairMaps! Call your city council representative, your county commissioner, your legislators, and your representatives in Congress. Speak up and speak out at the Alabama Redistricting Public Hearings in your community beginning September 1, 2021!!! The hearing schedule and other redistricting information are posted at https://ppfm.lwval.org. You can attend in person or virtually. Also, anyone can submit public testimony via email to either Donna Overton Loftin (Supervisor of the Legislative Reapportionment Office) at donna.overton@alsenate.gov or to the committee email address at district@al-legislature.gov. It will be printed out and included in the public record. Let them know that nonpartisan, fair redistricting is very important to you.

View it. (4 min, 4 sec).

Be sure to speak up and speak out at the Alabama Redistricting Public Hearing in your community in September!!! The public hearing schedule and other redistricting information will be posted on the LWVAL hosted Alabama People Powered Fair Maps webpage.

TIP: Check out the LWVAL Gerrymandering blog series - a great place to start if you want to know more about redistricting and the practice of gerrymandering.

Please share these videos and all LWVAL information about gerrymandering in Alabama with these hashtags in your social media accounts. #PPFM #FairMaps #ForThePeopleAct #VRAA

Redistricting in Alabama

Read Redistricting in Alabama Post #9, "Our current Alabama Congressional districts"

Now we’re going to examine the state of Alabama and how things stand with our current Congressional districts. Further along in the post we’ll zoom in and examine the situation in Tuscaloosa County that has been divided between two different Congressional districts as you can see on the map (the 4th and the 7th).
Read more…

See our short film series to get a quick, fun overview of the problem of gerrymandering and how it affects you. View "Gerrymandering in Alabama", the 4-part film playlist!

Stay tuned to LWVAL's nonpartisan People Powered Fair Maps webpage for more redistricting news and information.

Be informed and be prepared to speak out for fair and nonpartisan (not "gerrymandered") voting districts. Let's make sure every vote counts and every voice is heard.

#PPFM #FairMaps #ForThePeopleAct #VRAA #LWVAL #alpolitics

Redistricting in Alabama

Read Redistricting in Alabama Post #8, "Mapping software!"

Even though the judgment of LWVUS is that our option in Alabama is federal, aren’t there other things we can do? We know that the Permanent Legislative Committee on Reapportionment is tasked with drawing the new maps on the basis of the Census data. Its guidelines below indicate that any individual citizen or organization may submit redistricting plans to the committee which become part of the public record.
Read more…

See our short film series to get a quick, fun overview of the problem of gerrymandering and how it affects you. View "Gerrymandering in Alabama", the 4-part film playlist!

Stay tuned to LWVAL's nonpartisan People Powered Fair Maps webpage for more redistricting news and information.

Be informed and be prepared to speak out for fair and nonpartisan (not "gerrymandered") voting districts. Let's make sure every vote counts and every voice is heard.

#PPFM #FairMaps #ForThePeopleAct #VRAA #LWVAL #alpolitics

Redistricting in Alabama

Read Redistricting in Alabama Post #7, "The League’s People Powered Fair Maps Initiative"

LWVUS believes our best strategy in Alabama to protect voting rights is at the federal level, through legislation (e.g., the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act). The federal focus is due to several factors, including that Alabama does not allow ballot initiatives or referendums.
Read more…

See our short film series to get a quick, fun overview of the problem of gerrymandering and how it affects you. View "Gerrymandering in Alabama", the 4-part film playlist!

Stay tuned to LWVAL's nonpartisan People Powered Fair Maps webpage for more redistricting news and information.

Be informed and be prepared to speak out for fair and nonpartisan (not "gerrymandered") voting districts. Let's make sure every vote counts and every voice is heard.

#PPFM #FairMaps #ForThePeopleAct #VRAA #LWVAL #alpolitics

Redistricting in Alabama

Read Redistricting in Alabama Post #6, "What about the role of the Supreme Court in protecting us from gerrymandering?"

The good news here, and it involves a case from Alabama, is that RACIAL gerrymandering is not allowed. The case was Gomillion v. Lightfoot in 1960.
Read more…

See our short film series to get a quick, fun overview of the problem of gerrymandering and how it affects you. View "Gerrymandering in Alabama", the 4-part film playlist!

Stay tuned to LWVAL's nonpartisan People Powered Fair Maps webpage for more redistricting news and information.

Be informed and be prepared to speak out for fair and nonpartisan (not "gerrymandered") voting districts. Let's make sure every vote counts and every voice is heard.

#PPFM #FairMaps #ForThePeopleAct #VRAA #LWVAL #alpolitics

Gerrymandering in Alabama

Act III has dropped!
Only my people
With the "wrong people" left out and her people packed in, this public official feels a little too safe in her gerrymandered district.

See it. Share it. On YouTube at
https://youtu.be/u3qQWLe-GHs

#ChillCity gets to the heart of the gerrymandering problem. In this WZZZ interview with Councilwoman Seggett, it's obvious that she's comfortable in her seat and knows that she can hold it without pesky questions from the press. Her district was intentionally drawn to keep "her people" as constituents and to carefully tip-toe around (exclude) those "other people" - people who geographically should be in her district, but have economic, infrastructure, environmental, health, and education system problems. They were excluded to keep her district "safe" at election time. If you split up those folks with problems (or people of a different party , race, or ethnic background) between several districts, they can't make trouble - or get their problems solved. That's what happens when a public official chooses her voters rather than the voters choosing their public official. Let's see how #ChillCity reports this problem.

View it. (3 min 29 sec).

Be sure to speak up and speak out at the Alabama Redistricting Public Hearing in your community in September!!! The public hearing schedule and other redistricting information will be posted on the LWVAL hosted Alabama People Powered Fair Maps webpage.

TIP: Check out the LWVAL Gerrymandering blog series - a great place to start if you want to know more about redistricting and the practice of gerrymandering.

Please share these videos and all LWVAL information about gerrymandering in Alabama with these hashtags in your social media accounts. #PPFM #FairMaps #ForThePeopleAct #VRAA

Redistricting in Alabama

Read Redistricting in Alabama Post #5, "Everything you never knew about gerrymandering’s origins"

Let’s move back in time to 1812 (incidentally, the last time that we had a war with Britain), to Massachusetts, and to a local newspaper making fun of a politician. The politician was Elbridge Gerry (with the G pronounced like the g in “get”), who as governor signed a bill that created safe districts for his party. Read more…

See our short film series to get a quick, fun overview of the problem of gerrymandering and how it affects you. View "Gerrymandering in Alabama", the 4-part film playlist!

Stay tuned to LWVAL's nonpartisan People Powered Fair Maps webpage for more redistricting news and information.

Be informed and be prepared to speak out for fair and nonpartisan (not "gerrymandered") voting districts. Let's make sure every vote counts and every voice is heard.

#PPFM #FairMaps #ForThePeopleAct #VRAA #LWVAL #alpolitics

Redistricting in Alabama

Read "Redistricting in Alabama Post #4: AL’s unfair redistricting process and what we recommend

If we just think about the numbers in terms of statewide voter preferences, if we have 7 Congressional districts, then 3 of them should have sent a Democrat to Congress, and 4 of them should have sent a Republican. But what do we actually have? Only 1 in 7 (14%) was won by a Democrat. Does this seem fair to you in terms of actual representation of citizens by elected officials?
Read more…

See our short film series to get a quick, fun overview of the problem of gerrymandering and how it affects you. View "Gerrymandering in Alabama", the 4-part film playlist!

Stay tuned to LWVAL's nonpartisan People Powered Fair Maps webpage for more redistricting news and information.

Be informed and be prepared to speak out for fair and nonpartisan (not "gerrymandered") voting districts. Let's make sure every vote counts and every voice is heard.

#PPFM #FairMaps #ForThePeopleAct #VRAA #LWVAL #alpolitics

Gerrymandering in Alabama

See it. Share it. On YouTube at
https://youtu.be/Bu7f556-4fU

#ChillCity has a live one! This citizen, Mr. Rosoff, is ticked off that somehow he's in another district now - separate from the rest of his community. And the worst part is, some guy Rosoff's never heard of is now his city council representative. No way this councilman knows his problems. He won't even take Rosoff's calls because he's almost guaranteed to stay in office through the next election. How did this happen? "You're a victim of Gerrymandering!" #ChillCity explains how he can change the situation. Let's hope this story makes the evening news at WZZZ!
View it. (3 min 15 sec).

Be sure to speak up and speak out at the Alabama Redistricting Public Hearing in your community in September!!! The public hearing schedule and other redistricting information will be posted on the LWVAL hosted Alabama People Powered Fair Maps webpage.

TIP: Check out the LWVAL Gerrymandering blog series - a great place to start if you want to know more about redistricting and the practice of gerrymandering.

Please share these videos and all LWVAL information about gerrymandering in Alabama with these hashtags in your social media accounts. #PPFM #FairMaps #ForThePeopleAct #VRAA

Redistricting in Alabama

Read "Redistricting in Alabama Post #3: Was AL losing a federal Congressional district because of the 2020 Census?"

Was Alabama destined to lose a Congressional seat because of the 2020 Census results? It was definitely a concern. This blog post explains why. In a representative democracy, we citizens elect people to represent us in various governmental bodies. But consider the difference between electing somebody to represent 10 people, versus 10,000 people. In the case of the U.S. Senate, it’s already set: The entire population of a given state elects two senators. For Alabama, that means that each of us is one of about 3.5 million registered voters eligible to cast a vote for each senator (out of a state population of 5 million). Read more…

See our short film series to get a quick, fun overview of the problem of gerrymandering and how it affects you. View "Gerrymandering in Alabama", the 4-part film playlist!

Stay tuned to LWVAL's nonpartisan People Powered Fair Maps webpage for more redistricting news and information.

Be informed and be prepared to speak out for fair and nonpartisan (not "gerrymandered") voting districts. Let's make sure every vote counts and every voice is heard.

#PPFM #FairMaps #ForThePeopleAct #VRAA #LWVAL #alpolitics

Redistricting in Alabama

Read "Redistricting in Alabama Post #2: It all starts with the Census"

The basis for all redistricting is the data from the U.S. Census. The first nation in the world to take a regular population census, the United States has been counting its population every 10 years since 1790—as required by the U.S. Constitution.

See our short film series to get a quick, fun overview of the problem of gerrymandering and how it affects you. View "Gerrymandering in Alabama", the 4-part film playlist!

Stay tuned to LWVAL's nonpartisan People Powered Fair Maps webpage for more redistricting news and information.

Be informed and be prepared to speak out for fair and nonpartisan (not "gerrymandered") voting districts. Let's make sure every vote counts and every voice is heard.

#PPFM #FairMaps #ForThePeopleAct #VRAA #LWVAL #alpolitics

Gerrymandering in Alabama

See it. Share it. On YouTube at
https://youtu.be/4vEg_sxFj4M

Reporter Jordan "#ChillCity" Moore pitches Gerrymandering to his WZZZ producer as a story. "Who even knows what that means?!" she says. So his first job is to explain Gerrymandering and why it matters for the people of Alabama. #ChillCity knows this story has got to have legs!
View it (3 min 21 sec).

Be sure to speak up and speak out at the Alabama Redistricting Public Hearing in your community in September!!! The public hearing schedule and other redistricting information will be posted on the LWVAL hosted Alabama People Powered Fair Maps webpage.

TIP: Check out the LWVAL Gerrymandering blog series - a great place to start if you want to know more about redistricting and the practice of gerrymandering.

Please share these videos and all LWVAL information about gerrymandering in Alabama with these hashtags in your social media accounts. #PPFM #FairMaps #ForThePeopleAct #VRAA

Redistricting in Alabama

Read "Redistricting in Alabama Post #1: Why redistricting matters in Alabama and why you should care" The way that districts are drawn can give an elected representative (and here we’re talking about Congress, but this applies to ANY level: Congress, state legislature, city council, school board, etc.) a motivation either to care about the views of all of their voters and try to take them into account, including voters of the other party, or to feel free to ignore them.

Why now? Based on the US Census 2020, local, state and federal governing districts (that is, voting districts) will be redrawn. The Alabama Permanent Legislative Committee on Reapportionment will hold a series of public hearings across Alabama beginning September 1, 2021 to explain the process and listen to the will of the people regarding how these districts should be drawn. This blog series gives you the information you need to understand and be an active participant in those meetings and to speak out to your government representatives who will decide how districts are drawn.

Want a quick, fun overview of the problem of gerrymandering and how it affects you? Follow the mini-film series funded through #PeoplePoweredFairMaps by the #LWV and #LWVAL and created by @ChillCityMusicPage @theofficialchillcity. The first film has dropped!! See it now.

Be informed and be prepared to speak out for fair and nonpartisan (not "gerrymandered") voting districts. Let's make sure every vote counts and every voice is heard.

And stay tuned to LWVAL's nonpartisan People Powered FairMaps webpage for more redistricting news and information.

#PPFM #FairMaps #ForThePeopleAct #VRAA

On July 17, "Sunshine and Summertime" was the theme of the 2021 League of Women Voters of Alabama virtual convention. The convention focused on the importance of open records and transparence as key elements for good government. The keynote speaker was Kyle Whitmire, political commentator for the Alabama Media Group (AL.com). See the video recording of his presentation. Whitmire was the 2019 recipient of the Transparency in Government Award from the League of Women Voters of Alabama. In 2020 he was the recipient of the Scripps Howard Foundation’s Walker Stone Award for opinion writing. In 2021 he received the Sigma Delta Chi award for best opinion writing from the Society of Professional Journalists and the first-ever Molly Ivins prize for political commentary from the Texas Democracy Foundation.

On July 17, the League of Women Voters of Alabama hosted a virtual convention at which distinguished experts discussed open records legislation in the state house - legislation that would make government in Alabama more transparent at all levels. See the video recording of that discussion. How can our laws make records readily accessible in a timely manner and at reasonable (or free) cost? How would such law be enforced? And how can this be done while protecting privacy rights as required? Panelists who discussed the issue were:

* Sonny Brasfield, Executive Director, Association of County Commissions of Alabama
* Tish Gotell Faulks, Esq., Legal Director, American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama
* Felicia Mason, Executive Director, Alabama Press Association

Congratulations, LWVAL 2021 Award Winners! We were pleased to honor you with the recognition you so well deserve!
* Transparency in Government Award - GASP #GASP
* Jane Katz Public Service Award - Equal Justice Initiative #EJI
* Joyce Woodworth Memorial Award - Former LWVAL President Barbara Caddell
* Phyllis Rea Membership Award - Small Leagues - LWV of Baldwin County @League-of-Women-Voters-of-Baldwin-County-Alabama-448836761826261 #LWVBC
* Phyllis Rea Membership Award - Large Leagues - League of Women Voters of the Tennessee Valley #LWVTNV
Read about these awards and the reasons these people and organizations were honored. https://lwval.org/conventi.../2021-convention-II-booklet.pdf #LWVAL #TransparentGovt

IT'S ALMOST HERE!

REGISTER NOW
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VIEW AND DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAM

• Sonny Brasfield, Executive Director, Association of County Commissions of Alabama
• Tish Gotell Faulks, Esq., Legal Director, American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama
• Felicia Mason, Executive Director, Alabama Press Association
• Arthur Orr, Alabama Senator, District 3

Winner of the 2021 Jane Katz Public Service Award:
Equal Justice Initiative (EJI)

Winner of the 2021 Transparency in Government Award:
Greater-Birmingham Against Alliance to Stop Pollution (GASP)

Register now!
This event is free and open to the public!

THIS SATURDAY, JULY 17!
LWVAL CONVENTION, PART II
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!

REGISTER NOW
SHARE THE FACEBOOK EVENT
VIEW AND DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAM

You are invited to "Sunshine and Summertime", the League of Women Voters of Alabama 2021 Convention, Part II, on July 17. This virtual event is free and open to the public! Let the sun shine in on open government!

The highlights….

• 
  Keynote Speaker Kyle Whitmire, Political Commentator for the Alabama Media Group (AL.com)
• Panel Discussion: Government Transparency and Open Records - With expert Ala. government and NGO leaders: Sonny Brasfield, Executive Director, Association of County Commissions of Alabama; Tish Gotell Faulks, Esq., Legal Director, American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama; Felicia Mason, Executive Director, Alabama Press Association; and Sen. Arthur Orr, Alabama Senator, District 3
• Winners of the 2021 LWVAL Awards: Transparency in Government Award, Joyce Woodworth Memorial Award, Jane Katz Public Service Award, and Phyllis Rea Membership Awards
• Music by Jeanine "Dr. Jazz" Normand, including the premier of "Suffrage Centennial Boogie" and Singer-Songwriter Leslie Nuss!
• Plenty of fun and games - with prizes!