© 1999 - 2006 League of Women Voters of Greater Birmingham and
League of Women Voters of the
United States
The Voter
April 2006
A Publication of the League
of Women Voters of Greater Birmingham.
Re-formatted here for web publication with index and links added. Web
Editor's navigational notes added in [bracketed italics].
INDEX
A Note from the President
The LWVGB membership meeting in April will focus on plans and activities for the upcoming election season. Ginny Randolph and Betty Warnock have designed an excellent presentation to kick off our 2006 Voter Service program. Members are encouraged to attend this important meeting. Your participation will be vital to the success of these efforts.
We completed our consensus of the state league’s Legislative Study in February. Hip-Hip-Hurray!! The LWVGB Board of Directors expresses sincere thanks to Mary Lynn Bates and Sarah McDonald for their work presenting the materials and moderating the discussion. We also thank the members who participated in the consensus process. Our report has been sent to LWVAL’s study committee as input, along with reports from the other local leagues in Alabama, into a proposed legislative position to be voted on at the state council meeting in May.
Speaking of the state council meeting, this VOTER issue contains a call to the May 6th meeting in Auburn, AL. All members are welcome to attend. LWVGB’s own Mary Lynn Bates will present “The Case for Merit Selection of Judges and the Challenges to Change” during lunch.
On Saturday, May 20th, we will conduct LWVGB’s annual business meeting, where we will elect members to the Board and approve a program, budget and changes to our bylaws. Please join us at McCormick and Schmick’s restaurant near Brookwood Village at 10:30 AM for the business meeting and lunch afterwards. We look forward to seeing you there!
--Yvonne
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Dates to Remember!
|
LWVGB April Meeting
Thursday, April 27 6:00 pm Homewood Library "Preparing for Election 2006" Discussion Leaders: Ginny Randolph, Yvonne Brakefield, and Betty Warnock |
LWVGB Annual Business Meeting and Luncheon Saturday, May 20 10:30 am McCormick and Schmick's Restaurant Near Brookwood Village Mall |
LWVAL State Council Saturday, May 6 10:00 am – 3:30 pm First Baptist Church of Auburn 128 East Glenn Avenue Auburn, Alabama |
April Membership Meeting: Preparing for Election 2006
Elections are the heart of what the League represents to many citizens: registering to vote, exercising your voting franchise, educating citizens about elections. Participate in the planning of League activities for election 2006 by attending the member’s meeting Thursday, April 27 at 6:00 p.m. at the Homewood Library on Oxmoor Road. A panel of League members Yvonne Brakefield, Virginia Randolph and Betty Warnock will lead the discussion with a review of the election process from voter registration to counting of ballots, an outline of the Help America Vote Act including what has been implemented and what remains to be implemented in Alabama and a synopsis of interviews with the Shelby County and Jefferson County probate judges to identify issues specifically related to voting in the two counties. Members will have an opportunity to generate ideas for the League’s involvement during the campaign period leading up to the election.
Do you know how many times your ballot is counted during an election? What offices are up for election in 2006? Do you know what conditions will require a registered voter to re-register? What triggered enactment of the Help America Vote Act? Who may vote using a provisional ballot? These and other questions will be answered at the April meeting.
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Election
2006 in New Orleans
The Birmingham league has responded to the national league’s request to assist New Orleans’ parish voters in our area who will not be able to return home by Election Day. Information to facilitate voting has been obtained from LWV and placed with several local social service agencies working with people affected by Katrina. Additionally, public service announcements have been sent to a number of radio stations in the area. We have also included information on the LWVGB web site. Thanks to Yvonne Brakefield, Paulette Rowe, Cary Page and Jean Johnson for their contribution to the effort to help New Orleans’ citizens vote.
Update on Constitutional Reform
There
was a tremendous effort to move the bill SB52 calling for a
constitution convention to the floor of the Senate, but it was stopped
in the Rules Committee. This committee controls the daily agenda for
bills before the senate. Interviews, meetings, personal
contacts and
phone calls were used to influence the Committee Chair, Senator Jim
Preuitt…. but to no avail.
Bill SB 52 died in this Session, but
will raise its head again next year according to ACCR
Leaders!
Activities during the upcoming campaign season will keep the issue
before the candidates and the people. The motto is “Let the
People
Vote.”
Brave supporters attempted to bring the bill up out of
order, but a member objected and it could not be
debated. (One
objection can prevent consideration.) At various times in the
last
days of the Session, Senators Roger Smitherman, Robert Bedford, Ted
Little and Steve French called SB52 a worthy issue that should be
considered. Send a letter or call to thank these Senators for
their
efforts. Do not give up. All agree in the
halls of the State House
that this issue has developed more “legs” than ever
expected.
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Welcome New Members!
| Connie Arnwine Jacquelyn Manner Priscilla Dunn Dorinda M. Smith |
Rhonda Hethcox Sidney Mitchell Gayle Janzen |
Martha
Sampson Johnson Carolyn Wynn Patricia Todd |
A complete list of members will be e-mailed to those who have e-mail addresses, and mailed to those who do not.
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League of Women Voters National Convention
 |
Meeting in the Middle 47th National Convention June 10-13, 2006 Minneapolis, Minnesota |
Highlights:
Thomas E. Mann
of the Brookings Institution will speak about "American Democracy in a
Partisan Era" at the opening plenary session of Convention.
“Merit
Selection? Elections? Appointments?: Understanding the System to Defend
the Courts” Convention Plenary Session Panel Discussion.
For more information on this and other LWV activities, access the Member’s Site. |
|
Don’t Forget Our Local April Membership Meeting!!
| When: | 6:00
pm, April 27, 2006 |
| Where: | Homewood
Library 1721 Oxmoor Rd., Homewood [ map ] |
| Why: | Panel
Discussion/member participation for Voter Services
|
| Who: | Virginia
Randolph, Yvonne Brakefield, and Betty Warnock |
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LWVGB Annual Business Meeting -
Proposals
Documents
for member consideration
The LWVGB Annual Business Meeting will be held Saturday, May 20th. (See calendar for details.) At that meeting, members will consider and vote on a proposed LWVGB budget for 2006-2007 and proposed changes in the LWVGB bylaws. To read, please click your preferred format below:
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LWVAL Call To Council
LWVAL Council 2006 will be held in Auburn on Saturday, May 6, 2006. The Call to Council includes the business agenda and information about the luncheon address and afternoon panel discussions. Read it here:
A registration form is also included in the information. Don't miss it! Please register by May 1.
JeffCo Sewer Expansion Informational Meeting
The Jefferson County, AL Environmental Services Department (ESD) will hold a public informational meeting about proposed sanitary sewer expansion projects. The meeting will take place at the office of the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham (RPC) located at 1731 1st Avenue North, Birmingham, AL on May 2nd, 2006, 4:00 - 6:00 pm. More information, including areas affected, is given in the public notice from Burk-Kleinpeter, Inc. (consulting engineers). Read it here:
LWVGB Board of
Directors 2005-2006
League of Women Voters of Greater Birmingham
205 583-5000
admin-lwvgb@lwval.org
Yvonne Brakefield, President
516-8235
ybrakefield@lwval.org
Nancy Ekberg, 1st Vice President
967-2897
nanekberg@aol.com
Virginia Randolph, 2nd Vice President
699-5582
vrandolph517@alltel.net
Colette Scott, Secretary
988-0868
scot6444@bellsouth.net
Leonette Slay, Treasurer
824-4723
lwslay@cs.com
Beverly Nelson, Editor, The Voter
beenel@bellsouth.net
Dot Baker
822-0855
Cissy Bennett
969-0249
cissybennett@bellsouth.net
Kaydee Erdreich-Breman
871-5541
kaydeeeb@bellsouth.net
Cary Page
879-3697
cpa323@aol.com
Betty Warnock
254-6052
bettyjwarnock@bham.rr.com
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About the Voter:
The LWVGB Voter is a publication of the League of
Women Voter of Greater Birmingham.
Contact:
Beverly Nelson, Editor
Email: beenel@bellsouth.net
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CALENDAR
OF EVENTS
Thursday,
April 27thLWVGB
Monthly Membership Meeting
“Preparing
for Election 2006”
Homewood Library
Room 101
1721 Oxmoor Road
[ more information here
and here ] [map]6:00 PM
Saturday,
May 6thLWVAL
Council Meeting
First Baptist Church of Auburn
128 East Glenn Avenue
Auburn, AL
[ more information ] [ map ]10:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Saturday,
May 20thLWVGB
Annual Business Meeting
McCormick and Schmick's Restaurant
719 Shades Creek Parkway
(near Brookwood Village Mall)
Lunch (optional)
[ more information ] [ map ]10:30 AM
Friday,
May 26thVoter Registration Deadline for
Primary Election
Tuesday,
June 6thPrimary
Election
7 AM - 7 PM
June 10th-13th
LWVUS
47th National Convention
“Meeting
in the Middle”
Minneapolis, MN
[ more information ]
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