| August 2023
Editor Jennifer Bales
communications@lwvbc.org
| | | Call for Election Sponsors!
| Once again LWVBC is looking for individuals and businesses to support our election season work during August through October. For the 2023 election in November, school board members, city council members and ballot initiatives will be on ballots throughout Boulder County.
LWVBC’s Voter Service Team conducts candidate forums; compiles and releases nonpartisan information in print and public presentations about ballot issues; publishes all ballot issue information and candidate Q&As on the League’s award-winning VOTE411.org platform; and conducts in-person voter registration and outreach activities all over Boulder County. In 2023, we will be shifting back to in-person candidate forums which will also be recorded and provided on YouTube and other media platforms for easy access. All of our Voter Service materials and forums are provided in English and Spanish to increase access and engagement of our diverse population.
In fiscal year 2023 we raised $4300. from Election Sponsors. Our goal for the 2023 November elections is $5,000. Our Fund Development team this year is fortunate to include again Judy Bicknell, Elizabeth Crowe, Pat Long, Mary Ann Wilner and Kerri Surbaugh, a new Colorado resident and member of LWVBC.
| | Special thanks to Premier Members Credit Union, who has signed up to be a sponsor for the second year in a row.
We need your help, too! Please consider donating $100 or $250 to support this work AND send names of medical practices and businesses you frequent, business owners you know and friends and neighbors whom you think will want to support LWVBC’s valuable work. Send your names with phone numbers and emails by mid-August to Mary Ann Wilner, mawilner61@gmail.com and our Fund Development team will reach out to them, with your permission. | | | The Ballot Issues Team is Seeking New Members
If you are a public speaker, researcher or writer, we need you on our team
| This dynamic team researches issues that will appear on municipal and county ballots in each election. These include preservation of parks and trails, protecting our climate, funding for transportation, library services, funding for school districts, establishing Home Rule Charters and more. We develop written explanations including background on each issue, potential impacts on the community along with statements from organized supporters and those in opposition. Prior to each election, our team also hosts educational public forums, live and virtual, on these and State Ballot Issues.
We offer training and support to new members.
Please join us and help educate the public on important ballot questions that affect our community.
Contact Judy Mares-Dixon at judydixon@comcast.net or 303-842-2097.
| New Minimum Wage Efforts in Boulder County
By Peggy Leech and Deborah Hayes |
In recent years, LWVBC has been successfully involved in Boulder and Longmont to help increase the wages of municipal workers and contractors to a living wage. Since 2019, Colorado law has allowed local governments to raise the minimum wage for all workers, not just municipal employees. Now an effort is underway to increase minimum wage to a self-sufficiency level throughout Boulder County. The Boulder County Consortium of Cities, which is made up of elected officials, is facilitating the effort. So far, the Boulder County Commissioners and the city councils of Boulder, Lafayette, Longmont, and Louisville have agreed to participate in the process.
Our LWVBC board has voted to join the Boulder County Local Wage Coalition, the advocacy group of labor organizations, nonprofits, and other community organizations that support the Consortium's efforts. Peggy Leech has been attending Coalition meetings and she spoke on behalf of LWVBC at a Louisville City Council meeting. If you would like to help with advocacy, please contact Peggy (pegleech@aol.com) or Deborah Hayes (hayesd@colorado.edu) for more information.
| From the Climate Action Team (CAT)
| | TIP OF THE MONTH FROM CAT: Time to think about changing out clothing for upcoming season or just going through closets and drawers? Think first about donating to thrift stores. CHaRM at Eco-Cycle at 6400 Arapahoe Rd. Boulder takes many hard to recycle materials including Styrofoam, electronics, bubble wrap and books, and some wearable clothes and wearable clean shoes tied together, but they no longer accept textiles. Check what CHaRM will accept here: A–Z Recycling Guide at https://ecocycle.org/ | Welcome to these new members who joined in June and July: Kathy Ashworth and Jennifer Robins. New student members are Allysen Turner and Wendy Miller
League Events held in June:
On June 10, the annual report on Legislative Actions followed by LWVBC was presented at a Member Coffee. A thorough and informative presentation was made by the Legislative Action Committee Members. The coffee was held at Fire Station #1 in Louisville. Seventeen members attended. Thank you to our Committee members for the work they do to keep us informed of legislative activities in Colorado. Slides available here.
On June 24, the YWCA and the Boulder Women's Collective held a rally for reproductive rights, and LWVBC members showed up in force (see photos below).
Upcoming League Events:
August 9, 4:30-6:30 PM: Making Ends Meet in Boulder County: Self Sufficiency and Our Community. Register here!
August 26: Women's Equality Day.
September 19, 6:30 to 8:00 PM: LWVBC is teaming up with Boulder County Clerk Molly Fitzpatrick and Boulder City Clerk Elesha Johnson to hold an in-person, recorded community conversation at the JCC to learn about the City of Boulder’s 2023 Election Changes:
· first-ever mayoral direct election
· changes in length of council member terms in transition to even-year elections
· ranked choice voting (instant runoff) mayoral contest
The clerks can also address other election administration questions, such as questions on campaign finance rules. LWVBC will speak about our work with instant-runoff voting and review program positions that are relevant to Boulder municipal elections. You may submit questions in advance and register for the event here. Your advance registration helps us with event planning but is not required. Spanish interpretation will be provided. Premier Members Credit Union is a major financial sponsor of this event.
| New Voting Centers and Ballot Boxes | | The Boulder County Elections Division is conducting outreach to ask residents where they believe Vote Centers (Voter Service and Polling Centers) should be located. They are also seeking feedback on 24-Hour Mail Ballot Drop Box locations.
| | | Town of Superior Considering Home Rule | Do you live in Superior or know people who do? Superior is considering becoming a home rule municipality.
Right now, people in the Town of Superior who want to serve on the charter commission – which writes a proposed town charter – have until August 21 to file as a candidate to be elected this November as one of 9 charter commission members. If you or anyone you know would be an excellent candidate, please apply and spread the word!
The charter commission plans to meet from Dec 19, 2023 to early May 2024. Gerry Cummins, who has been a very active LWVCO member, served on the Centennial Charter Commission in 2008 and said that it was one of the most rewarding jobs she had ever done. Even if you don’t apply, please follow their proceedings and let the commission know your charter preferences on finance/taxation, land use, elections, and administration/governance.
Once a proposed charter is written, it will be presented to the Superior electorate at the Nov 2024 election. If the electorate approves it, Superior will become a home rule municipality! You can read more on the charter commission here. | |