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Date: 9/1/2023
Subject: September 2023 VOTER Newsletter
From: LWVRichardson

VOTER NEWSLETTER

Vol. 63, No. 2 September 2023 Editor: Virginia Marsh

Inside this Issue

September is National Voter Registration Month
Join us for a Fundraising Social Event
Good News for Voting Rights in Texas
CHIP/Children's Medicaid
Book Discussion Group with Collin County LWV
City of Richardson is Accepting Applications for Boards and Commissions
Discussing Richardson's new Comprehensive Plan
Prepare for the election on November 7

Key Dates in September 2023

Sep 7: Voter Registration at UTD
Sep 9: CHIP/Children's Medicaid application help @ St Barnabas Presbyterian Church, 9am
Sep 13: LWVCC Book Discussion on Zoom
Sep 19: COR's Boards/Commissions Applicant Reception Event; 6:30pm; Temporary City Hall
Sep 27: Voter Registration at Senior Health and Safety Fair at Richardson Senior Center
Sep 27: Fundraising Social @ Dog Haus, 6:00pm, come-and-go
Sep 30: Last day to apply to serve on a City Board or Commission
Oct 3: National Night Out
Oct 10: Deadline to register to vote in the Nov 7, 2023 election
Oct 18: Discussion on COR's New Comprehensive Plan on Zoom, 7pm

September is National Voter Registration Month

September is National Voter Registration Month. The League of Women Voters of Richardson is scheduled to register voters at

The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) on September 7.
The City of Richardson's (COR) Senior Health and Safety Fair on September 27 at the Richardson Senior Center
US Citizenship and Immigration (USCIS) Naturalization Ceremonies. LWVR is not permitted to advertise the dates of the Naturalization Ceremonies. For information, please contact Cathy Murphree at newcitizen@lwvrichardson.org

Would you like to help LWVR at one of these events? Contact either:

Janet Centola at voterreg@lwvrichardson.org -OR-
Cathy Murphree at newcitizen@lwvrichardson.org

August was a busy month registering voters in the LWVR service area. At recent Voter Registration events, not only were 26 people registered to vote, but LWVR provided accurate voting information for those who were already registered. At each of the events, the welcoming of the League of Women Voters of Richardson and the comments of appreciation were an indication of the important role our organization has in registering and educating voters. LWVR Volunteer Deputy Registrars (VDRs) working at the Richardson ISD events were Janet Centola, Joey Kaner, Ellen Steger, and Sharon Swink.

Cathy Murphree has continued to coordinate efforts registering voters at the USCIS Naturalization Ceremonies. Of the 796 new citizens registered at the August ceremonies, LWVR registered 67 of them. LWVR Volunteer Deputy Registrars working the August Naturaliation Ceremonies were Vicki Barrett, Joey Kaner, Cathy Murphree, and David Santucci. Cathy has also done an incredible job networking with the University of North Texas at Dallas (UNTD) and UTD to register college students and faculty. Again, these events not only provide voting access to many, but also increase the visibility of LWVR. We are seen as an important resource in the community.

Help us register voters! You don't need to be a Volunteer Deputy Registrar (VDR). Please consider volunteering so we can increase LWVR's impact in our community and have more folks registered and educated about the upcoming elections!

National Night Out will be October 3rd. Do you attend your neighborhood's National Night Out Festivities? If so, please consider handing out white mail-in voter registration cards to your neighbors who are not registered to vote. You hand out the card. The person fills it out and mails it in. It's easy! You do not have to be a Volunteer Deputy Registrar (VDR) to hand out the white mail-in voter registration cards. Contact Janet Centola at voterreg@lwvrichardson.org. Janet will supply you with the mail-in forms and answer any questions you have.
Richardson's Huffhines Harvest Fest will be October 21st and 22nd. This will be past the deadline to register to vote in the November, 2023 election. However, there will be lots of elections in 2024, so it's never too late to register to vote! Also, LWVR will have Voters Guides to pass out at the Huffhines Harvest Fest. These Voters Guides will explain the 14 Constitutional Amendments on every Texans' ballot in November, 2023.

Become a Volunteer Deputy Registrar (VDR). Then let LWVR know that you'd like to help register voters (whether you are a member of LWVR or not). It’s easy to become a VDR in Dallas or Collin County. Texans who hold a VDR certificate in one county can easily become certified in other counties.

Join us for a fundraising social!

Wednesday, September 27

LWVRichardson is having a dinner fundraiser at

Dog Haus Biergarten Richardson

744 S Central LExpressway

Richardson, TX 75080

Wednesday, September 27

6:00pm - 8:30pm

Come-and-go

The event is open to all members and friends of LWVRichardson. Print the flyer shown below and present it when you order so that LWVRicharson can get the monetary benefit.

Good News for Voting Rights in Texas

The League of Women Voters reports a major victory in its lawsuit against the Texas Anti-Voter Law. The judge stated the mail-in ballot ID matching provisions of Texas Senate Bill 1 violate federal law. For details, click here.

CHIP/Children's Medicaid

CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program) and Children’s Medicaid have been well received by Texas families. These programs help to ensure that our children have adequate preventative care in addition to coverage for more complex medical care. It is much more cost effective to provide immunizations, check-ups, and early intervention in childhood illnesses than to wait for a problem to develop into an emergency.

The automatic renewal that was in place during and after the COVID crisis has ended and now families must present proof of eligibility again to have coverage. It is estimated that 50,000 people will lose Medicaid coverage in Dallas County (KERA news, July 20, 2023). Many of these will be children. Texas leads the nation (11% versus 5% for USA) in uninsured children.

LWVRichardson is a long-time supporter of CHIP programs. You can volunteer at an application help session at St. Barnabas Presbyterian Church, 1220 W. Belt Line Road, Richardson 75080 from 9 to noon on Sept. 9, 2023. Spanish-speaking experts will be available to assist.

Families who do not have coverage through their employment (such as seasonal workers, employees who work part-time, grandparents on a fixed income who are raising their grandchildren, those who are currently unemployed, and teenagers who are “on their own”) are some of our neighbors who might have eligible children.

Please invite anyone you think may be interested to be with us on Sept. 9. For more information, please contact Martha Dorris.

Home phone: 972-690-4908

Cell phone: 214-973-4712 (text, please)

Email: Marthadorris1@outlook.com

Thank you for your support and help.

Book Discussion with

Collin County League of Women Voters

September 13, 2023

6:30-7:30 p.m.

On Wednesday, September 13, from 6:30 - 7:30, the Collin County League of Women Voters will meet to discuss 'Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right' by Jane Mayer. We will share our thoughts on the book as well as various discussion questions.

Click here for the required Pre-registration.

To buy the book from Amazon look here.

The City of Richardson

is accepting Applications

for Boards and Commissions

until September 30, 2023

One of the goals of LWVRichardson is to encourage people to apply for city boards and commissions.

Board and Commission Applications Opened Aug. 1

Community members may apply to serve on one of the City’s nine boards and commissions. The annual application process began August 1, 2023.

Applications will be accepted in the City Secretary’s office through Sept. 30 and kept on file for two years. As vacancies occur on the various boards/commissions, the applications on file are reviewed by the City Council and an interview may be scheduled. Appointments are made at the City Council Meetings and applicants will be notified in advance by City staff.

Boards/Commissions include:

Animal Services Advisory Commission
City Plan Commission
Civil Services Board
Cultural Arts Commission
Library Board Parks and Recreation Commission
Sign Control Board
TIF Boards
Zoning Board of Adjustment/ Building and Standards Commission

A boards/commissions Applicant Reception Event is scheduled for September 19, 6:30pm, in the Temporary City Hall at 2360 Campbell Creek Boulevard. Richardson City Council and City staff liaisons will be at the event to meet residents interested in serving on a board or commisssion and answer questions. Applicants will be able to submit an application at this come-and-go event.

Get ready to Join the discussion

and participate in the creation of

Richardson's new Comprehensive Plan

October 18

at 7 p.m. via ZOOM.

LWVR will host a discussion group on Wednesday, October 18, 7pm, on Zoom to discuss a very timely issue: the development of a Comprehensive Plan by the City of Richardson (COR). Mark your calendar so you can join us.

Starting in the last quarter of 2023, COR will be seeking input from Richardson residents and stakeholders regarding the Comprehensive Plan.

"What do we really want? What kind of life - and what kind of society - do we want to bequeath to the coming generations? This is not something we can leave to the vagaries of chance, to the decisions of political leaders, or even to the most forward-looking public policy. Nor is it a question the Creative Class can any longer afford to ignore." Richard Florida, The Rise of the Creative Class.

LWVR will have a book discussion to try to answer this question and help you gain knowledge and develop ideas to offer the City. The Rise of the Creative Class by Richard Florida will spark our discussion. The discussion is scheduled on October 18 at 7 pm via Zoom. Read the book before then!

Background

Richardson is developing a new Comprehensive Plan and asking Richardson residents and stakeholders to participate in that process.

According to COR's Comprehensive Plan Update Introduction, the purpose of a Compreshensive Plan is to "Provide clear goals, objectives and policies to guide the City’s development and redevelopment for the next 20 years...""

_______________

Since it is difficult to find the time to read, here are some other resources that focus on his ideas.

Prepare for the Election on November 7, 2023

All Texas voters will be voting on 14 proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution. Here is the text of the proposed amendments for you to read and be prepared.

The League of Women Voters of Texas is preparing a Voters Guide outlining the arguments for and against each of the 14 proposed amendments. When the Voters Guide is available, LWVR will link to it on our website. The Voters Guide will be available at www.VOTE411.org, and LWVR will deliver paper copies to various public locations around the area.

Collin County residents of Richardson will also be voting on a $683 million bond proposal. Be sure to read the detailed information about the bond proposal.

The deadline to register to vote in the November 7 election is October 10.

Early voting runs from October 23 to November 3.

You can keep informed on all election information by monitoring the League of Women Voters of Richardson's election web page.

Registered Texas voters who have moved within the state or changed their name can update their voter registration online at VoteTexas.gov. However, those who are new to voting in Texas must fill out a paper registration form. One option is to mail in a white form; the other is fill out a green form with a Volunteer Deputy Registrar, who will give you a receipt (thus registering you on the spot).

Need a voter registration application?

Have questions about registering to vote?

Contact Janet Centola at voterreg@lwvrichardson.org

Donate

The League of Women Voters of Richardson relies solely on contributions made by local community residents and businesses.

Join Us

Would you like to help providing election information, registering voters, or influencing public policy?

You are welcome to email our Membership chair at membership@lwvrichardson.org

if you need assistance with joining.

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