October Update

Municipal Forum

On October 13 at 7:00 p.m. we will hear from candidates running for city offices. They are:

 

 

 

 

1ST WARD: PHIL FITZGERALD

3rd Ward: Tom Spread and Chris Bynum

5th Ward: Allen Harvey

At large: Santos Saucedo

Mayor:  DeWayne Hopkins and Diana Broderson

See you at City Hall!

 

 

 

Money in politics (MIP) is the theme of National’s review of Campaign Finance Reform. Our League will participate in this study by promoting a Community Read of the book, Buying the Vote: A History of Campaign Finance Reform by Robert E. Mutch. We are

fortunate to have Todd Pettys, U of I Law

professor, agreed to facilitate the discussion

on December 1 at MCC. (This is a change in

location.)

 

 

WV Upper Mississippi River Inter League Organization    On October 24, League members from Iowa, IL, MN, and WI will meet in Dubuque. Inter League Organizations are formal LWV organizations recognized by the League of Women Voters of the US. They operate under the Natural Resources positions of the national LWV. ILOs are established because their members recognize the need to work together at the regional level to most effectively and responsibly solve problems that transcend political boundaries. The natural resource issues facing the Upper Mississippi River Region definitely transcend such boundaries.

For more information, just contact Sue Wilson at wilsonsue@mchsi.com

Voter Registration Victories   In the past month, four states have taken a step to improve access to the polls. Voters in Pennsylvania and Nebraska can now register to vote online, while Iowa and Kentucky will have online voter registration systems by early 2016. There are over 23 states plus the District of Columbia that offer online voter registration. Online voter registration is a critical step to bringing our voting systems into the 21st century. With an increasingly mobile society, it is critical that these systems are available to all eligible voters.

Iowa announced that their online voter registration system will begin on January 1, 2016. The League of Women Voters of Iowa advocated for online voter registration citing the benefits for both voters and election officials.

National Voter Registration Day   Many thanks to Ann Mayes, Linda Meloy and Sandy Stanley for volunteering to register voters at Hy Vee and Fareway on September 22, National Voter Registration Day. Jonna Hall, MHS teacher, has invited League to register voters in her classes on October 8. Nationwide 260 Leagues participated and registered thousands of voters!