LWVNLM Upcoming Events

• Wed., October 21, 5:30 pm, Charlevoix Public Library and ZOOM. PUBLIC FORUM: Universal Health Care: What is it? What does it mean for me?

• Wed., November 18, 5:30 pm, LTBB Government Center and ZOOM. PUBLIC FORUM: An Overview of Tribal Housing Projects & A Look at Community Investing in Housing with InvestMitt

• Wed., December 2, 5:30pm, Holiday Party, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Petoskey

Getting the Message Out

If you’ve driven from Bay Shore to Petoskey lately, you’ve likely seen our new billboard promoting Vote411. This is our second billboard in as many years and was paid for by our Eduction Fund.

The Healthcare Committee is presenting the upcoming public forum: Universal Health Care: What is it? What does it mean for me?

The forum will be held on Wednesday, October 21, at the Charlevoix Public Library Community Room and via Zoom. Doors open at 5:30 and the program begins at 6:00. Two professional speakers, Laura Ford, PhD, RN, CNP, and William Wadland, MD, MS, will discuss the basics of Universal Health Care and compare other global health systems to those of the US. Registration can be done at LWVNLM.org.

The Healthcare Committee is planning to begin gathering more information about the numerous Rural Healthcare Transformational Grants that are likely to be awarded to our area. The Committee is interested in gaining an understanding of how these dollars may impact health care in our communities.

Arlington Park, Petoskey, and along US131 toward Kilwins.

Speakers will kick off the day @ 10:00 with a focus on voting.  Let’s turn the energy of this movement into action at the ballot box. Bring your signs.

YOUR VOTE IS YOUR VOICE

YOUR VOTE IS YOUR POWER

A BETTER FUTURE BEGINS WITH YOUR VOTE

YOUR VOICE, YOUR VOTE, YOUR FUTURE

YOUR VOTE HAS THE POWER TO MAKE OUR DEMOCRACY STRONGER.

It’s been a busy election season for us, and it’s not over yet.

With the help of many volunteers, we wrote and sent 2500 Get Out the Vote postcards to young voters and others who had not voted in recent elections.

vote411.org is live online with information about races and proposals in our 3 counties.

Printed Voter Guides with information about statewide races and Michigan Senate and House races have been printed, stuffed and distributed to multiple locations in all 3 counties.

We are participating in the LWVMI texting program to provide information to registered voters in our 3 counties about Absentee Ballots and Early Voting and to Get Out the Vote on November 3.

We observed some of the Voting Machine testing sessions in our area and will be recruiting volunteers soon to observe Board of Canvassers meetings, part of a statewide effort by the League.

Voter Education tables continue to provide information at Farmers Markets and many other community events.

Many thanks to everyone who has volunteered for these and many other projects!

The ENR Committee has partnered with the Library and Wild Ones to plant a Native Plant Garden on the west side of the Library, funded in part by a preparation grant from the Petoskey Garden Club.

A group planted about half of the garden, using plants grown and donated by Wild Ones members. The remaining plants will be installed in Spring '27. Additionally, Wild Ones has submitted a grant to the Petoskey Community Foundation to cover the remaining plants and signage.

Once complete, the garden and signage will serve as a community resource to educate the public on native plants and their essential role in supporting pollinators and local biodiversity.

Welcome New Members!

Michele Adaline, Sue Lamkin Iltis, Ruth Shehigian, and Kathlyne Sommers

We remodeled an old Dutch Colonial home in Petoskey & moved in 2022.  Love Petoskey! I enjoy yoga, biking, hiking, art, gardening & serving people.  I joined the League last year to meet women who are actively committed to their community & want to make a difference.  Currently, I am on the Voter Services Committee.  Two quotes I live by:  “Be the Change You Want To See In the World”, by Mahatma Gandhi and “Be Yourself Everyone Else Is Already Taken”, by Oscar Wilde.

We are officially in the homestretch for the November election!

All our work prior to this point is about to pay off. We are as prepared as we have ever been for an election. And we hope voters head to the polls in record numbers with all the information they need.

• The statewide ballot proposals are set with only two for voters to weigh in on. As we are sure you are all aware, the documentary proof of citizenship proposal did not have adequate signatures to make it on this November’s ballot.

• Our statewide Election Protection Program Coalition is in place. It is one of the most robust programs in the history of Michigan elections and the largest in the nation.

• Candidate forums are scheduled in every community. LWVMI currently has scheduled forums for Michigan Supreme Court and Secretary of State. We are hoping for Attorney General as well.

• Local Leagues are giving presentations about the Ballot Proposals and Election Information.

• The print voter guide is at the printer and VOTE411 is live.

• The County Board of Canvassers Observation program is in full swing.

• GOTV postcards, text banking, tabling events, and voter registration are all underway.

You, the League in Michigan, are showing up and helping voters. While it is time of great anxiety around elections, it is also a time for celebration and acknowledgement for all that you as League members do to help us continue with the mission of engaging votes and preserving democracy.

Dear League Members,

Recently, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) reported that the current administration declined to invite international election observers to monitor this year’s US midterm elections. This is the first time in over 20 years that the OSCE will not send monitors to polling places across the country.

While international observers from the OSCE won’t be present, state and local laws are already in place that clearly define where, when, and how US citizens may observe our election system. Observing elections provides an experience for everyday voters to get an up-close and personal view of the voting process from start to finish. We at the League have a long history of promoting transparent and accessible elections, with several resources for those interested in learning more about this remarkable feature of a thriving democracy.

Please contact your state or local League to learn more about how to volunteer as an observer or recruit volunteers to ensure that elections run smoothly and efficiently this cycle. Below are election observation resources to share with your networks:

• Election Observation Training | Passcode: &^#b1%Qh

• Election observation toolkit

• Election observation blog

• Volunteer as an election observer or recruit observers in your community by completing this form

Committee Chairs

Observer Corp Chair: Penny Crim, pennycrim04@gmail.com

Health Care Committee Chairs: Patty Fralick, plfralick@gmail.com, Jackie Mitchell jackiemitchell06@me.com

Environment & Natural Resources Committee Chairs: Marcia Meyer, marciakmeyer@gmail.com and Ann Scott, alscott2050@gmail.com

Membership Committee Chair: Mary Netzky, mary.netzky@gmail.com

Voter Services Committee Chair: Rose Fitzgerald, rosefitzgerald183@gmail.com

Unite and Rise Committee: Chair: Marcia Meyer, marciakmeyer@gmail.com

LWVNLM Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Statement

The League of Women Voters Northern Lower Michigan is an organization fully committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in principle and in practice.  There shall be no barriers to full participation in this organization.  Diversity, equity and inclusion are central to the organization’s current and future success in engaging all individuals, households, communities, and policy makers in creating a more perfect democracy.