President's Update – November 2025

(Dawn Smith, Chair)

Greetings League Members,

I’m just back from a trip to Universal Studios with my book club girlfriends, and I’m trying to get back into the swing of things, so forgive me if my update seems a bit wonky.

October has been quite a month. We started the month with 90-degree days and, as I write this, I’m looking at a low of 37 tonight. But we were blessed with beautiful weather on October 18 – the day of the No Kings rally.

I do want to speak a little bit about the No Kings rally, because, if you follow our Facebook page, you might have seen some comments questioning how encouraging our members to participate could be non-partisan. First, I’d like to make clear that the National League sent local Leagues an email encouraging them and their members to participate in the protest. This wasn’t a decision our local League made in a bubble.

Being non-partisan is a defining characteristic of the League of Women Voters. We are a political organization, not a partisan one. The issues that we champion have all been studied – extensively – and they don’t change based on who the president is. Democracy happened on election day. I haven’t heard any League members question the November election results (at least not to me), and, as a long-time poll worker, I believe our elections are fair, safe and accurate. But democracy does not stop on election day.  The Constitution guarantees our right to peacefully protest. It’s a way for citizens to share feedback with leaders.

The League’s Impact on Issues can be found on the National League’s website here: LWV Impact on Issues and can also be purchased on Amazon. Decisions being made by our country’s elected leaders go against the issues the League has decided to champion (through extensive study).  And that’s what the No Kings rally was all about: providing feedback to our elected leaders about the issues we advocate for. 

I don’t want this to get too lengthy, but I do want to remind people to check out the newsletter for information about our Holiday Brunch on December 6, and the Annual Meeting on January 10.  Watch your email for your Annual Meeting packet in early December.

Remember, if you’re interested in ordering a Democracy Defender t-shirt (now available in pink) or some more of our Ballot Box Brew, we’re collecting orders until November 19 for delivery at the Holiday Brunch.