December 2024 | November 2024 | October 2024 | September 2024 | August 2024 | July 2024 | June 2024 | May 2024 |
President's Letter - December 2024
Major Changes Coming to Dues Payments!!
The national League of Women Voters is switching to a new membership system, called ChapterSpot. Starting February 1, 2025, members of all Leagues across the country will pay their dues online by credit card or by using Automated Clearing House (ACH), which deducts payments directly from members’ checking accounts. It will still be possible for members to pay their dues by check if they don’t use the internet.
When the system launches, members will receive an email asking them to log in to the new membership system (“portal”) and create a member page. Members will not be asked to renew at this time unless it coincides with their regular renewal date--a year after their last dues payment. Once logged in, you’ll be given the option to sign up to auto-renew annually. If you do not, when it comes time to renew, you will receive an email reminder.
Dues will no longer be a fixed rate but will be pay-what-you-can. The recommended amount for all members across the country will be $75 a year, but members can pay any amount (minimum $20).
Household memberships and student memberships will be eliminated. If you currently have a household membership, each member will need to create a member page using a unique email address and pay their dues separately. We’ll be contacting members that share an email address about how to deal with this issue.
The national League is hoping each member will renew at $75/person. However, it’s up to you how much to pay, as long as it’s at least $20/person. Our Board has not yet decided how to handle student memberships, but I anticipate that we’ll simply subsidize students so they can continue to join the League at no cost. The good news is that under the new system, 20% of your dues will stay with the Schenectady League (currently, we only keep about 12%); 47% will go to the state League; and 33% will go to the national League.
Donations in support of our local League must be made separately. To donate to our League, go to the contribution page in ChapterSpot (the screen after the dues payment screen) and make your donation there. Of course, you can always write a check to our local League, which may be the easiest way to donate.
The national League is hoping that these changes will lower barriers and increase membership in the League. You can find more details at https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2024-09/Member%20Focused%20FAQ.pdf .
Please feel free to contact Cheryl Nechamen at lwvschenectady [at] gmail.com if you have any questions.
Cheryl Nechamen, President
President's Letter - November 2024
The November Election is just around the corner. In addition to President and Vice President, we’ll be voting for U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, NYS Senate, NYS Assembly, Schenectady Family Court Judge, Schenectady County Court Judge and Scotia Trustees.
When I gave a talk to the GED class at Schenectady County Jail, the teacher asked me how incarcerated individuals in the jail could find out information about candidates so they could make an informed decision.
I was embarrassed to tell her that I didn’t know! I consider myself to be an informed voter, as I’m sure all of our League members are. I read 2 newspapers and listen to WAMC to keep track of daily news involving our elected officials. And of course, candidates send campaign material to my house during election season.
But people in the jail don’t have access to most of those sources of information. Personal mail is restricted and slow and internet access is very limited. The teacher was happy to look for information if she knew where to find it.
The best way to determine a politician’s plans for the future is to look at what they’ve done in the past. My fellow League members gave me links to the websites of Congress and the New York State Legislature.
Each of these websites has links to individual elected officials with their biographies, committee assignments and sponsored legislation:
1) U.S. House of Representatives: House.gov
2) U.S. Senate: Senate.gov
3) New York State Assembly: Assembly.state.ny.us
4) New York State Senate: NYsenate.gov
I haven’t found similar information on city, town or county elected officials. If you know of any sources, please let me know!
For information on candidates, who may not have a track record in politics, Vote411.org, maintained by the League of Women Voters, is a great resource for voters. Another good source is Ballotpedia.org.
Let’s all hope for a peaceful election and Happy Voting!
Cheryl Nechamen
President’s Letter - October 2024
This is an exciting and very busy time of year for the League. Now that people are back from summer vacation, they’ve noticed that there’s a presidential election coming up!
The Voter Services Committee has done an amazing job contacting organizations to hold voter registration drives. Lately groups have been contacting us to schedule events. We’ve held voter registration events in many new venues this year, including Fulton-Montgomery Community College, Schenectady Caribbean Day, I Am Father Festival, Schenectady Historical Society, Central Park Field Day, Hamilton Hill Culture Fest and Middleburgh Public Library. You’ll notice in the list that two registration events were in counties other than Schenectady, namely Montgomery County and Schoharie County. Those counties don’t have a League of their own-we were happy to help.
We’ve also been heavily involved in educating the public about Proposition 1, NY’s Equal Rights Amendment or ERA with flyers at every voter registration event. We’ve been asked to give talks to church groups and to GED classes at Schenectady City School District, Schenectady County Jail and the SEAT Center about voting and Proposition 1. Not to mention the panel discussion on Proposition 1 that was held at Union College on September 19th.
Hats off to our hardworking Voter Services Committee: Joan Fucillo, Ellen Daviero, Anita Sanchez, Sandra McGarraugh, Julia Holcomb and Pauline Kinsella!
Cheryl Nechamen
President's Letter September 2024
Presidential elections generate a lot of interest among voters. Our hope is to build on that excitement to get people interested in local elections in the coming years. Let’s face it- most of us are never going to talk to the President of the United States or the Governor of our state. But we often have an opportunity to talk to the local officials in our city or town as well as county officials and state or even Congressional representatives to discuss issues that affect our daily lives.
The Voter Services Committee has made a tremendous effort to expand our voter registration drives. As of this writing, we’ve held 12 voter registration events and have another 13 drives scheduled (take a look at our schedule at LWV voter registration signup). I expect more organizations to contact us to hold events as summer comes to an end. If you know of other venues for voter registration drives or would like to volunteer, please contact Joan Fucillo, Voter Services chair, at lwvschenectady [at] gmail.com.
We have more good news- the NYS Court of Appeals recently upheld the constitutionality of Early Vote by Mail. This is similar to absentee voting, in which voters could request a ballot by mail, but needed to have a reason for not being able to get to the polls.
In Early Vote by Mail, voters no longer need an excuse to vote by mail. It’s a temporary request though. Voters must apply annually for a ballot by mail.
Whenever voters have had a widespread opportunity to vote by mail, voter turnout has been noticeably higher. This ruling is good for our democracy.
Cheryl Nechamen
President's Letter August 2024
I hope you’re all enjoying your summer. Our League has two exciting events scheduled in September.
There has been a lot of misinformation circulating about the security of our elections. We’re looking forward to a presentation by the Schenectady County Board of Elections Commissioners, Laura Fronk and Darlene Harris, to address these concerns. On September 10, they’ll be talking about “Election Integrity in Schenectady County”, in the McChesney Room, Hon. Karen B. Johnson Library at 6:30 PM.
The League of Women Voters has a number of positions that support protecting the rights of all New Yorkers, as defined in the proposed NY Equal Rights Amendment which will be on the ballot on Election Day. In collaboration with Union College, the Schenectady League will present a panel discussion on the New York ERA on Thursday, September 19th at 6 PM at Union College. More details to come soon!
Cheryl Nechamen
President
President's Letter July 2024
Good news- New York’s Equal Rights Amendment is back on the ballot! The ERA was scheduled to be a proposed amendment to the State Constitution on the ballot for this November. A lawsuit to remove the amendment from the ballot charged that the State Legislature had not followed proper procedure- they had failed to get an opinion from the State Attorney General at least 20 days before voting. A court in Rochester ruled that the procedure was flawed and removed the amendment from the ballot.
The Appellate Division overturned that ruling so the ERA is back on the ballot (it turns out that over a dozen amendments have used the same flawed procedure and the amendments all made it onto the ballot).
Currently, New York’s Constitution prohibits discrimination based on race or religion. The ERA would greatly expand protection by prohibiting discrimination based on ethnicity, national origin, disability, age and sex, including reproductive health care.
So don’t forget to turn your ballot over on Election Day and vote on the ERA.
Cheryl Nechamen, President
President's Letter June 2024
Dear LWVSC Friends,
How time has flown…..and I’m afraid this will be my last letter to you as president of the League of Women Voters of Schenectady County. I’ve had the great good fortune to serve with a board of talented, creative, opinionated (in a good way!), hard-working women who take their positions seriously and who are always thinking of ways that we can best support our community. I inherited the president’s job from Cheryl Nechamen, who had already served in just about every other position in our League. You can be sure that I put her on speed-dial immediately! Cheryl has never failed to answer my questions, give an opinion or suggestion, help me with a new report, and give me support when it was needed. Luckily for our League, Cheryl has agreed to serve as president once again and her name has been listed on the Proposed List of Leaders for 2024. We will vote upon that list at our annual dinner in June.
I’m grateful as well that I had the opportunity to meet and work with so many of our members during the years since I joined LWVSC. I’ve found that our membership is made up of women and men who deeply care about the mission of the League of Women Voters, who volunteer in a variety of ways, and who support us both financially and in spirit. I’m sure you all know that an organization doesn’t run on its own steam but on that of its members.
In the last few years, our League has begun to work on some projects in conjunction with the other capital region Leagues. This has broadened our scope and I’ve been able to meet and work with an even wider group of League members, both officers and committee members. It’s been wonderful to see how many of our board members have joined with members of other Leagues to work on shared projects and programs. I look forward to seeing what new plans emerge in this framework of shared opportunities.
Over the last few years we have gone through several trials together - a multi-year pandemic, a national government that was like no other we had ever seen, culminating in a violent attack on our democratic institutions on January 6, as well as seeing a growing divide between our political parties and our ideas on what truly makes America great. During this uneasy months, I always felt cheered by having our League and members hold together and work with great hope and courage. And so, I want to thank each and every one of you for that spirit and commitment, and I wish all of us a secure and happy future as we go forward.
In League, Ann Hatke
President's Letter May 2024
Dear LWVSC Friends,
I was recently browsing for information on the LWV New York State website and came across a wonderful section, “Civics Education in New York State”. More than just a basic statement on why civics should be taught to NYS students, it’s a complete curriculum for teachers. The sections include:
- Structure of NYS Government
- Individual Rights & Responsibilities in NYS
- Voting in NYS
- The Public Policy Process (Laws) In New York
- Influencing NYS Government
- Participating in Political Action in Your Local Community You can view this site at: https://lwvny.org/civics-lesson-plans/
Each topic includes lesson plans, worksheets, how-to’s, and resources that a teacher could use as a basic curriculum for the classroom or that anyone interested in learning more about New York State government could use as a learning tool.
Since I’ve been involved in our Citizenship Mentoring Group, both teaching citizenship classes and as a tutor, I’ve become much more aware of how little many US citizens actually know about civics. Part of the problem is that it’s often not taught in the earlier grades, which would give students a good head start on learning some of the basic concepts in government. Civics education appears to begin only in high school when NYS Civics is taught to students about to graduate.
Immigrants applying for US citizenship are required to master 100 civics questions about the United States. The questions range from current leaders, parts of our government, duties of the president, important places, people and events. This is hard information for them to learn, often due to language issues, but they do seem to remember this information and pass at the rate of 91% according to government figures (2022). However, several studies also seem to be in agreement that only 4 in 10 Americans could pass the US citizenship civics exam today.
We’ve seen, especially in the last number of years, the problems that a lack of understanding of government can cause. Are Americans learning enough to judge issues critically, to vote in an informed way, and to participate in your democracy as engaged citizens? And more worrisome, do they care?
In League, Ann Hatke President
LWV Schenectady County
