I have great news! Two new members, Jennifer Hoover and Suzanna Smith, have stepped up to restart our Education Committee! Also, Emmy Scott, a Santa Fe College chapter member, has stepped into the Hospitality Chair position. Now, here is our updated needs list...

Volunteers are the heart and soul of any volunteer organization, and the League of Women Voters of Alachua County (LWVAC) is no exception.

The League of Women Voters of Alachua County's Gun Violence Prevention and Safety Committee has been awarded a $9,800 grant to help thwart the rising numbers of gun-related deaths. The project is a community awareness campaign with a goal to prevent firearm suicide and unintentional firearm death and injury by focusing on safe gun storage.

LWVAC was proud to be among the community partners for First United Methodist Church's "Remember Hope" concert celebrating the 200th anniversary of Alachua County through our shared history of civil rights, women's suffrage, LGBTQ+, veterans, and all those who struggle for equality and to be seen in North Central Florida. LWVAC President Janice Garry attended and spoke at the event...

A recording of the March 11 Oak Hammock Meeting is now available. Danaya Wright, a professor of Constitutional Law at the UF Levin College of Law, discusses amending the U.S. Constitution and the Equal Rights Amendment.

A recording of the February Gun Violence Prevention and Safety meeting is now available....

This article by League member Sally Butzin appeared in the Tallahassee Democrat. For years, Sally and I have joked about the many choices of Cheerios. There are too many choices! The Florida Voucher System now takes about $3.9 billion from the public schools. We are asking our public schools to do more with less support. There may also be too many choices some of which may not be good ones. The average parent has no way to know because the rules differ for each choice.

LWV is switching to a new member portal for all Leagues across the country on Feb. 1. Through ChapterSpot, you will be able to renew your membership online and update your own information (e.g. phone, email, mailing address) as needed. Dues will no longer be a fixed rate but will be pay-what-you-can (with a $20 minimum). On a member level, we hope these changes will make managing your membership easier. On a League level, this is expected to increase membership around the country and increase our ability to empower voters and defend democracy.

LWVAC is proud to have several Life Members—those who have been League members for 50 consecutive years! We’ve set out to interview them all. Here we talk with Rosalie Bandyopadhyay…

All vote-by-mail requests expired on December 31, 2024. All voters who want to vote-by-mail must submit a new request. No voter’s Vote-by-Mail ballot status rolls over into the 2025 & 2026 Election Cycles.

With Medicare Open Enrollment ending on Dec. 7, the LWVAC Health Care Committee felt this was a great time to host a Hot Topic presentation on Medicare by Dr. Ed Weisbart, M.D., National Board Secretary of Physicians for a National Health Program. Dr. Weisbart joined LWVAC members as well as community members in person and via Zoom to discuss Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage. He explained their advantages, disadvantages and differences, and effectively utilized personal stories to explain possible problems with various choices.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA), passed into law in 2010, was designed to improve the health of Americans. A key strategy in the law is improving access to health care which, in America, means providing affordable high quality health insurance. Florida Medicaid eligibility is limited to specific populations like pregnant women and children, but the ACA offers the opportunity to expand Medicaid to low-income adults. Florida is one of only 10 states that has not expanded Medicaid, so it should not be surprising that it ranked 47th in the percentage of residents with insurance and 48th in the nation for access to care. This paper presents a summary of just a few of the many studies describing the reasons Florida should expand Medicaid.

This article was originally posted on the LWV Education website on December 26, 2023, by LWVAC Member, Sue Legg

Climate action plans (CAPs) are robust policy tools that outline the future of a community in the face of climate change. Research and focused case studies of Fort Collins, Colorado and Miami, Florida reveal that taking climate action can contribute to the growth of the green economy, avoid future losses in GDP, and reduce avoidable deaths due to air pollution and extreme heat. The economic costs are personnel and budget for creation and implementation, as well as the cost of shifting industries. By outlining small steps and quantifying savings for each initiative, cities can clear ambiguity and gain support for CAPs.