LWV Solano County Press Release

Contact        LWV Solano                                                                                                                      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Telephone  510.599.0925                                                                                                                               November 23, 2020

Email             LWVSolano [at] gmail.com

Website       https://my.lwv.org/california/solano-county

 

With a historic voter turnout of over 80%* despite pandemic, logistical, and voter-suppression hurdles, the November 3rd General Election across the country and in Solano County ran smoothly and with accurately reported results. The League of Women Voters of Solano County congratulates and thanks all of those who worked so hard to educate, engage, and activate our citizens in this most important civic responsibility.

In our first year as a county-wide organization, the League of Women Voters of Solano County, its members, distinguished partnering organizations, volunteers, and friends worked hard to do our part to contribute to the county’s success. Our public website, https://my.lwv.org/california/solano-county, provided dozens of quick links to important election resources.

League volunteers posted comprehensive information for Candidates, Propositions, and Measures on our Solano County Voters Edge website so voters had a one stop shop for nonpartisan ballot and candidate information customized for their location. 

Thanks to the online technology tool, Map the Vote, League volunteers sent out 1,100 postcards to unregistered voters, informing them how, when, and where to register. Solano County leaguers also sent 988 texts to our opt-in list on November 1st, reminding folks to vote.

Special thanks to our invaluable forum co-sponsors including: Benicia-Vallejo Branch AAUW, Carquinez Village, National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Oakland/Bay Area Chapter, both the Vallejo and Solano Valley Alumnae Chapters of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and Old Path Miracle Cathedral. Together we produced and recorded 8 Candidate Forums for mayoral and city council races in 5 cities on the LWV Solano County YouTube channel, the 1,000+ forum views surpassed our shared goal of informing and engaging all members of our communities in order to make our democracy work.

In addition, 2,000+ Easy Voter Guides in Spanish and English were distributed throughout the county to churches, pantries, senior centers, and public agencies with the aid of our distribution partners: in Vallejo the Friendship Missionary Baptist Church and Old Path Miracle Cathedral (Church of God in Christ); in Benicia the Lighthouse Covenant Fellowship Church; in Vacaville St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Epiphany Episcopal Church; and in Fairfield the Bethany Community Church, Community United Methodist Church, and St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. In addition, guides were distributed by the Solano Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Black Chamber of Commerce Vallejo, Solano Community College, Catholic Social Services, Candidates Office Fairgrounds Plaza Office, Carquinez Village, NAACP Tri-City, Food Banks of Contra Costa & Solano, Meals on Wheels Solano, and Senior Centers.

Again, thanks to all who made Solano County’s election process a resounding success! Especially the staff and workers in the offices of the Solano County Registrar of Voters, the CA Secretary of State’s office, as well as city clerks, and dozens of local, civic, and service organizations. We owe particular gratitude to our faith-based communities, and to our young citizens who came out in force to help out when many of us were side-lined by Covid restrictions. We worked together and demonstrated that “Democracy is not a spectator sport”, and that collective voter participation ensures that each of our voices is heard.

 

*As reported by the Solano County Registrar of Voters https://www.solanocounty.com/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?BlobID=33168

League of Women Voters of Solano County was first founded in Benicia in 2004 and in 2020 expanded to all of Solano County. Our membership includes over 130 members from Benicia, Cordelia, Dixon, Fairfield, Vallejo, Vacaville, Suisun City, and Rio Vista reflecting the diversity of Solano County.

The National League of Women Voters was founded in 1920 and is a non-partisan organization of women and men that is community-based and organized at the local, state, and national levels.  Our mission is to promote political responsibility through the informed and active participation of citizens in governance and to act on selected and studied common-good governmental issues and policies.