Dear Members and Friends of the League,

What an unbelievable year this has been for the League of Women Voters of North Carolina. I am writing to report what we have accomplished in 2020 and to ask for your support so that we may continue this work into the future. 

We started off the year with voter events and candidate forums. And then the pandemic hit. In-person meetings and other public activities ceased. But we found ways to reach our membership and the community without putting anyone at risk from Covid-19. We pivoted to conducting our events virtually and using YouTube to share videos on how to vote safely. Who knew that we would be sharing voter services information primarily via the internet? It’s a testament to our members that we have adapted our practices and have not missed a beat since March 2020.

Our achievements this year include:

• In April 2020, over 180 members participated in our Council meeting, with many speakers sharing information about the upcoming elections.
• We celebrated the 100th anniversary of the League, hosting “And Now We Rise: The Next 100 Years of LWVNC,” a virtual program looking ahead to our second century and advancing important conversations about how we can achieve greater inclusion in our state and our organization. 
• Several of our 18 local Leagues and their 2,000 members conducted virtual candidate conversations and voter registration events.
• Local Leagues accessed LWVNC grants to promote and publicize our online voter guide, VOTE411, statewide.
• LWVNC joined in several lawsuits to ensure voters could vote safely. Importantly, we helped improve procedures for correcting, or “curing” absentee ballots. In the March 2020 primary, nearly 15 percent of mail-in ballots (about 115,000 ballots) were rejected. At least 41 percent of these were for “curable” reasons, such as incomplete witness information or a signature mismatch. Rejection of ballots disproportionately affects voters of color, voters with disabilities, and voters whose first language is not English. As a result of the judge’s ruling, voters are now notified that their ballot has a technical error and have an opportunity to correct it. With this change, we are hopeful that many fewer ballots will be rejected.
• We have worked tirelessly to provide information to our communities about important issues such as redistricting, public education, and the ERA.

 
We are building and supporting Leagues across the state with people who strive to be involved with their government at all levels. Through these Leagues, we will fight for all voters on all voting issues. And we will prioritize our quest to be inclusive in everything we do.  

Over the years, you have assisted us with your generous donations and your energy. We thank you for all that you have done! As we fight for all voters, we need your continued support. Your donations will propel us into the next 100 years, ensuring we continue to be a strong, influential voice for democracy. We thank you in advance for any donation you can make to further our programs and our mission of “Empowering Voters and Defending Democracy.” Please donate here.

Sincerely,

Jo Nicholas

President, League of Women Voters of North Carolina