Thanks to all of you who are contributing actions
and ideas to this bi-weekly Action List.
Actions 7.20.2026
These are just suggestions of actions you could take as an individual.
If you are a League member, always remember to express your personal views, and not to speak on behalf of the League. Only League Presidents or designees can speak on behalf of the League.
Local-Level Actions
U.S. Senate Special Republican Party Primary
The U.S. Senate Special Republican Party Primary is due to the death of the Republican Party nominee for U.S. Senate (Senator Lindsey Graham). The nominee resulting from this Statewide Special Primary will be the candidate on November 3, 2026, General Election Ballot.
Qualifications to Vote: Voters who participated in the June Democratic Primary are NOT eligible to vote in the August 11 Special Republican Primary. Voters who participated in the June Republican Primary, or who did not vote in either party's June primary, ARE eligible to vote in the August 11 Special Republican Primary.
☑️1. Statewide Special Primary - Tuesday, August 11, 2026
IMPORTANT: Polling locations in Pickens County will be determined soon.
More information will be available at SCVotes.gov after July 28. You can locate your polling place by calling your county election office (after July 28) — Pickens County at 864-898-5849 or Oconee County at 864-638-4196.
2. Early Voting Period
Early Voting for U.S. Senate Special Republican Party Primary is Wednesday, August 5 - Friday, August 7.
3. Absentee Ballot
Deadline to apply for absentee ballot: July 31
If you have an “excuse,” you can vote absentee by mail. Excuses include being age 65+, if you are unable to vote in person during the early voting period or on Election Day and there are others. For a complete list of “excuses” and the latest information about absentee voting, visit SCVotes.gov.
You should start the absentee process immediately. Contact your Board of Elections and Voter Registration office (see above). You may request an application by phone, mail, or in person. Voting absentee by mail requires several steps. Act fast to make sure you can complete all the steps and get your ballot submitted on or before July 31.
Poll workers are needed for this special election.
Contact your county election office (see above).
Midterms Approaching Fast!
Here’s how you can take action:
☑️ Our league depends on volunteers, and the needs between now and the 2026 mid‑terms are extremely high. Contact asaloncarol [at] gmail.com (subject: Volunteer, body: ) (Carol Asalon) for more information.
- Candidate Forums. Be part of the Candidate Forum team. Organize, find venues, contact candidates.
- Voter registration and education events. Training on voter registration will be provided. If new, you will be matched with an experienced person.
- High Schools / college outreach. Give presentations to high schools and community groups. Training and script will be provided.
- Community outreach and festivals. Identify community groups with whom you have built a relationship. Goal: reach out and connect with groups through various ways - a presentation, dialogue, or voter registration - and meet people where they are. Community groups may include: youth groups, women’s groups, civic/community organizations, social clubs, community meetings, apartment complexes, ethnic grocery stores, libraries, work with realtors.
- Vote411 support
- Marketing / Social Media / graphic design / develop Voter Education materials
- Join the Observer Corps. For more information, contact your Observer Corps coordinator: Sharon Burns at sharon829 [at] me.com (subject: Observer%20Corps, body: ) (Pickens County) or Sue Blount at kerry9464 [at] att.net (subject: Observer%20Corps, body: ) (Oconee County)
- Spanish-language outreach for translation of documents
Getting out and volunteering opens the opportunity to get to know other league members, learn more about what the league does and learn more about the community in which we live. We are eager to work with each of you as we move forward together!
Sisterhood: SC Suffragists
Celebrate the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment and learn the role South Carolina women played in the national movement that eventually guaranteed more than 26 million women the right to vote. But there is more to do. This is a short series on SCETV that airs Thursday July 23 at 8 pm and 9 pm and Thursday, July 26, 8 pm.
Local Politics Matter!
Stay informed and involved by attending meetings where important decisions are made.
LWVOP.org maintains an extensive calendar of local public meetings.
- Monday, July 20: Pickens County Council Mid-Month at 6:30 pm in the Main Conference Room of the Administration Facility, 222 McDaniel Avenue Pickens, SC 29671. Here are links to their 2026 Council Meeting Calendar, Pickens County Calendar, and to the agenda and minutes and videos (scroll down the page).
- Monday, July 20: City of Clemson Council meeting at 6:30 pm held at Council Chambers, Clemson City Hall, 1250 Tiger Blvd # 1, Clemson, SC 29631, unless otherwise noted. See the 2026 calendar.
- Tuesday, July 21: Oconee County Council Meeting at 6 pm in the County Council Chambers located at 415 South Pine Street, Walhalla, SC. Find links to the calendar, agenda and minutes and videos of past county council meetings.
- Monday, July 27: Pickens City Council Work Session, at 6 pm, 219 Pendleton St, Pickens, SC 29671. Find the Schedule of Meetings, City Council Minutes, Agendas, and Livestream Recordings (scroll to the bottom of the page).
- Wednesday, July 28:Oconee Library Board meeting at 5:30 pm held in the Council Chambers at 415 S. Pine St, Walhalla, SC 29691. View the Calendar; agendas and minutes.
Find a detailed list of Pickens and Oconee public meetings.
Welcome student-led Clemson University League!
☑️ Contact asaloncarol [at] gmail.com (subject: Volunteer, body: ) (Carol Asalon) if you are interested in getting involved with this important project.
Share our posts on Facebook and Instagram.
☑️ This is the easiest and fastest way to amplify our message. Facebook and Instagram are only effective as outreach when you like and share the posts!
State-Level Actions
SC GOP sues to close primaries to registered Republicans
SC Daily Gazette: “The state Republican Party plans to challenge the state’s open primary elections in federal court, arguing the party should be able to restrict who can select its nominees.”
"The League of Women Voters doesn't see people voting for another party at levels high enough to move the needle," said Lynn Teague, LWVSC vice president, issues & action. "Instead, closed primaries could deter voters from participating in primaries, worsening already low turnouts. Everyone needs a voice in how they are governed."
Read more here from SC Daily Gazette.
National-Level Actions
August 8 Day of Action
On August 8, the League of Women Voters will Unite and Rise for Voting Rights nationwide to honor the 61st anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and demonstrate the power of communities working together to shape our future. Democracy is strongest when everyone can participate. Despite the escalating threats to free and fair elections, we continue the work of Americans who organized, mobilized, and raised their voices to defend them.
On August 8, join us as we Unite and Rise for Voting Rights, for the next 61 years and beyond.
The Trump Administration just removed the bipartisan leadership of the US Election Assistance Commission
The guardrails protecting our elections are disappearing.
The US Election Assistance Commission is the independent federal agency created by Congress to help election officials run secure, accessible, and trustworthy elections.
This isn't politics as usual.
It's another safeguard for American democracy being dismantled just months before voters head to the polls for the midterm elections.
The Election Assistance Commission doesn't decide elections. It doesn't count ballots. It doesn't certify winners.
What it does is provide the guidance, resources, and support that thousands of state and local election officials rely on to administer free and fair elections.
Follow-up on the mail in voting executive order
A federal court declared key portions of President Trump’s executive order restricting mail voting unconstitutional, barring federal agencies from using the order to interfere with state voter rolls or mail voting. It also blocked the USPS from withholding mail ballots from voters. Read details from LWVUS.
Democracy Integrity Briefing
Join LWV and the National Conference on Citizenship Algorithmic Transparency Institute for our monthly briefing to identify and address the latest national, statewide, and local trends in mis-and-disinformation. Meetings are planned from Aug 11, 2026 through July 10, 2029.
LWVUS Strongly Denounces President Trump’s False Claims About Election Security
July 16, 2026: “The League of Women Voters strongly denounces President Trump’s false, outlandish, and indefensible claims related to the security of US elections. Continuing to spread allegations that have been repeatedly debunked by experts through countless court proceedings not only erodes public confidence in the democratic process but also further weakens the institutions that protect our freedom to vote. This is yet another brazen attempt to undermine elections and suppress voter turnout.
“Our elections and national security have been protected because of agencies such as the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the US Election Assistance Commission (EAC), both of which had their leadership dismantled by the Trump administration. You cannot claim to defend election integrity while blatantly dismantling it and firing the independent experts whose very job it is to protect it.
Read the rest of CEO Celina Stewart’s statement here.
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We would love to hear from you about this initiative. Feel free to forward this email to others who wish to find ways to participate. Whether it’s how this made you feel, results you saw, or suggestions for future topics, please let cherie.walker.lwv [at] gmail.com (subject: Defending%20Democracy, body: ) (Cherie Walker) know.
