LWV-LL July/August 2024 Voter Registration Report

Date August 19, 2024
Name of Committee:  Voter Services
Name of Committee Chair and Co-Chairs:  Mary Lentini, Chair

Summary of recent activities:

July was not as busy. Unfortunately the Pride Celebration event and Juneteenth were cut short by a rain storm. We are starting to gear up numerous voter registration tables for back to school events, libraries, grocery stores and many late summer and fall events. We are in need of more Deputy Registrars from each different party. To be a Deputy Registrar, you must complete a 1 hour training via zoom or in person with Becki Gaston-Wise at the Election Commission Office. For all interested members, please email voterservices@lincolnleague.org. You can also contact Becki Gaston-Wise directly at the Election Commission Office to arrange for the training. It takes about an hour. (If you are going to work at an event that the Election Commission arranges and the League staffs, you will need to sign a waiver for the State.) Becki’s contact information is:

Becki Gaston-Wise (she/her)
601 N 46^th St, Lincoln, NE 68503
(402)441-7311

www.lancaster.Ne.gov/election

Becki will contact voterservices@lincolnleague.org to notify them that you completed the training. Mimi Wickless, who is currently scheduling registrars for booths at events, libraries, grocery store…, will contact you to let you know about opportunities for signing up to staff the booths.

As you can see, the next few months will be very busy with the elections right around the corner. We appreciate all the volunteers who work so hard to make it possible to register citizen to vote, answer questions and even help the children learn through the spinning wheel. It’s a committed effort in hot weather, so thank you for all that you do. Also, thanks to Mimi for making arrangements, communicating with volunteers, making sure the volunteers have the supplies they need, and answering questions in the process. It is a big job keeping track of volunteers, events and taking care of details.

The Pow Wow was a dynamic event. We are honored to be allowed to participate in this sacred event. Thank you to the people who staffed the table. The Back to School event was so much fun. The children, and even some adults, had fun spinning the wheel and answering questions.  These often lead to being able to emphasize the importance of being an educated citizen and being responsible to vote.

While the libraries are more quiet events, they certainly reach a significant number of people, as we can see at the Gere Library event. We only had 2 people register at the Anderson Branch Library table, but the individuals came specifically to register and had seen it advertised in the news. They wanted to avoid large crowds, minimize stress and possible exposure to illness. One woman that registered, Barbara, is 63 years old and registered to vote for the first time in her life. Her parents immigrated to this country. Her grandchildren urged her to register. She said, “…This time I want to do my part, step out of my comfort zone and exercise my right and responsibility.”  Thank you, Barbara, for challenging your “status quo”.

If you have any questions, please contact us at voterservice@lincolnleague.org.

Voter Services Committee
Mary Lentini, Chair
Mimi Wickless, Scheduler (for events and volunteers)