The LWVCC is a partner in the Safe Vote Coalition begun by County Clerk Aaron Ammons and Public Health Administrator Julie Pryde. The Coalition's purpose is to share information about how to vote safely this November.  Below are some recent updates from the Safe Vote Coalition. 

1.  The safest option is voting by mail using the postal service or drop boxes. Next safest option is early voting--best option if you're voting in person. Lines are shorter, available more days and times. Least safe option is election day voting--lines will likely be longer, more time spent at the polling place.
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2.  If you do vote in person, please wear a mask. All polling locations will be equipped with hand sanitizer, wipes and disinfectants, and masks for voters who forgot them. Early voting locations will have plexiglass partitions because election judges will be working multiple days. 

3.  Champaign County was featured in Time magazine article about the use of drop boxes for mail ballots:https://time.com/5881310/ballot-drop-boxes-usps/

Check out the new video on the County Clerk's Facebook page.  According to the County Clerk, "You can go online to request your vote by mail ballot right now at the link. You don’t have to wait to return your application.  Here is walk-thru of all the info available to voters when they look up info or request their vote by mail."  The video is about 2 minutes and a Facebook account is not required.
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"Why We’re Polarized" by Ezra Klein  will be discussed on Tuesday, September 8, at 7 pm, via Zoom. The discussion will be led by LWV member Kathleen Holden. The Zoom invite will be sent to all League members Tuesday morning. 
 
 21st century America is divided in many ways: race, religion, geography, class, and perhaps, most of all, political polarization. Klein’s book discusses how people psychologically tend toward group identification, and us-versus- them conflict. He writes that American political identities have become all encompassing, and subsume other sources of  identity, including race, religion and geography, and are highly predictive of where people stand on various issues, as well as where they shop, what news they watch, etc. Klein writes that these “mega-Identities” are far more powerful than issue positions in driving polarization. Klein feels that this partisan divide poses grave danger to American institutions and democracy.
 
A companion book to read along with Klein’s book is ‘"The New Class War’"by Michael Lind. This book looks at global polarization and the wider global populist surge that Is seen in the United Kingdom, France and Italy, as well as here.  Lind writes that almost all of the political turmoil in Western Europe and North America can be explained by the new class war.  He argues  that this war pits the working class against a small “overclass" of managerial elites- university-educated, cosmopolitan professionals and bureaucrats, who, though they represent only 10-15 percent of the population, enjoy outsized influence on government and the economy. The working class is rebelling against this phenomenon according to Lind.
 
Though Lind’s book will not be discussed on September 8, both books are worth reading for different views on the sources of divisiveness in our country and globally. Both books raise important issues regarding populism and polarization. These reads offer thoughtful consideration for voters to consider before the national November election.
 
The LWV-CC book club is open to everyone.
 
The next LWV book club will be held on Tuesday, January 12.  The book “Caste" by Isabelle Wilkinson will be discussed, led by LWV member Paula Kaufman. This meeting will most likely be a Zoom meeting.

(This discussion was originally scheduled for August 12 but was postponed. The new date is August 17, 12:00 pm CDT, 1:00 pm EDT)

​On August 17, 2020, at 1 p.m. EDT (12 pm CDT) the national League of Women Voters (LWVUS)  Chief Executive Officer Virginia Kase will sit down with LWVUS President Deborah Turner for a one-hour discussion on what lies ahead for democracy in America, and how all women can be active participants. This powerful discussion will examine how we, as women voters, can better elevate the voices and perspectives of women of color, how we can protect current voting rights while continuing to expand access, and what role we all play in the racial justice movement.

The conversation will be streamed on live on LWVUS’ Facebook page and will include a live question and answer portion to provide an opportunity for viewers across the country to pose questions through social media. Viewers are encouraged to share the event on Facebook with your followers and to use the hashtag #WomenPowertheVote when participating in the discussion on social media.

 See the Facebook event at:
​www.facebook.com/events/732976480769373/ 

 The video is available  on the Grow the Vote page and on the League's Youtube channel . Please share information about this video with any individual or group that wants to encourage online voter registration.  Send feedback or questions by email to voterregistration@lwvchampaigncounty.org. ​

LWVCC has lost one of our treasured 50-year members, Louise Allen, who died July 28th.  Louise was a dedicated member who valued the work of the League, as evidenced by including LWVCC as one of three memorials. You will be inspired by reading her obituary. Rest well, Louise.  We will continue your work.

From the obituary: In light of the restrictions on travel and gatherings currently imposed to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, there will be no memorial service. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the League of Women Voters, the University of Illinois Foundation or the Alzheimer's Association.

More information about Louise on the Member Spotlight page.