Help Us Continue Empowering Voters and Defending Democracy!
Dear Members, Partners and Friends,
WHAT A YEAR IT’S BEEN!
I hope this letter finds you well and enjoying the Holiday Season.
As we all know, the past year has had its challenges. Even so, I’m amazed and humbled by the members, volunteers and donors of the League of Women Voters of Houston who worked through those challenges to contribute to historic record voter turnout for the November elections while bringing our mission to life. Here are just a few ways we empowered voters and defended democracy:
Voters Guide. Our highly regarded, nonpartisan Voters Guide was produced for the November 2020 elections in English, Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese, thanks to the passionate volunteers who contributed approximately 2,000 hours of their time from start to finish – all so voters could make informed decisions at the polls. More than 12,500 voters received a hard copy of the English version at no charge and 24,000 Houston area citizens viewed our Voters Guide web page for more information. In addition, 137,000 unique users from Harris County accessed vote411.org for a digital, tailored ballot.
Voter Registration. More than 260 volunteers registered voters at 40 city-wide events during the summer and fall, masking up and braving the heat to make registration easy and convenient. They also created an “Adopt a Post Office” initiative whereby they brought colorful boxes filled with registration forms to all Harris County post offices. When a large number of post offices denied them the ability to place the boxes in public view, Voter Services volunteers defended democracy by informing media and contacting local legislators. In the end, the issue went to the United States Postal Service, which eventually permitted the boxes to be displayed.
Communication and Collaboration: In the months leading up to November 3 our Board members gave 20 presentations to corporations and nonprofits on get out the vote topics and the 19th Amendment, shared critical voting information on multiple city panels and participated in over 25 media interviews. When it appeared that voter rights were at risk, we teamed with the League of Women Voters of Texas to stand up to those challenges while never taking our eyes off the ball of voter empowerment and education. Finally, we organized our seventh consecutive Election Day Phone Bank in collaboration with KPRC and Telemundo, during which 60 volunteers answered 945 voter questions in English and Spanish.
WE NEED YOUR HELP.
We look forward to maintaining this momentum by pursuing new and purposeful ways to enable a democracy where every person has the desire, the right, the knowledge and the confidence to participate. In the coming months this means a significant concentration on fair redistricting and election laws as well as ensuring voters’ rights are secure.
This is where you come in. The Houston League doesn’t have paid staff –everything we do, we do through the dedication of volunteers and the generosity of donors. We have faced considerable budget challenges in 2020 since COVID-19 forced us to cancel all revenue-producing events. This impacted our Voters Guide production and a number of projects that could have allowed us to reach even more people with critical information. Lack of funds may also impact our advocacy plans for 2021.
We would be grateful if in honor of Giving Tuesday, December 1, and everything the League has done and hopes to do, you could offer a donation of any kind – big or small. Just click on donate and make a contribution online or you can write a check payable to the League of Women Voters of Houston and mail it to P.O. Box 270269, Houston, TX 77277.
A steady democracy requires constant attention, and while we have been able to move boulders with the courage of our convictions, with your help we’ll be able to move mountains!
Thank you for your consideration, and may you enjoy a wonderful, safe Holiday Season.
Best regards,
MaryJane Mudd
President
League of Women Voters of Houston
