In the News

June 2010 Election

 

Important Dates for the June 2010 Election

April 9-May 24 Overseas voter registration period.
May 10 - Vote-by-mail ballots mailed.
May 24 - Last day to register to vote.
May 25-June 1 New citizen voter registration period.
June 1 - Last day for the county election office to receive your vote-by-mail application. Find your County Election office.
June 8 Last day to request your vote-by-mail ballot in person.
June 8 Election Day (polls open from 7am-8pm).

Find your polling place on www.smartvoter.org

All candidate forums can now be found streamed and archived on the Chico Enterprise-Record website at http://www.chicoer.com/multimedia.

For nonpartisan Election information, visit: www.SmartVoter.org.

Click here to download the League's Pros & Cons for unbiased information on the statewide ballot measures.

 

 

The League of Women Voters - 90 years old and still going strong.

The League of Women Voter, a non-partisan organization launched in 1920 when women got the right to vote after a 75-year struggle, is now 90 years old. It is amazing how recently women have gotten the vote and how much they have done with this long-delayed opportunity.

Primarily through the efforts of faculty wives who wanted more than afternoon teas, the Butte County chapter was launched in 1945 to join the nation-wide effort to educate voters, study issues for possible advocacy, observe government agencies to demonstrate citizen interest and assure transparency, and help get people involved in their government through voter registration, voter guides, candidate forums, discussions of propositions, educational presentations on current issues, and assistance at polling places. These founding mothers and the generations of active, courageous women who followed have made our League a powerful voice for good government and good citizenship.

Our activities in 2010 alone include a presentation on the state budget crisis, co-sponsored celebrations of our 90th birthday in Gridley, Chico, Paradise, and Oroville with the showing of Iron-Jawed Angels, a co-sponsored town hall meeting on rationalizing the budget, and two sessions for League observers to discuss their findings.

Coming up on April 18 is the 37th annual wine tasting benefit at Lakeside Pavilion in California Park. This signature event offers a wide variety of local and regional wines, a few breweries, and a couple of local olive oil makers. It also offers a beautiful buffet of homemade dishes lovingly prepared by League members. We raffle a wine barrel with representative wines from our vendors and a lovely photograph taken by our own Jim Gregg. We also take a moment to thank our elected officials for their commitment to the communities they serve.

This afternoon of social and culinary delights enables us to mount candidate forums-perhaps the most expensive task the League takes on but also one of the most important to its mission of educating voters. There will be three in May leading up to the June 8 primary. On May 3 we will hold a forum with the candidates for two positions on the Board of Supervisors: Jane Dolan and Larry Wahl; Maureen Kirk and Erny Spears. On May 5 we will hear from Wally Herger, Pete Stiglich, and Jim Reed for US Congress, and Rick Keene, Doug LaMalfa, and Lathe Gill for State Assembly, District 4. On May 13 the candidates for Butte County District Attorney-Mike Ramsey and Lance Daniel (Dale Rasmussen declined)-will take questions. Also on May 13 Professor Charley Turner will help us understand the propositions. All of these forums are in the Chico City Council Chambers from 7 - 9 p.m.

Next cycle will bring more candidate forums for the November elections, so the work goes on for the League of Women Voters. It is not easy work but it is a meaningful volunteer opportunity for women-and men!-who believe democracy calls for active and educated citizen involvement. Sometimes this means supporting the work government agencies are doing, sometimes it means studying a problem until a better approach is found, and sometimes it means taking on the responsibility of public office ourselves. The motto might be: "If we have time to complain about something we have the time to do something about it." And the League of Women Voters invites you to do something with us!

For more information about LWVBC check out our new website: www.lwvbuttewcounty.org, come to our office at 635 Flume Street, or call us at 895-VOTE.

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