Home - League of Women Voters - Grand Traverse Area

FIND OUT THE SCOOP ON THE LEAGUE JOIN/RENEW PROCESS

Starting February 1st, 2025, the National League will be sending emails to each League member introducing the new national LWV membership portal. Don't be left out, watch a recording of our Jan 13th webinar and/or read the documents below!

Here is a recording of the 30-minute meeting: Membership Process Webinar YouTube

Read more detail about the process below:

Presentation Slides for Jan 13th Webinar

Upcoming Changes described in the December Voter Newsletter

LWV-US Document - Membership Changes

Michigan elections are secure, accurate, and fair.

Our elections are secure, accurate and fair. Thousands of Republican, Democratic and independent election clerks, staff and volunteers make sure this is true every election. Here is what you need to know about the canvass and certification process and how it helps ensure secure and accurate elections.

The State of Michigan provides a dashboard that gives a snapshot of aggregated Michigan voting data and lets you explore the details of your community, updated daily during active elections.

The League of Women Voters of the United States president Dianna Wynn and CEO Celina Stewart released the following statement on the 2024 election results:

“The 2024 election underscores the dedication of poll workers, election officials, and volunteers nationwide, who ensured that every eligible vote was counted, and every voice was heard. This year’s election was marked by integrity, transparency, and high turnout. The American people have spoken.

“While we celebrate a fair and secure election, the outcome of this election has made the future for women unclear.

“Given the disturbing rhetoric made during this election season, we are deeply concerned about challenges we may face, particularly regarding the issues that disproportionately affect women, from health care and reproductive rights to economic security and equal representation.

“We are thankful to Leagues across the country for their tremendous work supporting the election infrastructure and supporting voters, as well as every election worker and democracy defender who guaranteed our fair and free voting process. We are thankful for the work they have done so far this cycle and the counting, curing, and certifying work that will take place in the weeks ahead.

“The League is dedicated to our mission of defending democracy. As we move forward, we remain steadfast in our commitment to advocate for policies that uplift women and ensure equitable representation in all levels of government.”

Message from Christina Schlitt, LWVGTA President:

So many of you worked hard to fulfill the League mission: to Empower Voters and Defend Democracy to the very best of your abilities. As a League, we accomplished a great deal to fulfill the varied aspects of the mission. You should be proud that you gave it your all. Voters appreciated your efforts. We are now in the process of defending voter's rights to observe that their votes are counted during the county board of canvassers certification process. Our League will be covering ten counties.

This is what Leaguers do, we support the integrity of the election-no matter the outcome.

Take care of yourselves. Walk, read, dance and recoup from your hard work. We have local elections next year and we will continue to empower voters and defend democracy.

Thank you for your time, talent and treasure.

Best Wishes for a safe and peaceful New Year from the LWVGTA.

2024 may be over, but our work goes on. As we move into the New Year, the League will continue to promote policies that empower voters, defend democracy, and advocate for a better nation. Come Join US!

MARK YOUR CALENDAR - Member Meeting February 21, 2025

League Members and their guests are invited to join the Leelanau County and Grand Traverse League of Women Voters for a discussion on "Community Support for Migrant Families." The forum will be held on Friday, February 21, 2025, 12-2pm, in the Michigan Works Conference Room, 1209 S Garfield Ave # C, Traverse City. Lunch will be provided. There will also be an brief introduction to the League's 105th anniversary.

The panel includes legal experts on immigration and professionals working with the local migrant community. They will provide an overview on immigration policy, law and how migrant families are being supported by the public schools.

Marcelo Betti, Legal Co-Director - Immigration Law & Justice Michigan
Agnes Jury, Immigration Attorney - Pillar Immigration Services
Deb Neddo, Coordinator of Migrant English Language Learner and Homeless Student Services Northwest Education Services
Beatriz Moreno, Bilingual Migrant Specialist with Suttons Bay Public Schools and Liaison to Families

The advocacy committees of both Leagues will meet after the event to discuss advocacy actions, then go through the process for support.

We hope you are able to join us in-person, but a Zoom option will be made available.

Please RSVP to Laura Otwell, 231-313-9981, membership@lwvgta.org.

LWV LAKE MICHIGAN REGION ILO CONFERENCE 2024

The Lake Michigan Region of the LWV held a conference in Manistee October 25-26, 2024. The Lake Michigan Region is an Inter league Organization of four member states (Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin) and over 60 local leagues, including Grand Traverse Area League. The Lake Michigan Region focuses on the health and well-being of citizens residing in Lake Michigan watershed states as well as the vitality of their respective economies which are directly connected to the health and vitality of Lake Michigan. Christina Schlitt, Ann Swaney, Ingrid Brophy and Carrie Olmsted were in attendance from our League. Carrie Olmsted was the LWVGTA official voting delegate. Tricia Denton from Leelanau was elected the new President and Christina Schlitt was elected as a Nominating Committee Member.

The keynote speaker at dinner was J. Carl Ganter, Co-Founder and Director of Circle of Blue, offering solutions for systems change at local-to-global levels for the world’s freshwater challenges. A presentation on the Enbridge Line 5 Pipeline, which crosses the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac, was provided by Skip Pruss, Senior Legal Advisor of For the Love of Water (FLOW). Mr. Pruss discussed Line 5 history and litigation, including FLOW’s involvement, emphasizing the existential threat a release from the pipeline poses. There was also a presentation by Alexis DeGabriele, an aquatic biologist from the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians (LRBOI), Natural Resources Department, about the project to protect, preserve and restore manoomin in Michigan to enhance ecosystem health and benefit present and future generations. Manoomin, Michigan's wild rice, has been designated the state’s official native grain.

Early attendees at the conference, plus some members who drove down from TC specifically for it, were wowed by a tour of the Arcadia Marsh Nature Preserve. Knowledgeable tour guides were supplied by the Grand Traverse Regional Nature Conservancy. What a beautiful and special place.

Many Thanks!!

Many thanks to everyone who attended our annual meeting on June 10th. It was a great time to connect, reconnect and hear from compelling speakers.

Sheryl Guy, Antrim County Clerk, received our 2024 Making Democracy Work award. This award honors a public servant who has diligently striven to provide the best service for her county and has succeeded in fulfilling her duties in an exemplary manner. Her very moving speech described the challenges that she and Antrim County faced after the 2020 election.

The LWV-GTA Outstanding Service Award recognizes the continued support of the mission to “empower voters and defend democracy” by a member of our League. This year we recognized LWVGTA/CCU leader, Marcia Koppa, for her exceptional leadership in developing the Crawford County Geographical Unit. Marcia Koppa, thank you for your efforts to grow League one member at a time.

Our keynote speakers were Mark Brewer and Jeff Timmer who shared their perspectives on "What are the Risks to Democracy Now?". There was a lively and informative Q&A! If you want to hear more from them, they are co-presenters of a podcast "A Republic, If You Can Keep It".

Local Women Making History

March 21, 2023

To celebrate Women’s History Month, the LWVGTA, in partnership with the Traverse Area District Library (TADL) and Traverse Area Community Media (TACM), will present a program focused on women in leadership.

Three local women leaders join together in a panel discussion; Ms. Brandie Ekren, Executive Director of Traverse City Light and Power, Ms. Michele Howard, Director of the Traverse Area District Library, and Ms. Rebecca Pierce, Executive Editor of the Traverse City Record Eagle. What made these women leaders? Who were their mentors? What challenges did they face as they rose through the ranks of their respective organizations? We hope this will be a fun and enlightening conversation.

The program recording can be viewed at the TADL YouTube page at Local Women Making History

A Day in the Life of a Legislator, January 15, 2024

Michigan House Representative Betsy Coffia (D 103rd)

Michigan House Representative John Roth (R 104th)

Moderator: Jean Howard

A program focused on the challenges of legislators working together to bring needed funding and projects to the communities they represent. Democrat Representative Betsy Coffia and Republican Representative John Roth, both serving in the Michigan House of Representatives, shared their experiences as Michigan Legislators.

Watch the Legislator program at Traverse Area Community Media here.

From Publication to the Public: A Library Book’s Path to the Reader

Tuesday March 19, 2024

This program focused on how a library book gets to the reader’s hands with discussion of the process of publication, process of library selection, censorship, and book banning efforts.

Presenters are: Michele Howard, Director of Traverse Area District Library (TADL), Stephie Luyt, Elementary Library Coordinator for Traverse City Area Public Schools, and Karrie Zeits, a governmental law attorney. Jaquelyn Richer, was the ASL Interpreter.

Watch a recording here on the LWVGTA FaceBook page

In the News!

A recent article in the Northern Express interviewed the local League presidents from four chapters: our own Grand Traverse Area, plus Petoskey, Leelanau and Manistee. It recaps the national League history and shares the beginnings of each of the local league chapters.

"BEYOND THE BALLOT MEET THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS CHAPTERS OF NORTHERN MICHIGAN

BY KIERSTIN GUNSBERG | MARCH 16, 2024

It was the spring of 1919, and president of the National Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) Carrie Chapman Catt was chomping at the bit. Even as the organization was celebrating its 50th anniversary, it still hadn’t completed its mission of equal voting rights for women. NAWSA had made headway, sure, having already won the right to vote in a handful of states, but the endgame was a constitutional amendment guaranteeing all women across the country that right."

Youth Voting Round table

The LWVGTA had the privilege of attending a Youth Voting Round table following the Defending Democracy Town Hall in September. A group of Traverse City HS students and AP Government Teacher, Paige Paul, were part of the discussion. These Round table discussions were held throughout the state with SOS Benson and Deputy SOS, Aghogho Edevbie to engage and empower the your voters in Michigan.

LWV Research Leads to Michigan Women's Hall of Fame

It began as an effort to salute hard work by the LWV-Grand Traverse Area encouraging a successful YES Vote to fund a new library in the mid-1990s. Award-winning author Heather Shumaker wove this story into her 2022 book, Beyond Books: Stories of Traverse Area Libraries 1960-2020, which included another story of dedicated women who left their mark on the Traverse City landscape.

The Traverse City Ladies’ Library Association (LLA) started in 1869 when Traverse Township was just a "scruffy little logging community". These ladies provided library services and a large public meeting hall to the community for more than 30 years. For this effort, the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame, which “honors distinguished women, both historical and contemporary” with Michigan connections, is awarding them this ultimate recognition.

Now the Traverse City LLA ranks up there with Mary Free Bed Guild, Aretha Franklin, Helen Milliken, Jennifer Granholm, Sojourner Truth, Betty Ford, Judith Karandjeff, Rosa Parks, and other luminaries.

Using research developed for Beyond Books, GTA League members Anne Magoun and Ann Swaney submitted the nomination for the LLA. As one of the LLA founders said: “Our aim is not a selfish one. All the toil and endeavor of these years has not been for our own aggrandizement or pleasure, but to accomplish a good work for our community …” (Martha E. Cram Bates, Grand Traverse Herald, 12/12/1878).

They would have been good LWV members, right?

--from LWVMI League Links, November 23, 2023