Like Rap? Vote with Hamilton

If you loved the play Hamilton - if you like rap- if you think black and brown people need to feel welcome in our democracy - then you’ll love this video. It’s the cast and music from Hamilton, but the message is to register and to vote. It is aimed at those who haven’t thought their vote was necessary, particularly young adults. The emphasis is on early voting but it explains all the voting options and makes them seem pretty easy.

After you’ve seen this video, which was produced by Rock the Vote, be sure to share it with all those college students you know. And share it with the young adults out looking for jobs, participating in the gig economy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMmkXAIRXCU

9/28/20

Become a Poll Worker

Help America Vote! Become a poll worker. You can make a difference by becoming an election inspector to protect the right to vote.

September 1, 2020 is National Poll Worker Recruitment Day. Visit www.helpamericavote.gov for more information. For Saratoga County, contact the Saratoga County Board of Elections to get more information or call them at (518) 885-2249.

View the Poll Working 101 video from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.

Conversation with Carrie Chapman Catt

Celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment with Carrie Chapman Catt re-enactor Linda McKenney, in conversation with League members Patricia Nugent and Stacey Lamodi. Catt was the president of the National Woman Suffrage Association, who devised the “winning strategy” for the national amendment, and also the founder of the League of Women Voters.

Video of Carrie Chapman Catt’s conversation with LWV Saratoga County members Patricia Nugent and Stacy Lamodi.

Black Women’s Equal Pay Day

Black Women’s Equal Pay Day is August 13. But it is NOT a day to celebrate. It is the day in 2020 when the average black woman, working full time since January of 2019, finally catches up to the amount of money that the average white man, working full time, makes in one year.

That’s right! She has to work 20 months to make as much as a white man makes in 12 months. And the difference keeps piling up: it takes her 40 months to his 24 months of work for the same amount of money; 60 months for his 36 months of work. That’s systemic racism and sexism as it plays out in our society. No wonder 22.4 percent of black women have family incomes below the federal poverty line.

So what can we do about it? One big thing would be to recognize the skills required to be a caregiver, and pay those folks according to their real value to our society.

Why start with caregiving? Because for centuries women and slaves were just expected to take care of babies, children, the sick, and the elderly with no compensation at all. And now that caregiving has moved into the marketplace our society still is not in the habit of valuing those skills. In the long run we need to reevaluate jobs and their compensation on a gender and racially neutral scale.

Barb Thomas, August 10, 2020

Keep an Eye on Your Local Governments

August 5, 2020

We have so many local governments in NYS. If you live in a town in Saratoga County you have a Town Council with a Supervisor. That supervisor also represents your Town as a member of the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors. And then you have a school district with a school board. And most likely you have a fire district, water district, sewer district and maybe even a park district. And every one of those districts has a board that meets periodically. Cities and villages have a more unified government, but they do have at least a council with a Mayor and a separate school district. And all those governments could benefit from watching! But it is sure hard for one person to watch all those local governments. That’s why the League encourages you to become an observer of ONE of your local governments.

Right now, in the time of COVID-19, it is easy to become an observer. That’s because many of these governments are making it possible for the public to attend meetings remotely. The Saratoga County Board of Supervisors has arranged a phone line for the public to listen in on their meetings. This month it is 1-978-990-5145 and the access code is 1840389. So you can be doing the dishes or knitting and know what is happening. The City of Saratoga Springs has for years broadcast City Council meetings live. Use their website http://www.saratoga-springs.org/ to access the meetings. Or https://townofwilton.com/government/town-board/town-board-meeting-videos/. Or your own Town’s Council or your School District. Just by being “present” you improve the quality of your government.

Linda Gush coordinates our Observers, so contact her for more information on being an observer at president@lwvsaratoga.org and also let her know what government you will be observing.

by Barb Thomas, Steering Committee of the League of Women Voters of Saratoga County