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Date: 1/18/2026
Subject: LWV-Wake League Update January 19, 2025
From: League of Women Voters of Wake County



 LWV-Wake Update 1/19/2026


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Welcome back to your exclusive, bi-weekly newsletter of the League of Women Voters of Wake County. If someone forwarded this to you and you'd like to become a member, or are interested in learning more, just click here.


Dear~~first_name~~,

 
The past two weeks have brought more news of shocking and tragic events that may be affecting your state of mind, I know they are having an impact on me. As I reflect today on the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., I am inspired not to give in or give up. This can be hard. It is weeks like these that test our resilience. We must and we will keep moving forward, together. We will lean into our mission -Empowering Voters and Defending Democracy. We will lead in our community.

I am so glad to be in community with you as we work to ensure that our Wake County neighbors continue engaging in our democracy. We have a good opportunity coming up with the midterm primaries just around the corner. The North Carolina primary is March 3rd, with mail-in ballot requests already available and early voting starting February 12th! 

Less than 20% of Wake County (and NC) voters usually cast ballots in mid-term primaries! Due to gerrymandering, some NC election races are unlikely to be competitive in the November general election. THE PRIMARY IS SOMETIMES THE DECIDING ELECTIONAnd less than 1 in 5 people may show up to cast their ballots. This is most critical in the NC House, NC Senate, and US House races where the gerrymanders really put the proverbial "foot on the scale" of the general election results. 

Let's do what we can to increase turnout in all Wake County primaries. Encourage everyone in your networks to make a voting plan. Vote411.org has some great suggestions that make it easy - just point your friends there - VOTE411.ORG. The candidate guides and sample ballots will be available starting January 30th - that's a good time to really push vote411.org.

Together, let's keep moving forward in our community.

In solidarity,
Gaye Williams
President, League of Women Voters of Wake County

 


 LWV-WAKE NEWS & EVENTS

Register now and mark your calendar for an incredible start to 2026 with Timely Topics featuring Lynn Bonner, Senior Reporter at NC Newsline. Ms. Bonner will bring us her thoughts on the urgent and evolving challenge of misinformation and disinformation from her vantage point as an investigative political reporter!

This event is free and open to the public. These events are great opportunities to get to know members and invite a friend. Attendees are encouraged to bring a lunch. 

Thursday, January 29, 2026

12:00 PM – 1:30 PM

Highland United Methodist Church

1901 Ridge Rd Raleigh, NC 27607

 


Mark your calendar for these important 2026 LWV events. 
 
January 29th, 12:00pm: Timely Topics with guest speaker Lynn Bonner, political reporter with NC Newsline.
January 31st: LWVNC Central Regional Meeting (in Durham, see more info below)
February 7th: Reproductive Healthcare Education Symposium
 
See our Events calendar for more information.

Vote411.org is an incredible year-round resource for voters across the country. As the mid-term primaries draw near, we turn our focus to the Candidate Guide within Vote411. Can you help? 

The 2026 elections include Federal, State, and County partisan races, as well as nonpartisan municipal races in Raleigh. Our Wake County Vote411 team have about 40 primary candidates to contact for the candidate guide (we cover local and county elections; the statewide and high-level judicial races are tracked by the statewide VOTE411 team). 

Here are a few important dates to keep in mind for the upcoming Primaries:

  • Jan 30 (approximate) - VOTE411 voter guides go live in North Carolina

  • Feb 6 - Voter Registration deadline (before early voting)

  • Feb 12 to 28 - Early voting at 12 locations in Wake County

  • March 3 - Election Day

Volunteer needs: 

Two (2) Volunteers are needed to contact candidates after they have been sent the invitation to participate in VOTE411 as well as a few reminder "nudges" to those who are slow to respond.  These contacts are made primarily via text messages and sample scripts are provided. Each volunteer will contact a small group of candidates several times between Jan 18 - Jan 30. If you are willing to do this, contact Sandy Hutchinson, lwv.shutchinson@gmail.com.

Seven (7) more volunteers are needed to pick up Vote 411 signs at the League office between Feb. 9 - 11, place them at or near one of the early voting sites, and monitor them during the early voting period.

Locations: 

Avery St Rec Center in Garner

Herb Young Comm Center in Cary

Hilltop Needmore Town Park in Fuquay 

John Chavis Comm Center in downtown Raleigh

Tally Student Union at NCSU

Northern Regional Center in Wake Forest

WE Hunt Rec Center in Holly Springs

Sign up for the early voting site you will cover on the "Volunteering" tab at lwvwake.org or simply click here: Vote411 Yard Signs at Early Voting Sites.  

It's important for us to remain active and visible to candidates and to the voting public.

Please share Vote411.org with your network!


Two Important Events 

REPRODUCTIVE HEALTHCARE EDUCATION SYMPOSIUM - Register by February 1st.

An event co-sponsored by LWV-Wake

NC’s Reproductive Healthcare Crisis: Misinformation, Misdirected Funding  

Members of LWV-Wake, LWVODC, Interfaith Voices for Reproductive Freedom (IVRF), and other allies have been meeting to strategize how to address NC’s Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs). These are anti-abortion centers that engage in manipulative tactics with women at critical points in their lives. In NC, these organizations receive over $20 million in state funding. This educational symposium will discuss what CPCs are and their impacts on Maternal Healthcare in NC.

Date: February 7, 2026

Time: 8:15am to 2pm (program begins at 9, coffee and pastries will be available 8:15 am to 9 am)

Location: Chapel Hill, NC

Lunch: provided

In addition to an afternoon panel discussion, current speakers include:

  • Amy Bryant, MD, MSCR, Division Director, Complex Family Planning, Associate Professor, Complex Family Planning, and Adjunct Associate Professor, Maternal and Child Health of UNC-Chapel Hill's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 

  • Tara Ramono, Executive Director of Pro-Choice NC 

  • A representative from Planned Parenthood. 

We’ll take direct action by filling out postcards calling for an audit of State funds and signing an online petition.

There will be opportunities to meet and network with partner organizations, including League of Women Voters (LWV), and IVRF.  

Registration is required for attendance; specific location to be sent with registration confirmation.

The last day to register is February 1st. To register and for up-to-date information visit the Symposium site.  

 
PRO-CHOICE NORTH CAROLINA WEBINAR - January 20 12:30 PM
 NOTE: This webinar, originally scheduled for December 2, will now take place on January 20.All existing registrations remain active.
 
On December 2, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a major case involving anti-abortion centers. While we await a decision, this webinar will provide a clear, accessible breakdown of what happened, what legal experts are watching, and what the outcome could mean for reproductive healthcare access in North Carolina. PRO- CHOICE North Carolina will also dig into what policymakers can do at the state and local level to ensure anti-abortion centers are transparent and accountable—particularly when they receive public funding. Joining Tara Romano is NC Representative Julie von Haefen, a leading voice for reproductive freedom at the legislature.
 


Wondering what you can do to make a difference? Consider these opportunities: 
 

VOTE411: This is a critical tool that is so much more than a candidate guide! See more details in this newsletter for ways you can help voters get the information they need to make informed decisions in the critical upcoming primary elections.

 

LWVNC Central Regional Meeting - January 31, 9:00-3:00: All members are welcome, registration is required. The event will be held at the Hilton Durham (near Duke) and include members from the Granville, Wake, ODC, Moore, and Piedmont Triad Leagues. It's a great opportunity to connect and share ideas with members of other Leagues in our region. We have 9 more spots available for our members - please register here: LWVNC Regional Meeting or contact Gaye Williams if you'd like to attend.


Our committees are open to all members and work across several key areas. Attending a meeting is a great way to see if you are interested in getting involved. 

Give a committee a try or attend an event and see what you think. We will not over commit you and we will work with you to find the right way for you to engage. 

The LWVWAKE.ORG calendar is the best way to see what is happening.

Currently scheduled January Committee Meetings: 

January 20:   Voter Services Committee

January 22:   Environment Committee 

January 23:   Affordable Housing

January 27:   League Leaders Roundtable

February 9:   Civic Education Committee Meeting

February 10: Women's Rights & Healthcare Committee 

February 12: Membership Committee Meeting 

 
Volunteering with LWV-Wake can be scaled to fit the time you have to commit to help us meet our mission. If you have an hour a week, we will help you find an impactful way to be involved. If you have more time, great!

To assure that every vote for President counts in every election, we urge the NorthCarolina Legislature to pass the National Popular Vote Bill, moving our state and the nation closer to making every vote count in all of America.

There are more than 500,000 elected offices in the United States. For all but one of them, the candidate with the most votes wins. The one exception is our one national office – the presidency. To sustain a healthy democracy every vote for president should count equally. Count all the votes, every vote equal, whoever receives the most votes wins – this is simple and fair.

Join us! Sign our petition to make your voice heard.

This is open to non-Leaguers, so please share this link with your networks.

Sponsored by the League of Women Voters of North Carolina.

 

More Information 





The League of Women Voters of Wake County is a designated 501(c)3 nonprofit charitable organization by the IRS. Donations and membership dues are fully tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
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