Super PACs must technically disclose their donors, but those donors often include dark money groups. Dark money refers to money intended to influence election results from undisclosed sources. By having dark money donors, super PACs circumvent financial disclosure requirements. This allows a network of secret organizations to influence our elections without our knowledge. Despite Citizens...Continue Reading

The NYS Court of Appeals decision on April 27 ruled that the Democrat controlled Legislature gerrymandered the Congressional and State Senate maps to give their party an advantage, and that they are unconstitutional. The maps must be re-drawn by a neutral expert. As a result, it may be necessary to move the Congressional and State...Continue Reading

Challenged Books According to the American Library Association (ALA), a challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials. Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove...Continue Reading

Issues and Advocacy, Sally Robinson, VP for Issues and Advocacy, sally.s.robinson@gmail.com, and Erica Smitka, LWVNYS Deputy Director, Erica@lwvny.org We are nearing the end of session and have only four legislative days left before it’s over on June 2nd! Our primary focus over this next week, will be voting rights initiatives. If we are able to...Continue Reading

June 28 – Primary Election (as of April 2022) June 3 – last day to postmark Voter Registration application or register in person at BOE June 8 – last day for Change of Address June 13 – last day to apply via letter, fax, or email for Primary Election Absentee Ballot (MUST apply first) to...Continue Reading

In a democracy, politicians are expected to represent each person equally, regardless of their financial status. The principle of “one-person, one-vote” means that no matter who we are, our rights to health care, education, housing, and other basic needs are equally important. Money in politics complicates this system. When politicians receive large financial contributions from...Continue Reading

The American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 156 challenges to library, school, and university materials and services in 2020. Of the 273 books that were targeted, here are the most challenged, along with the reasons cited for censoring the books: George by Alex Gino Challenged, banned, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content, conflicting with...Continue Reading

Interesting stats about women in the world today. Today, 71% of moms with kids under 18 work. In 1975, fewer than 47% did. Once, women working outside of the home was frowned upon and most who did worked as maids, seamstresses, took in laundry or worked in a traditionally female field. Today, more women not...Continue Reading

You don’t need to be a farmer to engage in regenerative techniques. Our lawns also have tremendous capacity to store carbon, and how we care for them can either interfere with that capacity or enhance it. Here are some ways to use this year’s growing season to help flatten the curve of the climate crisis:...Continue Reading

Equal Pay Day 2022 was March 15, but equal pay isn’t enough to provide the economic stability needed in today’s economy. Fair pay must be added to the mix for women’s economic recovery from Covid and to thrive in New York State. View Kathy Stein, President of LWV of St. Lawrence MAL Unit, speak at...Continue Reading