September - October 2025 Bulletin Issue 54
| National Voter Registration Day - Tuesday, September 16, 2025
| | LWVAC will be at all Price Choppers & Market 32s in our county, 3 - 6 pm.
On National Voter Registration Day (NVRD), citizens come together and celebrate our right to vote. We thank Mona Golub for partnering with us, so we can reach the public with information for the November 4 general election. Schenectady, Rensselaer and Saratoga Counties’ Leagues will also be out in their areas, as we all share information about when, where and how to vote.
A special thank you to Marilyn (Lynn) Nugent for spearheading this effort, organizing and supporting the many locations and dozens of volunteers who are involved. Photo: Lynn with guests and volunteers during last year's NVRD. | | | Voter Services
LWVAC High School Voter Registration Team Welcomes Back to School!
Our HS Team is going into all the High Schools in Albany County to help educate and empower our students by teaching them the power and importance of their vote. We would welcome your joining us in any way you would be comfortable:
- Help out at a Voter Registration table at the Schools.
- Come into the Classroom and observe, assist with registering students.
- Back up our HS team leaders with details (on site or from your home).
Colonie Town Board Candidates Forum, October 21, 7 - 9 pm at Shaker High School Auditorium. Co-sponsored by the Colonie Chamber of Commerce, Spotlight News and LWV Albany County.
Cancelled - City of Albany Mayoral Candidate Forum, previously announced for October 21, due to the unavailabiltiy of one of the candidates. Thank you to League members who had offered to assist with the forum.
| Advocacy
LWVAC’s Advocacy Committee First Meeting of the 25-26 Year, September 16th from 7 to 8 pm. Come and join us if you want to lead or volunteer with a campaign, or if you are simply interested in knowing what our chapter is planning this year. You can see what our advocacy agenda includes in the 2025-26 LWVAC Local Program. If you are interested in attending the meeting or want to be on the Advocacy Committee mailing list, email Lars Dahl.
The Future of Saint Rose Campus, September 25th, 5 - 7 pm. Lally Building Rotunda, 1009 Madison Avenue, Albany. The second of three Albany County public meetings about the future of the campus. To share your ideas or hear others' plans, we strongly recommend you attend this open house. Find more information here.
LWVNYS Action Alert: Are you eager to see the impact of League Advocacy in action? Help us make our point by calling Governor Hochul about signing the ERIC bill and the Medical Aid in Dying bill. Read the details here. |
LWVAC's Observer Corps monitors and documents the workings of local government, attending public meetings, taking careful notes, and reporting on transparency, accessibility, and civic engagement. Their reports summarize key issues and offer insight into how public bodies function, essential knowledge for citizens. Read them at Reports from the Observer Corps.
You Can Be an Observer Too! If you're ready to strengthen local democracy and help keep our government accountable, consider joining the Observer Corps today! Want to learn more? Contact Marissa Goddard and Patricia Sibilia at lwvac@lwvalbany.org.
We love our Observer Corps. Still a work in progress, but it’s a service for the community, good visibility for our League, and a great volunteer opportunity for members. | President's Message
Just a few days ago, we remembered September 11th, a day to think of those lost in the Twin Towers attack in NYC and elsewhere. But this year our attention was captured by the murder of Charlie Kirk, a strident conservative influencer. The day before, three students, including the shooter, were shot at Evergreen High School in Colorado. There have been more than 19,000 gun violence injuries in 2025 to date. ( Gun Violence Archive.) On June 14, 2025, a man disguised as a member of law enforcement, murdered Minnesota State Senator Melissa Hortman and also shot State Senator Hoffman and his wife Yvette, and attempted to shoot their daughter, Hope. On December 4th, 2024, the United Health Care executive Brian Thompson was killed.
These are political acts of terror that seek to undermine our democracy. All these acts - the children with guns at school; the seizure of planes, the targeting of individuals for their roles and opinions - are intended to frighten us. We seemingly cannot control guns; many of our leaders have encouraged us to believe that we are in danger and that we must ‘carry’ to protect ourselves because the government cannot or will not. We are directed to lose faith in our democracy, our standards, and our country.
We need to stand against the lies and fears propagated by these bad actors. I am sure many feel that way too, but our attention is fragmented by the multiple assaults on our beliefs and our trust. Social media fans the flames. What can we do?
If you are also searching or eager for action, look at these League sites at the national level, the state level and here in Albany County. Where can you create an opening with your volunteer time or funds? Reject despair. We need each other, and we need you. Your generosity and resolve are appreciated.
In League,
MaryKate Owens
| | DEI Bookshelf
Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice
David S. Tatel, 2024, 343 pp, hardback, e-book, audiobook
In this memoir, David Tatel, a former civil rights lawyer and retired Federal Court of Appeals judge, describes his fight for equal justice despite being blind - from a degenerative retinal disease - for most of his legal career. During his entire career, he strongly believed that the Federal courts have a profound responsibility to protect individuals, especially the vulnerable ones. Tatel’s life of principle, perseverance and accomplishment should be an inspiration to all of us. (Read the full commentary on the book.)
| | | In Remembrance
We honor Judith Mark, a longtime member of the LWV Albany County. |
- September 16-17: Voter service at the NY Association for Independent Living Conference, Capital Center in Albany.
- September 26, October 10, November 7: Voter Registration at naturalization ceremonies at the Federal Courthouse.
- September 28: Voter Service at the Upper Madison Street Fair.
- October 7, 6:00- 7:30 pm: Banned Book Readout at the Albany Public Library Washington Avenue branch
- October 13: Voter information at Avila Retirement Community.
- October 16, 6:30 pm: Museum of Political Corruption’s Nellie Bly Award, Hearst Media Center, 645 Albany Shaker Road, Albany. Reception, ceremony and round table discussion honoring and with Glenn Kessler, editor and chief writer of The Fact Checker for the Washington Post, a pioneer of political fact-checking. Register here.
- October 24: Voter information at Bethlehem Elm Avenue Park Trunk or Treat.
- Oct 25, 2025, 7:30 – 9:00 pm Conscience, a show about Margaret Chase Smith, the first woman to serve in both houses of Congress, who stood up to Senator Joseph McCarthy. League members plan to attend this timely theater production together. If you would like to join us, let us know (email lwvac@lwvalbany.org) and buy your ticket before they sell out. At Curtain Call Theatre, 1 Jeanne Jugan Lane, Latham.
- October 30: Suffragette Alice Paul reenactment program with Pat Nugent. Details TBA.
- November 4: Election Day
- November 16: Presentation on Voting Rights at First Presbyterian Church, Albany.
Save the Date for Luncheon Theater: December 3, Lunch at the Century House with an Eleanor Roosevelt historical reenactment by Phyllis Chapman. Event details to be announced.
| Colleague Events
Sun Day Festival for Solar Energy Sunday, September 21, 12-4 pm, Empire State Plaza Convention Center, Madison Ave, Albany. Arts, music, storytelling, teach-ins, and fun activities. Details and RSVP.
Freedom Now! The Civil Rights Movement of the '60s, September 24, 7 - 8:30 pm, Davis Auditorium, Skidmore College. Learn from the resilience and determination of past movements as we defend democratic principles of justice and inclusion, with Dr. Winston Grady-Willis and Professor Donald Hyman. Register here.
Grand Opening of Virtual Halls of Shame and Honor and Gallery of Political Cartoons, September 30, 7 pm. Online Museum of Political Corruption event. Information and registration.
The Impact of Mass Deportation on Migrant and Refugee Women and Children LWV-US Immigration Discussion Group, October 15, 7 pm, Online. Leading experts on the impact of US & global immigration policies will discuss the protection of immigrant and refugee women and children. More information. Access the Zoom event here.
Museum of Political Corruption’s Nellie Bly Award, October 16, 6:30 pm, Hearst Media Center, 645 Albany shaker Road, Albany. Glenn Kessler, editor and chief writer of The Fact Checker for the Washington Post, a pioneer of political fact-checking, will be honored. Reception followed by 7:00 ceremony and round table discussion. Register here.
Grassroots Advocacy Training with Beyond Plastics, October 25 or Tuesday October 28 or Thursday October 30, 1-3 pm each day. A free, two-hour online training designed to give you the knowledge and tools needed to take meaningful local action on plastic pollution. Learn more and register. | The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan grassroots organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.
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