 | 
Your opportunity to watch a historic recount of the City of Naples Mayor and City Council Races! Tuesday’s election had razor thin margins for both the Mayor (12 vote margin) and City Council (33 vote margin) races, mandating a recount which is scheduled for this Saturday, March 23.
We need two shifts of Canvassing Board Observers:
- 10 – 1pm shift for Logic & Accuracy testing then machine recount of ballots:
-
10:00 a.m.: Public Testing of the Tabulation Equipment
- 11:00 a.m.: City of Naples Mayor and City Council Machine Recount
-
3:30 – 6pm shift for Mayor and City Council Manual Recounts:
- 4:00 p.m.: 2nd Unofficial Results and Manual Recount Determination
- 4:15 p.m.: City of Naples Mayor Manual Recount
- 5:00 p.m.: City of Naples City Council Manual Recount
The meetings will be held at the office of the Supervisor of Elections, 3750 Enterprise Avenue, Naples 34104. If you can observe either meeting, please sign in to the LWVCC website, go to ‘take action,’ and select ‘volunteer.’ Volunteer observers will receive background information to familiarize them with this interesting and important task.
VOLUNTEER
| APRIL 2024 LUNCHEON & GENERAL MEETING
April 8 @ 11:30-1:30
Tiburon Golf Club
Civic Engagement + Well Sourced Quality Reporting =
a Robust Democratic Society
presented by
Barbara Petersen
Executive Director
FLCGA
Barbara Petersen will present the work of the Florida Center for Government Accountability, a non-partisan, not-for-profit investigative news organization.
| Registration and payment must be made online
by April 2 @ 12:00 PM
Walk-ins will be seated in order of arrival on a space available basis
Late registration/walk in price will be strictly enforced
Help build our League and educate the general public! Our most effective method of membership recruitment is the General Meeting! Invite a guest to our next General Meeting and support LWVCC!
WHY DO I HAVE TO REGISTER FOR THE GENERAL MEETING BY TUESDAY INSTEAD OF THURSDAY (the way it has been for years….)?
In order to provide us with the variety and quality of food we receive, Tiburon needs a luncheon count by the previous Tuesday afternoon.
PLEASE REGISTER FOR THE MARCH 11 GENERAL MEETING BY NOON, APRIL 2
A few tips about General Meeting Registration:
- be sure to log in to receive “member pricing” for you and your guests
- there are TWO parts to signing up for the General Meeting:
registration and payment
- you will receive TWO Club Express emails, one that states you have registered, and one that states you have paid. If payment is not received within 30 minutes or registration, your registration will be cancelled.
- Can’t remember if you have registered? Try again! If you have already registered,
Club Express will tell you. You will not be able to register twice.
For an excellent overview of the registration and payment process, watch this brief video | 
Conservation Collier is one of our most beloved and important programs for protecting our land, water and wildlife. A recent hearing was held by the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) on March 12, 2024 to consider amendments to the Ordinance governing the program. These amendments were a follow-up to the shocking budget meeting in October when the BCC removed all of the accumulated Conservation Collier money ($53Million) to use on other things in the County, with no promise to replace it. On March 12 there were several proposed changes which the League opposed and some which the League supported. Our biggest concern was the language to allow the County to take money from Conservation Collier whenever they deemed it in the best interest of the county. The BCC agreed to language that would only take money in case of an emergency and to repay as soon as practicable. A second reading of the proposed changes will take place on Tuesday, March 26.
READ COMMENTARY FOR UP TO DATE DETAILS
|  GET IN LINE, DON'T WHINE!
Our Voter Services Committee started a social media campaign to engage young voters in the 2024 elections. Help us make our Get in Line, Don't Whine campaign successful by letting your friends and family know to share these posts far and wide.
Follow, like, comment, share!
- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and TikTok. To find us, search our username: lwvcolliercounty and give us a follow.
- “Like” content and reels posted. Click on the thumbs up or heart icons to show your friends what you like.
- Comment on content. Add a simple comment to get the word out, such as “Vote 24” or “Love to see young people excited to vote!”
- Share content and reels to your own personal social media pages or send to friends and family, specifically in the 18-40 year old demographic.
Still need help? Stay after our general meeting for assistance from LWVCC Social Media Manager, Jen Lapham.
| LWVUS CONVENTION JUST 3 MONTHS AWAY
June 27-30
Washington, DC
The LWVUS Convention will take place from June 27-30, 2024 in Washington, DC. This is an unforgettable opportunity to better understand how the national League works and to connect with Leaguers from across the country. If any member is interested in attending, please contact Diane Moore.
| CIVILITY UPHOLDS A HEALTHY DEMOCRACY
 Civility is essential for democracy to function effectively. To be at its best, a democratic society needs open dialogue and cooperation among all individuals, including those with diverse viewpoints. There will always be people with different perspectives. Divergent thinking, in fact, can provide better and more creative solutions to problems. Everyone thinking the same does not facilitate critical thinking. We need to show respect, work together and find common ground among those with different opinions from ours.
Civility helps to create a sense of trust and mutual respect among citizens and between citizens and government officials. When people are able to engage in respectful and constructive debate, they are more likely to feel heard and represented in the political process. This can lead to stronger civic engagement and greater participation in our democratic institutions.
The use of civil discourse means hate speech or other harmful rhetoric is not used. Civility builds a stronger sense of community. By promoting respectful communication, more collaboration will be encouraged. More robust conversations occur when people trust and value each other. Individuals can more easily make informed decisions about important issues in the community and country.
Civil discourse is foundational to democracy. It allows complex challenges to be addressed in a constructive and inclusive manner. It upholds the values of democracy, promotes social cohesion, and ensures the peaceful coexistence of diverse perspectives. | EDUCATION COMMITTEE SUCCESS &
NEXT STEPS
The Education Committee celebrated the success of its collaboration with Dr. Leslie Ricciardelli in obtaining a $2 million dollar appropriation for expanded pre-kindergarten programs in Collier County Public Schools. In preparation for fall activities geared toward celebrating the importance of public education in Collier County, the Education Committee met on March 13 with Dani Henderson from Champions for Learning and Emily Budd-Schepperly, from Future Ready Collier, to talk with us about their work, with the aim of identifying common interests. We will meet with Madelon Stewart, a key organizer of the Purple Group in Lee County, at our April 10 meeting. She will talk with us about coalition building to support public education. The April 10 meeting is at noon at the North Collier Government Center conference room, 2335 Orange Blossom Drive. All are welcome. | 
CANVASSING BOARD VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
FOR PRESIDENTIAL PREFERENCE PRIMARY +
NAPLES MUNICIPAL ELECTION
Volunteer to observe the Collier County Canvassing Board for the 2024 March Presidential Preference Primary + Naples Municipal election! The Canvassing Board conducts the Logic and Accuracy test of the voting machines, reviews Vote-by-Mail (VBM) and provisional ballots, certifies the official results of the election and observes the manual audit of precinct/race. This is an important service for our League, in support our mission of the free and fair elections.
Volunteers are needed for the following dates and times:
- Friday, March 29, 5:05pm (Overseas VBM ballots, Official certification)
- Friday April 5, 9:00 a.m. (Manual audit)
The meetings will be held at the office of the Supervisor of Elections, 3750 Enterprise Avenue, Naples 34104. If you can observe one or more meetings, please sign in to the LWVCC website, go to ‘take action,’ and select ‘volunteer.’ Volunteer observers will receive background information to familiarize them with this interesting and important task.
Volunteer observers receive background information to familiarize them with this interesting and important task. |  PLASTICS POINTERS
Remember when we all used powdered laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent that came in cardboard boxes? These are still available at local grocery stores. So skip the pods and the laundry detergent sheets! It’s not clear if the PVA plastic in the pods and sheets really just harmlessly dissolves in water, and the plastic containers that the pods come in can take hundreds of years to decompose. |
|
UPCOMING EVENTS |
|
|
April 8 @ 10:00-11:30
|
LWVCC Annual Meeting
|
April 8 @ 11:30-1:30
|
April Luncheon & General Meeting
|
April 20 @ 10:00-3:00
|
Earth Day Celebration
|
April 29 @ 9:30-11:30
|
Board & Committee Chair
Orientation
|
Visit the LWVCC Calendar for event details
| ONLINE REIMBURSEMENT FORM IS NOW AVAILABLE
Board members, committee chairs, and others who need to submit reimbursement requests can now do so via our Submit Online Forms page. | UPCOMING COMMITTEE MEETINGS
Because LWVCC committee meetings are for members and their invited guests unless stated otherwise,
members should log in to the website to register
to get the Zoom links for committee meetings and other events. | Juvenile Justice Committee Meeting
March 22 @ 10:00-12:00 NOTE DATE CHANGE
Finemark Bank Waterside
Guest speakers from Children's Network Southwest Florida
| Board Meeting
April 3 @ 9:30-12:00
Moorings Park Conference Room
| Plastics Task Force Meeting
April 4 @ 3:30-4:30
Zoom | Education Committee Meeting
April 10 @ 12:00-1:30
North Naples Government Center Meeting Room
Guest speaker Madelon Stewart, a key organizer of the Purple Group in Lee County, will talk with us about coalition building to support public education
| Environmental Affairs Committee Meeting
April 11 @ 10:00-12:00
| Gun Violence Preventtion Subcommittee Meeting
April 16 @ 4:00-5:00
| MISSED AN ISSUE OF THE VOTER?
NEED TO CATCH UP ON THE NEWS?
Check out our updated News & Newsletters page, which has all our latest news and links to current and back issues of The Voter and The LWVCC Update.
| Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy.
The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in Government. We influence public policy through education and advocacy. Our goal is to empower citizens to take an active role in shaping better communities worldwide. The League of Women Voters of Collier County does not support or endorse any candidate or political party.
| League of Women Voters of Collier County
P.O. Box 9883Naples, FL 34101
| |