2024 Events Photo Album

Tiger Is the Winner!

Students from Viewmont School’s MAST (Mentors and Students Together) Program participated in their own election process during part of their after school weekly sessions this fall.

Using League supplied materials, the students held a campaign to nominate, campaign for and vote on a new school mascot. The election was close. Tiger defeated Red Panda by 3 votes showing, even at this level, every vote counts!

MAST is supported by the Hickory Branch NAACP and Viewmont Elementary School. There are currently 20 students participating. The sessions are held two days a week and they run for two hours after the school day at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church located across from the school.

This is the first time in recent memory—or ever—that the League has reached out to this age voter!

The League (and Others) Offer Signs of the Times!

Catawba County School Board Candidates (and the Audience) Respond Well to New Forum Format

The League debuted a new format for the Catawba County School Board Candidates Forum on October 8 at CVCC’s Workforce Solutions Complex.

In addition to League prepared questions at the opening, audience members wrote down their own questions for the candidates. The questions were collected and turned into a vetting table where questions were checked for duplication and then the questions were sent on to be asked by moderator, Eric Millsaps, Editor of the Hickory Daily Record. Each candidate had the opportunity to respond. In addition, candidate gave opening and closing remarks.

Priya Palmer, LWVCV President, at the end of the event credited the audience for the success of the new approach for both their questions and for their respectful demeanor during the event. She said it would encourage the League to consider offering this kind of forum again in the future.

The room was filled with nearly 70 people—interested citizens, candidates (one candidate did not attend), League and Alpha Kappa Alpha Society, Inc., Xi Phi Omega Chapter volunteers.

Meet the Candidates Fall 2024

Hurricane Helene didn’t stop the League’s Meet the Candidates Event.

Held at the Ridgeview Recreation Center in Hickory on Monday, September 30, candidates and attendees both showed up. This League sponsored evening was held in collaboration with both the Catawba County and Hickory Branches of the NAACP.

All candidates in the competitive races in Catawba County were invited.  Attendees could casually walk around, speak to them and learn more about their positions.

In the center of the room, many people stepped on the red carpet and had their photos taken with whiteboard signs showing why voting is important to them.

Throughout the gym there were sample ballots, candy at the candidates’ tables, campaign yard signs for taking home and League and NAACP volunteers!  Photos from the evening are shown below.

League Was All In for Todos Somos America

The League participated in the annual "Todos Somos America" Hispanic heritage festival in downtown Hickory “Under the Sails” on September 29, a successful collaboration. The League had a very good location and lots of good interactions with the crowd, estimated at around 3,000. (That's a very good turnout, considering that it was just two days after Hurricane Helene.) 

We distributed all the Spanish Vote 411 trifolds and many colorful flyers with general voting information. The highlight was obtaining FIVE new voter registrations! We were fortunate to have the translation assistance of Eric Schramm, professor of Spanish. (Event reporting by Lynn B. Spees)

LWVCV Goes to LRU for National Voter Registration Day

Absolutely fantastic!

Great partnership with LRU!

Some 100-150 students stopped in the area, nearly 29 became registered voters!

According to lead, Betty Lohr, Tuesday, September 17 was a fun day with lots of interaction between the volunteers and students and among the students, too. QR codes were scanned to connect to VOTE411. The League Let’s Vote Because Banner got a work out. Many gravitated to the bracelet making section that LRU offered. Members of the League and partnering members of the Hickory Branch NAACP were available to encourage students to get ready to vote. Later that evening, the League was also set up in Shuford Gymnasium to continue the voter registration outreach. Check out the photos below that capture some of the energy from that day. Photos courtesy of LRU and Betty Lohr.

LWVCV Goes to CC NAACP with VOTE411!

The League was invited to speak to the Catawba County Branch of the NAACP  on Sunday, September 8 at Mt. Olin AME Church, Newton.  President, Priya Palmer, spoke about the history and current profile of the League. Cindy Lundy, Board Member, transitioned the focus to the League’s VOTE411 efforts during this election season. 

NAACP members jumped into using their phones in order to connect with their own voting information.  CC NAACP President, Jerry McCombs, had invited Priya and Cindy to the event and welcomed them there.

Outgoing Mail

The League’s 1000 postcard writing effort

culminated on Saturday, September 7 at the Newton Library.  Members (and one young, future member?) spent the time writing the final cards and stamping them for mailing.  Prior to that day, nine League members, a large number of Hickory and Catawba County Branches of the NAACP members and residents at Kingston Residence of Hickory had assisted with this effort. 

Postcard recipients were randomly chosen from registered women in Catawba County who are between the ages of 30-45 and who did not vote in the last presidential election.

Shown below is the card that was sent and photos of the group at work. The final picture shows their celebratory mood when it was over!  The cards will be mailed on October 1.

A Sign of the Times

Election Season/VOTE411 Season is official in a very BIG way! This billboard faces traffic heading east on I-40, between exits 123 and 125. Signs R Us gets credit for installing it and keeping it in place from now through election day, November 5!

League Trivia Night: Brains Taxed, Socks Awarded

­Four teams duked it out for first place in the League's first-ever Trivia Night social on August 29th at Duke's Market on Main in Hickory.

Event mastermind Betty Lohr introduced quizmaster Paul Sapp, who posed questions on topics ranging from which states were represented by the last two stars on the 1812 flag, to which of four cartoon heroines had not served as U.S. President*. The questions were tough, but players got a chance to chat and nosh between rounds, and there were some extra-credit points available to boost team scores.

 In the end, the team called "The Electors" prevailed. But nobody went home without a prize to get them through the election: flashy flip-flops, "VOTE" socks, or festive Tylenol. 

 (* answers: Vermont & Kentucky; Lois Lane)

Trusted Elections Town Hall Held in Morganton!

Trusted Elections held a Town Hall in Morganton on Thursday, August 22 at Western Piedmont Community College’s Leviton Auditorium. LWVCV members greeted guests and had VOTE411 material available for them.

North Carolina Trusted Elections co-leads, former Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts (D) and Bob Orr (R), former NC Supreme Court Justice were both present. David Hood from the Catawba County Board of Elections was a panelist that evening.  The entire Burke County Board of Elections Staff was present.

 Roberts said afterward the crowd was attentive and asked some great questions, and we hope they will share some of this information with their friends and colleagues . . . to get ahead of any rumors, misinformation, or outright falsehoods about our NC elections ahead of November. We also hope they heard loud and clear that all the results will not be final on November 5 and that people will have to wait patiently until canvass and certification happens!

Trusted Elections is an initiative of the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia.  A Town Hall was held in Hickory, hosted by the League in 2022 during the inaugural year of these events.

Shown below, Leaguers ready to welcome attendees, the panel of experts answering questions from the audience, and Jennifer Roberts standing with the Burke County Board of Elections Staff.

#UniteNC "Ready to Vote" Travels to Hickory

Common Cause North Carolina presented their #UniteNC "Ready to Vote" Training in Hickory at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church on August 20, 2023.  Voter Services Chair, Julie Pepper, lead off the evening with an introduction to the League’s VOTE411. Sailor Jones, Associate Director of Common Cause North Carolina presented general and detailed voter information to the group.  Attendees were encouraged to take printed material with them to share with groups in which they are involved. The League served as host for the event. 

League Members Prep League Members’ Packets!

As the kickoff for the race to November 5 begins, League members will receive a collection of League VOTE411 and other voting informational material that they will be encouraged to pass on to people they know or to post in places for everyone to see! The handouts are in both English and Spanish.

This ground game allows members to find personal ways to have an influence on empowering voters.

Annual Meeting Turns into a Picnic!

The Annual Meeting of the League of Women Voters of Catawba Valley was held on Saturday, June 15 at Catawba County’s Newton Library.  There was a strong turnout of members—both long term and more recent ones!  The occassion was picnic themed with boxed lunches and there was a celebratory mood as the 2023-2024 year culminated.

The Annual Meeting is a required, members-only event where officers are elected and business is conducted.  For the first time in recent League history, the program was enriched with a guest speaker.

As they arrived, attendees were able to casually move around the tables where they could:

• sign in and write encouraging notes to be shared with all members as election efforts peak

• go shopping for League t-shirts and name badges

• preview and even begin to sign up for some election activities involving postcards, car magnets, and yard signs

• have their photos taken on the red carpet and

• pick up their picnic lunch before they sat down--all of this while mingling together!

Tiffany Canaday, President, welcomed the group and updated everyone on the state of LWVCV and its strategic plan.

Priya Palmer reported on the financial state of the League and the proposed changes to the Bylaws which were adopted that day.

Kathy Bradham gave the Nominating Committee’s Report.  It included these proposed candidates which were unanimously approved by those attending:  President, Priya Palmer; Secretary, Linda Greenwell; Co-treasurers, Carol Trivette and Glenn Fisher; and Nominating Committee Chair, Tom Lundy.  Kathy expressed gratitude, on behalf of the League, to both Tiffany Canaday and Priya Palmer for their varied service to the League in the past years as President/Vice President and Vice President/Treasurer, respectively.

The speaker for the event was Dr. Amanda Sturgill of Elon University who spoke on how to differentiate between real and fake news and the growing presence of AI in news production.

President-elect Priya Palmer then spoke to the group about the potential future of the League. 

Cindy Lundy, Board member, spoke about reaching out to people personally or through League activities between now and the election to empower them to vote and to vote informed using VOTE411.

Members left with a gift bag of League shareables.

Captured in the far right photo below are the 2023-24 leaders who have served during this past year: Linda Greenwell, Betty Lohr, Kathy Bradham, Priya Palmer, Tiffany Canaday, Emily Sengupta, Cindy Lundy and Julie Pepper (not pictured.)

LWVCV parties with WRC!

On, Thursday, March 14, the League joined the festivities surrounding the Women’s Resource Group’s (WRC) Awards evening at The Hickory Museum of Art’s Coe Gallery. Participating sponsors for this community event were the Women’s Resource Center, the Friends of Ridgeview Library, the Hickory Museum of Art, St. Stephens High School’s Tractor Shed Theatre and LWVCV.

It was an elegant setting to recognize four community leaders below — (l-r) Sarah Huffman, Martha Carrillo, Honey Yang Estrada, and Genita Hill — for their embodiment of this year’s theme, “Women Who Advocate for Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion”, with exceptional grace and distinction.

An original performance was created and performed by the Tractor Shed Theatre Students from St. Stephen High School under the direction of Molly Rice. Their words and actions about women’s struggles for equality, past and present, was a moving addition to the event that happens in March, Women’s History Month.

Betty Lohr, League Collaborative Partnership Chair spoke inspiringly to the group about the League’s purpose.

The evening included an informal time after the program when guests could mingle and enjoy the refreshments provided by League members.

Photos below are from the original performance written and presented by St. Stephen’s High Tractor Shed Theatre students. Bravo!

Here are some candid shots from the evening. The first one below includes Michelle Morgan, in the dark dress to the right. This is the one photo we have of Michelle standing still! She is the Executive Director of the Women’s Resource Center in Hickory.

Voters share why they will vote in the primary.

Hope to inspire others to do the same!

These voters took time out from talking with candidates at the February 13 Meet the Candidates Event at CVCC to share their thoughts on why voting is important to them.  This group even includes some participants who may not yet be 18 but who already know why they will be future voters! 

Work Force Solutions Complex at CVCC—site of possible primary solutions for voters!

The League held its second Meet the Candidates Event on Tuesday evening, February 13 from 6-8PM at CVCC’s Workforce Development Complex on campus.  There were 14 of the 19 primary candidates there who are vying for a ballot position in the November Election.  Because of the informal approach of a Meet the Candidates Event, the citizens who attended could walk around and talk to candidates as they wished.  Coverage from the Hickory Daily Record is here.

Early voting begins on February 15; the primary will be held on March 5. League membership is open year-round.

First Election Season Meet the Candidates Event Held in Sherrills Ford/Terrell

Citizens came to Rehobeth UMC’s Family Life Center in Terrell on the evening of February 6, to get an early opportunity to meet and talk with candidates who will be in the March 5 Primary. All candidates on the ballot who have challenged races were invited; 12 were there. More than 60 voters were in attendance.

The informal format allowed attendees to find out more information about the candidates through small group and one on one conversations.

The League debuted it’s Let’s Vote Because Campaign that will run through election day in November. It features people sharing on a white board their reasons for voting in an effort to encourage others to vote also.

LWVCV has held these events in Terrell in the past. The first one in Hickory will be on Tuesday, February 13 at CVCC’s Workforce Development Complex off of Startown Rd.

Brrrrrrr But Beneficial!

#UniteNC “Ready To Vote” presentation by Common Cause North Carolina, co-powered by LWVCV, at the Alexander County Senior Center on January 18, 2024 was well-attended and well-received—despite the cold weather that night. Alexander County Board of Elections Director Patrick Wike was there to answer questions and provide input as well. The timely information-packed presentation explained changes in voter registration, voting and elections for 2024. This was the first LWVCV sponsored event in Alexander County.

Based on the train-the-trainer model and with the intent of spreading the message, attendees were provided with the presentation to download and handouts to share with others.

More about upcoming pre-primary League sponsored local events are here.