Educate, Active, Act!
August 14, 2025
We are in a constitutional crisis. I’m sure you’ve heard the line. Now, what are we going to do about it?
In three words: Educate, Activate, Act
At our recent LWV Utah Board & Leadership Retreat, your local leagues were given a menu of possible actions you can take. And action is what the League is all about now. We intend to raise our voices and engage 82,250 eligible Utah voters to do our part for Unite & Rise 8.5. I encourage you to make a commitment to our Unite & Rise 8.5 campaign at this link..
That 8.5 stands for 8.5 million voters, and if you wonder how the League got to that number, it was not random. “According to the University of Florida, approximately 245 million Americans were eligible to vote in the 2024 general election. If 3.5% of these eligible voters — 8,575,000 people — engage in nonviolent protest, and civic activism, the League believes we will bring about meaningful change.”
Here is what our CEO Celina Stewart says: "The foundational principles that have sustained our democracy — checks and balances, the rule of law, free and fair elections — are under direct and sustained threat. In this extraordinary moment, we cannot proceed with business as usual. All Americans — no matter who you voted for in 2024 — need to come together, stand united, and fight back to save our democracy. We cannot afford to fail the generations to come.”
The League has created some talking points for you to use – not just in speaking to our congressional delegation but to your friends and neighbors. Check them out here:
https://www.lwv.org/league-management/talking-points/talking-points-urging-your-members-congress-stand-democracy
You can view a presentation from our local leagues director Julia Kretschmar on Unite & Rise at this link.
Coming up we'll have many opportunities to act.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 became law on August 6, 1965 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the bill. The Act has been significantly weakened and so, since 2021, we have been advocating for the passage of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
51 State Letter in support of John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
Re-argument of Callais v. Louisiana, October 15
Blog: Racial Vote Dilution and Gerrymandering in Louisiana v. Callais
In July, LWV Utah participated in the John Lewis Day of Action: check out the livestream!
Another important date is the ratification of the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing women's right to vote on August 18, 1920. In this new environment, nothing is guaranteed.
The League expressed shock at U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s sharing of a video in which several pastors say women should no longer be allowed to vote. Read this Glamour article in which Celina Stewart spoke for us. Read Celina's words.
Here are more dates to put on your calendars:
Civic Holidays
National Voter Registration Day – Sept. 16
National Voter Education Week – Oct. 6-10
Vote Early Day – Oct. 28
Election Hero Day – Nov. 3
SUFFS
On a less somber note, we are co-sponsoring the Broadway show SUFFS at the Eccles Theater. Tickets will go on sale at the end of August. We will send out a special link that will go live on August 19, giving you access to discounted tickets for your membership. The link will be coded with ULWV and will offer discounted tickets ahead of the general public.
As part of the celebration of Utah Women and Suffragettes, we will table at a festival Nov. 14-15.
— Katharine Biele, LWV Utah President
