New members joining LWV-Denton pay reduced rates for the remainder of the League year (until August 31, 2006). Individual memberships are $22.50. Household memberships are $22.50 for the first member and $11.25 for each additional member at the same mailing address. Student memberships remain at $20. Send a check payable to the League of Women Voters of Denton to P.O. Box 424945 TWU Station, Denton, TX 76204

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FUNDING OF THE DENTON PUBLIC LIBRARY: CONSENSUS TIME

We revisit our local study on funding of the Denton Public Library at our March 23 consensus meeting. Be sure to read the Background Information piece that accompanies this issue of the Denton VOTER. Study the consensus questions that are included. Bring this VOTER with you to the meeting and get involved in the discussion.

The Library Funding Study Committee consists of Sarah McIntire, Lois Sorensen, Turner Kobler, Ken Ferstl, Sondra Ferstl, and ex officio member Peg La Point (because of her position as Program Vice President).

Sondra Ferstl and Ken Ferstl
Library Funding Committee Co-chairs

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FINANCE DRIVE IS UNDERWAY

The League Finance Drive is traditionally begun in February and this year is no exception. By now you have received your letter requesting a donation to help support the work of our local League. We mailed more than 200 requests to League members and community supporters.

We anticipate expenses of less than $7,000 for this budget year. With that in mind, we need your financial support to provide voter education in Denton. Your contributions enable the League to print an updated Your Elected Officials and to publish Voters Guides which are widely distributed in the City of Denton. Those donations also enable the League to do studies, purchase Texas Voters Guides and do all of the other things that we do to become informed on the issues.

Because of a lack of funding, we have reduced the number of Voters Guides that are made available in our community. That is unfortunate because we hear from many people that voters want and expect to find Voters Guides to help them decide between candidates. Your very generous support to our Finance Drive would make it possible for us to produce more Voters Guides in the future. If you have not already returned your Finance Drive request, please do so now - do not let it get lost on your desk. We expect to receive some support from the larger community but League members are the "wheels" that keep the League going! Thank you for your continuing support.

Linnie McAdams/Marilyn Smith

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NEW VOTING MACHINES MAKE THEIR APPEARANCE AT LEAGUE MEETING

Don Alexander, Elections Administrator for Denton County, brought an eSlate and an eScan voting machine to the February general meeting of the Denton League. While the eSlate may be portable enough to carry to a voter sitting in a car outside a polling place, the eScan is a much bulkier object to move!

We had a good crowd (20 members and 8 students) to hear Mr. Alexander’s explanation of the features of the voting machines and his reassurance that both instruments will keep an accurate tally of votes in the March Primary Elections.

Sondra Ferstl
Community Relations Vice President

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PRESIDENT’S PODIUM

Thank you to all who attended the February 23 general meeting on the new voting machines for Denton County given by Don Alexander, Elections Administrator. We just hope no one finds out how good he is and tries to take him away from Denton.

We are probably best known in the community for our Voters Guides. As always, Sondra Ferstl did an outstanding job on our local guide. If you want an interesting and challenging job, Voters Service would fit the bill. (Ed. Note: Sondra is vacating the Community Relations Vice President position when her term ends this year.)

As you all know, dues do not cover all our expenses. Please respond to the Finance Drive letter, which was mailed recently. We could set a record with 100% participation.

Have you ever wanted to attend a State Convention? Now is your opportunity to do just that. The dates are April 21-23 (Friday-Sunday) in Corpus Christi. If you are interested in being a delegate, please call me at 387-1016 or send an email to me at lwvdenton@earthlink.net. I have never been disappointed in a convention yet. It is great to meet people from across the state who discuss things intelligently with the intent to make things better for our state. Details should be in the next Texas VOTER.

The last meeting of the year will be our Annual Meeting on Saturday, April 29. This is an important time for you to vote on how you want your money spent through the adoption of the budget and what you want to study through the adoption of local program. Unless I’m ruled out-of-order, there will also be a surprise not listed on the Agenda.

Sue Smith

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WRAP UP ON FEBRUARY MEETING ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN DENTON

At the meeting of the League of Women Voters of Denton on February 9, where was a lively discussion of domestic violence issues in the local area.

Shareen Howard, Director of Violence Intervention and Prevention Program at Friends of the Family in Denton, and Colette McCarthy, Adult Counselor in the Victim Outreach Services program for Friends of the Family at the Lewisville Office, provided information and answered questions from the 18 members present.

Forty-seven percent of the funding for Friends of the Family comes from State/Federal grants. Other sources are United Way (14%), Fundraising (24%), Fees (Violence Intervention/Prevention Program, 8%), and City & County (6%).

Locally, in 2005, 1,844 calls were answered, a 10% increase from 2004. The number of clients sheltered last year, 432 clients, was also an increase. Educational programs are offered to school children and young adults.

Some of the opportunities for volunteers include speakers, shelter services assistant, translators, and help with the thrift store.

Jean Aboul-Ela
Domestic Violence Study Committee Chair

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WHAT’S NEW IN VOTER SERVICE

The Denton League distributed 300 print copies of our local Voters Guide to contested races in Denton County in the Republican Primary (there were no locally contested races in the Democratic Party primary). In addition we purchased and disseminated 200 copies in English and 100 copies in Spanish of the Voters Guide to state-wide candidates published by the League of Women Voters of Texas Education Fund.

Members of the Denton League received copies of the local and state (English) guides. We sent electronic copies to each of the 30 candidates mentioned in the local guide. Print copies were taken to the Voter Registration Office, City Manager’s Office, Republican Headquarters, and mailed to Finance Drive contributors. The three public libraries and the two university libraries also received bundles of Voters Guides. Spanish language guides of the state-wide publication were distributed through Popo y Lupe barber shop and hair salon, a central point of contact for the Spanish-speaking community.

The three recreation centers and the Senior Center were on our delivery rounds, as were the public libraries in Lewisville, Roanoke, Sanger, Little Elm, Pilot Point, Krum, and The Colony.

Special thanks to Ken Ferstl, Linnie McAdams, Ann MacMillan, and Sue Smith for helping me place these valuable publications throughout Denton County.

It cost a little more than $320 to produce the eight-page LWV-Denton Voters Guide. We were limited by our budget to 300 copies. We also posted our guide on our League website, www.lwvdenton.org.

Producing and distributing Voters Guides is a lot of work, but it seemed worth it to me when I received a message from one of the local candidates. Her P.S. refers to the fact that she spelled “families” as “famiiies” in her electronic response to me. Here are her comments:

Thanks to the League of Women Voters. Even before I got into politics myself, I have always looked for the League of Women Voter guide.

There has always been an aura of impartiality to the publication and a thoughtfulness in the questions asked. Those questions seem to go to the points the voting public would most want to know.

I wish there were some way to encourage our citizens to take more interest in voting.

You all certainly do your part in letting folks know that it is election season.

Thank you.
Darlene A. Whitten
P.S. I really do know how to spell “families.”

Sondra Ferstl
Community Relations Vice President

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