THE VOTER JULY 2021 - MYLO
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P.O. Box 56126, Little Rock, AR 72215-6126
lwvpc@lwvpc.org
The Voter July 2021
Edited by Danielle Butler
August 16 Public Program: Local Redistricting and How You Can Make a
Difference
by Pat Landes
You are invited to an LWVPC program on Monday, August 16 at 6 pm via Zoom meeting platform to
hear about the local redistricting process and how you can make a difference. Local redistricting is the
drawing of new district lines for school districts, municipalities, and counties to reflect changes population
demographics derived from the results of the 2020 census.
We are most fortunate to have Kristin Foster, Outreach Coordinator for the Arkansas Public Policy Panel
(AR PPP) as our guest speaker to share background and opportunities for the local redistricting process.
Kristin joined the AR PPP in 2019 and has a strong background in advocacy and ballot initiatives. She is
passionate about politics and sees redistricting as important, because it allows community members to be
involved in government at the local level.
The topic of redistricting is supported by the LWV position published below and is currently the subject of
action by our local LWVPC committee (see other articles in this VOTER).
We hope to see you at the meeting and encourage you to reach out to others that may be interested to
attend also. Please share the Facebook event far and wide! - https://fb.me/e/1oW4F4BfW
Register for the Zoom Webinar here – registration is required.Recommended Redistricting Guidelines from the League of Women Voters
The League of Women Voters of the United States supports redistricting processes and enforceable
standards that promote fair and effective representation at all levels of government to create opportunities
for public participation.
More specifically, here are the recommended redistricting guidelines:
1. Responsibility for redistricting preferably should be vested in an independent special commission,
with membership that reflects the diversity of the unit of government, including citizens at large,
representatives a public interest groups, and members of minority groups.
2. Every redistricting process should include:
a. Specific timelines for the steps leading to a redistricting plan;
b. Full disclosure throughout the process and public hearings on the plan proposed for
adoption:
i. Redistricting at all levels of government must be accomplished in an open, unbiased
manner with citizen participation and access at all levels and steps of the process;
ii. Should be subject to open meeting laws;
c. A provision that any redistricting plan should be adopted by the redistricting authority with
more than a simple majority vote:
d. Remedial provisions established in the event that the redistricting authority fails to enact the
plan. Specific provisions should be made for court review of redistricting measures and for
courts to require the redistricting authority to act on a specific schedule:
i. Time limits should be set for initiating court action for review,
ii. The court should promptly review and rule on any challenge to a redistricting plan
and require adjustments if the standards have not been met.
3. The standards on which a redistricting plan is based, and on which any plan should be judged,
must:
a. Be enforceable in court;
b. Require:
i. Substantially equal population,
ii. Geographic contiguity, and
iii. Effective representation of racial and linguistic minorities.
c. Provide for (to the extent possible):
i. Promotion of partisan fairness,
ii. Preservation and protection of “communities of interest”, and
iii. Respect for boundaries of municipalities and counties.
d. Compactness and competitiveness may also be considered as criteria so long as they do not
conflict with the above criteria.
e. Explicitly reject:
i. Protection of incumbents, through such devices as considering incumbent’s address;
and
ii. Preferential treatment for a political party, through such devices as considering party
affiliation, voting history, and candidate residence.
Source: League of Women Voters of the United States Impact on Issues, A Guide to Public Policy Positions, 2020-22Potential Public Program: City of Little Rock Sales Tax by Danielle Butler The Leadership Team could like to conduct a public forum over Zoom in August discussing the potential increase in Little Rock City sales tax. If you would like to assist in this endeavor, can provide contact information for potential panelists, or have any additional input, please reach out to Danielle Butler (dtmoses@ualr.edu) and Corinne Kwapis (clkwapis@ualr.edu) Meetings – September and Beyond by Danielle Butler Our pre-pandemic meeting space at Fletcher Library, where monthly meetings were previously held, has been secured for the third Monday for September – December of 2021. Given the current resurgence in COVID cases, we will be monitoring the case count and will announce a decision in the August Voter regarding returning to meeting in-person. When we do eventually return to in-person meetings, we will provide a hybrid virtual option for the foreseeable future for those League members who cannot comfortably or safely gather in large groups. Update on Proposed Short Term Rental Ordnance for Little Rock by Ruth Bell Planning staff held informational meetings within the City on the proposed short term rental ordinance. The draft ordinance focuses on identifying short term rentals, having them zoned appropriate to this use, and requiring these rentals to meet the health and safety standards required of other categories of rental property. Comments from the public dealt with concerns regarding noise, crowds, impact of this commercial use on a residential neighborhood, concerns that inspecting these rentals would further delay timely inspection of all rental property by City inspectors. Planning staff will present these comments and suggested changes in the proposed ordinance to a sub- committee of the Planning Commission by the end of July. After the subcommittee review and possible changes, the ordinance proposal will go to the Planning Commission, probably in August. Note: Visit AirBnB and VRBO to see how many short term rentals are in your area. Local Redistricting Committee Report by Pat Landes After drafting a goal and action plan, our committee began implementing a plan for local governmental entities (school districts, cities, county) to adopt a redistricting process and enforceable standards that promote fair and effective representation with maximum opportunity for public participation. The end result of the process would be a map identifying new district lines.
Basically we are asking the entities to:
Vest the responsibility for redistricting to an independent special commission/committee comprised
of members that reflect the diversity of the unit of government.
Develop a process with:
Timelines
Public hearings
Citizen participation and access at all levels
Subject to open meeting laws
Standards that include
Being enforceable in court
Requiring
Substantially equal population
Geographic contiguity
Effective representation of racial and linguistic minorities
Providing for:
Promotion of partisan fairness
Preservation and protection of communities of interest
Respect for boundaries of municipalities and counties
Compactness and competitiveness as long as they do not conflict with the
criteria above
Rejecting
Protection of incumbents
Preferential treatment for a political party
We have had initial contact with all cities and school districts in Pulaski County, and follow up meetings
with the City of Little Rock and the Little Rock School district. We are requesting compliance with the
criteria listed above and will be monitoring the entities’ progress towards the adoption of new maps.
Volunteers are needed to assist in our work – previous knowledge of redistricting is not required and we will
provide on the job training for monitoring progress. Our committee’s work is anticipated to last through the
fall.
We hope you will join our committee (Danielle Butler, Ruth Bell, Deborah Higgins, Devita Harden, me) in
the League’s efforts to ensure a process that is inclusive, transparent, and fair to all of the residents of the
various districts. Please contact me with any questions or comments.
Pat Landes, Chair of Local Redistricting Committee
landes.pat@gmail.com
309-648-3504
What you can do to get fair maps locally– for our school districts, cities &
towns, and Pulaski County
by Pat Landes
We’ve all heard on the news that 2020 census data is going to be used to draw new district lines for legislative
(state) and congressional (federal) districts – redistricting processes that result in new maps that impact who
we get to vote for and who will represent us.
But did you know that most school districts, cities, towns, and counties will also be utilizing that same
census data to review and revise their district lines? And, if we don’t get involved, we the citizens of those
districts, will not have our voices heard.Here’s what you can do to get fair maps for your community:
Join our League’s Local Redistricting Committee (see the Committee’s report in this issue of the
VOTER) and become educated and take action.
Attend the AR Board of Apportionment Town Hall meeting in Little Rock on 08/24/21 at 6:30 pm
at Jack Stephens Center, 2801 N. University and share your views about fair maps (note that this
event will be more about the legislative and congressional districts).
Participate in the upcoming LWVPC Zoom presentation on local redistricting in August (date to be
determined)
Learn more about redistricting at the AR Public Policy Panel, https://arpanel.org/redistricting
Call the elected and hired leadership for your school district, city, and county. Tell them that:
You don’t want the new maps drawn behind closed doors
You want transparency and a plan
You want the plan to have timelines, identified opportunities for public input, and published
criteria that will be used to draw the new maps
You want the criteria to include:
Substantially equal population
Geographic contiguity
Effective representation of racial and linguistic minorities
Preservation of communities of interest
Respect for boundaries of municipalities
Compactness and competiveness
Rejection of preferential treatment for a political party or incumbent
You don’t want the late release of census data to be an excuse for limited public input
Remember, these are our communities, not the politicians’ or the political parties’, and the local redistricting
efforts belong to us, not them!
LRSD Regains Local Control
by Pam Whitaker
Thank you to all League members to assisted in the hard fought effort to regain local control for LRSD.
Read more about what this means for Little Rock’s schools here:
https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/arkansas-board-of-education-returns-local-control-to-little-
rock-school-district/91-53fc3854-4860-43a7-ae4d-fb94b120e475
Membership Committee Report
by Devita Harden
I am delighted to announce that Zenobia Harris, Andrea Sadler, Donna Rayford, Anna Gorman, and Nechi
Fullerton have joined LWVPC. Welcome aboard new members! LWVPC has a busy and exciting year
ahead as we continue to Empower Voters and Defend Democracy!
Leadership Team 2021-2022
Danielle Butler- Records/Voter Service/Communications, dtmoses@ualr.edu
Devita Harden- Treasurer/Voter Service/Membership, devita467@gmail.com
Pamela Whitaker- Volunteers in Public Schools
Corinne Kwapis - clkwapis@ualr.eduChairs for Committees to Work with Leadership Team 2021-2022:
Voter Service - Danielle Butler and Devita Harden (LT)
o Voter Registration - Deb Higgins (seeking co-chair)
o Vote 411 - Carol Young
Membership - Devita Harden (LT)
o Ericka Benedicto - DEI Focus
o Pat Landes - Member Leadership Development
Issues and Policies - Corinne Kwapis (LT) and Becky Jackson
Communication - Danielle Butler (LT)
Observer Corps - Ruth Bell
Audit - Susan Leon
Program - Pat Landes and Carol Young
Environment - Carol Young
Redistricting - Pat Landes
League Links:
League of Women Voters (National)
League of Women Voters (State of Arkansas)
League of Women Voters of Pulaski CountyLeague of Women Voters of Pulaski County Annual Meeting
June 21, 2021, 6 PM virtual via Zoom platform
Registration was required for attendance. Approximately 23 attendees were viewing the meeting at the
peak. For any one item, a total of 18 votes were tallied. The quorum of 11 members was met.
Danielle Butler called the meeting to order at 6:03 pm. Seeing a quorum was present, she asked for a
recorder. Nell Matthews volunteered. Danielle presented the Agenda.
Review of Past Year: Danielle reviewed the activities of LWVPC, highlighting Voter Services and
Programs including the Virtual Town Hall meetings, the North Little Rock Mayoral forum, the four
events of cooperative programming with Central Arkansas Library Systems, KUAR, and LWVPC called
“Issues that Matter”, and the monthly meetings of LWVPC. For Advocacy Danielle included Election
2020, 93rd session of the General Assembly, activity of the Observer Corp, and focus on Redistricting.
Audit: reported by Devita Harden
Susan Leon performed the audit of the financial records of LWVPC and no issues were reported.
Budget for 2021-2022: Devita Hardin
Motion for approval of the budget was made by Carol Young. Nell Matthews requested permission to
bring forward in the Agenda the discussion of joining the Citizens First Congress (CFC) so that the dues
could be included in the budget. After permission, Nell moved to amend the budget to include annual
dues of $150 for membership in Citizens First Congress. The motion received a second. Pat Landes spoke
against the amendment. She was concerned that the eight priorities did not reflect the direct concerns of
the League. Nell explained that priorities are selected at the convention held before each legislative
session. If the League does not present an issue, it cannot be voted on to become a priority. The CFC is
opposed to the attack on voting rights. The CFC leadership needs League to bring an issue or issues to the
convention so that it/they can become a priority(ies). Jay Barth also spoke in favor of joining CFC to
enhance our clout. The vote to accept the amendment was 16 in favor, one opposed. The amended budget
was approved by 17 votes in favor, none opposed.
Presentation of 2021-22 Committee Leadership:
Voter Service - Danielle Butler and Devita Harden (LT)
o Voter Registration - Deb Higgins (seeking co-chair)
o Vote 411 - Carol Young
Membership - Devita Harden (LT)
o Ericka Benedicto - DEI Focus
o Pat Landes - Member Leadership Development
Issues and Policies - Corinne Kwapis (LT) and Becky Jackson
Communication - Danielle Butler (LT)
Observer Corps - Ruth Bell
Audit - Susan Leon
Program - Pat Landes and Carol Young
Environment - Carol Young
Redistricting - Pat Landes
Election of Leadership Team (LT):
Danielle Butler, Devita Harden (treasurer), and Pamela Whitaker will continue for one more year in their
two-year terms. Michelle Rhoden (webmaster) was reelected to a new two-year term. Jogee Detchemendy
resigned at the conclusion of her two-year term (congratulations on the birth of your second child!).Corinne Kwapis was presented as a new member of the LT. Pat Landes moved for the election of the
slate. Motion passed with 17 votes in favor, none recorded as opposed.
Program of Work for 2021-2023
1. Voter Service
1. Continue to fight against any voter suppression legislation.
2. Voter Registration Committee:
1. Explore, develop (as soon as possible), and execute a plan to register voters when
social distancing or isolation is present. (Covid19 environment)
2. Develop a plan by September 1 and partner with other groups to participate in
National Voter Registration Day.
3. Register additional 100 persons from an under registered population
4. Host or co-host 1 training session for registrars, using alternate training formats for
Covid19 environment
3. Vote 411
1. Publish all races in Pulaski County- if there is a committee of at least 3 members
2. Solicit sponsorships/partnerships with media outlets
4. Candidate forums in cooperation with other groups- Develop alternative formats for
covid19 environment
5. Conduct public forums in conjunction with UALR Public Radio and CALS
2. Membership
1. Membership Committee: Develop a plan to grow/retain membership
1. Increase diversity by 3%
2. Increase total membership by 5%
2. Have stronger engagement of members by offering programs of interest
3. Good Government Opportunities
1. Continue to increase the Observer Corps Committee
2. Take action on LWV public policy positions when appropriate, engage with governmental
bodies, elected officials, and other stakeholders in the public interest on the issues and topics
affecting Pulaski County, including not limited to:
1. Lobby for IWH (Implied Warranty of Habitability) aka Landlord Tenant Law
2. Continue to support local control of LRSD
3. Support efforts to protect the environment
4. continue to support maintenance and development of livable communities
3. Present monthly programs for members and public to inform them of topics of interest and
identify opportunities for action (**see below)
4. Increase utilization of messaging to members regarding action needed and League work on
the national and local levels** Topics of Interest that will be discussed for monthly meetings
provided by membership at yearly planning meeting.
Voter suppression
Signature matching
Absentee process
Polling hours
# polling places
State-wide mail voting
Restoration of voting rights
Process & cure
Voter registration training
Redistricting – AR, Pulaski County, Little Rock
Pulaski County Election Commission operations
Reducing polarization between differing political views
Status of Local Control of Pulaski County School District
Review of non-partisan elections of judges & county offices
Pat Landes moved that a fifth plank be added to Voter Services: “Redistricting advocacy for
Congressional, Legislative, and Local Governmental district lines”. The motion received a second. The
motion passed
The Program for 2021-2022 was approved by the membership with 18 votes in favor and none opposed.
Bylaw Changes: Pat Landes
The bylaws committee included Pat Landes, Carol Young, and Shannon Chamberlin. The changes in the
bylaws were published in the June newsletter. Pat reviewed the changes. Articles I, II, and III were
updated to reflect LWVUS bylaws, as required. Article IV expanded the definition of nonpartisanship for
the members of the Leadership Team. Article VII described the development of the Program of Work and
how it is created and supported. Article VIII codified payment of dues deadlines. Pat moved for adoption
of these bylaw changes. Motion passed 16 to zero.
New Business
Ruth Bell informed members that the City of Little Rock was reviewing a policy for Short Term Rentals
(STR). The concerns are that a neighborhood can be negatively impacted by too many STRs or by having
two STRs side by side on one block. She urges members to express concerns or support of rules governing
STRs. Alfreda Brown expressed an observation that LWVPC was in danger of losing objectivity by only
partnering with so-called progressive groups. The League should seek opportunities to partner with
conservative groups to maintain a balance in our actions.
Danielle Butler thanked the membership and the speakers at the meeting and adjourned the meeting at
7:03 PM.2021-2022 BUDGET
INCOME
Membership Dues 80 @ $50.00
Primary (individual) 7 @ $70.00 $4,000.00
Additional (household) 6 @ $0.00 $490.00
Students 6 @ $0.00 $0.00
Lifetime Operational / general fund $0.00
Development LWVUS Education Fund $2,150.00
Arkansas Community Foundation $1,000.00
$500.00
Grants Vote411
LWVEF Voter Educational Printing-Guides $300.00
Arkansas Women Leadership Training $500.00
Girls State $300.00
$500.00
TOTAL INCOME $9,740.00
EXPENSES
LWVUS 2022 PMP $2,900.00
LWVAR 2022 PMP Arkansas Community Foundation (ARCF) $450.00
Contributions LWV Education Fund $500.00
MyLo (Web page) $500.00
Operations Pay Pal $600.00
PO Box $100.00
Board Expenses $190.00
Zoom (meeting platform) $100.00
Go Daddy Security / email $190.00
AR Citizen First Congress Membership $200.00
Printing $150.00
Member Communication Printing/Postage $160.00
Finance Drive Vote411 $250.00
Voter Services Voter Service Projects $300.00
Voter Educational Printing-Guides $500.00
Arkansas Women Leadership Training $500.00
Girls State $300.00
Local Conferences $500.00
Meetings State & National Convention/Council $100.00
Local (Holiday, Annual Meeting) $1,000.00
$250.00
TOTAL EXPENSES $9,740.00
Bank Balance as of June 18,2021 $14 ,787.72
LWV Educational Fund balance of Jan 2021 $11,047.42You can also read
