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October 2026
Volume 31 Issue 9
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The President’s Message
by Donna J. Roper
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The 2026 elections are a defining test of whether our democracy works for the people it is meant to serve. Voters are navigating changing rules, attacks on trusted election infrastructure, misinformation, and efforts that could make participation harder. The League of Women Voters is meeting this moment nationwide, helping people register, understand what is on their ballot, protect their freedom to vote, and turn out in every election. We will continue working with voters, election officials, partners, and our state and local League network so every eligible voter can participate and every ballot is counted.
Getting out the vote is an ongoing effort that includes a combination of public education, engagement, digital and in-person strategies, and more! As a member of the League, you can play your part in talking with friends, neighbors and at community events. Here are some points to make:
- This is a critical election year, and your voice is so important! Election Day, November 3rd, is your chance to weigh in on the issues that matter most to you and your family.
- As voters, we all have an equal say in determining our future. That's why it is so important to go cast a vote!
- The leaders we elect will make decisions that affect your everyday life – your job, health care, the economy, and more. So please join your friends and neighbors by being a voter on or before November 3rd.
- Talk about how voting is a vital tool in our democracy. Avoid saying that voting is the ONLY way to make our voices heard or make change. Protesting, testifying in legislatures and community meetings, and sharing information are all ways we can make change as well.
Many thanks to volunteers who have been tabling, working on candidate forums, researching and taping pros and cons, and making presentations around the county. We will all celebrate at our November event after the votes have been counted. Watch the website or your email for the time, date and place.
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State Ballot Propositions
Videos Ready for Viewing
by Lynn Dooley
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It’s been a whirlwind month for the Voter Service Pros and Cons committee. In partnership with the Marin League of Women Voters, all fourteen of the California State ballot propositions have been researched, scripts written, converted to interviews and recorded. These videos will help any California voter demystify their ballot.Viewing these three-to-five-minute videos will give voters a look at each proposition's:
- Background
- Proposed changes
- Fiscal impact
- Who are supporters and opponents
All Pros & Cons videos are on the LWVSC YouTube channel, or, watch the English and Spanish versions of the Pros & Cons videos here >
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haz clic aquí para español
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These videos are impartial, unbiased and nonpartisan, and can be shared with anyone both here in Sonoma County and throughout the state. The goal is to give everyone the information they need to make informed decisions on their ballots.
Because there is a push for early voting, all the in-person presentations have been concluded. Organizations are holding Watch Parties using these LWVSC YouTube videos. Questions from their events are sent to LWVSC and answers are returned to them ASAP. If you know an organization that would like help organizing a Watch Party, please contact Lynn Dooley at prosandcons@lvwsonoma.org.
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Thank you to the team of wonderful people who made these possible:
Rosalinda Brady, Robyn Bramhall, Sherry Brand, Evan Ehly, Leona Judson, Jim Masters, Bob Pendolay, Chris Riezenman, Rebecca Stanwyck, Doug Tobias and Karen Weeks. When you see them to let them know what a great job they did!
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Busy, Busy, Busy
Voter Service Committee
on the Go!
by Deborah McKay
There are lots of great updates and resources for the upcoming election thanks to the efforts of our volunteers. A huge thank you to everyone who participated in making this happen!
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| Local sales tax measure information: With the assistance of SSU professor Dr. Fang, a small Voter Services subcommittee made a 20 minute informational video about the 3 local city and town sales tax measures on the November 3rd ballot. Watch the video on our YouTube Channel > Local City Sales Tax Measures |
Candidate forums for city council races are ready:A group of over two dozen volunteers just finished hosting seven Candidate Forums for the cities and towns of Sonoma County. All English recordings of these forums are on the League YouTube channel, go to > 2026 Forum Playlist.These videos can be shared with friends, family, and any groups so that they reach as many voters as possible with this information. (Note that we had some trouble with some of our Spanish translations and recordings this year, so some videos are not yet available in Spanish. The Spanish translations should be uploaded soon.)
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LWVSC has partneredwith the American Association of University Women (AAUW) of Petaluma in hosting a candidate forum for the Petaluma City Council and Mayor races. LWVSC helped develop questions and advertised the event. Once the forum is complete, a recording of it will be posted on the LWVSC YouTube channel.
Other nonpartisan forums hosted by other organizations in Sonoma County have been posted on our Facebook page, and we co-sponsored the CA 4th District Congressional forum with the Yolo County League of Women Voters. Thanks to all our partners for running these events.
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More partnerships for County Supervisor races and civic education:We have been working with Northern California Public Media to create short civic education videos for broadcast on Channel 22 and for Facebook & Instagram. These civic videos have been well received in the Community and Northern California Media received a national award for their work on this project.
League volunteers also worked with Northern California Public Media to host and broadcast two town hall sessions, Supervisor runoff races for District 2 and District 4, that are currently being broadcast on Channel 22. Also in the works are weekly Public Service Announcements (PSAs) on a variety of voting information to be broadcast on their local radio station 104.9 FM. Tune in!
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Communications – promoting nonpartisan info and events:Our Communications team has been busy creating daily posts about the upcoming election on both Facebook and Instagram, and we have been getting lots of attention. Some of our posts have been viewed by thousands of viewers!Our website team has also posted a multitude of information and links to all things related to the election. Check it out atlwvsonoma.org.
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Look up your candidates on Vote411.org:Our Vote411 team has been busy getting candidates to submit their information to Vote411.org so voters can learn more about their representatives. Our League has one of the best participation rates in all of California thanks to the many hours put in by our volunteers on the Vote411 team. Make sure to take a look at the valuable information on Vote411.org.
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Help us register young voters:And last, but certainly not least, our Youth Voter Registration effort. So far, we have set up visits to see over 600 high school students this fall and are still scheduling more. We’re currently seeking volunteers to help with this effort. To learn more, please send an email to Youth@LWVSonoma.org. This committee continues to work with and train Youth Voter Ambassadors at both the SRJC and SSU.
Chris Riesenman and Debbie McKay made a presentation on the importance of voting at SRJC this month. Many of the students in the Political Science Club attended and we hope to work more with their members in the future.
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| Thank you to all of our volunteers!It has been a monumental effort to inform the public and educate voters and we could not do any of this without our wonderful volunteers who give so much of their time and expertise to the League. We look forward to celebrating after the election, so watch for details. |
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Important to All!
by Lynn Dooley
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You may remember that the Stand Up for Democracy committee worked with the wonderful folks at Northern California Public Media to create their program called Civic Moments. Civic Moments are public service announcements based on our Stand Up for Democracy civics topics. They focused on the twelve topics that are included in our Sonoma County Transit bus back ads.
Each message features League members along with Northern California Public Media employees. These messages are airing on KRCB TV, Radio and on their digital platform. If you haven’t seen them, check them out > HERE
Our friends at Northern California Public Media are excited to share that NPR has an internal email called The Scoop where they highlight NPR affiliate station work. NorCal shared the Civic Moments project and it was included in The Scoop which was sent across the country to all NPR stations! Check it out > HERE
We couldn’t be prouder of this partnership and our mutual commitment to refreshing Sonoma County residents on the Constitution and why it matters.
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but a Super Volunteer Too:
Member Nancy Lewis
Wins Service Award
by Theodora Pollack
You might think that someone who does so much volunteer work for the League of Women Voters as our own Nancy Lewis would not make time to offer her services elsewhere.It turns out Nancy is such a stalwart volunteer at the Sebastopol Senior Center that in October she was honored by the Sebastopol Chamber of Commerce with the Service to Seniors award from the Center.
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| They described her work as dedicated, impactful, and supportive of local elders. Over some five years she has driven 7000 miles taking seniors to their medical appointments as well as doing other work at the Center. If that were not enough, Nancy also volunteers at Food For Thought in Forestville, 'a community based nonprofit food bank founded in 1988 with a mission to foster health and healing through proper nutrition and compassionate support.’ We could all learn from Nancy Lewis’s dedication to her community at large. |
The League of Women Voters of Sonoma County is looking for a volunteer to take on the role of Treasurer for the organization. Contact Donna Roper, President LWVSC, at President@LWVSonoma.org.
The LWVSC Membership Committee is looking for a volunteer to help maintain the membership roster and member information. For details, contact Julianne Guariglia at Membership@LWVSonoma.orgor Rebecca Jones at Communications@LWVSonoma.org.
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Board Briefs
October 2026
by Sherrie Brand
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Treasurer’s Report:Donna presented Sara Ingle’s prepared Statement of Financial Position compared to one year ago and the Statement of Activity for the first three months of the year. We are still looking for a Treasurer.
Fundraising:Donna reported that we would participate in Give Back Tuesday on March 23rd at the Rainbow Cattle Company in Guerneville.
Voter Services:Lynn reported that the Pros & Cons have been recorded and they have presented live to Spring Lake Village, Petaluma Library, and Santa Rosa Central Library. The videos are on the home page and elections page and are in Spanish too.
Youth Committee:They have reached out to seven schools, 16 classes, and one rally, reaching 966 students and registering around 500 students.
Vote411:We have contacted 116 candidates with a participation rate of 68%. Rebecca also published a letter to the editor for the Press Democrat explaining the value of Vote411.
Forums:The Forums are going well. District 4 Supervisor Forum in partnership with the Yolo League is set for October 8. Town Hall Forums in partnership with KRCB are scheduled for October 8th for District 2 and October 22nd for District 4.
Stand Up for Democracy:News about theCivics Momentson KRCB, based on Stand Up for Democracy, gained national recognition by NPR.
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Statements Available
by Sara Ingle
The financial statements of the League of Women Voters of Sonoma County for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026 are available to members on the LWVSC website > lwvsonoma.org. From the LWVSC website, login and then go to Member Resources and then References from the submenu to view folders. Financial statements are filed under Member References, then Year-end Financials. These statements will be posted there for the remainder of this calendar year.
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Book Group to Pick Books
for 2027 Book List
Come join the Book Group on November 19th for a lively discussion on what books to choose for next year's book list. As Dr. Seuss once said, "The more that you read, the more things that you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."
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Final 2026 Book Group Read
Today! October 15
Moderated by John McCarthy
The Good Life: Lessons from
theWorld's LongestScientific
Study on Happiness
by Robert Waldinger, MD
and Marc Schulz, PhD
(2023 / 281 pages)
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There's still time to catch the complete 2026 Book List that includes additional book recommendations from the Book Group >Book List 2026
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Welcome New Members
It’s great to have you
on our team.
Susan Bryer-Shelton - Sebastopol
Derek Hooper - Santa Rosa
Susannah Marshall - Santa Rosa
Shernaz H Mejos - Petaluma
Barbara Wolcott - Sebastopol
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LWVSC Calendar
Check the online calendar for the latest schedule and for locations or links to virtual meetings.
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Connect with the League
We want to hear from you!
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LWVSC Board of Directors and Other Officers
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Donna Roper|President
Open|Administrative VP
Sherrie Brand|Secretary
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Robyn Bramhall |Executive VP
Jim Masters |VP Advocacy
Open |Treasurer
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Julianne Guariglia |Membership
& Fundraising
Open |Community Outreach
Chris Riezenman &
Kendall Gutt |Youth Outreach
Eleni Misthos |Voter Service
Lynn Dooley |Stand Up for Democracy
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Leona Judson |Programs
Rebecca Jones |Communications
& Vote411
Evan Ehly |Director at Large
Deborah Doyle |Director at Large
Deborah McKay |Director at Large
Juanita Roland |Director at Large
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Become A Member
League of Women Voters
of Sonoma County
Joining the League of Women Voters is a great way to get involved in your community and play an active role in our democracy. Joining is easy: go to the LWV Membership portal by click the Join Us button below. You may pay your dues online or print the invoice and send it along with your check payable to League of Women Voters of Sonoma County to our office at the address below. Or print out the printable Membership Form and send it to our office along with a check for your dues.
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Quick Links
League of Women Voters
Websites & Social Media
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555 Fifth Street Suite 300-O|Santa Rosa, CA 95401-8301|(707) 545-5943
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