Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy.
| | The Voter
The official newsletter of the
League of Women Voters of Piedmont, CA.
Vol. 38, Issue 2 | September 21, 2026 |
September 2026 with the
LWV of Piedmont!
In this issue:
- A Message From Our President
- Voter Information
- Volunteer Opportunities
- Mark Your Calendars!
- Unite and Rise 8.5
- Water Spotlight
- Reminder
- Weekly Virtual "Lunch with the League"
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A Message From Our President
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Dear LWV of Piedmont Members and Friends,
As you may know we are busy into this midterm election season and have a lot of opportunities for you to participate in our League!
We are hosting the Piedmont City Council Candidates forum on Tuesday, September 29th, at the Piedmont City Hall starting at 7PM. Due to space constraints, registration is required. We will not be accepting questions or comments live at this forum, but all are welcome to submit their questions ahead of time by Tuesday, September 22nd, by 5PM. Register and pose your questions HERE.
Next, we are collaborating with the Girl Scouts on Sunday, October 4th, at the Piedmont Center for the Arts at 801 Magnolia, from 4:30-6PM, and need volunteers. Please sign up HERE to participate in this "Girls and Democracy" event.
On Friday, October 30th, at the Piedmont Center for the Arts at 801 Magnolia, from 11:30AM-1PM, we are hosting a luncheon fundraiser and are pleased that leading political scientist and author, Dr. Seth Masket from the University of Denver will be our speaker, introduced by Mayor Betsy Smegal Andersen. Space is limited. Learn more about this event and purchase your tickets HERE.
For the third year in a row, we will be hosting a table at the Piedmont Adult Recreation Expo, on Sunday, November 15th from 2-4PM at the Piedmont Veterans Memorial Building, 401 Highland Avenue, Piedmont. Please sign up HERE to volunteer to share about the League to our community. This is always a fun event!
In League, and on behalf of the Board,
Lisa Gardner
President, League of Women Voters of Piedmont
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Piedmonters can register to vote on the website of the California Secretary of State HERE or with Alameda County HERE . To find out what is going to be on your ballot, and check your registration, you can go to www.vote411.org .
As the general election primary election day--November 3, 2026--nears, these sources will have updated information about voting by mail and/or polling places near you.
| | |  | | VOLUNTEER WITH US
We are an all volunteer organization with "jobs" that range from once in a while tasks, like tabling for events or programming coordination, to full year positions. See this issue's President's letter above for current one time opportunities available coming up.
We currently have these volunteer roles, which can be done with a friend, ready to be filled:
- VP of Membership: Assist us with welcoming new members and participating in member socials and events.
- Program Committee Member: Join a group of fun, passionate volunteers to make a difference in our community through curated events.
- NEW! - Webmaster: Do you have a creative knack with website design, and a few hours a month to assist with keeping ours up to date? If so, please consider joining our small team of web hosts to update our website to offer our community a fresh new look.
For more information, please contact Lisa Gardner today by email at Lgardner555@gmail.com or by phone 510-867-9221.
YOUTHS: We are registered to provide volunteer service hours. Students who would like to collaborate with the League of Women Voters for events, volunteerism, or to interview a Board Member, please send an email request to President, Lisa Gardner, AND include one parent or guardian in the email, at LWVPiedmont@gmail.com.
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LWV of California Events
Stay connected with other Leagues in California and their events HERE.
| | |  | | The League of Women Voters of Piedmont Presents:
Winning and Losing:
How Do Our American Political Parties Remember and Forget?
with Dr. Seth Masket
The LWVP invites guests to socialize with friends old and new, enjoy a catered lunch, learn more about the League, and explore insights and contradictions about how our country's two main political parties operate.
When: Friday, October 30, 2026, from 11:30AM to 1:00PM
Where: 801 Magnolia, Piedmont, CA
Registration is required. Members $40, Non-Members $45. Space is limited.
Near the eve of the November 3, 2026 election, University of Denver Professor Seth Masket will shine a light on some of the surprising differences between how our political parties deal with losses–and fight for survival. Appealing to voters of all parties, this talk by a leading scholar will raise important questions—and point out intriguing dynamics–about party identity, and how parties and their voters deal with wins and losses and hopes for the future. Piedmont Mayor Betsy Smegal Andersen will introduce the speaker.
Visiting here from Colorado, Masket is hosted by the League of Women Voters of Piedmont. His deep real-time research via interviews with party leaders, insiders, and voters reveals insights and contradictions into how our country’s two main parties operate…from grassroots to top leadership. His just-published book (June 2026), The Elephants in the Room: How Trump Voters Seized the Party from Republican Leaders and prior volume (2020), Learning from Loss: The Democrats 2016-2020, are based on real-time investigations and conversations, and provide unique–and remarkable–insights. With his dry sense of humor, he’ll help answer the very timely question, How did we get here?
More about Dr. Seth Masket:
Seth Masket is a professor of political science at the University of Denver. He researches and teaches about political parties, state legislatures, and campaigns and elections. Masket regularly contributes to Politico, the New York Times, and to The Smotus Report Substack newsletter. His recently-published books are based on real-time investigations and conversations, and provide unique–and surprising–insights. Masket holds a bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley and a doctorate from UCLA. He was the Senior Visiting Scholar at the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions at Vanderbilt University in 2024-25.
Come enjoy lunch and camaraderie at this Friday, October 30th, 11:30AM-1:00PM League of Women Voters of Piedmont fundraiser and luncheon at 801 Magnolia Avenue, in Piedmont (Piedmont Center for the Arts). Members $40. Nonmembers $45.
|  | | In the September 1st, 2025 issue of The Voter, we explained the LWV-US Unite and Rise 8.5 movement. The goal is to motivate 8.5 million Americans to take nonviolent action in support of our democracy.
As we enter the mid-term elections, the final phase of Unite and Rise 8.5 August-October is: Power Rising for Midterms.
September's Unite and Rise 8.5 theme is: Power Through Participation
Our main focus this month will be to encourage our Piedmont League members and friends to consider a more active role in the League. Grab a friend or family member, join us and volunteer with a group of people committed to defending democracy, empowering voters and building community!
Here are some other core actions you can choose from to #EmpowerVoters #DefendDemocracy and #BuildCommunity with us:
- Host a voter registration event! Youths, this is great for a High School project. Contact us for assistance!
- Promote “Make Your Voting Plan” tools and assist voters in preparing for Election Day or early voting and Organize "Vote Together" activities
- Launch "Family Vote Pledges" to encourage collective participation and storytelling.
- Utilize VOTE411.org resources to help voters research candidates and ballot measures.
- Host "Ballot Parties" to help voters leverage resources on Vote411 and determine who to vote for, as well as ensure people voting by mail complete all the required steps so that their ballot is counted. Also, don't forget the League of Women Voters of California has Ballot Recommendations HERE.
Check out this short informative video about Unite and Rise 8.5 courtesy of the League of Women Voters of Austin Area and find ways to support Unite and Rise 8.5 in our community.
For more information, go to www.lwv.org/uniteandrise and commit to being a part of this vital initiative for democracy.
YOUTHS: We are registered to provide volunteer service hours.
Students who would like to collaborate with the League of Women Voters for events, volunteerism, or to interview a Board Member, please send an email request to President, Lisa Gardner, AND include one parent or guardian in the email, at LWVPiedmont@gmail.com. |  | | WATER SPOTLIGHT – September 2026
Welcome to Water Spotlight, a monthly series from the League of Women Voters of California Water Interest Group, featuring expert-written articles for local league newsletters. The purpose is to educate members on California's complex water issues-covering history, law, environment, infrastructure, and policy - while exploring solutions and future.
This month's topic is Restoring and Managing California’s Watersheds by Leslie Leach, with Shirley Nixon and Cathy Weber. The landscapes of a watershed vary according to size, topography, climate, and human activities. Healthy watersheds sustain healthy aquatic and terrestrial environments by filtering pollutants, directing the movement of water, nutrients, and sediment, and providing water to sustain life.
Read this month's Water Spotlight article in full HERE .
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Join or Renew Your LWVP Membership!
Continue your commitment to empowering voters and defending democracy by joining or renewing your membership with the League. The new system, through LWVUS, allows you to pay what you want (with a minimum of $20), and to set up auto-renewal. Membership lasts for one year after joining or renewal (on a rolling basis). To renew, please click HERE.
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Weekly Virtual “Lunch with the League”
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Join us for a weekly virtual lunch date with LWV of Piedmont, President Lisa Gardner. Come learn about our plans, discover opportunities to get involved, share your ideas for events, activities, or projects, or chat local, state, national or global politics!
Registration is required.
Drop in for a bit or stay for the whole hour. Tuesdays, 12-1PM. Zoom registration HERE
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We're social. Connect with us!
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