September 2025
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Our Mission: Empowering Voters.
Defending Democracy.
| | | | President's Message
from
Betsy Boggia | | | Our mission is to empower voters and defend democracy. This has never been more important than right now. We are seeing daily attacks on voting rights and ballot access, and concerns are mounting already for the 2026 elections. That is why in what many consider an off year for elections (although there are very important local races!), we must invest the time in strengthening our LWVGT foundation as we build for what is to come.
This means growing our membership and welcoming new volunteers and connecting them to meaningful and manageable tasks. This means streamlining and simplifying our administrative functions, and growing our operating budget. It also means educating and engaging as many people as we can through our outreach, education, and advocacy efforts. That is a tall order for a small but mighty group of dedicated volunteers.
Are you newer to the LWVGT and not sure how to plug in, attend an orientation, a welcome event, or a committee meeting? You can find all of these events in our calendar under News and Events HERE. You can also reach out to any of the committee chairs to learn more. | Currently, we are seeking volunteers to support our Voter Services Committee, serve as our Outreach Coordinator, and help our Membership Committee. If you want to learn more about these or other opportunities you can visit the Volunteer Opportunities page under Get Involved, or contact the Membership Committee Chair Taylor Miranda.
If you already volunteer with LWVGT, we thank you for your time and energy; we could not do it without you! We hope you will join us at the Volunteer Appreciation event September 6th from 8:30-10 am at the LWVGT office (please be sure to register HERE).
If you have any questions about the LWVGT, our advocacy, our positions, or how we operate, please check the calendar for our Thursday Office Hours HERE and feel free to join us on Zoom, where members of our Board will do our best to answer your questions.
So grateful to all of you for your dedication to our mission,
Betsy Boggia
President, LWVGT
| | | NEW!
Events and Fundraising Committee
Cheri Sprenger, Chair
| The new Events and Fundraising Committee provides support for any of the committees that manage fundraising activities for the League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson (LWVGT). Support includes event planning, assisting in recruiting volunteers, and working with the Communications Committee to promote events. | | Events
Yearly events and their lead committees include: the Annual Meeting (Administrative), the Holiday Brunch (Membership), the Legislative Breakfast (Advocacy), the Past President’s Luncheon (Administrative), Running and Winning (Voter Services), Issues & Eggs Breakfast Forum (Fundraising), and We'll Pay the Rent Campaign (Fundraising). | | Fundraising
Currently, the League’s primary fundraising event is the Issues & Eggs Breakfast Forum. The We'll Pay the Rent Campaign is a new fundraising activity and you can find updates on the LWVGT home page HERE.
Other fundraising activities will be added in the future. Once a fundraising committee is formed, meetings dates and times will be determined by its members.
| | | Events & Fundraising Committee
Issues & Eggs Survey! | | The topic for the March 6, 2026 Issues & Eggs Breakfast Forum is Truth and Trust in Media: Navigating Today's News and Information. Please take this short survey to assist the committee with organizing the panel and discussions for this topic! The survey will be open through September 6, 2025.
You will need to log in to LWVGT. Access the survey HERE.
Thank you! | | | The Observer Corps is back!
Join us!
Click HERE for committee information
The Observer Corps is a long-standing tradition in the League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson and in Leagues across the country. League members observe the meetings of local public governing bodies and then submit a brief report which is shared on the LWVGT website. The objective is to ensure transparency in government and keep League members and the public informed about the issues and actions of local government that impact our lives.
Starting September 2025, we have committee members observing and filing reports on the following: Pima Community College Governing Board, Marana Town Council, Pima County Board of Supervisors, Tucson City Council, and Tucson Unified Governing Board.
Observer Corps volunteers do not speak at public meetings unless requesting clarification, and they are not spokespersons for the League. The time commitment is about 4-6 hours per month. It's up to you whether to attend meetings in person, attend remotely, or view a recording. There is one form to fill out and upload (more on this coming soon).
Do you regularly attend or view recordings of a public governing body of interest to LWVGT and our policy positions? If not, now is a great time to start. If you have questions regarding this vital service, contact us.
| DEI Committee
Wednesday, September 10th
6:00-7:00pm |
Join the DEI Committee to hear guest speakers Emmanuelle Fahey and Cara Carrillo from the Restorative Justice Program offered by the Pima County Attorney’s Office. They will explain the program and why restorative justice (RJ) is an investment in our community. They will also talk about an upcoming opportunity to get involved.
Emmanuelle is the Restorative Justice Coordinator at the Pima County Attorney’s Office, where she designed and implemented an adult Restorative Justice Program. The program is a community-led alternative to prosecution that focuses on centralizing the needs of those harmed by crime through a resolution process using peace circles. Before joining PCAO, Emmanuelle worked on urban safety projects for the city of Montréal. She holds a Master’s in Public Policy and Public Administration. She loves hiking, dancing, reading, and being with friends and family.
Cara brings over 25 years of related experience. Through an intersectional lens that prioritizes dismantling anti-Blackness and creating the conditions for a just and equitable society, she has provided coaching, advising, program development, training, and strategic planning to large and small organizations and community-led projects across the U.S. Cara brings a passion for community building and a vision for a more loving and sustainable world. When she’s not doing RJ work, she volunteers for hospice, hangs out with as many animals as possible, and frolics in this beautiful Tucson desert.
This meeting will be on Zoom and you can find that link HERE. |  | | | Public Programs Committee
Thursday, September 18th
6:00pm-7:00pm | | Registration is required for this virtual event, which is free and open to the public.
| | | Voter Services
Running & Winning
September 30, 2025 | For the past eighteen years the LWVGT has participated in the Running & Winning Program at high schools from Vail to West Tucson. This day-long workshop gives young women in high school the opportunity to explore public service as a career.
At the beginning of the workshop, small teams of students interview locally elected women officials about how they got started in politics, the challenges they have faced, and how they have succeeded in their positions. In the afternoon session student teams create and present a mock campaign. Each team researches a current issue, designs a slogan, and writes and delivers a meaningful campaign speech on the issue. The mock campaigns are presented to all the attendees at the end of the workshop.
Running & Winning provides an opportunity for young women in our community to explore their leadership abilities and learn from women who hold or have held elected office. This year Running & Winning will be held at Cholla High School on September 30th.
Running & Winning is presented in collaboration with AAUW Tucson and YWCA of Southern Arizona. It is sponsored by Southwest Gas.
Sign up to volunteer as a Table Monitor HERE.
| Getting to Know
Taylor Miranda
Membership Committee Chair
| | The Voter: Tell us about your background.
Taylor Miranda: I was born and raised in Tucson and that’s shaped my perspective on what the needs have been here. I started volunteering really early; opportunities to volunteer have always been a way for me to experience new things and jump into something new. That’s what draws me to volunteer work - the opportunity to be a part of something that enriches the community that I come from.
The Voter: Tell us about your current role and responsibilities as Membership Committee Chair.
Taylor Miranda: I came into being Membership Chair so quickly, and I was welcomed so warmly. The biggest thing I’ve taken away so far is that Membership touches everything. Part of my responsibilities are finding ways to connect with folks in the community who want to be involved in the LWVGT and really honoring the members who make it all possible. A lot of what Membership does is connect folks with the work of the League in general if they’re new, and then once they are involved, connecting them to the work that needs to be done. I also see us serving as community ambassadors as we do more outreach and tabling. And then celebrating everyone!
Membership also needs to know what will draw folks into the League and make it a positive experience for everybody. The mission draws folks in but it’s the culture inside the organization that keeps people connected. Even for people like me, who have multiple jobs, we want them to feel like there’s a place for them. It’s so meaningful to be part of the many hands that make this work possible.
The Voter: How do you see the Membership Committee contributing to our efforts with DEI?
Taylor Miranda: I think that DEI is involved in everything we do. It’s part of our mission and every member is a part of that. The DEI Committee was one of the first committees I joined when I got involved in the League and I was so drawn to the work and commitment to the community. There is an incredible and important opportunity we have to truly integrate all the DEI work into every single space that members are involved in. Membership links to that. We are pulling folks in who are drawn to DEI work, but we also want to make sure that members know how to engage in those opportunities. Membership can also make space for folks who don’t always have their voices heard, and space for folks from marginalized communities who want to be a part of the work we do here.
| | We have an opportunity to ensure that we are building out our programs, events, and volunteer opportunities in ways that make us more accessible to folks who might have scheduling constraints, are going to school, or working multiple jobs. This will also help younger folks who want to get involved in this space.
The Voter: Tell us about your approach to leadership.
Taylor Miranda: I’ve learned that I’m highly collaborative. I’m not a fan of "this is how it is." I like getting input and hearing perspectives and truly making sure that all the work I get involved in is going to be effective and serve as many people as possible. I don’t think there’s any better way to be a leader than to hear directly from the people who will be impacted. I strive to make sure that everyone is heard and appreciated. I value explaining the "why" in leadership so people can understand and be part of the overall process. I believe in transparency and authenticity and being willing to be accessible to as many people as possible.
The Voter: What have you learned about yourself through your experiences with civic engagement?
Taylor Miranda: A big thing I’ve learned about myself is that my voice in this space really does matter and it should be heard. When I was younger, I was trying to wrap my mind around how to get involved and does voting matter, especially with barriers getting to the ballot. I remember figuring that out all on my own. My experiences with civic engagement, volunteering, and work have solidified that it does matter. And it does for everybody.
I’ve learned that it does start at home and in your community. It starts with the impact you can make here. For me this is the place that raised me, and I want to make a positive impact here. And I can. I’m excited and grateful to have discovered that positive impacts can be made. All voices do matter. And I want to bring that to more people.
The Voter: How do you recharge and refresh, so you can continue the work that’s important to you?
Taylor Miranda: It’s one thing over time that’s been a challenge for me. I connect deeply with being productive. Part of my journey over the past few years has been making sure I’m meeting my general needs. I love to read and listen to music. I’m fortunate that one of the things that has always enriched me is learning. A lot of the work I do drives that. When I invest in the things that matter to me in a significant way, the burnout is much less likely to occur.
| | | How You Can Make an Impact
and Support
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
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Honor and Support DEI by Exploring
Hispanic Heritage Month
September 15th-October 15th
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Websites with information and resources.
10 Great TED Talks by Hispanic and Latinx speakers for Hispanic Heritage Month HERE
Celebrating Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month (from Pima Community College) HERE
Hispanic Heritage Month Resources (from the Smithsonian Institute) HERE
| We want to hear from you!
All committees and members are encouraged to submit articles and information to be published in The Voter. Photos of events are also welcome. Please be sure that LWVGT members allow their photo to be used. Send articles and photos via the links below, and note the 20th of the month is the deadline for all issues. However, exceptions can be made if your event happens late in the month. The editor may reach out to Committee Chairs requesting summaries and photos for events that occur late in the month.
| Click HERE to find The Voter and other newsletters.
| | Elected Officers
President 2025-2026: Betsy Boggia
President-Elect 2025-2026: Linda Maccabe
Secretary 2024-2026: Barb Colvin
Treasurer 2025-2027: Maureen Clark
Public Programs 2024-2026: Teresa M. Jenkins
Membership 2025-2027: Taylor Miranda
Communications 2025-2027: Haley Keller
Advocacy 2024-2026: Lovely Ganthier
Voter Services 2025-2027: OPEN | | Elected Directors
Bob DeLaney, 2024-2026
Linda M. Longlet, 2024-2026
Gabby Koeppel, 2025-2027
Appointed Director
Cheri Sprenger, 2025-2026
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