May 2026
To access links in The Voter, members first must log in to the lwvtucson.org website. | In This Edition
- President's Message
- Looking Ahead
- Highlights From Last Month
- Honor and Support DEI
- LWVGT Board of Directors
- Contact The Voter
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Our Mission:
Empowering Voters and
Defending Democracy |
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 | It is both an honor and a privilege to serve as President of the League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson for the 2026 term. I am grateful to work alongside a dedicated Board whose members bring both professional expertise and a shared commitment to advancing our mission. I extend special thanks to President-Elect Cheri Sprenger for her partnership this year, and to Betsy Boggia, who will continue to support the board as President Emeritus, offering valuable experience and mentorship.
In the coming year, we will focus on strengthening our impact across Pima County. We aim to establish at least one new local “unit” to foster in-person engagement through small group discussions and community-based programming. We will also invest in leadership development by creating a structured cycle of training, mentorship, and skill-building opportunities for our members.
As we approach the election cycle, our commitment to empowering voters remains central. Through voter registration efforts, candidate forums, our Ready.Set.Vote Tucson website, and outreach across the region, we will continue to promote informed and active participation.
Above all, our strength lies in our members. Together, across four generations, we are Empowering Voters and Defending Democracy.
I look forward to working with you in the year ahead.
Linda M.
|  |  | Summer is upon on us and with it are a few changes for The Voter.
Regular issues will resume in September.
- The Voter will be published in June, July, and August.
- All three will be abbreviated issues and will focus primarily on local and national elections.
- Committee articles and updates are welcome, but please keep them short (100 words).
- The deadline for submissions remains the 20th of the month.
| LWVAZ Biennial Council (via Zoom)
Saturday, May 30, 2026
9:00am to 4:00pm
LWVGT Needs Delegates! | LWVGT can send fifteen delegates and you can be one of them! Delegates will have their registration reimbursed by LWVGT. For more information, contact Cheri S. at Presidentelect@lwvtucson.com no later than Sunday, May 24, 2026.
What to expect as a delegate:
- Attend the plenary
- Participate in breakout sessions
- Elect LWVAZ President-Elect
- Connect with other League members from across the state
| | The Biennial Council is open to all League members. Delegates will vote on business items, but all members are encouraged to participate. Non-delegate members who plan to attend will need to register on their own.
Two free Council workshops are available before the meeting to help delegates prepare for it. Attending is optional, but recommended. Register for the day and time that work best for you. A Zoom link will be emailed to you closer to your workshop date.
Monday, May 18, 7:00pm-8:00pm. “Your Voice at Council: What to Expect & How to Participate” Registration required.
Tuesday, May 19, 12:00pm-1:00pm. “Your Voice at Council: What to Expect & How to Participate” Registration required.
The last day to register for Council is Sunday, May 24. Registration for non-delegates can be found on the LWVAZ website HERE. | | | Community Violence Prevention Committee
Guns to Gardens Information Event
St. Francis in the Foothills United Methodist Church
Sunday, June 7, 2026
11:00am-12:00pm |  | One of our latest projects is collaborating with Southside Presbyterian Church to organize a voluntary firearm surrender. Known as Guns to Gardens, this program gives people who no longer want firearms in their homes an opportunity to have them disabled and transformed into garden tools, jewelry, and other works of art.
It’s not widely known, but Arizona law prohibits the destruction of firearms by law enforcement or any agent of the state. Firearms turned in to law enforcement must be transferred to licensed firearms dealers to be sold back into the community. Guns to Gardens works through faith-based organizations to provide safe and secure places where guns can be disabled legally. People dropping off firearms are not required to provide their names.
The Community Violence Prevention team (CVP) welcomes your help in spreading awareness about this program to your family, friends, and faith organizations.
Please come to this presentation about the Guns to Gardens program. Registration is not required. It is free and open to the public. You can find the address for St. Francis in the Foothills on the LWVGT calendar HERE.
| Membership Committee
Join Us! | As an entirely volunteer-run organization, LWVGT are looking forward to building up its volunteer base in the coming year and would love your help in making it happen!
- Are you a seasoned League member interested in guiding new members who are learning to navigate all things League? Consider becoming a League Friend or helping us develop new mentorship programs for members.
- Do you enjoy coordinating or assisting with small group gatherings? We would love your help scheduling and planning informational social events to promote League connections.
- Do you like attending events, advocating for the needs of the diverse populations we serve, and building organizational relationships? Join the DEI committee to help connect the League with new communities and share our work more broadly.
If you are interested in any of these volunteer opportunities or want to explore other ways to get involved, please contact Taylor M., Membership Chair, at membership@lwvtucson.com. | Environmental Issues Committee (EIC)
Food Waste and the Environment
| Many Americans are familiar with the environmental issues surrounding the burning of fossil fuels, overuse of water resources, and proliferation of disposable plastics. But studies show that far fewer are aware of the harmful environmental effects surrounding the food we eat, or more accurately, the food we don’t eat. Namely, the food that ends up in our landfills. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that food, at a whopping 24%, is the largest component of the municipal solid waste stream in the U.S.
Food left to rot in landfills produces greenhouse gases and dramatically exacerbates the climate change crisis. A 2022 EPA report projected that each year U.S. food waste produces CO2 emissions equal to those produced by 45 coal-fired power plants. But more significantly, rotting food in landfills emits methane, an especially potent greenhouse gas with many times the warming power of CO2. Furthermore, when food is composted or goes uneaten, all the valuable resources, both human and natural, used to produce, process, transport, prepare and store it also go to waste.
Surprisingly, the majority of wasted food that ends up in landfills does not come from farms, manufacturing, the food service industry or retail but rather from individual households. As consumers, we can make a significant contribution to combat the effects of food waste on our environment by making small changes in our behaviors around shopping for, preparing, and storing food in our homes. By matching the food we buy with what we and our family can eat, we can make a major contribution to a sustainable lifeway.
For more information on how you can reduce food waste in your home visit Save the Food or see “Wasted: A Strategy for Reducing Food Waste at Home” at Sustainable Tucson.
|  |  | | Ready Set Vote Tucson, created by LWVGT, provides timely and accurate information about voting for Pima County.
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Vote411, created by LWV, provides election information you need, customized to your address.
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Membership Committee
New Member Meet & Greet
Saturday, April 11, 2026
| We hosted our first New Member Meet and Greet of 2026 at the League office. Thank you to the many League members who coordinated this event. It gave new and experienced members a much needed opportunity to get to know each other while allowing us to share the many ways to volunteer with the LWVGT.
We engaged with nine new members, many of whom signed up to assist in committee work. Welcome all, we are so glad you are here!
The Membership Committee has many subcommittees that you can explore HERE. If you're interested in volunteering contact us membership@lwvtucson.com. | Over sixty LWVGT members attended the Annual Meeting. We voted in new Board members, approved changes to our Bylaws, and enjoyed seeing two amazing LWVGT members win their awards. The proposed name change to League of Women Voters of Southern Arizona also passed and we are waiting on LWVUS for final approval. Stay tuned for more information.
One of the benefits of the Annual Meeting is that we meet in person. Many new members were there meeting and engaging with many long-time members. Making those connections and establishing those relationships goes a long way to engaging new members and retaining them. Thank you to all who attended this year. Thank you to the Annual Meeting Committee for an amazing brunch!
You can find the 2026 Bylaws HERE |  | | Our thanks to Betsy B. for her leadership this past year. She will be on the Board as President-Emeritus for 2026-2027. |  | A warm welcome to Linda M., President for 2026-2027! | | |
 | | The first guest speaker was Claudia S., President of the League of Women Voters of Nebraska. She spoke about her experiences as President of a League in a very large and rural state. This resonated with LWVGT members, especially as we look forward to expanding our services to southern Arizona. |  | Representative Adelita Grijalva provided a recorded message and sent her regrets that she could not accept our invitation to speak in person.
LWVGT has enjoyed a long relationship with Rep. Grijalva. Her message reflected on that and encouraged us to stay focused on our mission. | | |
 | | 2026 Leaguer of the Year Award
Pat M.
Pat's award was introduced by Cheri S. (2025 Leaguer of the Year recipient).
Pat is a member who works quietly behind the scenes supporting many of the LWVGT activities.
- For the past five years, she has been a Desk Volunteer, often filling vacancies.
- For the past twelve months she has chaired/coordinated the publication of This Week in Greater Tucson.
- She took on Vote 411 when a chair was needed.
- For several years she prepared The Call for the Annual Meeting as requested by past Presidents.
- She has chaired the Bylaws Committee and is currently on the 2026 Bylaws Committee.
- In 2019 she chaired Issues & Eggs when there was a void.
- She recently took on being co-chair of the Voter Services Committee and will serve as a Board member for our League.
Pat has a PhD in Romance linguistics and has traveled the world. She is an avid hiker, loves the outdoors, enjoys yoga, and morning walks with her friends. We are fortunate she has chosen to volunteer for our League and we are honored and thrilled to acknowledge her as 2026 Leaguer of the Year. | | |  | | 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award
Sue D.
Sue's award was introduced by Joan K. (2025 Lifetime Achievement recipient).
There are a lot of hard-working, long-lasting women in LWVGT. Many of them have been awarded Leaguer of the Year or been our President. But here’s the dilemma. How many of them have exceeded 25 years of active service (which is somewhat a benchmark for this award) and are still consistently and significantly involved? One person this year garnered our attention. To say that she’s been very active since joining LWVGT is an understatement.
Sue honed her skills for her future in the League by serving on the Board of TUSD, the Pima County Library Board, Arts in the Schools, the Children’s Museum, the PTA, the Tucson Museum of Art, the Renaissance Players, and more. In between all these commitments she raised, with Murray, their three children.
Many of you know that Sue has served on just about every League committee in existence, plus helped us navigate from primitive machines and basements to our technology and office of today.
In 2014, Sue received Leaguer of the Year award. 12 years later, the LWVGT are thrilled to recognize Sue with the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award.
| | | | Joan K., Bylaws Committee Chair extraordinaire (and 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient) with Sue D., 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. | | | Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month
and
Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) Day
May 4, 2026
University of Arizona's Asian, Pacific Islander, and Desi American Heritage (APIDA) Heritage Month events can be found HERE.
University of Arizona Libraries offers an array of resources celebrating APIDA Month HERE.
Pima County Public Library has a curated list of books for AAPI HERE.
| | AANHPI Heritage Festival & Market
When: 11:00am to 2:00pm, May 2, 2026
Where: Tucson Mall
Find event details, directions, and register HERE. | | | | 5th Annual Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Awareness Symposium
When: 9:00AM to 5:30PM, May 4, 2026
Where: University of Arizona Health Science Innovations Building
Find event details, directions, and register HERE.
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DEI to the Moon and Back
by
Murryelle Bothwell
The recent Artemis II launch and journey to the moon was a breathtaking demonstration of DEI in action. We witnessed a crew that reflected the richness of our world: a woman, an African American, a Canadian, and a white American astronaut traveling to the moon and returning safely. Their mission showed what becomes possible when people of different backgrounds, nations, and perspectives work together with shared purpose.
Behind that moment were years of collaboration — diverse teams solving problems, innovating, and trusting one another. The success of Artemis II is proof that diversity is not symbolic, it is strategic. It strengthens outcomes.
Just imagine what we here on Earth could accomplish if we fully acknowledged, respected, and embraced the power that diversity brings to building a better world.
|  | | Elected Officers
President 2026-2027: Linda M.
President-Elect 2026-2027: Cheri S.
Secretary 2026-2028: Susan B.
Treasurer 2026-2027: Nicholle Z.
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Elected Directors
Advocacy 2026-2028: Robert O.
Communications 2025-2027: Haley K.
Fund Development / Events 2026-2028: OPEN
Membership 2025-2027: Taylor M.
Voter Services 2025-2027: Pat M.
| | | We want to hear from you!
All committees and members are encouraged to submit articles and information to be published in The Voter. Send articles 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 for events that occur late in the month.
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