League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh

Hey League friends share this on your FB feed to help counter misinformation being spread around.

Join us, along with League of Women Voters of the US, this week to empower women voters ahead of November. Learn more about LWV’s campaign: LWV.org/WID

What makes Mis- and Dis-information stick?

These things make mis- and disinformation "sticky":
1. Motivated Reasoning: If something I see reinforces what I already believe, it easier for me to feel it is true (when it may not be)!
2. Emotional Appeals: This information is making me so angry or afraid, instead of appealing to my reason.
3. Easy Answers: Easy answers are black and white, but rarely true. Real answers are shades of grey and not simple.

Understanding this can be complicated. See the League of Women Voters/Algorithmic Transparency Institute presentation recording at www.lwvpgh.org/video.

Be part of the solution- Don't share!

Presidents speak - let’s listen!

At the dedication of the Gettysburg Cemetery, Abraham Lincoln called on Americans to dedicate themselves "to the great task remaining before us," that the nation "shall have a new birth of freedom" and that "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

Lincoln observed that the nation had been
"conceived in Liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."

In his 1796 Farewell Address President Washington forewarns that:

"The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge natural to party dissension... is itself a frightful despotism...The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction... turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation on the ruins of public liberty."

High school students! Join LWVPGH with other non-partisan organizations for the Allegheny Youth Vote Huddle on Sept 19 from 11 am-2:30 pm!

Get ready for an awesome day at the Heinz History Center! You'll team up with other high school students who are passionate about getting their friends registered to vote. It's a chance to dive into cool resources, get inspired, and make a difference.

Register to attend at https://bit.ly/youth-vote-huddle

Join LWVPA for Ballot Box Basics on Tuesday, August 20 at 5:30 PM on Zoom!

The August program will feature Thad Hall, Mercer County Director of Elections, and Timothy Benyo, Lehigh County Chief Clerk - Registration and Elections for a discussion on election integrity. Register today by going to palwv.org/events!

Can you recognize mis- and dis-information?

Problematic content can look like this:
• Missing context: What info has been left out?
• Faulty logic: 2 + 2 = 5???
• HATE and dog whistles: cruelly targets a scapegoat; blames the "other" who may be a different ethnicity, race, religion, or gender from you.
• Conspiracies: a theory that explains complex events as the result of a secret plot by powerful villians.
• Old/out-of-date: reused in a different context, so false or misleading.

Be part of the solution- Don't share! Learn more at lwvpgh.org/disinfo

"Where you see wrong or inequality or injustice, speak out, because this is your country. This is your democracy. Make it. Protect it. Pass it on." - Thurgood Marshall

Happy Fourth of July!

As you celebrate and gather with friends and family today, don't forget to remind them to turn up and turn out in November.

Are you ready to vote?

Find info on:
• your polling place at vote.pa.gov
• your ballot at vote411.org
• other election resources at lwvpgh.org

Important Reminders for Today:
• Keep your eclipse glasses on while viewing the sun outside of totality
• Register to vote or update your registration by 5 pm at vote.pa.gov

Learn more about the primary election at lwvpgh.org

Tomorrow is the deadline to register to vote or update your registration for the primary election!

Register to vote or update your registration by 5 pm on April 8 at vote.pa.gov

Visit the V.I.P. Coalition to register to vote this weekend at four locations in and around Pittsburgh!

Your vote counts - don’t waste your right to vote!

Vote the whole Ballot for Federal & State Elections!

Not only President and Vice President, but 1 US Senator, 17 US Representatives, 25 PA Senators, 203 PA Representatives, PA Attorney General, PA Auditor General, & PA Treasurer

Strategies for "Living Room Conversations"

Here are a few tips you can carry with you into any conversation, and use especially when you engage in challenging ones:
• Listen with curiosity for understanding.
• Speak from your own authentic experience with humility.
• Connect to others with respect.
•"Where have you seen that in your life?"
•"Can I share an experience I've had around this?"
• "Thank you for sharing that article. Which part really made sense to you?"

"Learning from one another is how we move forward in a positive, more compassionate world."

Adapted from: https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2023/04/17/national-week-
conversation-how-fight-toxic-polarization/11658802002/

Only one week left until our March Ballot Box Basics webinar!

Join LWVPA and the League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh on Thursday, March 28 at 5:30 PM on Zoom for this month’s event. Amy Kleissas, Civic Engagement Director with the Greater Pittsburgh League, will present about the basics of voting, including registration, polling places, voting by mail, candidate information, and more! Register by going to palwv.org/events.

Your vote counts - don’t waste your right to vote!

Need a mail-in ballot? Apply at www.vote.pa.gov by April 16, 2024

Pennsylvania has closed primaries, which means that only voters registered with the Democratic or Republican parties may vote for candidates in the primary election. However, ALL registered voters may vote on any ballot questions on the primary ballot.

You may change your party registration up until the deadline to register, which is on April 8 for the primary election.

Learn more about primaries in PA at lwvpgh.org/primary

Join our own Amy Kleissas for LWVPA’s first Ballot Box Basics program of the year, Voting Made Easy!

March 28 at 5:30 p.m.
Register to attend at palwv.org/ballot-box-basics

Your vote counts - don’t waste your right to vote!

Check your registration and polling place at www.vote.pa.gov

Passover begins at sundown on Monday, April 22 and PA’s primary election is Tuesday, April 23.

If you’d like to vote by mail, request your mail-in ballot now and return it right away.

Vote.pa.gov/MailBallot

Your vote counts! Don’t waste your right to vote!

Federal and state primaries are April 23, 2024.
The voter registration deadline is April 8 and the mail-in ballot application deadline is April 16.

Your vote counts! Don’t waste your right to vote !

Not registered? Go to www.vote.pa.gov by April 8, 2024.