CIVIC ENGAGEMENT IN ACTION | Audience members line up with questions for four members of Palm Beach County's Legislative Delegation, moderated by Taketa King Pang at the Urban League. | Local lawmakers give nonpartisan debrief on bills, process | The League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County was proud to partner with the Urban League of Palm Beach County, Inc., the Black Chamber of Commerce of Palm Beach County, Inc., the Women's Chamber of Commerce PBC and the Women's Foundation of Florida for a Legislative Update.
Thank you to our moderator, Takeata King Pang, and to State Sen. Mack Bernard and State Reps. Jervonte Edmonds, Anne Gerwig and Meg Weinberger for sharing insights from the 2026 Legislative Session and engaging in thoughtful dialogue with our community.
With a full house and an engaged audience, attendees had the opportunity to ask important questions, learn about legislation affecting our communities and businesses, and leave feeling more informed and empowered. We were proud to have our president Amy Kemp represent our organization in the mock election process.
Democracy is strongest when people are informed, engaged and willing to participate in meaningful conversations. Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make this such a successful evening. |  | From left: Florida Reps. Tae Edmonds, Meg Weinberger and Anne Gerwig, and Florida Sen. Mack Bernard, with moderator Taketa King Pang at the podium. | COMMUNITY MEETS JUDICIAL CANDIDATES | LWVPBC President Amy Kemp introduces County Judge Group 12 candidates Schnelle Tonge and Jacob Noble. Ken Thomas, at left, served as moderator. | Single Group 12 judicial race draws a crowd, with questions | The first LWVPBC candidate event before the Aug. 18 primary featured two attorneys running for the nonpartisan post of Group 12 Palm Beach County Judge, the only contested judicial seat this year. Schnelle Tonge and Jacob Noble told their personal stories and answered questions from moderator Ken Thomas and the crowded audience that attended the June 29 event at the Vista Center.
Future LWVPBC forums before the midterm primary are planned as follows:
* Wednesday, July 1 — Palm Beach County School Board District 6; 6-7:15 p.m. at the Belle Glade Branch Library, 725 N.W. Fourth St., Belle Glade
* Wednesday, July 8 — Palm Beach County School Board District 6; 6-7:15 p.m. at the Palm Beach County Branch Library, 500 Civic Center Way, Royal Palm Beach
* Monday, July 13 — Palm Beach County School Board District 4; 6-7:15 p.m. at the Palm Beach County Branch Library, 4020 Lantana Road, Atlantis
| Audience members pay close attention to the judicial candidates. | MORE THAN A REGISTRATION CHECK | | Libby Jacobs, of LWVPBC, assists Ashaunie Anderson, a member of the EJS Project, with her voter registration form. | | LWVPBC Voter Services Chair Judy Giller checks a voter registration form for Devin Jasmin, a member of Connect to Greatness. | | | Building a culture of civic engagement across generations | On a Saturday morning in Boynton Beach, community members from across generations gathered around one simple but powerful question: "Are You Registered to Vote... REALLY?" Hosted by Connect to Greatness, in partnership with the League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County and community partners, the event was designed to move beyond assumptions and empower residents with the knowledge and confidence needed to fully participate in the democratic process.
The day demonstrated that civic engagement does not begin at age 18, nor does it begin with casting a ballot. It begins when young people see themselves as having a voice, understand their role in the community, and are given opportunities to engage. The event represented a powerful continuum of civic engagement across generations-from middle and high school students in Connect to Greatness and the EJS Project who registered and pre-registered to vote, to the Young Leaguers who represented college students and young adults and recruited their peers into deeper civic engagement.
The leadership of young people was one of the most meaningful outcomes of the day. EJS students served as youth volunteers, welcoming attendees and supporting the event while also taking their own steps into civic participation. Adults and community institutions-including the League of Women Voters, the Supervisor of Elections Office, and community partners-modeled the importance of remaining informed, engaged, and committed to strengthening our democracy. Young people are watching what adults value, and when they see civic participation prioritized, they learn that their voices matter.
The League of Women Voters played a critical role in helping community members register and pre-register to vote, providing civic education, and welcoming new members. Representatives from the Supervisor of Elections Office answered questions, provided important election dates and deadlines, and recruited community members interested in serving as poll workers. These trusted community spaces are especially important as voting laws and procedures continue to evolve and residents seek accurate information and clarity.
The true measure of success was not simply the number of registrations completed or questions answered. The greatest victory was seeing individuals — especially young people — choose to spend their Saturday becoming informed, asking questions and preparing to exercise their role in our democracy. "Are You Registered to Vote... REALLY?" was more than an event — it was a reminder that when we invest in educating and empowering one another, we strengthen the foundation of our communities and our democracy. The conversation continues as Connect to Greatness and community partners bring "Are You Registered to Vote... REALLY?" to Belle Glade on Saturday, July 11. More details will be shared soon.
— Dr. Cassondra Corbin-Thaddies
Connect to Greatness founder, LWVPBC board director |  | Dr. Cassondra Corbin-Thaddies, in front, organizer of the June 13 event
for youths, with other Palm Beach County League members: Reisha
Roopchand Allen, Linda Prior, Marlene Bogard, Carol Carnevale,
Joyce Sullivan, and Judy Giller. | 2026 ELECTION EXCELLENCE SCHOLARSHIP | Current PBSC students may apply through Aug. 14 | The Election Expo Committee in partnership with Palm Beach State College is proud to offer the 2026 Election Excellence Scholarship to support students who are committed to civic engagement, voter education and community leadership.
Through Election Expo 2026, we provide nonpartisan educational opportunities that strengthen democracy through informed participation. Our initiatives include:
* Hosting the Election Expo, where voters can meet candidates and ask questions
* Providing voting machine demonstrations before Election Day
* Creating and distributing a nonpartisan voter guide
* Supplying clear information about constitutional amendments and referendums
Eligibility Requirements:
• Current Palm Beach State College student
• Registered or pre-registered voter in Palm Beach County
• Participation in at least one volunteer activity with one of the sponsoring organizations: Leadership Palm Beach County, League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County or Palm Beach State College
Application Deadline: August 14, 2026
If you're passionate about serving your community and strengthening our democracy through civic engagement, we encourage you to apply. | Dr. Esteban Santis addresses Florida’s finances and standing
among the 50 states.
| Expert delves into Florida’s future budget scenarios | Dr. Esteban Santis, director of research at Florida Policy Institute, discussed Florida’s fiscal and budgetary challenges at the June Hot Topic luncheon at Fountains Country Club in Lake Worth. His topic, “Inside Florida’s Budget Debate: Affordability vs. Austerity,” included housing, healthcare and education spending, and how they might be affected if Floridians pass a constitutional amendment to lower property taxes. He leads FPI’s research to promote policies and budgets that expand economic mobility and strengthen Floridians’ quality of life.
| Colleagues: Three members of the Florida Policy Institute: Research
Director Dr. Esteban Santis, board Director Debra Chandler
and board Chair Dr. Brent Schillinger. | INVESTING TIME IN GIRL SCOUTS | Janet Elinoff, front, with four Girl Scouts, their mothers, and LWVPBC members Rebecca Cohen, Judy Giller, Carol Stender, Elissa Hardy-Schafer, Linda Kramer and Linda Prior. | League provides fun lessons on voting, civic engagement | Our league was proud to partner with the Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida to teach local girls about the importance of voting and civic engagement. During the program, the Girl Scouts learned about the foundations of American democracy, including the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
They also explored the history of voting rights and discovered that women were not granted the right to vote until 1926. The program concluded with a creative activity in which the girls designed poster artwork and created voting-themed pins, encouraging them to express what civic participation means to them.
— Linda Prior | NATIONAL CONVENTION INSPIRES | From left: Trish Neely of Tallahassee, the former longtime LWVFL Lobby Corps Chair, joins Janet Elinoff, Kate Renchin, Linda Prior and former LWVFL Co-Presidents Cecile M. Scoon and Debra Chandler. Scoon was elected to the national LWV board during the convention. | Election sends Florida's Scoon to national LWV board | Several of us from LWV PBC attended the national convention in Columbus, Ohio. The theme is Women Unite and Rise, with a strong emphasis on DEI.
From the first day I was struck by the strong statements of pushback against authoritarianism, and evolution toward activism. We voted to declare we are in a constitutional crisis and to hold Congress accountable for protecting the rule of law. We also passed a resolution in favor of the National Popular Vote.
League leadership and members are fired up in advance of this year’s elections.
We were proud to elect awesome nominees to serve as officers and board members. We appreciated an extremely well run convention with some excellent presentations and panel discussions.
— Kate Renchin, Palm Beach County Voting Rights Coalition Co-Chair | PLEASE HELP PROTECT THE POLLS | We are gearing up for our nationwide Election Protection effort. We don't know what threats voters will face when voting this year, but we want to be ready. Please help spread the word.
Here is information on all the different volunteer needs: Poll monitors, legal monitors, Canvassing Board monitors and more.
Volunteers can sign up here.
For general voter information to share, visit the Voter Resource Hub.
We are particularly targeting Saturday, Aug. 8, for maximum volunteers out at the polls. It is the first day of Early Voting and a good chance to see what might happen at which polls this year. If you know of certain poll locations — during Early Voting or on Election Day — that have had issues with hyperpartisans, long lines or any other impediments to voting, please let me know. We can add them to a priority list to be sure we have eyes on them.
Any questions, or ideas on how to increase recruitment, please let me know that too. Thank you all.
— Kate Renchin, Palm Beach County Voting Rights Coalition Co-Chair | Boca Raton City Council dedicated much of its June 9 workshop to “Property Tax Reform – Impact Analysis” in light of the proposed constitutional amendment approved by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Assistant City Manager/CFO Jim Zervos conducted a detailed review of municipal income and expenditures, then noted possible impacts on Boca Raton’s future budgets and services if voters approve reductions in property tax revenue. (A 60 percent approval statewide is required for passage of the amendment on the Nov. 3 ballot.)
Key points:
· Impacts would begin in 2027-28.
· Estimated revenue reduction to Boca in Year One: $8.4 million
· Reduction in Year Two: $16.73 million
· The Council may need to address service levels, budget priorities, millage rates, fees and other revenue options.
Boca’s fiscal team then followed up with a June 18 Special Budget Workshop for FY 2026-27, a year that would not be impacted by potential cuts. The workshop was held a month earlier than the traditional schedule to bring three newly elected Council members, and residents, up to speed about Boca’s budget process. Council members asked questions to be addressed in further sessions leading up to the Sept. 30 deadline. Three residents spoke from the floor – two lobbying for funding for arts and culture initiatives and one querying about money for city parks.
— Susan Breece, Advocacy
| JULY EVENTS
Click on the flyer to see the details
| Junkanoo performers entertained at the Juneteenth celebration at Hughes Park. | PEARL CITY CELEBRATES JUNETEENTH IN BOCA | The League provided voter registration assistance at the Juneteenth event at Hughes Park in Boca Raton. Thanks to Susan LaDuca, a League member who also was an organizer of DISC (Diverse, Inclusive, Supportive Community), a nonprofit deeply rooted in the Pearl City neighborhood in Boca Raton. | From left: Team leader Peggy Donnelly, Janet Chaikin and Susan LaDuca at the LWVPBC Voter Services table. Not pictured: Libby Jacobs. | Alina Newman, left, and Kitty Clayman, right, helped Discovery Village residents with voter registration and vote-by-mail renewals. | EAGER DISCOVERY VILLAGE RESIDENTS WERE WAITING FOR US | Three League members helped some 65 seniors at Discovery Village, checking their voter registration status, helping them request Vote-by-Mail ballots and updating their signatures and addresses with the Supervisor of Elections Office.
It was one of the best events I have been to at an independent living facility. A friend who lives there did the organizing, and put notes in everybody’s mailbox letting them know we were going to be there. People were waiting for us when we arrived, and we worked nonstop for more than three hours. The residents were very grateful.
— Pamela Maldonado, Voter Services | | SERVING
THE GLADES
Voter Services member Pam
Maldonado offered voter registration
and vote-by-mail assistance
at an Urban League of Palm
Beach County food distribution
event in Belle Glade. | | | 'GRACIOUS GOOD AFTERNOON'
Tactful Vote411 team nudges candidates | Thank you to the Candidate Calling Team for their recent work for the online and print VOTE411 Voters’ Guides for 2026. The first two rounds are done.
PBC League members MJ Range, Susan Breece, Pam Maldonado, Kathi Gundlach, Rebecca Cohen, Karen Buttell, Dawn Weir, Linda Kramer, Linda Prior and Ashley Cacicedo-Surdovel used their skills of persuasion when reminding local candidates of their invitations to submit campaign information to these valuable guides.
The State League’s team had success contacting State House, State Senate and U.S. House candidates. Thanks to Heidi Davis, Florida’s VOTE411 team captain.
— Joyce Sullivan, Publications Chair
| JUST A HUNCH: YOU'D LIKE TO MUNCH? | A big "Thank You" from the Membership Team to Joyce Sullivan and Rebeca Cohen for hosting a casual and lighthearted Munch & MIngle on June 25 in northern Palm Beach County. This event was part of the League's effort to “Take the League Local" so members have an opportunity to get to know others in their own neighborhood. You never know what can happen. At a previous Mingle, two members/neighbors who hadn't met before chatted, liked each other, and joined up to carpool to the next Hot Topic.
Haven't had the pleasure of munching and mingling? There is a Munch & Mingle coming up July 18 at Gizzi's Coffee in Delray Beach. If you live in the Delray, Boca Raton or Boynton Beach area, this event is for you!
Check out our website for details. See you there!
— Donna Colabella, Membership Co-Chair | CALLING ALL NEW, NEWER MEMBERS |
Mark Sept. 25 on your calendars so you'll be sure to attend our Zoom Taste of the League. This is a free event designed especially for you to help you become more knowledgable about what the League does and how you can serve your neighbors, especially as the midterm election approaches.
You won't want to miss this! Check our website for details.
— Donna Colabella, Membership Co-Chair
| CLUBEXPRESS SERVICE UPDATE | The ClubExpress website platform recently experienced a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack. A DDoS attack floods a website with massive amounts of fake internet traffic, slowing or temporarily disrupting access for legitimate users. Unlike a data breach, a DDoS attack is not designed to access or steal member information. Its purpose is simply to overwhelm the system and make it difficult to use.
This attack was not directed at the League of Women Voters. It targeted ClubExpress, the membership platform used by approximately 3,000 organizations, many of them nonprofits. Similar attacks have affected banks, airlines, retailers, government agencies and other online services.
ClubExpress has been working around the clock to strengthen its defenses, and the platform now appears to be operating at near full capacity.
If you encounter a problem, first try refreshing your browser. If you still need assistance to register for an event, verify that you are already registered or obtain event information, email info@lwvpbc.org, and I will assist you and send confirmation or a receipt as needed.
— Daniel Lishansky, Web Manager | THE TWO-SPACE RULE IS OFFICIALLY RETIRED | If you're still pressing the space bar twice after every sentence, you're not alone, but you're using a typing rule that belongs to the typewriter era. Two spaces were needed when every character occupied the same width on a typewriter.
Today's computers, tablets and phones use proportional fonts, so the extra space serves no purpose.
Nearly all current writing style guides recommend one space after a period. Using a single space creates a cleaner, more professional appearance and makes editing and formatting easier. Breaking the old habit may take a little practice, but your thumbs, and your editors, will thank you. |  | SPECIAL EVENTS COMMITTEE SEEKS VOLUNTEERS
The Special Events Committee is looking for volunteers interested in serving on our team. If your talents include planning events, creating programs, enlisting speakers or providing audio-visual skills, please contact Linda Kramer.
We are open to new innovative ideas to help present programs of interest to our members and their guests. We know we have many talented creative members, and invite you to join us. Thank you for your consideration.
— Special Events Committee | |