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League of Women Voters of Westchester County Proudly announces our online Voters Guide:

www.Vote411.org

You can build your own personal ballot. Just go to http://www.Vote411.org, select “Build your Ballot” on the home page, then enter your address. You will be able to view all of the races and compare all of the candidates, plus view any initiatives or proposals on your ballot in the General Election on November 8, 2011. Candidates may provide a picture, a link to their website, and write up to 200 words so you may get to know them. The site is private and secure. You may write notes, check your selected candidate, and print or email your personal ballot so you may take it with you to the polls.

VOTE411 Replaces SmartVoter

Following the lead of the LVWUS, the LWVNY selected VOTE411 to be the official website for election information.  Similar to SmartVoter, the VOTE411 website provides the ability to look-up your personal ballot based on your address.

With the launch of this new website, the LWVW will no longer be using SmartVoter and will switch to VOTE411.  As with all new technology, there is a start-up period, so information provided for the November 8, 2011 General Election will brief.  As the Voters Service committee members go through the learning-curve and build the full structure of the Westchester County voting jurisdictions within VOTE411 more information will be available. 

The ultimate goal of the switch to VOTE411 will be the elimination of paper questionnaires to candidates, thus providing all candidates with the ability to enter their own information directly into the VOTE411 website.  To produce the traditional paper Voters Guide, information will be extracted from VOTE411 and formatted, printed and distributed in the old-fashioned way.  However, this goal is a few years off as the learning-curve by the committee and the functionality of technology provided by the VOTE411 service are fully developed.

Marianna Stout
2nd Vice President, Voter Service Chair
2011

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Voting Information

www.Vote411.org

the New York State Elections website
or to
the Westchester Board of Elections

LWV provides tips to prepare you for Nov. 8 election

Written by
MARIANNA STOUT
AND INA ARONOW

Voting in Westchester can get very complicated. Each year, as the November elections roll around, the nonpartisan League of Women Voters tries to unravel the labyrinth of the 44 city, town, village or town-village elections that may or may not be taking place this fall, plus the county, state and national offices that occur every two or four years.

The League mission is to promote informed citizens participation in government, since the people we elect will make decisions that will determine the services government provides and how much in taxes you will pay to provide them.

Here are League resources that will be available for the Nov. 8 election:

• Voters Guide. About 100,000 copies of the 84-page Guide will be distributed via mail, libraries and other public places starting mid-October.
The number is down from about 250,000 copies about a decade ago as more people turn to the internet for information.
The Guide, which contains candidate responses to standard questions and other election information, can also be found at HYPERLINK "http://www.lwvwestchester.org" \t "_blank" www.lwvwestchester.org.

• VOTE411 — An interactive Voters Guide at http://www.Vote411.org.
This sophisticated website enables the voter to enter one's street address and zip code and find one's polling place, a map showing how to get there, the local, county legislative, state Senate and Assembly district, and national congressional and Senate districts and other election information.

In Westchester County, in which a resident's municipality, postal address and school district may be different, the site can be especially helpful.
Voter registration forms, an election calendar and other documents can be downloaded.
For both guides, League volunteers reached out to approximately 275 candidates in 122 races.

• Candidate forums. Local Leagues are sponsoring or assisting in nearly two dozen candidate forums this fall, providing moderators who follow League guidelines. Moderators are from outside the candidates' districts.
These debates are generally cablecast live and/or replayed on local channels. They are strictly nonpartisan. In the spring, the League sponsors forums for school board and village or town election. See the schedule at www.lwvwestchester.org.

• Election Information. Voters can call the LWV office at 914-949-0507 or e-mail lwvwestchester@verizon.com with questions.

• Fair Campaign Practices Committee. Initiated by the League in 1991 and administered by the League, the Committee operates independently to referee campaign disputes. See www.faircampaignpractices.org.

In addition to election activities, the League also publishes a Directory of Officials. It lists elected and appointed officials in Westchester municipalities and the county and Westchester representatives in state and national officials with contact information.

Besides providing nonpartisan, fair and accurate information, the League studies the pros and cons of public interest issues and takes action on issues members have studied and reached consensus.
These include open government, campaign finance reform, equal rights, environmental protection, health care and education. Recent programs have been on health care and dangers of "fracking" to extract gas from shale deposits. Educational programs include "Students in Albany" and "Running and Winning" to educate high school students, particularly young women in the latter program, to engage in politics. Local Leagues study and sometimes take action positions on the workings and issues faced by local governments.

League membership is open to all citizens of voting age and associate membership to noncitizens and students. Both active members and League supporters are welcome and appreciated. For information, call the League office at 914-949-0507.

Stout is Voter Service chair and Aronow is communications director for the League of Women Voters of Westchester Count. Published in the Journal News Oct. 15, 2011

Voter Service
Moderators Needed!

Contact Laura Fratt (723-5108 or fratt@verizon.net).

In 1991 the League of Women Voters of Westchester established the Westchester Fair Campaign Practices Committee as a separate and independent entity. The League plays no role in the Committee's deliberations or decisions; the League does provide support services and administers the funding. The Committee is comprised of community leaders who represent a wide range of public interests and are recognized as being independent and fair minded. Members representing recognized political parties serve ex-officio without vote; they contribute political perspective and experience to the discussion. Link here to the FCPC.

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