Welcome
The League of Women Voters of Southeast Missouri is a non-partisan political organization dedicated to active citizen participation in democracy.
One of the most trusted and respected organizations in our community, the League is a force for change, shaping the important issues that keep our communities strong.
We are a grassroots organization working to make democracy work. We work to influence policy through education and advocacy.
Next League Events and Programs
The Green Group has signed up to help the MO Dept. of Conservation "Bash Trash" along the Mississippi River on Saturday, April 28 starting at 8 am. We invite everyone to join us. We are meeting at the Hudson's parking lot on Main Street.
Voter Registration at the Cape Naturalization Ceremony. We have been invited to register the new citizens at the Cape Girardeau naturalization ceremony to vote. The ceremony will be held at the Federal Courthouse at the corner of Independence and Frederick Street on May 1 at 11 am. Approximately 16 new citizens will be naturalized.
Adopt - A- Clark Street - LWVSEMO and the Green Group will be meeting in the parking lot of the Cape City library at 9am on Saturday May 12 and June 1 for trash pick up along Clark Street. This takes about an hour. Come join us!
Vote 411 Voter Guide. The LWVMO has adopted the vote411.org as our voter guide. With the closing of filing period on March 28, we will begin to contact candidates and gather information. If you would like to help, let us know.
The LWVSEMO calendar for 2011-2012 : LWVSEMO_schedule_for_Spring_2012.docx
Recent League Events
The Green Group donated about 30 tree seedlings to the children's section of the Cape Girardeau Public Library for give away on Earth Day, Saturday April 22. The trees were tagged with planting instructions and were a big hit with the children.
Celebration of Women's History Month! We held this annual celebration jointly with the River Heritage Museum on Friday April 13 from 5-7 pm at the Museum, 538 Independence. Our speaker was Dr. Jane Stephens, Provost emeritus of Southeast Missouri State University. The title of her talk was "Women's Expectations: From Abigail to Hillary." At this event we honored two of the leaders of the Read to Succeed program in our county: Bekki Cook and Marsha Sander. Read to Succeed is a supplemental program to increase students reading skills, that has wonderful results in our school systems.
Mental Health Care in Cape Girardeau. Our regularly scheduled April meeting featured mental health issues in Cape Girardeau. Dottie Cruce has led a small group discussion of these issues during the last year. Her group invited the executive director of the Community Counseling Center, John Hudak, to speak at this meeting. Thanks to John for giving a wonderful summary of the good and the needed concerning mental health care in Cape. Dottie Cruce and Doris Skelton organized this program. Melissa Miller from the Southeast Missourian covered this meeting. Read her article at the following link: http://www.semissourian.com/story/1838405.html
Privatization of Government Services. In March was our month to study the issue of privatization of government services. Mary Ellen Sharp organized the effort on this issue and invited Dr. Will Miller, Asst. Professor of Political Science, Southeast Missouri State University, to speak. This is a LWVUS study, similar to the education study we completed in the fall. Materials for reading about this topic are available at the following link: http://www.lwv.org/content/leaders-guide-privatization-study-consensus. Many thanks to Dr. Will Miller for his wonderful job in leading this discussion.
Voting in 2012- LWVSEMO will kicked off the New Year with a program on Voting in 2012. Ms. Kara Clark Summers, Cape Girardeau County Clerk, spoke about voting in Cape Girardeau County and other voting issues. Sue Brockett and Kara Summers discussed statewide issues and elections. In addition, LWVSEMO grant funded initiatives for open voting and energizing youth voters. A workshop was organized for February 21 to work of voting initiatives. A grant form the LWVUS Educational Fund has supported this program.
Town Hall Meeting with Local Elected Officials from Southeast Missouri
Sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Southeast Missouri and KRCU 90.9 FM, the town hall meeting was held at the Cape Girardeau Public Library on Dec. 6. The officials attending were Barbara Lohr, Mayor of Jackson, Harry Rediger, Mayor of Cape Girardeau, Clint Tracy, Presiding Commissioner, Cape Girardeau County, Wayne Wallingford, Missouri House of Representatives, District 158, Donna Lichtenegger, Missouri House of Representatives, District 157, and Jason Crowell, Missouri State Senator, District 27. The officials made a short statement outlining the year's accomplishments and ongoing projects. Questions submitted by the audience were adressed to each of the officials. Local officials emphasized that local tax revenues are rebounding and they are hopeful for a further recovery this year. The conversation covered everything from tax credits, new business, green efforts and redistricting. Approximately 30 citizens attended. Many thanks to all of those who participated.
The audio from KRCU will be released later this month. We will provide a link when it is available. The article covering this event, written by Scott Moyers for the Southeast Missourian can be read by clicking here.
KRCU will air the Town Hall meeting at 7 pm, Wednesday, December 28. KRCU is 90.9 on your FM radio.
 
Green issues. Our invited speakers were the new Director of the Cape Girardeau Park Department Julia Thompson and Rocky Hayes, Regional Urban Forester with the Missouri Department of Conservation. In addition, we will discussed the Clean Air Campaign which is a national LWV priority.Thanks to our speakers for leading an exciting discussion. Thanks to participants for committing to the Clean Air Promise. A grant form the LWVUS Educational Fund has supported this program.
The Green Group received a grant of 30 3-6' ft trees from ReLeafMO in St. Louis(www.moreleaf.org). We picked up the trees and planted them in Shawnee Sports Complex at the end of October. Thank to all participants...who knew digging holes would be so hard?. Also thanks to Brock Davis, Kaed Horrell and Julia Thompson for making this project a success. Below are a couple of pictures from the planting. More pictures can be seen in the photo gallery.
Take Action
The LWVUS in collaboration with groups such as the American Lung Association has developed the Clean Air Promise as a way to show support for continued and strengthened government action to protect our air. The EPA is currently updating rules on allowable ozone and other air pollutants. While it may not seem like much, the number of people taking the promise is a powerful tool in lobbying our elected officials.
Clean Air Promise
I Promise to protect America's children and families from dangerous air pollution.
Because toxics and pollutants such as mercury, smog, carbon, and soot, cause thousands of hospital visits, asthma attacks, and even deaths,
I will support clean air policies and other protections that scientists and public health experts have recommended to the EPA to safeguard our air quality.
Act by taking the Clean Air Promise at the LWV website, http://www.peoplenotpolluters.org. The site also allows you to send an email to your elected officials by entering your zip code.
Clean Air is a right not a privilege.
Click here to learn more about the Clean Air Campaign.
Voter Information
How do I register to vote in Cape Girardeau County?
How do I register to vote in other SEMO counties? Go to the lower right corner to select your county and find the location and phone number of the county registration service.
Where do I vote?
When is the next election?
Presidential primary on February 7, 2012; deadline to register to vote January 9, 2012
Municipal elections on April 3, 2012; deadline to register to vote March 7, 2012
Primary elections on August 7, 2012; deadline to register to vote July 11, 2012
General election on November 6, 2012 ; deadline to register to vote October 10, 2012
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