VOTER NEWSLETTER
Vol. 65, No. 1 August 2025 Editor: Virginia Marsh
| | Inside this Issue
- In Memorium: John Matthew Steger
- Voter Registration is Preparing for the Fall Election
- LWVCollin Webinar on the Impact of President Trumps Executive Order on Elections
- Nov 2025: Collin County Voters Will Hand Mark Ballots
- National Voting Rights Act Turns 60
- Sign up for COR Boards and Commissions
- Health Fair at St Barnabas
- Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
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Key Dates in August 2025
- Aug 6 National Voting Rights Act Turns 60
- Aug 16 Health Fair at St Barnabas
- Aug 21 LWVCollin County Webinar
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In Memorium: John Matthew Steger
| | John Matthew Steger, the beloved son of Ellen and Mark Steger, passed away on June 20, 2025, in Jakarta, Indonesia. Our deepest condolences are extended to our LWVRichardson President Ellen and the rest of the Steger family.
Friends of the Stegers are setting up a Memorial Fund to honor John. Depending on how much is collected, the memorial will consist of a commemorative bench or planting of trees. The memorial will be placed in one of the parks or trails near the home where John grew up here in Richardson. For those wishing to contribute, make your check out to the League of Women Voters of Richardson and indicate in the notation on the check that it is for the John Steger Memorial Fund. Mail your donation to:
300 North Coit Road, Suite 125
Richardson, TX 75080 | | |
Voter Registration is Preparing for the Fall 2025 Election
Volunteer to help!
| This summer, LWVRichardson began to ramp up voter registration efforts in preparation for the 2025 fall elections. We always welcome new volunteers.
In the community:
- In July, we registered seniors at the Network of Community Ministries, and we had a registration drive at the Boho Market at Cityline.
- August will focus on several back-to-school events as well as community efforts.
- September promises to be busy as well, with National Voter Registration Day (September 16) and more community registration drives.
If you are interested in helping out in any of these Community voter registration drives, please contact us at
At naturalization ceremonies:
It may be hot outside, but voter registration work continues at the U.S. Citizenship and Naturalization Ceremonies in Irving! With our Collin County and Dallas partners, we have registered over 3,000 new citizens thus far this summer! With volunteers traveling, and with multiple events each month, we are always recruiting new volunteers.
For ways you can get involved, please email Cathy Murphree at
While Volunteer Deputy Registrar (VDR) certification is encouraged, we welcome non-VDRs as well.
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LWVCollin County Webinar:
How President Trump's Executive Order on Elections Could Impact How Texans Vote
| The Texas Civil Rights Project and LWVCollin County will host a free webinar, to which everyone is welcome:
"How President Trump's Executive Order on Elections
Could Impact How Texans Vote."
Thursday, August 21,
7:00-8:00 pm
Registration is required in order to receive the zoom link. |
November, 2025 Election:
Collin Voters Will Hand Mark Ballots
| In June, the Collin County Commissioners Court voted to transition to Hand-Marked Ballots (HMB) for the November 2025 election and all future elections. This decision was made in response to Executive Order 14248 issued by President Trump, as well as public feedback from individuals expressing concerns about the integrity of our current voting systems. The completed hand-marked ballots will be scanned and tabulated using the same machines currently in use.
The Collin County Elections Administrator estimated the transition cost to be $2.3 million
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National Voting Rights Act Turns 60 in August
| August will be the 60th anniversary of the National Voting Rights Act (VRA), signed into law on August 6, 1965, by President Lyndon B. Johnson, with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders in attendance. This was recognized as a monumental piece of legislation that outlawed the discriminatory voting practices adopted in many southern states after the Civil War to prevent Black people from voting, including literacy tests and poll taxes. It also provided federal oversight known as “pre-clearance” to get election changes pre-approved for states with a history of discrimination, including Texas, to ensure they did not harm voters of color.
However, in 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court’s Shelby County v. Holder decision struck down the framework for identifying places subject to pre-clearance, which significantly weakened much of the protection of the VRA. The same day, Texas officials announced that they would implement the nation’s most restrictive voter ID law, which a court later ruled to be racially discriminatory. A massive wave of restrictive voting policies have since been implemented in jurisdictions previously subject to pre-clearance. A series of Supreme Court decisions have further rolled back protections for voting rights.
For the last several years, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act has been introduced in Congress, but hasn’t gained traction. Several states have since enacted their own Voting Rights Acts. In this most recent session, several organizations joined together to introduce the Barbara Jordan Texas Voting Rights Act (HB 5258), filed by Rep. John Bucy, but the bill did not make it out of the Elections Committee.
The League of Women Voters remains committed to fighting for voting rights, which is a fundamental cornerstone of our democracy.
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Sign Up For COR Boards and Commissions
| The City of Richardson has Boards and Commissions that are comprised of interested citizens. The people on these boards and commissions assist the City Council in an advisory capacity
- by examining in-depth issues such as park development, planning, and zoning,
- by making recommendations to City Council, and/or
- by making decisions on variance requests from citizens.
Applications are being accepted now. The City Secretary's office keeps applications on file for two (2) years. When vacancies occur, applications on file are reviewed by the City Council and an interview may be scheduled. Board members are selected by the City Council. Applicants will be notified by City Staff.
Richardson's Boards and Commissions are:
- Animal Services Advisory Commission
- Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee
- City Plan Commission
- Civil Service Board
- Community Inclusion and Engagement Commission
- Cultural Arts Commission
- Library Board
- North Texas Municpal Water District Board
- Parks and Recreation Commission
- Richardson Improvement Corporation
- Sign Control Board
- Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Board
- Zoning Board of Adjustment / Building & Standards Commission
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Health Fair at St Barnabas
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Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
| CHIP and Children’s Medicaid have been well-received by Texas families and these programs help to assure that our children have adequate preventative care in addition to coverage for more complex medical care. It is much more cost-effective to provide immunizations, check-ups, and early intervention in childhood illnesses than to wait for a problem to develop into an emergency.
Our next opportunity to help will be during the Health Fair on August 16, 2025, from 9 am to noon at St. Barnabas Presbyterian Church. As usual, Texas leads the nation in the number of uninsured children.
Families who do not have coverage through their employment such as seasonal workers, employees who work part-time, grandparents who are raising their grandchildren on a fixed income, those who are currently unemployed, and teenagers who are “on their own” are some who might have eligible children. Please invite anyone you think may benefit to be with us on August 16.
Thank you for your support and help. Federal funding for health care and for the non-profits that assist families that are challenged to afford health care has decreased recently. Anything we can do is even more important than ever.
| | Donate
The League of Women Voters of Richardson relies solely on contributions made by local community residents and businesses. | | | | Join Us
Would you like to help providing election information, registering voters, or influencing public policy?
You are welcome to email our Membership chair at
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