October 2025

The Tony Award®-winning Suffs comes to TPAC this March! Written and composed by Shaina Taub, this acclaimed musical tells the powerful story of the American women who fought for the right to vote. Through passion, persistence, and sacrifice, Suffs shines a light on the leaders and unsung heroes of the suffrage movement in a struggle that still resonates today. Please click here to purchase your ticket. You can also use promo code: LWVSUFFS2026

Building Coalitions to Amplify Action
Time: Wednesday| 3:30 PM ET

Learn about intentional coalition-building and take a deep dive into building networks of trusted messengers in your community and your League.

Choose How You Move Updates and Insight
Time: Friday | 12:00 PM CT

Hear from Dr. Kendra Abkowitz, Acting Program Director for Choose How You Move, about what updates have been made since the CHYM referendum passed.

Green Hills Public Library
Time: Thursday| 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Join us for our monthly board meeting in person at the Green Hills Library on November 13, from 6 - 6:30 PM. From 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM, we will address postcards reminding Nashville voters in Congressional District 7 to get out and vote in the upcoming General Election. The postcard party is open to the public. RSVP below.

The primary elections in District 7 were held this month; the Republican nominee is Matt Van Epps, and the Democratic nominee is Aftyn Behn. The turnout for this election was very low: 31,000 votes for Behn and 36,000 votes for Van Epps. Only 3% of eligible voters in Davidson County voted in the primary, according to the Davidson County Election Commission.

The League of Women Voters in Davidson County will help increase voter turnout in our county with a postcard writing event on November 13. We hope to have a large turnout from our members and friends for this event. Personal messages sent directly to eligible voters can motivate many people to go to the polls. This is an important local election. Please join us!

Join the League of Women Voters of Nashville on November 7 at 12 PM for our monthly Hot Topic. The November conversation will unpack the transit updates that have been made since the Choose How You Move referendum vote. Dr. Kendra Abkowitz, Acting Program Director for Choose How You Move, will be our guest speaker.

This is a non-partisan event, and all are invited and welcome to attend. Let us know if you'll attend by completing the registration form below.

Matt Van Epps won the Republican Primary with 19,001 votes. Van Epps won 12 of the 14 counties. Jody Barrett won in Hickman and Dickson.

Aftyn Behn won the Democratic Primary with 8,648 votes. The only county she won was Williamson. Vincent Dixie won Davidson County. Darden Hunter Copeland won 6 counties: Stewart, Montgomery, Robertson, Benton, Houston, and Wayne. Bo Mitchell won 6 counties
also, Dickson, Cheatham, Humphreys, Decatur, Perry, and Hickman.

67,723 voted in the Special Primary Election. 36,721 voted in the Republican primary and 31,002 voted in the Democratic primary.
16,393 people voted in Davidson County, which was 14% of its eligible voters. Only Davidson County had more Democratic voters than Republican. Davidson County made up 24% of votes counted.

The League of Women Voters of Nashville Public Health Committee urges swift congressional action to restore the enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits before they expire on December 31. Without renewal, millions of Americans could lose health coverage, and insurance premiums could soar—threatening the stability of the entire health insurance marketplace.

In 2025, the ACA Marketplace serves over 627,000 Tennesseans. When enhanced premium tax credits were introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 400,000 Tennesseans enrolled in affordable plans—90% of them families and individuals earning between 100–400% of the federal poverty level (FPL). Small business owners and self-employed residents earning above 400% of the FPL also benefited from a cap limiting premium costs to 8.5% of household income. If Congress fails to act, an estimated 250,000 Tennesseans could lose coverage in 2026 due to rising costs, placing additional financial strain on already struggling rural hospitals and community health providers.

There are three key pathways to restore these vital credits:

Click the button below to see how the loss of enhanced credits would affect your district through the Kaiser Family Foundation’s interactive map.

Join the Bordeaux Branch Library on October 30 for the second program in their new series Beyond the Divide, presented by Millions of Conversations and hosted by Nashville Public Library.

Beyond the Divide is an eight-part series presented by Millions of Conversations (MoC) that brings together Nashville to build trust, share meaningful conversations, and unite around common values for a shared future. Through film screenings and community panel discussions, the series is designed as an experience bringing together Middle Tennesseans to engage in deep, intentional conversations that reinforce that there is more that unites us in communities across the U.S. than divides us.

Doors Open: 5:30pm

Film Screening Begins: 6:00pm

Run Time: 1:39 + Guided table conversations led by trained MoC facilitators after screening.

Co-Hosts: Vanderbilt Divinity School and MHRC. Film Director and Producer in attendance.

This event is free and open to the public. Register below.

Thank you to each of you who completed the Education Committee’s survey. They will use the results to craft events for the upcoming year. If you’re interested to see the results, please keep reading. 

Community Education Events
Join us on Thursday, November 20 for the Nashville Regional Roundtable to play an active role in shaping the future of Tennessee’s schools.The League of Women Voters Tennessee is proud to co-host EdTrust-Tennessee’s Regional Roundtables alongside local and statewide organizations in the Tennessee Alliance for Equity in Education. 

These gatherings will bring together advocates, policymakers, educators, and community leaders to:

Join us to reflect, strategize, and build toward a more just future for Tennessee students.

Election Commission Updates:
The Election Commission is still looking for a replacement for Jeff Roberts, the Administrator of Elections.

Affordable Housing:
Several bills are coming up in November that allow new zoning codes and other new rules to allow denser housing to be built.

Public Safety/ Transportation/ Traffic/ Police:
WeGo is increasing the frequency of and schedules of several bus lines, effective January 4th.

Visit the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) website to find a series of public information meetings for the I-24 Southeast Choice Lanes project. This proposed project would be the first Choice Lanes for Tennessee and aims to increase capacity and improve travel times for passenger and commercial vehicles along approximately 26 miles of I-24 between I-40 south of downtown Nashville and I-840 near Murfreesboro.

General:
A lawsuit challenging state legislation attempting to cut the size of the Metro Council in half will go before the Tennessee Supreme Court.  This is an appeal of a June 3 decision from the Tennessee Court of Appeals, which would have required the council to reduce its size.

Small, local, and regenerative food systems can be powerful tools for environmental conservation. Plus, we all need land to grow and raise our food. Yet Tennessee loses nearly 10 acres of farmland every hour. This land is converted into other uses, including suburban and commercial development. A new bill signed by Governor Lee in 2025 establishes a $25 million fund to support farmland preservation across the state. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture is currently drafting the guidelines for implementation. The Land Trust for Tennessee is one local organization that is already supporting local farms through preservation. 

Protecting local food systems is particularly important in Davidson County, where 40,000 residents live in food deserts. Additionally, land loss around the county can lead to suburban sprawl. Stewarding local agricultural lands can also help improve water quality, support biodiversity, and maintain healthy soils.

Co-Presidents: Ophelia Doe and Kathryn Anderson

1st Vice Presidents: Karen Hernan and Ethel Detch

Secretary: Ethel Detch

Treasurer: Susan Mattson

Nominating Committee Members:

Betsy Walkup

Constance Caldwell

Hasina Mohyuddin

June Bond

Brenda Wynn

Portfolio Chairs

Communications: Yolonda Beech

Community Connections: Sabina Mohyuddin & Leona Edwards

Education: Dr. Patricia H. Brock, Dr. Leslie Cowell, and MaKenzie Mosby

Environment: Kelley Knott-Sandifer, Simone Chhut, Carynton Howard, and Catherine Price

Health Care/Public Health:  Harper-Grace Niedermeyer and Ashudee Kirk 

Membership: Reba Holmes, Dani Sheree Ross, and Dylan Schlesinger

Metro Government:  Pat McCauley and Brenda Haywood

Voter Services: Sue Johnson

Williamson County Representative:  June Bond

Nominating Committee Chair: Senator Brenda Gilmore 

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS NASHVILLE
Box 158369, Nashville, Tennessee 37215

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contact@lwvnashville.org

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The League is proud to be non-partisan, neither supporting nor opposing candidates or political parties at any level of government, but always working on vital issues of concern to their members and the public. The League works to encourage informed and active participation in government and to influence public policy through education and advocacy.

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