November 2025

Join the League of Women Voters of Nashville for a virtual postcard party on November 25-26 as we write postcards from home to Nashville voters in Congressional District 7, urging them to get out and vote on Election Day. All members are invited to participate. 

Sign up today and help us get out the vote!

Find Your Polling Location
Time: Tuesday| 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM

The special election will fill the vacancy created when the former incumbent, Rep. Mark Green, resigned on July 20, 2025.

Co-Housing: A solution for many individuals & families.
Time: Friday| 12:00 PM CT

This month’s Hot Topic highlights two innovative housing programs: Nesterly and Our Place Nashville. Nesterly pairs residents with extra space in their homes with compatible roommates, fostering connection and financial relief, while Our Place Nashville creates inclusive living communities for adults with IDD and their peers. Join us for a hopeful conversation about creative housing solutions for aging adults, adults with IDD, caregivers, students, and anyone seeking affordable options.

Inside the Reality of Capital Punishment
Time: Tuesday| 7:00 PM CT

Join the League of Women Voters of Tennessee for an in-depth discussion on the reality of capital punishment—who it serves, who it doesn’t, and why it matters. 

As we head into the end of the year, we have a few important opportunities to connect, take action, and support our community.

First, we hope you’ll join us for our virtual postcard party on November 25–26. We’ll be writing postcards to voters from home reminding voters about the upcoming Special General Election on December 2. It’s a simple, meaningful way to help boost turnout, and every message truly makes a difference. We’d love to see as many members as possible participate. 

With that in mind, please also take a moment to remind your friends and neighbors about the election. Turnout for special elections is often low, and a quick conversation or text from someone they know can be the nudge they need to make a plan to vote.

Finally, we invite you to join us for our last Hot Topic of 2025 on December 5, where we’ll be discussing co-housing and creative approaches to affordable housing in Nashville.

Thank you for another year of league engagement!

Join the League of Women Voters of Nashville on December 7 at 12 PM for our monthly Hot Topic. During December's conversation, two
programs will be highlighted: Nesterly, represented by Kay Bowers, Nesterly Community Liaison, and Our Place Nashville, represented by Jordan Collins, Executive Director, and Gavin Dillinger, Associate Director. Nesterly’s model is to use a family’s “too big house” to be matched with a “roommate” and foster relationships, as well as help both parties financially.

Our Place Nashville serves adults with IDD (Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities) creating inclusive communities where “IDD friends” live with typical peers and may have community supports. These interesting and hopeful solutions for aging adults, persons with IDD, caregivers, graduate students, young adults, and persons trying to find affordable housing will be discussed.

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.

Davidson County Election Commission
John Richardson hired to replace Jeff Roberts as administrator of Davidson County Election Commission (DCEC), who is retiring at the end of the year. Initially, the DCEC thought Richardson’s position as a member of the Tennessee Republican Party Executive Committee was a conflict of interest. John Richardson resigned from that position and provided an additional letter of recommendation from Fabian Bedne, a former Democratic council member. His background is as a financial advisor for 20 years. “My faith guides me in all that I do,” Richardson said, adding that he also follows the oaths of Scouting America and would model his leadership on that of Ted Lasso, the fictional television soccer coach. There was talk of maintaining Jeff Roberts on payroll in an advisory position.

Special General Election
Early voting for the December 2 Special General Election is underway. As of end of day November 20, 8.2% of active and eligible Davidson County voters had voted early in the election.

We were sending letters to support Marsha Blackburn’s Keep TN fed bill to provide SNAP benefits for Tennesseans. The government shutdown ended on November 13, and we are monitoring the effects on TennCare and food SNAP. We are also working to donate time and money to our local food pantries as many Tennesseans continue to struggle with food insecurity. 

SNAP Disruptions in Tennessee During the Federal Shutdown

The ongoing federal shutdown is directly impacting Tennessee families who rely on SNAP. Nearly 690,000 Tennesseans depend on these monthly food benefits, and while October payments went out as normal, November benefits have been reduced to 65% due to halted federal funding.

Tennessee cannot issue full benefits on its own because the state does not have the federal system access needed to load SNAP funds onto EBT cards, even though reserve funds exist. The Tennessee Department of Human Services has announced it will issue partial benefits, about 65% of the usual amount, for November while the shutdown continues.

In response, the state launched FeedTN, a resource hub connecting families to food banks and assistance programs. Food banks, nonprofits, and local organizations are preparing for an increase in demand, and some state lawmakers are urging a state of emergency to expand support.

A prolonged shutdown could push tens of thousands of households, including children, seniors, and people with disabilities, into food insecurity. It may also strain local food banks and affect grocery stores that rely on SNAP spending. Vulnerable households, seniors, children, and people with disabilities are facing increased food insecurity. Local food banks are bracing for greater demand.

* It should be noted that the government shutdown ended on November 13; however, many families are still experiencing the effects of reduced SNAP benefits, and food banks continue to face increased demand as they work to support those impacted.

To Get Help or Support Others: Check TDHS for the latest benefit updates.

Affordable Housing

A slate of bills intended to adjust Nashville’s zoning code to allow more housing types in appropriate places were on second reading and public hearing at the 11/4/25 council meeting.

Many people spoke for and against. Most of the people in opposition were concerned that infrastructure would not be updated to support the new construction. The Planning Department’s Housing and Infrastructure Study showed that Nashville’s current zoning can be an impediment to building some of the types of housing that are most needed – reasonably priced, small and medium sized housing for aging Baby Boomers and single young people, Nashville’s two fastest growing demographics.

BL2025-1005 creates two new types of zoning districts, RN and RL, which would allow low-rise, moderate-density residential housing like quadplexes, cottage courts, and townhomes with specific design guidelines. These zoning types would not be applied anywhere right away. Instead, neighborhoods or property owners could later work with their council members to request zoning changes in areas where they make sense—such as along major corridors or near commercial centers. This bill passed on second reading with third reading deferred to the 12/4/25 council meeting.

BL2025-1006 lowers the maximum height of homes in R and RS districts, where duplex and single-family homes are allowed. The maximum would be reduced from 45 feet to 35 feet and from 3 stories to 2 ½ stories, which seems likely to reduce teardowns to build something massive where a starter home had been. This bill passed on 2nd reading with 3rd reading deferred to the 12/4/25 council meeting.

The DADU (Detached Accessory Dwelling Unit – mother-in-law cottages) overlay process would be simplified in BL2025-1007 to expand where small mother-in-law cottages could be added as a secondary unit. This bill passed on 2nd reading with 3rd reading deferred to the 12/4/25 council meeting.

Public Safety/ Transportation/ Traffic/ Police:
Journey Pass is Nashville’s largest-ever fare-free transit program. Funded through the Choose How You Move Transportation Improvement Program, Journey Pass gives eligible Davidson County residents free access to rides on WeGo Public Transit. Journey Pass is intended to make transit easier and more accessible for people living on limited income.

The implementation of the program is happening in phases. In the first phase, which is underway now, Journey Pass is available to Davidson County residents who currently receive social services through select Metro departments and partner agencies. The first phase has had some issues with more people showing up for passes than anticipated. 3,000 passes have been distributed so far.

Affordable housing and decarbonization are two issues Nashville’s leaders are looking deeper into. Metro Government, nonprofit think tank ThinkTennesse, and Urban Land Institute Nashville were chosen to be a part of Cohort 5 of the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) Net-Zero Imperative Program. 

The Net Zero Imperative program is ULI’s multi-year initiative to accelerate decarbonization in the built environment. Cities are encouraged to develop public-private partnerships to drive measurable change. 

At this month’s Metro Nashville Sustainability Advisory Committee Meeting, it was announced that ULI Nashville and partners will develop two detailed case studies to inform local policy and inspire affordable housing developers to build to net-zero standards.

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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