LWV Logo with a screenshot of suspended account (Photos – LWVC)
Stephanie Doute, League of Women Voters of California’s Executive Director, was surprised to have her Twitter account suspended with no explanation or reason.
By News Desk
In an email to LWVC members, Doute stated the following:
As the Executive Director of the League of Women Voters of California, you can imagine my surprise to receive a notice that my Twitter account was suspended with no explanation or reason. That’s right. The day before a Midterm Election, I am unable to access a once critical platform to monitor and share election information.
Should I be surprised? Maybe not. I am, however, undeterred.Because I was not provided any explanation, I am left to review what I know. The facts.
I did not violate any Twitter policies.
I did not post or share anything to justify or necessitate a suspension.
I am a member of the LGBTQ+ community. A community that has been experiencing relentless and targeted attacks for no other reason than our existence.
I am the Executive Director of an organization with the mission of:
- Empowering Voters.
- Defending Democracy.
An organization that envisions a democracy where every person has the desire, the right, the knowledge, and the confidence to participate.
Over the weekend, 119,000 Californians accessed Voter’s Edge,* just one of the League’s unbiased election tools. In 2020, over two million voters used Voter’s Edge. These resources need full visibility. Unfettered access. At this very moment – over 4,000 people are actively using this site. Twitter’s suspension keeps me, the Executive Director, from amplifying these tools, stifling voter education.
We should all be concerned. Not for me, but for how this impedes access to democracy and silences a source of trustworthy election information. Let this be our rallying call in our resolve to stand up taller with the knowledge that we are, unquestionably, on the right side of history.
We need your support for the League’s relentless pursuit of progress. Progress Needs Protecting. Donate today and support the League’s critical role in empowering voters.
Suspended and Determined,
Stephanie Doute, CAE
Executive Director
League of Women Voters of California
*Voters Edge is a partnership of the League of Women Voters of California Education Fund and Maplight.
UPDATE
This morning, Doue tweeted that Twitter reinstated her account:
I have now been reinstated with a note telling me that my
account was mistakenly included in a batch of Spam accounts.
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