Defending Democracy Award Dinner and Presentation sponsored by the LWV Iowa

Join us to celebrate Rita Bettis Austin. A buffet dinner, provided by Barratta's, will be served. A cash bar will be available.

The League of Women Voters of Iowa is awarding Rita Bettis Austen the 2026 Defending Democracy Award. The Award is given to an individual or organization who exemplifies leadership in our mission to protect voters and maintain free, fair elections. The Celebration in Des Moines April 23, 2026, is the only fundraising event for the LVW of Iowa.

Rita is the Legal Director of the ALCU of Iowa, where she has proudly worked since 2011. As Legal Director, she oversees the legal program’s efforts to promote and protect the basic rights and freedoms of all Iowans through litigation. She has brought cases championing voting rights, freedom of speech and religion, racial justice, gender equality, reproductive freedom, LGBTQ equality, immigrants’ rights, fair sentencing for juveniles, and the rights of the accused. A partial list of the cases she worked with the LWVIA include

• Blocking Discriminatory Voter Purge of New Citizens

• Protecting Absentee Voting during the COVID Pandemic

• Helping end felony disenfranchisement policies in Iowa

• Advocating against Iowa’s Voter ID laws

Our speaker is Tim Glaza, from Concerned Citizens for Improvement of Iowa.

This is the yearly fundraiser for LWVIA, a political but non-partisan, non-profit organization.

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Host or Publisher LWV of Iowa