Ken Westbrook, founder and CEO of a non-profit organization whose mission is to fight online fraud and scams, will be guest speaker at the May 14 meeting of the Lake of the Woods Democratic Club.
The meeting will take place in Classroom II of the LOW Community Center. The program will start at 1:30 p.m. following a social time beginning at 1 p.m. All are welcome to attend.
The mission of the Stop Scams Alliance is to significantly reduce scams in the United States through a comprehensive, systemic approach involving public-private partnership and cross-sector cooperation from technology, telecom, financial institutions, consumer advocacy groups, and government. The focus is to stop scams at the source, before they reach the consumer in the first place.
According to the Stop Scams Alliance’s web site, there are 21 million fraud victims in the United States each year, costing consumers $196 billion. The average loss per victim is $20,699.
The FBI has reported a 20-fold increase in losses to scams since 2015. Losses ballooned 26 percent between 2024 and 2025.
Westbrook is a Distinguished Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, one of the nation’s most respected nonpartisan think tanks and policy forums.
He served as an executive in the Intelligence Community (IC), specializing in analysis and information management. He received numerous IC awards and subsequently held senior positions with two Fortune 500 software firms, co-invented a patented security technology, and created and taught a course in Information Management at Georgetown University.
Vote for fair elections
Make a plan to vote in the Tuesday, April 21, 2026 Special Election to ensure that the 2026 midterm elections are fair. Stand up against Republican efforts to rig voting district maps in their favor for the 2026 midterm elections.
All regular polling places will be open from 6 a.m.-7 p.m. on April 21, 2026
Voter Registration Deadlines:
- Online – Tuesday, April 14, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. vote.virginia.gov.
- In-person -Tuesday, April 14, 2026, at 5 p.m.
- By-Mail – Postmarked no later than Tuesday, April 14, 2026.
Voters may register through Election Day, and vote using a provisional ballot.
Early & Absentee Voting: Early voting opens – Friday, March 6, 2026. Location: 130 N. Madison Rd., Orange, VA 22960. Early voting hours are 8am-5pm Monday-Friday except the 2 Saturdays as listed below.
Last day to request a ballot be mailed to you – Friday, April 10, 2026, at 5 p.m.
Early Voting is available on Saturday, April 11, 2026 and April 18,2026 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Last day to Vote Early in-person – Saturday, April 18, 2026.
More information is available at the Orange County Voting Registrar’s website.
Learning about the semiquincentennial
The LOW Democrats’ January meeting on Jan. 8 featured a program by Julie Perry, director of economic development and tourism for Orange County. (Shown here with club Chair Sharon Campione). Perry described plans to observe the 250 anniversary of the Declaration of Independence during 2026 and explained the impact of tourism on the Orange County economy. Events for the semiquincentennial celebration include visits by a travelling museum of history, a passport program of historic sites in Virginia and an exhibit at Virginia Foothills Distillery near Barboursville about Elijah Craig, an Orange County Baptist minister who is credited with being the father of bourbon whiskey.
The video below tells some of the story of Orange County’s own Elijah Craig. More information is available at VA250.org.
Politics was on the menu
Journalist Jeff Schapiro congratulated local Democrats on their impressive victories in the the fall elections, but was careful to warn them not to get “too cocky.” Schapiro, a scholar from the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, regaled attendees at the club’s annual holiday luncheon with anecdotes about his long experience as an observer of Old Dominion politics and his expectations for the success of Abigail Spanberger as Virginia’s first woman governor. More than 80 people attended the gala event at the Old House Vineyard in Culpeper County and saw a new slate of club officers be elected for the 2026 calendar year.
Pay your 2026 club dues
Membership dues for the Lake of the Woods Democratic Club are $35 per person for the calendar year. Your 2026 membership is due for renewal on January 1, 2026.
This fee covers expenses of running club events and donations to the campaigns of Democratic candidates supported by club members.
Dues may be paid conveniently online by clicking the “Pay Now” button below or by mailing a check for $35 to The Lake of the Woods Democratic Club, P.O. Box 1351, Locust Grove, VA 22508. If you prefer, you can bring your check to any LOW Democrats’ meeting or event and give it to the treasurer directly.
