Happy Thursday,
Here's this week's Update for League of Women Voters Milwaukee County (LWVMC) news, information and events. |
Good News for Wisconsin Disabled Voters!
A federal judge just ruled that Wisconsin's ban on ballot return assistance violates the Voting Rights Act protections for voters with disabilities, following a lawsuit filed by voters with disabilities and Law Forward.
The ruling restores ballot return assistance for voters with disabilities in Wisconsin -- definitely great news and an important win for voting rights!
|  | Get the Latest on Absentee Voting Rules and More
LWVMC and LWVWI are co-sponsoring an informative presentation on Zoom, Thursday, September 15, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The presentation is titled “Empowering the Disability Vote: civic engagement for the disability community and their allies.”
What are the barriers, historical and new, to civic engagement? The issues go far beyond wheelchair accessibility at polling places. We'll explore challenges to voting and help citizens of all abilities exercise their civil rights.
Featured speakers:
- Barbara Beckert, Director of External Advocacy, Disability Rights Wisconsin
- Denise Jess, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired
- Scott Thompson, Staff Counsel, Law Forward
- Dorothy Dean, Founder & CEO, Disability Justice
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Volunteer for National Voter Registration Day at MKE Libraries
The LWVMC has joined with the Milwaukee Election Commission and the Milwaukee Public Library to promote National Voter Registration Day at four of its locations.
The Library will be staging a carnival event with a spinning wheel and prizes for answering election related questions. The League will have a voter registration table and the Milwaukee Election Commission will provide signage for the event.
Tuesday, September 20
2 p.m - 4 p.m.
Participating MPL Locations:
- Good Hope (7715 W. Good Hope Road 53223)
- Mitchell Street (906 W. Historic Mitchell St. 53204)
- Washington Park (2121 N. Sherman Blvd. 53208)
- Central (814 W. Wisconsin Ave. (53223)
If you haven’t visited the library lately maybe this would be a good way to re-familiarize yourself with this great community resource along with checking your voting status and getting a cupcake!
If you are interested in volunteering for this event or others use this link to sign up on our website: | |
Do you know a company headquartered in Milwaukee that does community outreach?
We would like to hear from you! You can contact Mary Voelker for Fund Development at m.voelker@lwvmilwaukee.org.
We will do some research and with an appropriate fit, approach the company seeking their financial support for the LWVMC. Your name will not be used unless that is your request.
Please consider making a donation yourself to support our League. | Volunteers Needed To Register At High Schools
The High School Voter Education and Registration Program is looking for Voter Registration Volunteers for upcoming high school registration events. If you are interested, please start by reviewing this refresher slideshow:
Voter Registration in Milwaukee and Waukesha Area High Schools
If you are willing to comply with the school requirements and the LWVMC requirements and would like to be added to our call list, there is a link on the last slide. The link opens a Google Form. Fill out the form and you will automatically be added to the call list. Membership in the League is not required.
| Reproductive & Civil Rights Forum: Sept. 13
The LWV Dane County is hosting a program titled "Why Vote? Reproductive and Civil Rights" on Tuesday, September 13 from 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
How does the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade affect Wisconsin residents?
Panelists will discuss the current legal situation, its effects on the physical, mental, economic, and social health of people in the state, what the future might hold, and how you can get involved.
This forum will be held in-person in Madison and via Zoom. | | |
National Popular Vote: Getting it Done in Wisconsin
Join us to hear from members of the NPV working group and WI legislators who support NPV about what it will take to get the National Popular Vote bill passed in Wisconsin. While this is the last webinar in the series, the work to better our democracy is just getting started! Register here.
Speakers:
- Members of the NPV workgroup including: Debra Cronmiller, Barb Paterick, Dorothy Skye, Jill Fermanich
- Sen. Kelda Roys, represents Wisconsin's 26th Senate District
- Sen. Melissa Agard, represents Wisconsin's 16th Senate District
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City of Milwaukee: Election Inspector/Poll Worker
Election inspectors are essential to conduct open, accurate and fair elections. Their priority is to ensure every eligible voter can exercise their right to vote by following Election Day procedures and providing excellent customer service to voters. The Election Commission is in need of additional bilingual (fluent in English/Spanish or English/Hmong speaking) election inspectors.
If you are interested in learning more about the responsibilities and qualifications please use the following link:
Learn More about Election Workers
This link will also take you to the online application.
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Prepare yourself to help people register to vote!
Learn how to register people to vote using MyVote.wi.gov. Learn what is acceptable photo ID for voting in Wisconsin and how to acquire it.
Registration required.
Tuesday, October 4
5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
MPL Martin Luther King Branch Library
310 Locust Street
| The LWV Bumper Magnets and Yard Signs Available!
We are now offering bumper magnets to those that want them.
They will be distributed on a first come first serve basis.
They are too heavy and oddly shaped to mail. If you want one or both of these please complete the order form below and we will be in touch with you.
We also have three yard signs to choose from:
- Vote From Home
- VOTE/VOTA
- Support election workers
Yard signs (18"x24") are available on a first come first served basis. Limited quantities available.
Please use the link below to request these signs. | Immigrants and Refugees are ready to become US Citizens! Can you help?
Catholic Charities of Milwaukee is seeking volunteers to work one-on-one (virtually or in-person) with refugees and immigrants to prepare for and pass the Citizenship test.
Curriculum and training, as well as ongoing staff support, are provided. A commitment of 1-2 hours per week for a minimum of six months is requested.
Questions can be directed to:
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Are You Getting Ready?
Do you have an informed plan for your vote in the November general election?
The League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County’s local Voter Guide will be available on Vote411.org on September 21.
The national and state races have been entered into Vote411.org by the National and State League of Women Voters. Go to Vote411.org now to:
- Enter your address to see those races on your ballot
- Compare candidate answers to League posed questions side-by-side
- Read candidate views on the important issues in their own words
If a candidate has not answered the League’s questions, call on them to do so! Write your candidates today and urge them to answer the League’s questions! With Election Day approaching, voters deserve information about their candidates before filling out their ballot.
Check back to Vote411.org on September 21 to see the local races and local candidates on your ballot.
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LWVWI Annual Issues Briefing Nov. 10-14
This year’s LWVWI’s Issues Briefing, Justice Matters: Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop, comprises a series of virtual programs on different days. Each briefing will explore a relevant issue about political, social and environmental justice. Dates for the virtual programs are:
- Thursday, November 10 in the evening
- Saturday, November 12 in the morning
- Monday, November 14 in the evening
All presentations will be recorded. Stay tuned for updates and registration info.
| Invite Your Friends and LWV Members to Join Our Lunch and Learn
We listen and reflect, and follow the lead of Black and Brown Women on important issues impacting our lives.
We meet virtually at noon on the third Tuesday of every month.
- Tuesday, September 20
- Tuesday, October 18
Passcode: league
Text Pat McFarland with your suggestions and questions at 414-630-1978. | |
Please join the Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday, September 21 at 6 p.m. by Zoom (please check the calendar for the link) to discuss Vaclav Smil’s, “How the World Really Works”. Given the density of this work, we will discuss only the first chapter this month, “Understanding Energy, pp. 1 - 43.” Please feel free to bring any questions that you may have about concepts or ideas discussed in this chapter that seem unclear or elusive. Later chapters will be the topic of future discussions.
Smil was profiled in Science in 2018 and you can read that profile here: https://www.science.org/content/article/meet-vaclav-smil-man-who-has-quietly-shaped-how-world-thinks-about-energy
Please RSVP to Carol Diggelman 414-232-3739 or Ann Batiza 414-238-3903, although an RSVP is not required. | | |  | | League Cafe Book Club will meet virtually at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, September 23 to continue discussion of “The 1619 Project” by Nikole Hannah-Jones, with a focus on Chapters 14-16 (Chapter 14- Music, Chapter 15 - Healthcare, and Chapter 16 - Traffic).
Join the discussion here.
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Milwaukee Film’s Cultures & Communities Festival is a week of screenings and events focused on traditionally marginalized communities featuring 20+ films, several workshops, panels, and Q&As at the Oriental Theater and other venues around the city. Rooted in the cinematic experience and guided by principles of health equity and cultural inclusivity, the Cultures & Communities Festival’s purpose is to promote individual and communal wellness while inspiring attendees to celebrate their cultural heritage and authentic selves by focusing on diverse cultural perspectives and lived experiences. Learn more here or check out the program guide. |
Sifting & Reckoning: UW–Madison’s History of Exclusion and Resistance
Chazen Museum of Art
UW-Madison
750 University Avenue
Madison WI
September 12 - December 30
For generations, University of Wisconsin–Madison students and staff have been committed to the “fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found,” a commitment to understanding the world and using that knowledge to improve the lives of people in Wisconsin and beyond. But the university has never stood separate from the nation’s currents of exclusion, or from its struggles for equality. Sifting & Reckoning: UW–Madison’s History of Exclusion and Resistance is the result of a collaborative partnership with the Chazen Museum of Art and the UW–Madison Public History Project. The exhibition surveys more than 150 years of history, using archival materials, objects, and oral histories to tell stories of struggle, perseverance, and resistance on campus. By taking a thematic approach to understanding the university’s history allows visitors to see the multifaceted ways that racism and exclusion permeated campus life, and how the community responded, organized, and resisted. Find out more here.
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