Happy Thursday,

Here's this week's Update for League of Women Voters Milwaukee County (LWVMC) news, information and events.

New Member Orientation Postponed!

The orientation scheduled for Nov. 6 has been canceled because the building will be closed for electrical maintenance. Watch for a new date in future updates.

Update Editor Needed

The Update provides weekly information about League activities and opportunities to become involved.  Many of us look forward to reading it every Thursday when it arrives in our in-boxes. Currently, we are seeking a new editor for the Update.

Members write the articles; they also submit them electronically on a Google Document.  The editor:

• Monitors the submissions (due by Mondays at 5 p.m) 

• Creates the initial draft from the submissions

• Works with the LWVMC President, Peggy Creer to review submissions

Our  Administrative Assistant makes needed corrections and changes and then sends out the final version on Thursdays. All the editing work can be done electronically from home. 

Helpful skills for the editor include:

• Use a drag and drop email editing platform to assemble images, texts and links

• Have experience with Google Docs

• Have the ability to work on a schedule (collect submissions by Monday, have the proof ready by Wednesday)

Members count on the weekly Update.  Please consider helping us keep this important communication going. If you are interested in becoming the Update editor and/or have questions, please contact Peggy Creer, League President (p.creer@lwvmilwaukee.org)

Public Issues Forum - October 18

Women changemakers have been often labeled “dangerous,” but their voices and actions have been essential in creating positive change and remain so today. A public forum, centered around the pilot episode of a documentary series on this topic and sponsored by the LWVMC and UWM Women’s & Gender Studies, features a diverse panel of younger “dangerous women” changemakers. 

The free in-person event is Tuesday, October 18, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. at UWM’s Mitchell Hall, 3203 N. Downer Ave., Room 191. 

The event is spearheaded by LWVMC members Janet Fitch, film producer/director of the Most Dangerous Women documentary series, and Merry Wiesner-Hanks, Distinguished Professor of History and Women’s & Gender Studies Emerita at UW-Milwaukee.

Panelists include: Lauren Feaster, the CEO of Professional Dimensions, the leading women’s professional association in the Milwaukee area; Arvina Martin, the first Native person elected to Madison’s Common Council, and now the Executive Director of Emerge Wisconsin, which recruits and trains women to run for public office; and Marcelia Nicholson, the first Black woman and Latina elected as Chairwoman of the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors.

After viewing the documentary, the panelists will reflect on their roles as “dangerous women,” followed by an audience Q&A. You can view the documentary trailer here. Information regarding access to a recording of the event will be posted in future Updates.

Public Issues Forum Nov. 16

Climate Change:  Origins, Impacts, and Solutions

This free, in-person event is brought to you by the League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County Natural Resources Committee

AN INFORMED VOTER IS A POWERFUL VOTER!

Visit Vote411.org to learn about the candidates on your ballot for the general election on November 8.  Nation-wide, the premier vehicle for getting candidate information is VOTE411.org, an online database system owned by the United States League of Women Voters Education Fund.

Vote411.org is your voters’ guide with personalized ballot and candidate information.  Learn where candidates running for office on your ballot stand on the issues. You can compare the candidates for each office and select the candidates you want to vote for.  Should you choose to, you can create a customized ballot with your choices and send it to your phone or email to use as a reference when you actually vote. The Vote411 system does not save your information; it will be lost when you leave the system page. Additional information may be available for your area so be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page for other voters’ guides.

WEC Launches Election Education Video Series

The Wisconsin Elections Commission is proud to announce the launch of an election education video series, “Elections 101,” that will help inform high school students and the public about how voting works in Wisconsin.

The launch of the WEC video series is a direct response to the increased public need for information about Wisconsin’s election system.

The four-part video series provides an overview of Wisconsin’s system of election administration, as well as a closer look at fundamental components of voting, such as registration, casting an absentee ballot, voting at the polls, and how Wisconsin keeps elections secure.

The four-part video series is available for the public to view on the WEC’s website at elections.wi.gov/101.

Please help us with in-person voter registration at area high schools this fall!  We are so glad to be back in the schools!  We have a very heavy schedule of registration events (30+!) for the next two weeks (before the Oct. 19 online registration deadline) and would like to invite you to become a registration volunteer for the high school program. You do not have to be a League Member to volunteer.

Please review the slides in the link below to refresh your knowledge of the unique issues that can arise in registration of  high school students:

Voter Registration in Milwaukee and Waukesha Area High Schools

 After  you have reviewed the slides and requirements and are ready to be put on the call list, use the link on the last slide to the sign-up form.  By completing the form, you will be added to the call roster and receive all future notifications of upcoming registration events.

For those of you who don't have experience with MyVote,  please  register for and take the free training offered by our chapter  before you sign up for an event (registration link follows).  This will give you a good basic understanding of online voter registration.

We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming high school registration event.

Absentee Ballot Return Assistance

Note: These changes do not affect voters choosing to vote in-person on Election Day or during early voting. Our target audience for this messaging is absentee voters by mail.

• Voters should return their own ballot by mail at least a week prior to Election Day. 

  • We encourage all voters to complete and mail their ballot as soon as possible to allow time for mail delivery. 

• Voters with a disability who need assistance may have someone return their absentee ballot other than their employer, agent of that employer, or officer or agent of their union. 

• It is up to the voter to determine if they need assistance mailing or delivering their ballot because of a disability.  

  • Election officials and your clerk cannot inquire about a voter’s disability status beyond the questions described below. No additional steps may be taken to verify the voter’s disability or right to assistance.  

  • Voters with disabilities should explain to the person assisting them that they may be asked a few questions by the election official.  

1. Are you the voter? If not, then:

2. Are you delivering the voter’s ballot because the voter has determined that they require assistance returning their ballot due to their disability? If yes, then: 

3. Are you someone other than the voter’s employer, an agent of that employer, or an officer or agent of the voter’s union? If yes, then the ballot can be accepted.

• Clerks may not create additional requirements or require documentation from voters with disabilities who need ballot return assistance.

• Clerks may not create additional requirements or require documentation from an individual returning the ballot for a voter with a disability.

• You may check with your municipal clerk to determine where your assistor should deliver your ballot. Find contact information for your clerk on MyVote Wisconsin: https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/My-Municipal-Clerk

• Voters with questions or concerns may contact the Disability Rights Wisconsin Voter Hotline: 844-347-8683 or email info@disabilityvote.org

Here is a link to Wisconsin Elections Commission guidance on absentee ballot return options under the Federal Voting Rights Act.

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.

If You Are Downsizing or Simplifying, You Can Help Support LWVMC

JUST BRING YOUR GENTLY USED BOOKS, CDS AND DVDS to the Visitor’s Parking Lot at 6737 W. Washington Street, West Allis on Sunday, October 23 between 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Public Safety/Community-Oriented Policing Listening Sessions in Milwaukee:  Opportunity to Share your Ideas

The Community Collaborative Commission (CCC), the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD), and the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission (FPC) are holding listening sessions to gather input on what is needed from the police and other community organizations for Milwaukee to be a safer place.  Community members are invited to attend and participate. The listening sessions, to be held in aldermanic districts, stem from and will focus on a commitment to community-oriented policing, with the police working alongside community groups to address many of the issues facing the city. 

Information about the sessions and the schedule for them can be found at Here's how you can get involved in Milwaukee's listening sessions about community-oriented policing from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.  The Police Accountability and Community Safety Committee of the LWVMC is excited about and supportive of these sessions.  We urge you, as members of the Milwaukee community, to attend a session, share your thoughts, and promote the collaboration among the CCC, MPD and FPC.  As noted in the article, you do not have to live in a particular district to attend its meeting.

This free two-day in-person or online event will feature a keynote address by Harvard historian and author Dr. Tiya Miles and a special reception for in-person attendees at the Public History Project's “Sifting and Reckoning” exhibit at the Chazen Museum. Check out the complete agenda for the Diversity Forum here or register here.

A widely esteemed public historian, award-winning author and recipient of the MacArthur Genius Award, Dr. Miles’s work explores the intersections of African American, Native American and women’s histories in the 19th-century American South, Midwest and West. Her latest book, All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack, a Black Family Keepsake,” won the National Book Award for Nonfiction in 2021.