Happy Thursday! Here is your Weekly Update from the League of Women Voters Milwaukee County (LWVMC). Something for everyone! |  |  | Annual Program Planning Meeting
Tonight Jan. 19
Please join us in a virtual meeting TONIGHT to set the advocacy agenda for the next League fiscal year. The League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County and the Waukesha Branch (LWVMC) will meet virtually on Thursday, Jan 19, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. to plan our Program for July 2023 through June 2024.
Join us virtually RIGHT HERE
Devoting a meeting to just this topic allows us to select program initiatives that represent the most urgent needs in our community matched with the interests of our members. Therefore, we need to hear the voices of a broad cross-section of our membership.
Current program areas being addressed are
- Fair Maps
- Establishing an Observer Corps
- Allying in efforts to remove toxic chemicals from the environment
- Supporting local governmental efforts to respond to climate change
- Promoting police accountability and community safety
- Lobbying for reform in the juvenile justice system, and
- Supporting the rights of women, including reproductive rights
We very much welcome everyone’s input into the advocacy program for next year and to explore ways that you can be involved–or just come to hear in more detail what the League is doing to promote democracy.
|  | Candidate Forum Training Jan. 24
League members who are interested in helping with candidate forums are invited to an informational meeting via Zoom on Tuesday, Jan. 24, at 6:30 p.m. Candidate Forum Coordinator Julie Bowles will explain the procedures for setting up forums and the roles of volunteers at the events for both virtual and in-person forums. No need to RSVP, just join the meeting with this link: CLICK HERE | Passcode: league.
To call in dial: +1 312 626 6799 and use Meeting ID: 816 1439 3197 and Passcode: 216063. |  | | As we enter the new year, it is time to begin the process to identify a slate of LWVMC officers for the 2023-2024 fiscal year (starts July 1, 2023). We will be nominating up to five members to fill positions on the Board and three members for the 2023 Nominating Committee.
The Nominating Committee will be encouraging wider participation in the nomination process than in past years. To accomplish that, we will be developing a Nomination Form to use for self-nominations or to nominate another member. If nominating another member, it is important to ask their permission before submitting a nomination.
Serving in a position on the Board of Directors is a privilege and an opportunity. It is about learning how the League operates behind the scenes as well as becoming acquainted with some amazing members.
Watch for additional information in the Weekly Updates delivered to your email on Thursdays. If you have questions or would like to discuss the Board of Directors positions, you can contact any of the Nominating Committee members.
|  | Coming Soon!!!
Spring Online Voter Guide on Vote411.org
With Spring elections around the corner, we’ve invited local candidates to participate in the online Voter Guide at Vote411.org. Candidates are responding now to our questions for their respective offices. At the end of January, Vote411.org will be published with their answers to questions about their qualifications and issues important to the office they are seeking.
The State League is posing questions to candidates for state-wide races including the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Follow this link for more information about the Supreme Court: https://my.lwv.org/wisconsin/wisconsin-supreme-court-information
Coming up…..
- The Spring Primary is on February 21, 2023 and the General Election is on April 4, 2023.
- As a constituent, contact the candidates in your municipality and school district and encourage them to answer the League’s questions to participate in the Spring Voter Guide!
|  | | 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.
Thursday March 9th | 6pm-7:30pm
Escuela Verde's Newline Community Cafe
3618 W Pierce St, Milwaukee, WI 53215
Questions regarding this announcement? Please email e.aelion@lwvmilwaukee.org.
Register here: My Vote Training Sign Up |  | "Adopt a Library" Volunteers Wanted
The Library Outreach Committee is looking for volunteers to build community relations with the Milwaukee Public Library. Join us as we develop a new "Adopt a Library" program and become a library liaison to provide voter registration, voter education, and LWVMC resource opportunities at the Milwaukee Public Library.
Contact Heather Lesko:
h.lesko@lwvmilwaukee.org. | Time to Gear Up Again for Voter Registration at the DMV!
The DMV Mill Road was a strong site for us for voter registrations last fall with 54 in six weeks. The days and times are Monday, Wednesday or Friday from 11:00-1:30pm. If you haven’t been at this location before you’ll have the support you need to be comfortable…and successful. This is a great opportunity to talk with potential voters, inform people about the importance of the positions on the Spring ballot and, of course, register them to vote! Questions? Email Ellen Trytek at e.trytek@lwvmilwaukee.org
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State Constitution: Are Changes Necessary?
View the Panel Discussion
Four proposed amendments to the WI Constitution, which are opposed by the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, are likely to be on the ballot this spring. Our panelists discuss the implication of changes to how bail is granted, voter eligibility, election administration, and the authority of the governor. With Dustin Brown, Senior Staff Attorney, State Democracy Research Initiative at University of Wisconsin Law School; Jerome Dillard, Executive Director, Co-Founder of EXPO; and Jeff Mandell, Founder, President, Lead Counsel at Law Forward. Sponsored by The League of Women Voters of Dane County and the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin.
Watch here | Resources here |  | Milwaukee County’s
Climate Action 2050 Plan Survey
You are invited to participate in the development of Milwaukee County’s Climate Action 2050 Plan (CA50). The plan will describe how County government will achieve net zero carbon emissions in its operations while advancing equity, justice, & community resilience.
To take this survey in Spanish (Español), please CLICK HERE
To take this survey in Hmong, please CLICK HERE
The goal of this survey is to learn more about your experiences with and concerns about climate change. This will inform Milwaukee County’s development of an equitable and effective climate action plan that reflects community needs and priorities. Participation in this survey is voluntary, and your responses will be kept anonymous. |  |  | | Enjoy film screenings, conversations, and events celebrating Black heritage, traditions, and culture throughout February at the Milwaukee Film Festival. Download the full program guide here.
NO Studios Presents Critical Content Interview Series with Award-winning Documentary Filmmakers
In this series, Director John Ridley interviews David Siev, Director of Bad Axe; Matthew Heineman, Director of Retrograde; and Shaunak Sen, Director of All That Breathes.
BAD AXE captures a closely knit Asian American family living in a rural Michigan community as they now fight to keep their American dream alive. As owners of a local prominent restaurant, they reckon with a global pandemic, racial tensions, and generational scars from Cambodia’s killing fields. Watch the interview here.
RETROGRADE captures the final nine months of America’s 20-year war in Afghanistan from multiple perspectives: one of the last U.S. Special Forces units deployed there, a young Afghan general and his corps fighting to defend their homeland against all odds, and the civilians desperately attempting to flee as the country collapses and the Taliban take over. Watch the interview here.
In ALL THAT BREATHES, two brothers — Nadeem and Saud — devote their lives to the quixotic effort of protecting the black kite, a majestic bird of prey essential to the ecosystem of New Delhi that has been falling from the sky at alarming rates. Amid environmental toxicity and social unrest, the ‘kite brothers’ spend day and night caring for the creatures in their makeshift avian basement hospital. Director Shaunak Sen (Cities of Sleep) explores the connection between the kites and the Muslim brothers who help them return to the skies, offering a mesmerizing chronicle of inter-species coexistence. Watch the interview here. | January Is National
Human Trafficking Prevention Month
Human trafficking — whether in the form of forced labor, sex trafficking, or other offenses — is an abhorrent abuse of power and a profoundly immoral crime that strikes at the safety, health, and dignity of millions of people worldwide. During National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, we reaffirm our commitment to protect and empower survivors of all forms of human trafficking, to prosecute traffickers, and to bring an end to human trafficking in the United States and around the world. Find out more HERE, and how you can fight human trafficking HERE. | DEADLINE FOR ARTICLE SUBMISSION FOR THIS WEEKLY UPDATE IS THE PRECEEDING MONDAY AT 5 pm. | Support Democracy. Support your League.
Your support is critical to help our nonpartisan grassroots organization reach voters play a critical role in democracy. It would not be possible to empower voters and defend democracy without your support. Thank you.
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