Date: 4/1/2023
Subject: The Voter - Spring 2023
From: League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County

Inside this issue...

President's Message
Local Elections Matter! Vote on Tues., April 4
Annual Meeting
MPS Voting Resolution & HS VS Team
Letter to the Editor
College Campuses - Partnership & Expansion
International Women's Day Event
UPDATE: Milwaukee City-County Climate and Economic Equity Plan
Member Profile
Announcements & Calendar
Member Portal Info

President's Message

I’m writing this a few days before the April 4 election, and feeling the usual mix of pre-election emotions: excitement; gratitude for the work of so many dedicated League volunteers; worry that despite the importance of this election, the turnout will be disappointing. The news headlines following the February primary election touted the high turnout – it was 20.5% of the state’s voting age population! I don’t think most of us would consider that something to cheer about, but at least it’s heading in the right direction.

With no elections this summer and fall, we’ve got time to gear up for a busy 2024. Our Voter Services teams and advocacy committees work year-round to promote civic engagement. And other committees, such as Finance, Communications and Membership, work to sustain the organization and keep the League humming. Now is a great time to learn more about our efforts, attend meetings to get acquainted with other members, and consider how you’d like to become involved. The Our Work page of our website is a great place to start. There are single-event volunteer tasks or ongoing work – many opportunities for rewarding community service that fit your schedule and interests. We welcome new members and offer training and mentoring every step of the way. We are always in need of members to coordinate our volunteer efforts, and have divided the work into manageable chunks.

I hope you will attend our Annual Meeting on May 24 at Summit Place in West Allis. The pandemic forced us to forego many of our typical in-person gatherings for the past two years – and that’s been hard for an all-volunteer organization that relies on camaraderie to keep our members engaged in this important work. There are so many interesting, dedicated – and fun! – people in the League. The Annual Meeting is a great time to meet and mingle with members who work on the front lines to strengthen our democracy.

In League,

Peggy Creer, LWVMC President

League News & Events

Local Elections Matter! Vote on Tues., April 4

State and local elections impact our daily lives in countless ways. From determining how much funding our schools receive to whether we invest in area development, provide equal access to community resources, and how police are trained, these elections impact our communities in ways our national elections never could.

Yet voter turnout for local and state elections is notoriously low.

One major reason why? We just don't have enough information. Lower turnout can be due to a lack of information about the candidates and issues or, for some, needing to understand how local elected offices connect to our daily lives.

Vote411 changes both!

Go to Vote411.org, and type in your address to see your personal ballot. You will also find descriptions of the races on your ballot, the candidates, and the candidates' responses to our questions.

2023 Candidate Forums

When you sign in to Vote411.org, check out Candidate Debate Videos from candidate forums that have been posted.

2023 Spring Voter Guide Update

Our Spring Voter Guide, published on March 14, covers county-wide races in Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties; all municipal and school board races in Milwaukee County; municipal races in Waukesha County communities with a population exceeding 8,000; and school board races in those communities.

The Spring Vote411 Voter Guide will remain active through April 4. You can even take it with you to the polls!

Looking Ahead

We will begin working on our Spring 2024 Voter Guide in early fall. Are you interested in helping prepare next spring's Voter Guide? That can involve data entry, confirming municipal and school district contacts, recruiting community volunteers, writing timely Update and Voter articles, tracking missing candidate information, etc. Want to learn more? Contact the Voter Guide Team at voterguide@lwvmilwaukee.org.

Save the Date: Annual Meeting

We are so looking forward to gathering together for the LWVMC Annual Meeting at Summit Place, 6737 W. Washington in West Allis, on Wednesday, May 24!

Please join us at 5 p.m. for cocktails in the first floor large conference room. A catered dinner will be served at 5:45 p.m. for members and their guests who purchase tickets in advance. (Please see the Update for details.)

Our guest speaker this year is LWVMC member, Anita Johnson, voting rights advocate and recipient of many awards including: the 2020 Robert H. Friebert Social Justice Award and the 2023 Black Excellence Award in "Community Leadership" for her work with Souls to the Polls.

No ticket is required to attend the business meeting, which will begin at 7 p.m. The annual meeting is our opportunity to elect officers and directors, vote on bylaw changes and adopt a budget and program of work for the coming year in League. Look for the annual meeting packet: the meeting agenda, the annual report, proposed 2023-2024 budget, slate of officers, program priorities, and bylaws changes, which will be emailed to all members prior to the meeting. If you need a paper copy in advance, please contact the office. Some paper copies will be available at the meeting itself.

We look forward to seeing you there and thank you for all you do for the League!

MPS Voting Resolution & HS VS Team

By Leigh Ann Tidey

The MPS school board has issued a resolution stating that all students should have the opportunity to register to vote and be equipped to make informed voting decisions before graduating from high school.

It also includes a statement that a plan and timeline be developed to increase voter registration and voting by eligible high school students. This plan and timeline should be developed collaboratively with participating groups such as the League of Women Voters, Souls to the Polls, Vote Riders, the Milwaukee Teachers Association, etc., and appropriate Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) groups. It also included setting the fourth Tuesday of September as Student Voter Registration Day. The resolution details components of the plan and District responsibilities.

A Steering Committee has been assembled as directed, including LWVMC and the other groups listed above and several MPS groups such as the College and Career Centers, Curriculum and Instruction, and others.

The High School Voter Education and Registration team is doing its part to advance the resolution. To date, of the 24 MPS high schools, our team has scheduled more than 20 events in high schools. The Steering Committee is meeting bi-weekly to develop plans to meet all MPS School Board requirements.

We look forward to being part of this effort and hope it will become a model for other districts in the area. Registration volunteers will be needed. Those interested in being on our call list should start by reviewing the slides below detailing the registration process for area high schools. At the end of the slide set is a Google form with the opportunity to be added to the call list.

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

Online Voter Registration in Milwaukee and Waukesha Area High Schools Slides

Rebutting the Labeling of "Liberal-leaning"

The following letter to the editor was published in the Sunday, February 26 edition of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. It is in response to an article headlined “League of Women Voters shifts strategy on forums,” in which the reporter labeled the LWV as "liberal-leaning."

I realize in these hyper-partisan times, the notion of a grassroots nonpartisan political organization strikes some people as impossible, but it's not. ["League of Women Voters shifts strategy on forums" 2/7/23]

The League has conducted candidate forums for decades with strict standards of impartiality: questions come from constituents; same questions asked of all candidates; timed responses.

When your reporter calls the League "liberal-leaning," it does a dis-service not only to the LWV and its members, but also to the public. The League considers its voting rights and election integrity advocacy to be pro-voter and pro-democracy. The reporter cites the League's "liberal priorities": ending gerrymandered voting maps; protecting drinking water from "forever chemicals"; reproductive rights; gay rights -- all of which enjoy broad support across the political spectrum. We've held these positions through decades of shifting political winds.

So as others attach partisan labels to issues, or to the League itself, they exacerbate political polarization. League members know that paying attention to ideas, rather than to partisan labels, makes it easier to work toward solutions that serve the public interest and support the principles of representative democracy.

Peggy Creer, President

League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County

College Campuses - Partnership & Expansion

By Donna Spars

Voter Services (VS) Community Outreach and Partnerships has been considering ways to maximize voter registrations, particularly in underrepresented communities. Strong registration outcomes also help keep volunteers engaged. Colleges and universities are an area worth exploring, with many students recently reaching voting age.

Comité por el voto Latino/Latinx Voter Outreach Team volunteers staffed a voter outreach table in February at Alverno College. Planning this event introduced them to Kristin Hansen of Campus Vote Project (CVP). CVP works with colleges and universities to reduce barriers to voting partially through student Democracy Fellows. Student peers are an ideal partner for League volunteers to work with side-by-side in educating and registering on campuses.

Campus Vote Project has Democracy Fellows at several campuses throughout Milwaukee County. Kristin Hansen is enthusiastic about an ongoing partnership with the League. The first campus Community Outreach will work with CVP is Cardinal Stritch University, with an event on March 14. Plans are underway to expand to other campuses.

Round table conversation about women's issues in Milwaukee and organizations in the area, seen here are participants from various organizations at the event on March 8.

A Celebration of International Women's Day

In honor of International Women’s Day, March 8, a collaboration of Milwaukee area women’s organizations presented a roundtable discussion/luncheon to bring visibility to women’s groups in Milwaukee that are working on behalf of local women.

“These organizations have different missions, but are aligned around the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day: Empower Women & Embrace Equity,” said LWVMC President Peggy Creer.

The event kicked off with a social hour followed by a proclamation issued by Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson. A roundtable discussion moderated by Lauren Feaster, CEO of Professional Dimensions, featured leaders of seven leading women’s organizations. Pictured left to right: April Dunn (Milwaukee Women, Inc.); Monica Shah-Davidson (Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee); Tammy Belton-Davis (Athena Communications LLC); Jennifer Dirks (Tempo); Janan Najeeb (Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition); Peggy Creer (League of Women Voters); Francesca Mayca Wegner (Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee); Lauren Feaster (Professional Dimensions). Other women’s organizations involved in the event were American Association of University Women and Marquette Institute for Women's Leadership.

The event was part celebration of women’s progress, and part call to action for the work that remains, especially in the area of pay equity and systemic barriers for women of color. Recurrent themes voiced by panelists and audience alike were the need for cultural sensitivity, investment in and mentoring of women, the need for civic engagement, and encouragement of compassion in workplaces and society at large.

UPDATE: Milwaukee City-County Climate and Economic Equity Plan

By Ann Batiza

The LWVMC has again expressed support for the City-County Climate and Economic Equity Plan, most recently at the City of Milwaukee’s February 22nd virtual webinar sponsored by the City’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Task Force. The ARPA Task Force has received comments from community members about where those dollars, specifically $92.7m, should be allocated and spent by the 2026 deadline.

Our statement supported an appropriation to the City’s Environmental Collaboration Office (ECO) since it is poised to work with other City departments and community stakeholders. We asserted the ECO deserves an “allocation of ARPA funds commensurate with the challenge of meeting the Plan’s climate and equity goals so that all in our community thrive.” The two overarching goals of the Plan are:

Reduce community-wide net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 45% by the year 2030 and achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 or sooner.
Reduce racial and income inequality by assuring that greenhouse gas reduction investments and policies will create the maximum number of permanent living wage green jobs for people who live in the most impoverished Milwaukee neighborhoods with limited economic opportunity.

To Prepare to advocate for the Plan, please read the Executive Summary of the latest Plan draft HERE.

Many League positions support the Plan. We will monitor the Plan as it moves forward and will solicit your timely support as it is considered by the City Plan Commission and appropriate Committees, and, if recommended, by the Common Council.

Jail-based Voting Initiative

By Peg Schrader

The LWVMC partnered with VoteRiders to conduct voter registration and help with absentee ballot requests at the Milwaukee County Jail and the Community Reintegration Center (formally the House of Corrections).

During the period of January 1 to March 15:

We had 15 voter registration events (a total of 73 volunteer hours)
We registered 57 people
We requested 99 absentee ballots (people who were registered in 2022 and who were still incarcerated were offered the chance to request absentee ballots for 2023 elections and there are two elections in 2023)
112 residents were interested in voting and worked with us to see if it was possible
We provided educational documents to the residents via posting on their tablets so they could become better informed about the candidates and the issues

VoteRiders, is an American non-partisan, non-profit organization whose mission is to ensure that all US citizens over 18 years old are able to exercise their right to vote. This organization is able to request and pay for documents that help individuals vote. VoteRiders joined us in February and increased the chances of registering people to vote by getting necessary documents for registration.

We appreciate the Sheriff's office and the County Executive for being supportive of this work. We intend to continue our voter registration events during the balance of 2023 even though there are no more elections this calendar year. Registration of the residents of these institutions tie the person to the community and provide an opportunity for civic pride.

Membership

Anita Johnson Named Black Excellence Award Winner

Long-time community activist and LWVMC member Anita Johnson received a Black Excellence Award at this year's annual Black Excellence banquet in February. She was honored in the category of Community Leadership for her decades of service to promote voting and defend voting rights.

"I was shocked when I heard I was being honored at the banquet," Anita said. "I think it's very prestigious to be recognized for the work you do, and I was humbled about even being nominated. This award was very special to me."

Anita began her voting rights advocacy in the 1980s and has worked with a number of organizations, starting with AFSME. She now serves as Voting Education Specialist & Community Outreach Manager at Souls to the Polls.

"I try to empower the public as much as I can with information about voting, but it's a never ending challenge." Throughout her career, Anita has endeavored to empower people to overcome barriers to voting, such as language issues or obstacles to obtaining an ID.

"No award can make me feel as good as it does when someone on the street I don't even know says, "Because of you, I got my ID. Because of you, I don't miss a voting cycle.' Those are the things that make me feel good. Even if I never got an award, I feel like I've done what I set out to do."

Announcements & Calendar

ClubExpress has helped the LWVMC consolidate many of the applications it was using onto one platform. Now, our website, membership database, volunteer opportunities/management, emailing system and member directory are all housed in one location in the Member Portal.

The Member Portal offers all members the opportunity to log in to the Members Only Portal via our website.

You can access:

Your user profile, where you can update your preferred emailing address, mailing address, and renew your membership online -- you can change preferences to change what is displayed
The member directory, which includes contact information for the Board and Team/Committee Leaders
Volunteer Opportunities and sign-up forms and more!

If you forgot your username and/or password to log into the Members Only Portal, please contact league@lwvmilwaukee.org.

If you need help figuring out how to sign into the Members Only Portal, please take a moment to watch the quick video by clicking the button below.

How to Log in to the Members Only Portal

Standing Committees

LWVMC Board Meeting
2nd Wednesday, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m
Contact: Peggy Creer
p.creer@lwvmilwaukee.org

Membership Committee
3rd Monday 12:30 p.m. - 2 p.m.
Contact: Patricia McFarland
p.mcfarland@lwvmilwaukee.org

Waukesha Branch Meeting
3rd Wednesday of the month alternates between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Contact: Vicki Aro-Shackmuth
v.aroshackmuth@lwvmilwaukee.org

Natural Resources Committee
3rd Wednesday 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Contact: Ann Batiza
annwisc@gmail.com

For information about the above committees, please send an email to league@lwvmilwaukee.org. We also have many working ad hoc committees. If you are interested in learning more about a committee, see the weekly Update email or the volunteer page of our website.

Lunch & Learn

LWVMC sponsors a free, virtual gathering on the third Tuesday of each month at noon. We build friendships, inspire action to work together to influence public policy and meet basic needs. Invite and join your friends and LWV members to Lunch and Learn. We listen to and follow the lead of Black and Brown Women community leaders.

Join via Zoom here.

Meeting ID: 963 9818 8822

Passcode: league

League Café

By Mary Sussman, League Café Facilitator

League Café meets monthly and welcomes League members new and old, as well as community members. In a small group setting, we get to know each other better, share knowledge and have interesting conversations. Rotating on a monthly basis, we meet as a general discussion group, then in opposite months, convene to discuss noteworthy books on racial equity, immigration and/or voting. Our gatherings range from 8-20 people. We have a core group of "regulars" but new people are especially welcome.

Fridays at 9:30 a.m.

Virtually, join the discussion here.

Questions? Contact Mary Sussman at m.sussman@lwvmilwaukee.org.