Happy Thursday! Here is your Weekly Update from the League of Women Voters Milwaukee County (LWVMC). |
Voting Rights Roundtable
Wednesday, May 31 at noon
Virtually
With voting restrictions being attempted in many states and policy debates underway nationwide, ReThink Media is presenting a discussion with top journalists on the 2024 election cycle.
Wednesday, May 31 at noon roundtable with:
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Kira Lerner, Democracy Editor at The Guardian
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Mike Lillis, Senior Reporter at The Hill
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Cassandra Jaramillo, National Reporter at ProPublica
Hear what these reporters think will be the top voting rights stories in 2024, what news angles will get their attention, and what narratives are defining their editorial decision-making. |
Join The LWVMC for a Screening of Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom
Thursday, June 8 from 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.
East Library, 2320 N Cramer Street
"Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom" is an unscripted documentary that invites viewers into the story of Juneteenth – the holiday recognizing the end of legalized slavery in Texas – through the eyes of a Black man learning about the holiday from the direct descendants of those liberated. The story serves as a parable that offers hope, and the insight that faith can be the greatest weapon against injustice.
Light refreshments. Discussion to follow film.
"Juneteenth: Faith and Freedom" is the inaugural film in the LWVMC’s DEI Film Series. | Register for the LWVWI Annual Meeting, June 9-10 | |
Wednesday, June 7, is a hard deadline for all virtual Annual Meeting registrations. This year, LWVWI has made it possible for virtual participants to attend breakout sessions in real time. Therefore, virtual attendees can participate in all of the scheduled programming, just like in-person attendees.
Registration and more information here.
You can view the full Agenda, speaker bios, breakout topics, the plenary packet and more by going to this website.
Please reach out to Brandi Rodriquez, LWVWI Membership & Events Manager, with questions/concerns at BRODRIQUEZ@lwvwi.org or (414) 841-8785.
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LWVUS 2022-2024 Edition of Impact on Issues
The LWVUS 2022-2024 edition of "Impact on Issues", the League’s cornerstone policy positions document, is now available online and in print.
Throughout its 103 years, the League has served dual purposes of education and advocacy, engaging in studies on representative government, international relations, natural resources, and social policy. Although our history of advocacy goes back to our beginnings, this version of Impact on Issues covers our advocacy efforts beginning in the 1960s.
Impact on Issues provides a clear understanding of LWVUS positions, how they interrelate, and how they can complement and reinforce state, local, and regional Inter-League Organization (ILO) positions, strengthening the League’s impact at all levels of government.
The paperback is $5 and can be ordered on Amazon here. LWVMC also acts in support of The League of Women Voters - Wisconsin positions and The League of Women Voters - US positions. |
Seeking Members For Reproductive Rights Program Planning
In 1983, the LWVUS announced the adoption of a position affirming reproductive rights:
The League of Women Voters of the United States believes that public policy in a pluralistic society must affirm the constitutional right of privacy of the individual to make reproductive choices.
In May 2022, after a draft majority opinion in Dobbs was leaked revealing that the Supreme Court was prepared to overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the LWVUS Board of Directors agreed to support filibuster reform, including elimination of the filibuster, as a targeted strategy to protect reproductive rights. Since then, LWVUS has supported state Leagues’ advocacy efforts to protect and expand reproductive rights.
LWMVC is calling for volunteers who would like to help plan programming related to reproductive health care rights. If you are interested in helping to plan or coordinate the efforts, please contact Program VP Lorna Grade at l.grade@lwvmilwaukee.org. |  |  |
Empower Voters and Defend Democracy!
What will you do for the 2024 elections to protect our Democracy?
Consider volunteering with VOTE411. There are different levels of involvement to choose from:
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As a member of the steering committee who regularly attends Team meetings, assumes responsibility for some of the VOTE411 tasks, and participates in decisions regarding our VOTE411 Spring and Fall Voter Guides. Key aspects include: Tech tasks including data entry; candidate correspondence; creating candidate questions; contacting community volunteers; submitting articles to the Voter and Update; marketing and social media.
- As someone who assists with an aspect of the team’s work, perhaps on a subcommittee creating candidate questions or recruiting community volunteers or assisting with data entry, but who does not regularly attend Team meetings.
- As a community volunteer helping to gather candidate information for our Spring Voter Guide from your municipal clerk and/or school district, primarily between mid-November and the end of the candidate filing period in early January.
Skills needed: As a member of the steering committee, it would be important to have a working knowledge of Google Docs or be willing to learn how to use Google Docs. Depending on your role, we would help you learn relevant parts of the online Vote411 system.
We have consistently welcomed new people to help with Vote411 and we invite your questions.
Please contact Sarajane Kennedy by phone at 414-453-3494 or email voterguide@lwvmilwaukee.org to answer your questions or arrange an in-person or Zoom meeting to talk further about opportunities to help create our LWVMC Vote411 online Voter Guides for the 2024 elections. |  | Jail-Based Voting Call for Co-Leadership
The Sentencing Project recently released a new report, “Increasing Public Safety by Restoring Voting Rights,” which finds that restoring voting rights for people with felony convictions can improve community safety. The report highlights that having the right to vote or the act of voting is related to reduced recidivism for Americans who have been involved with the criminal legal system. Voting rights restoration also influences justice-impacted individuals' perception of themselves as community members and of their ability to remain crime-free.
The report finds that:
- Having the right to vote and the act of voting are related to increased public safety and lower recidivism rates.
- Having the right to vote shapes community re-entry experiences and is linked to intentions to remain crime-free.
- Excluding people from voting based on their conviction offense does not advance public safety.
Here in Wisconsin individuals with a felony conviction have their voting rights automatically restored after completing the terms of their sentence and are “off paper.” Wisconsinites convicted of a misdemeanor (except treason or bribery) retain their right to vote even while incarcerated. LWVWI, local Leagues around the state, and our partners are actively collaborating on programs to make voting more accessible for eligible voters in our county jails and to increase voter participation among Wisconsinites who have had their voting rights restored after a felony conviction.
We are seeking a Co-Leader who will work at MCJ. This person will be coordinating with our contact at MCJ, setting up (for now) two voter registration events a month at MCJ, scheduling our pre qualified volunteers for these events and completing a report on the activities of the voter registration event. This leader will refer people to VoteRiders when we need to acquire a duplicate Wisconsin Driver’s license and they will mail paper applications (when electronic voter registration is not possible) along with proof of residence to the appropriate Municipal Clerk.
The weeks when voter registration events are scheduled, the time required will take four hours. On other weeks less than 1 hour. You must be able to pass a background check and will be required to be fingerprinted and have your picture taken in order to qualify for this work. You will be given training and provided guidance until you are comfortable with the leadership responsibilities.
If you are interested in this work please contact Peg Schrader at p.schrader@lwvmilwaukee.org.
| NEXT MEETING: TOMORROW Friday, May 26 at 10 a.m.
LOCATION: Community Room of the the East Branch of the Milwaukee Public Library East · MPL,
2320 N. Cramer St.
Our May meeting will be a book club meeting. We will discuss “Poverty, By America” by Matthew Desmond, author of Pulitzer Prize-winning "Evicted." We hope you get a chance to read the book, but even if you do not, or don’t finish it before the 26th, please do not hesitate to come and listen to the discussion of the book and to discuss the issue of poverty in America.
The room is large enough to spread out; please feel free to wear a mask or not. There is plenty of parking available behind the building.
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Time For Action on Climate & Equity Plan
Join other Milwaukee County League members and support the City of Milwaukee as it begins the official process of approving the City’s implementation of the City-County Milwaukee Climate and Economic Equity Plan.
The Climate and Equity Plan supports Milwaukee's goals to:
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Reduce community greenhouse gas emissions: 45% by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
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Improve racial and economic equity by creating green jobs that pay at least $40,000 and are focused on recruiting local people of color.
The City will be considering the Plan at upcoming Committee meetings in mid-June. This is our chance to collectively move forward on addressing the climate crisis and economic inequities in our communities.
PLEASE:
Watch LWVMC Updates on, June 1, 8, & 15 for directions to contact your City Alderperson and ask them to support the City of Milwaukee Climate and Equity Plan
Attend one of these City of Milwaukee Committee Meetings!
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June 13, 9 a.m., City Hall Room 301-B, Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee
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June 14, 9 a.m., Room 301- B, City Hall - Finance and Personnel Committee, where resident may provide individual testimony in support of the Plan
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June 20, 9 a.m. Common Council Meeting, possibly in the Common Council Chambers, no testimony allowed. Gather as LWVMC members and hold signs in support of the Plan
Read the Executive Summary of the Plan HERE.
|  |  | "Just Action" Book Release and Discussion with Richard and Leah Rothstein
Friday, June 2 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Milwaukee Public Library
Centennial Hall, 733 N. 8th Street
Free
Attend the discussion about "Just Action" with authors Richard and Leah Rothstein and local historian, Reggie Jackson, who is also a researcher at the Redress Movement.
Racial segregation characterizes every metropolitan area in the U.S. and bears responsibility for our most serious social and economic problems. We've taken no serious steps to desegregate neighborhoods, however, because we are hobbled by a national myth that residential segregation is de facto-the result of private discrimination or personal choices that do not violate constitutional rights. Richard Rothstein’s highly acclaimed book, "The Color of Law: a forgotten history of how our government segregated America", demonstrates, however, that residential segregation was created by racially explicit and unconstitutional government policy.
"Just Action: How to Challenge Segregation Enacted Under the Color of Law" describes how we can begin to address this, providing dozens of strategies local groups can pursue to redress segregation in their own communities. By starting with achievable local victories, we can build a national movement that can remedy our unconstitutional racial landscape.
Richard Rothstein is author of The Color of Law as well as several other books and articles on educational policy and racial inequality. He is a Senior Fellow at the Thurgood Marshall Institute of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Leah Rothstein's expertise in the full range of housing policy stems from more than two decades of experience as a consultant to affordable housing developers and local governments and as a community and union organizer.
| 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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