Date: 12/21/2023
Subject: LWVMC: Weekly Update for December 21st
From: League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County

THERE WILL BE NO UPDATE ON DEC. 28 DUE TO THE SHORTENED HOLIDAY WEEK.

Volunteer Gift-Wrapper Still Needed on Saturday!

Gift-wrapping Fundraiser at Boswell Books

League volunteers have been wrapping gifts at Boswell Book Company (2559 N Downer Ave, Milwaukee) all week. This is an excellent opportunity for community engagement, and it's a fun way to raise a little money for the LWVMC.

Volunteer for the open shift HERE.

Contact LWVMC Board Secretary Nikita Werner with questions: n.werner@lwlvmilwaukee.org

Ed. note: I took a shift and it was great fun. Not to mention we received a LOT of good tips for the League!

SAVE THE DATE!

January 16, 2024

Lorna Grade, VP Program

Early each year Leagues across the country convene for a Program Planning meeting to set the advocacy agenda for the next League fiscal year.

This year the League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County (LWVMC) will meet virtually on Tuesday, January 16, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. to plan our Program for July 2024 through June 2025. 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.

GETTING READY TO LAUNCH!

The deadline for candidates to file nomination papers for the Spring election is Tuesday, January 2. Our League member Community Volunteers will obtain the candidate names and contact information for the Voter Guide Team. Then the Team will send invitations to participate in the Milwaukee County League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County Spring 2024 Voter Guide.

The Voter Guide is an opportunity for candidates to reach their potential voters using this free, nonpartisan resource where their responses to our questions are published verbatim. Since 2017 VOTE411 has been a trusted source of unbiased election information and has won national awards. VOTE411 reached over two million voters in 2023. It is a "one stop-shop" for everything elections related.

In Spring 2020, a comparable election, over 27,000 Milwaukee and Waukesha County residents used VOTE411 to learn about the candidates on their ballot. While this may seem like a big number, in the City of Milwaukee alone, for the April 2023 election there were 290,462 registered voters and 112,815 ballots cast (38.8%).

When the 2024 Spring Voter Guide is published on January 30, there will be a lot of work to get candidates to respond to our questions and to educate voters about VOTE411.

WE WILL NEED YOUR HELP!

Santa Learns About Non-partisanship

LWVMC Membership Co-Chair Pat McFarland reported a most unusual encounter with Santa:

He asked if I had been good. "Yes!” Santa asked why I was good. “Santa, I defend democracy!" He asked, "as a Republican or Democrat?" I said “Santa, you remember 'WE THE PEOPLE' -- We All Belong." He couldn't deny this.

RUNNING OUT OF GIFT IDEAS?

CONSIDER A DONATION TO THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF MILWAUKEE COUNTY

Is your holiday shopping list down to the person who is hard to shop for?

Consider a donation to the League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County in his/her honor! A donation will help the League increase its capacity for action and gives you the chance to share why your League membership is important.

Click here to identify your honoree and select the donation amount and payment method (credit card or check). The honoree will be notified of your gift.

AND... if you haven’t already, and while you are at the website, don’t forget to make your own personal end-of-year gift to LWVMC!

Year-End Gifts to LWVMC

Thank you for your generosity throughout the year giving your time, talent and treasure as a volunteer and member of LWVMC. Have you responded to the letter from our president, Nancy Maloney? Her letter is persuasive for why supporting LWVMC is important, as membership dues cover only a small part of the budget.

Donations can be made by: check, credit card or a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) from your IRA, which can offset your IRA Required Minimum Distribution (RMD). Details here: www.lwvmilwaukee.org/donate

It is important to make LWV-Milwaukee County the recipient. Donations to the state or national Leagues are not shared with LWVMC.

Does your employer have a matching gift program? A matching gift doubles your donation to the LWVMC. Check it out!!

Thank you for including LWVMC as a recipient of your end-of-year charitable contributions!

LEAGUE CAFE

In the New Year, we are back to our usual meeting on the 4th Friday of the month. In January we will meet on Friday, January 26 at 10 a.m. We will once again meet at the East Branch of the Milwaukee Public Library, 2320 N. Cramer St. Milwaukee, WI 53211 (East · MPL) but in January we will meet in Study Room 115 rather than the Community Room there.

Friday, January 26 | 10:00 a.m. to Noon

MPL East Branch, Study Room 115

Our January meeting will be a general discussion meeting, not about a particular topic or book. There will be time to continue the discussion of our December book, “Usual Cruelty,” and any other topic of interest to the group.

Our book choices for February 23 and April 26 are about immigration and particularly in the State of Wisconsin. March 29 will be a general discussion meeting. We will announce those meeting locations later, after reservations have been confirmed.

Book Choice for February 23, 2024 League Cafe Book Club

Milked: How an American Crisis Brought Together Midwestern Dairy Farmers and Mexican Workers, by Ruth Conniff

Book Choice for April 26, 2024 League Cafe Book Club

Obreros Unidos: The Roots and Legacy of the Farmworkers Movement, by Jesus Salas

Remember, if you want to purchase one or both of these books at Boswell Books - online or at their store (Boswell Book Company, www.boswellbooks.com, 2559 N Downer Ave, Milwaukee) mention you are a Member of the League Cafe Book Club for a 10% discount.

Warmest Regards from,

Marie Garnhart, Pat McFarland, Mary Ellen Spicuzza

Voter Registration Training Jan. 20

2024 is going to be a very busy election year. Have you thought about helping the League with voter registration? If so, this is your opportunity to learn about the twists and turns of the online voter registration process, including how to acquire an acceptable photo ID for voting in Wisconsin. Registration required.

January 20 Saturday | 10am-Noon

League of Women Voters Office - Summit Place

6737 W. Washington Street Atrium Conference Room

Questions? Please email Elizabeth Aelion at e.aelion@lwvmilwaukee.org .

The League Needs Hands-On Help!

LWVMC is a volunteer-powered organization, with lots of opportunities to engage in vital mission-focused work. Many of these jobs, such as newsletter editing or VOTE411 data management tasks, can be done from home on your own schedule. Others, such as voter registration events at high schools or at naturalization ceremonies, require in-person attendance -- but are so rewarding!

Please visit the Volunteer page of our website to see current opportunities. Visit the Our Work page to learn more about League activities you may want to be a part of. Some of the volunteer gigs are for members only. If you have questions, please contact Mary Ellen Spicuzza at me.spicuzza@lwvmilwaukee.org.

Support Local 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.

Donate Here

Thank you! LWVMC

Volunteer Here

Join

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