| 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.
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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.
For more than 100 years, the League has worked to secure the right to vote for every eligible citizen fulfilling its mission to empower voters and defend democracy. The defense of democracy is incumbent upon free and fair elections, but it extends further in the League’s work in issue advocacy.
LWV policy positions are categorized in Program areas of Representative Government, Natural Resources, Social Policy, and International Relations. All League advocacy is nonpartisan and stems from League principles and from positions adopted at the local, state, and national levels and is carefully coordinated so that the League speaks with one voice.
At this meeting, we will discuss our current advocacy programs and hear suggestions for new initiatives.
Please plan to attend the January 16 meeting to have input into the advocacy program for next year and to explore ways that you can be involved.
Registration is required and can be accessed below.
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Ballot Bulletin: Voting by Mail
LWVWI’s Ballot Bulletin series highlights measures that ensure our elections are fair, accessible, and secure. The newest feature: the Voting by Mail (Absentee) process.
Wisconsin has a 28-day residency requirement for voters. Voters don’t need to physically be in Wisconsin for 28 consecutive days preceding an election. Students, Military service members, temporary and permanent overseas voters, and “snowbirds” may spend significant time out of the state, but can still be eligible Wisconsin voters.
Whether voting by mail is a necessity or just a convenience, all Wisconsin voters can take advantage of no-excuse absentee voting by requesting absentee ballots at myvote.wi.gov.
Many measures are in place to ensure voting by mail is secure. Clerks verify voter eligibility and photo ID before processing their request to vote by mail. After the absentee ballot is returned to the clerk’s office, election officials review the absentee ballot certificate to ensure that the envelope is sealed, the absentee ballot certificate is complete (including the witness signature), and the clerk's initials are present.
Clerks track every ballot issued to prevent double voting. If a voter mis-marks or spills coffee on their ballot and requests another, the clerk deactivates the original ballot in the system, so it cannot be counted. Read the entire Ballot Bulletin series here. |  | |
CAN YOU HELP?
This week the Voter Guide Team is sending invitations to candidates running for office to participate in the Voter Guide on VOTE411.org for the primary election on February 20. Do you know someone running for office? Please contact them and tell them you look forward to reading their answers to the questions the League is posing to them about issues important to their constituents. If they don’t recall getting the invitation from LWVMC, ask them to contact Sarajane Kennedy at voterguide@lwvmilwaukee.org
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%). |
LWVMC In Milwaukee Rep Playbill
LWVMC is placing an ad in the playbill for a Milwaukee Repertory Theater performance titled, "What the Constitution Means to Me," which runs Feb. 6 to March 10. Ticket sales here. This is a great outreach for LWVMC: an audience of democracy-minded folks!
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FUND DEVELOPMENT / Money Matters
End-of-Year 2023 and new beginnings for 2024
There is still time to make an end-of-year donation that will increase the capacity of the League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County to empower voters and defend democracy in 2024. LWVMC retains $13 from the $75 membership fee with the rest going to the state and national leagues so your support is appreciated.
Donations can be made with a credit card at www.lwvmilwaukee.org/donate or by a check made payable to “LWVMC” mailed to 6737 West Washington Street, Suite 2218, West Allis, WI 53214. |  |
Local League Fundraising and Fund Development Training
Jan. 24th from 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. via Zoom
Are you interested in the sustainability of our League? This is for you! The Wisconsin State League is offering a training session on Fund Development via a Zoom meeting. In addition to the fund development training, there will be a discussion about some of the ramifications with the new membership system that the National League is putting in place. The information is taken from the State's biweekly Update publication and includes the link to the Zoom session.
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LWVMC Seeks Coffee Sale Coordinator
LWVMC needs an organized and energetic volunteer to coordinate its annual coffee sale. You will organize teams for sales and distribution, track orders and promote sales. Over the past five years, the annual coffee sale has netted LWVMC more than $30,000. Put your leadership and organizing skills to work and help LWVMC realize its fundraising goals. LWVMC needs your time and talents. Training available. Interested? Contact Mary Sussman at m.sussman@lwv.milwaukee.org.
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DISABILITY RIGHTS COMMITTEE
Sunday, Jan. 14th from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The next regular meeting of the Disability Rights Committee will be a virtual meeting. All are invited to attend! There is no need to register in advance for this meeting. Here is the Zoom meeting link.
We will be joined by Kathy Sharpe, author of, “Aging Into Poverty,” and will discuss the important issues raised in her book. Questions? Contact committee chair Laura Priebe at l.priebe@lwvmilwaukee.org or Program VP Lorna Grade at l.grade@lwvmilwaukee.org. | 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 .
| Easy New Year's Resolution!
Resolutions don't get much easier than this: Visit MyVote.WI.Gov today to check your voter registration and to request absentee ballots for all elections in 2024. Post the link to MyVote.WI.Gov on social media. Sample social media messages and graphics are in this LWVWI toolkit. | | |
Learn More About LWVWI Legislative Positions
The LWVWI Legislative Committee is making its work more accessible and widely available through a dedicated email list detailing the positions taken on legislation and including LWVWI positions and statements. The Committee hopes to empower League members and individuals of all backgrounds to advocate on state legislation with the information these emails provide. Anyone interested can sign up for the email list here. |
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. |  | Friday, Jan. 26th from 10 a.m. to Noon
East Branch of the Milwaukee Public Library
2320 N Cramer St Study Room 115
In the New Year, we are back to our usual meeting on the 4th Friday of the month. We will once again meet at the East Branch of the Milwaukee Public Library (East · MPL) but in January we will meet in Study Room 115 rather than the Community Room there.
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 and April are about immigration, particular to the State of Wisconsin. March will be a general discussion meeting. We will announce those meeting locations 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, WI 53211) 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 |  |  |
Celebrate Milwaukee with the Milwaukee Press Club
Thursday, Jan. 25th
5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The Grain Exchange, 225 E. Michigan Street
Milwaukee Press Club will host a gathering celebrating Milwaukee’s 178th Birthday with more than 400 community and business leaders. This year’s party theme, A Vote for Milwaukee, celebrates all the ways our city will be in the spotlight in 2024. That includes hosting the Republican National Convention. Event admission includes gourmet food stations by Bartolotta Catering, complimentary beer, birthday cake and a party favor. Cash bar. RSVP by Friday, January 19 by booking below. Cancellations will be accepted up to 48 hours in advance for a full refund. Tickets are $40 per person in advance or $50 at the door. Register Here.
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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! LWVMC
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