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Date: 3/28/2024
Subject: LWVMC: Weekly Update for March 28
From: League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County





Vote No: Constitutional Amendments on April Ballot

Two questions about proposed amendments to the WI Constitution are on the April 2 ballot. Both concern election funding and administration. The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin and other voting rights organizations urge citizens to VOTE NO on both questions. 

❌Question 1: Use of private funds in election administration. Shall section 7 (1) of article III of the constitution be created to provide that private donations and grants may not be applied for, accepted, expended, or used in connection with the conduct of any primary, election, or referendum?"

❌Question 2:Election officials. Shall section 7 (2) of article III of the constitution be created to provide that only election officials designated by law may perform tasks in the conduct of primaries, elections, and referendums?"

Voting rights partner organization Common Cause published an informative statement about the importance of rejecting the proposed amendments. Read the explanation from Common Cause here. Also, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has published guide to what those questions mean, and what they would (or wouldn't) do if added to the state Constitution. Please spread the word to your contacts.

 
You can also access the League's own resources. Use the button below to find the Vote No webinar recording, toolkit, slides and other helpful information!

VOTE411 April 2024 Voter Guide

Yes, we can continue to promote VOTE411.org until election day on April 2! 

How can you do this?

Talk to those you are with between now and next Tuesday.  You can ask:  Have you voted yet?  And if not……  you can say:  "The League of Women Voters has an online Voter Guide you can use to learn about the candidates.  Read answers to questions about issues important to you in the candidates’ own words."  LWVMC poses questions to local candidates and publishes their answers verbatim, so voters read the answers in the candidates’ own words. 

You can still write emails about VOTE411.org to friends, neighbors, relatives, and colleagues who live in Milwaukee and Waukesha County.   Here is the link to a sample script:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dCAaN1WQOSXBRjKFZrqjG7duqANRTxSPm9m9FUCRnVM/edit

The League’s goal (and your goal!!) is to provide as many voters as possible with the information they need to vote confidently on April 2.



LWV Yard Signs and Bumper Magnets Available!

We are offering yard signs again this year. We have two kinds of signs:
- Vote From Home
- VOTE/VOTA (Vote on one side and Vota on the other)
Yard signs (18" x 24") are available on a first come first served basis. We also have metal stands.
 
BUMPER STICKERS ARE PICTURED BELOW
If you would like any of these items,
please complete THIS FORM.
We will contact you.
V
V

Election Observers Needed on April 2

The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin (LWVWI) is recruiting volunteers across the state to observe the Spring Election on April 2. Election observers help ensure a fair election by watching for signs of voter disenfranchisement and intimidation, and by monitoring the way Wisconsin's election laws and procedures are being applied. Even if you only have a couple hours to spare on Election Day, you can still sign up to be an election observer.  Learn more and sign up to volunteer today!
Volunteers will receive online training, a reporting form, a polling place assignment with flexible shifts, and an Election Day hotline number for questions or for reporting a problem. Questions? Contact LWVWI Voter Education Manager Eileen Newcomer at enewcomer@lwvwi.org or at (608)256-0827. Please share this opportunity with anyone who might be willing to be part of this vital program.


Celebrate Spring 

Sunday, April 21, 1:15 - 3:30 p.m.

Wauwatosa Public Library, Firefly Room

7635 W. North Avenue

Join the League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County for an informative discussion about accessible walks and paddles in the Milwaukee area. LWVMC members, Karen and Jennifer Lemke, authors of Easy Walks and Paddles in Milwaukee, will share the inside scoop on many accessible trails and waterways in the Milwaukee area, as well as additional information about public restrooms, benches, nearby eateries, environmental issues, fascinating historical tidbits about the people who previously inhabited these spaces, and details about Milwaukee’s social and cultural history. 

The Sisters Lemke will be in conversation with LWVMC member Dorothy Dean, founder and executive director of Disability Justice. Easy Walks and Paddles in Milwaukee provides important accessibility information for Milwaukee’s beautiful and abundant green spaces so that more people with disabilities, seniors, and families with children can enjoy these easy-access spaces.

Difficult Conversations: Talking About Abortion & Contraception

The Reproductive Rights Committee will be hosting Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin’s 2-hour workshop, “Changing Hearts and Minds on Reproductive Health and Rights.”   The workshop helps participants develop effective communication skills and messaging when discussing equitable access to contraception and abortion. The Reproductive Rights Committee will be hosting both virtual and in-person workshops. 
Save the Dates:
  May 1, 6-8 PM - Virtual Workshop or 
  May 4, 10 AM-Noon - In-Person Workshop
This is an interactive workshop focussing on skill development, so participation is limited to 25 individuals per session. If demand for the workshop exceeds the available slots, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin is willing to offer additional workshop(s) so all interested members can receive training. If registration is closed due to high interest, a wait list will be created and used for registration for additional workshops. 

Look for Program and Registration information in your inbox soon!


Tickets Now on Sale for the 2024 LWVWI Annual Meeting in Green Bay, WI!

This year's theme is Tipping Points & Shared Purposes - Challenges of 2024 & Beyond: What We Need to do This Year to Move Through Them Together. Issues we face today affect us in more ways than the obvious. How do we encourage everyone to come together again in our hyper-polarized world? From civics education to artificial intelligence to fair redistricting and beyond, we explore how to find balance before reaching the tipping points.
FORMAT: Hybrid (in-person and virtual options)
DATE: May 31 - June 1, 2024
LOCATION: Oneida Hotel and Conference Center, Green Bay, WI

For additional information on theme, lodging, parking, & material, visit the LWVWI Annual Meeting Hub.


Fund Development

 

Coffee for our Cause has been a great branding opportunity.

Coffee for our Cause promotes our brand of empowering voters and defending democracy. Hate to see it end?

To continue the Coffee for our Cause fundraiser, the project needs a new leader. The Coffee for our Cause timeframe is from July through November. This is a very worthy and satisfying project to work on. Please contact Mary Sussman to express interest or get additional information at susscommunications@att.net.

Milwaukee Turners and UWM's Center for 21st Century Studies present Trust & The Vote: The University and Its Role in Democracy

TODAY- March 28, 1:30 p.m

Register here for this virtual roundtable

Join the Milwaukee Turners and UWM’s Center for 21st Century Studies for a roundtable discussion. Do universities have a responsibility to support and maintain our democracy? Do they play a role in shaping our democracy? Facilitated by UW-Milwaukee's Kennan Ferguson, the discussion will include diverse perspectives ranging from a university student who has collected student responses around these questions, a university professor and historian who challenges the economic practices of universities, as well as a university president. Panelists include:Ron Daniels (President, John’s Hopkins University),  Davarian Baldwin (Historian, Trinity College), and Bailee Jones (UWM student government).


Wisconsin: America’s Most Enduring Political Battleground

Sunday, March 31, 2024 | 10:00 am - 11:00 am

In-Person: Max Otto Hall

First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee

1342 N. Astor Street, Milwaukee

Online: Also available on the YouTube channel

Craig Gilbert, former Journal Sentinel’s Washington Bureau Chief and fellow at Marquette Law School’s Lubar Center, will discuss why Wisconsin is once more at the epicenter of presidential politics, how has it remained a 50/50 battleground despite big regional shifts, and how the balance of power here changed in the Trump Era. He’ll also discuss the critical role that the shifting partisan landscape of metro Milwaukee will play in this year’s presidential campaign.  Host: Jerry Fredrickson. Free and open to the public.



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League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County

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