| JOIN US FOR OUR ANNUAL MEETING!
If you are attending the dinner, the deadline to pay by credit card or check is Friday, May 17.
REGISTER HERE: Annual meeting - League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County (lwvmilwaukee.org)
Contact Mary Ellen Spicuzza with questions or help in registering: me.spicuzza@lwvmilwaukee.org or 414-975-7012
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TONIGHT!
Back in March, the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin held Part 1 of its series on contamination by PFAS (per and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in Wisconsin. That webinar engaged speakers to explain where these ubiquitous contaminants come from, what it can do inside the human body, and the personal protections we can all take to limit our exposures.
Now in Part 2, What To Do About PFAS, on May 9th at 6:30 pm, we will address the bigger picture of what we can do about PFAS. Topics will include:
- Lived experiences with PFAS contamination of soil and water
- Limitations and costs of current remediation options
- Innovative remediation methods under investigation
- Political controversies and legislative proposals
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Next Steps For Fair Maps Coalition
Following the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s decision in the Clarke v. Wisconsin Election Commission case that the 2021 legislative voting district maps were unconstitutional, and the passage and signing of Governor Evers’s maps, Wisconsin has fair maps for the 2024 election!
Now it's on to the next phase: promoting a fair, transparent, nonpartisan redistricting process to ensure an end to gerrymandering. If you'd like to be involved, contact the Fair Maps Team Leaders listed below:
North Shore Fair Maps (Milwaukee, Washington, & Ozaukee Counties)
Debbie Patel: deborah.j.patel@gmail.com
Cheryl Maranto: cmaranto4860@gmail.com
Waukesha County
Vicki Aro-Schackmuth: varoschackmuth@gmail.com
Keep up with developments by signing up for the WI Fair Maps Coalition newsletter here. |  | | Disability Rights Wisconsin and the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, represented by Stafford Rosenbaum LLP and Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, filed suit in Dane County Circuit Court, seeking to address an absentee voting procedure that unlawfully discriminates against voters with disabilities. The lawsuit seeks an order enjoining certain Wisconsin statutes that block voters with disabilities from receiving, marking, and returning their absentee ballot electronically.
Wisconsin’s Constitution provides that: “All votes shall be by secret ballot.” Wis. Const., art. III, § 3. But many voters with disabilities cannot reliably travel to a polling place and cannot personally fill out a paper absentee ballot, meaning they are routinely forced to disclose the substance of their vote to third-parties when marking their ballots.
The cure to this constitutional violation is readily available: voters with disabilities often have adaptive technology that they use every day that can be used to mark an absentee ballot in a manner that is both private and independent. Thirteen states have also expanded their electronic absentee ballot programs to allow voters with disabilities to return their voted absentee ballots by email or through an online portal. |  | |
LWVMC is looking for a member volunteer to manage our bookkeeping. Working with the Treasurer, the bookkeeper will use Quickbooks online to perform the following duties. Estimate of time is 7-10 hours per month. All work can be done remotely.
- Enter and categorize accounts receivables into Quickbooks to include checks, PayPal payments, LWVMC online payments via Club Express, direct deposits, interest payments.
- Pay bills twice a month (average of 12 checks/month).
- Monthly account reconciliation.
- Prepare monthly reports for the Treasurer/Board in Quickbooks.
If you are interested, please contact Linda Brundage at l.brundage@lwvmilwaukee.org. |  | Mother’s Day is coming up on Sunday, May 12. How are you honoring your mother and other special women in your life?
The best way of course is to be together with them in person to celebrate this special day. Whether that is possible or not, rather than scramble to find something for a gift, consider a donation to the League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County.
You can donate here
Click on Honorary Donation. Give your mom and other special women in your life a card and write in “I have made a donation in your honor to the League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County.” |  |  | |
VoteRiders is a valuable resource for persons in the community who are trying to collect the proper information in order to obtain a Wisconsin ID for the purposes of registration and voting. They offer this service for free.
Recently VoteRiders made a presentation which is available at the link below.
It has valuable information about:
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VoteRiders
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The state of the nation as it relates to voter restrictions
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Statistics on how many people don’t vote because lack of proper ID’s
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What is required for registration and voting in Wisconsin
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How to become a volunteer
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How to become a community partner
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How to refer someone for services
Please review the information and refer anyone that you know that needs a Wisconsin ID to VoteRiders. And if you are interested, there are also volunteer opportunities!
|  | Ballot Bulletin - Poll Worker Selection Process
Time for another Ballot Bulletin where we highlight various election security topics so we are all better informed about the processes in place to ensure our elections are fair, accessible, and secure. This week let’s dive into the poll worker selection process.
Here in Wisconsin, municipal clerks are responsible for ensuring all their polling places are staffed with enough poll workers. This includes appointing and training poll workers for each election. Municipal clerks are required by law to appoint election inspectors from lists of nominees presented by the two dominant political parties. Both the Democratic and Republican Parties of Wisconsin must submit their lists of nominees to each county by November 30 of each odd numbered year. Clerks must utilize the lists of potential poll workers provided by the parties before bringing in unaffiliated poll workers.
All poll workers must complete the application process and training to be appointed as poll workers for all elections held in the following two years. Once appointed to the position by the clerk, poll workers become election officials.
Wisconsin law provides specific party affiliation requirements to ensure bipartisan representation in the election workforce. The chief inspector must ensure that any Election Day tasks that require completion by two election inspectors are represented by each party when possible – that’s another measure designed to ensure fair elections in Wisconsin. When a municipal clerk appoints special voting deputies to carry out absentee voting at care facilities, they similarly must appoint at least two individuals (one Democrat and one Republican) whenever possible.
Read the Ballot Bulletin series HERE. |  | CLICK ON THE FLYER ABOVE IF YOU'D LIKE TO DOWNLOAD AND PRINT IT OUT.
| League Cafe will meet on Friday, May 31 at the MPL East Branch at 10 a.m.
Milwaukee Public Library East Branch Community Room https://www.mpl.org/hours_locations/east.php
2320 N Cramer St, Milwaukee, WI 53211
Everyone is invited to attend. Come one and all!
Normally we meet on the 4th Friday of the month but we are meeting one week later to avoid the Memorial Day weekend. This meeting will be a general discussion meeting. When we have a general discussion meeting we talk about anything and everything of interest to the group. It is also an opportunity for newer members to come and learn more about our League. Also, at this meeting, we will choose our book selection for our June meeting. If you have a title in mind, please feel free to bring it up on the 31st. |  |
Learn how to help people register to vote!
May 18, Saturday | 9:30-11:00 am
League Offices, Summit Place, Conference Rm-2135
6737 W. Washington St.
Learn how to register people to vote using MyVote.wi.gov. Learn what is acceptable photo ID for voting in Wisconsin and how to acquire it. Registration required.
Questions regarding this announcement? Please email e.aelion@lwvmilwaukee.org
Register here: My Vote Training Sign Up |
Free, Register here.
| MOWA’s DTN Gallery at St. Kate Arts Hotel
139 E. Kilbourn Ave., Milwaukee
Now through July 22, 2924 Free and Open to the Public
The Museum of Wisconsin Art presents a timely exhibition of political cartoons that reflect the 2024 presidential election and the contemporary moment in US politics. | Accessing Members-Only Website Portal
The LWVMC website has information and resources that are available only to LWVMC members. To access the membership directory or members-only resources and volunteer opportunities, click on the button below. Contact Mary Ellen Spicuzza at me.spicuzza@lwvmilwaukee.org with any questions. | 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.
Thank you! LWVMC
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