Endowment Update

I am very happy to announce that with the last fundraising effort of 2024, we reached the goal of $100,000, the minimum amount needed to open a Greater Milwaukee Foundation Endowment Fund. This is an important milestone for our League. It ensures that we have the funds to fall back on should we face unforeseen financial difficulties. In addition, it shows grantors that LWVMC is a viable organization that is worthy of their donation. As an added benefit, the fund earns interest which we can either reinvest or withdraw and deposit into our operating budget. Thank you to all who donated in response to our Fall appeal! And congratulations, Leaguers! We have secured our future!

Thank you for your generosity during 2024.  Whether you made a donation, volunteered at an event, maintained your membership, or spread the word about the League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County and its work, we couldn’t have done it without you. 

Examples of the League’s 2024 impact include:

• Voter Services assisted over 11,000 people with voter registration and voter education. 

• VOTE411 was accessed by more than 41,000 users. 

• The newly formed Climate Action Group presented education programs and advocated for climate equity work funding. 

We look forward to your continued membership, volunteering, and donations.  Please note that gifts to the League of Women Voters, a 501(c)4 organization, are not tax-deductible.  Gifts to the League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County, a 501(c)3 organization, are tax-deductible.

You can make a gift with a credit card here.

Or send a check made out to League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County to League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County, 6737 West Washington Avenue, Suite 2218, West Allis, Wisconsin 53214.

Please consider gifts from your donor advised fund (DAF) or a Qualified Charitable Contribution from your IRA.

Please join us as the LWV celebrates our birthday🎁 

Saturday, February 15, 2025 from 10:30 a.m to 1:00 p.m.

Location: Summit Place @ 6737 W Washington in West Allis

We're going to build on civic engagement and “where do we go from here?” in the spirit of "don't agonize...organize!" 

We have invited Friends:

• Janette Herrera Mitchell of 100 Women On The Move
• Anita Johnson of Souls to the Polls
• Brenda Jackson of MICAH (Milwaukee Innercity Congregations Allied for Hope)
• Rhonda Lindner of WIVEC (Wisconsin Interfaith Voter Engagement Campaign)
• Marilyn Miller of MICAH

Call For Nominations For LWVMC 2025-27 Board and Nominating Committee 

Our League has just completed an amazing year where we registered 2388 new voters and spoke to and educated nearly 11500 people. In addition we were active on issues centered on Reproductive Rights and the Environment and Climate Change.  

Our past and current Boards of Directors have built a strong and durable League that makes a significant difference in Milwaukee County and surrounding areas. Now is the time to bring your experiences and skills to the Board to carry forward the important work of the League.

Passionate about and committed to the League’s mission - Empowering Voters and Defending Democracy? Committed to a League that values diversity, equity and inclusion to build a more equitable Milwaukee County? Experienced in leadership, fundraising or non-profit governance? We need your passion and skills! The Nominations Committee invites all LWVMC members to consider running for a leadership position. Applicants with diverse backgrounds, experiences, abilities and perspectives are encouraged to apply.

The 2025-27 open Board positions include:

4 Officer positions: President; 1st VP Organization; 3rd VP Voter Services; Secretary.

3 at-large Directors.  

All of these positions are for a two-year term beginning 7/1/2025 and ending 6/30/2027

Chair of the Nominating Committee and two additional committee members. These are non-board positions and have a one-year term of office.  

The Nominating Committee is accepting Nominations now through February 28 using this very Simple form. You can nominate yourself or someone else.   If you nominate someone else be sure you have their permission.

To learn more about the positions and what they entail follow this link to the job description for each position. 

If you are considering any of these positions you are also encouraged to read the LWVMC nonpartisan policy If you have questions about the nominating process or various positions, don’t hesitate to email: joanne.barndt@gmail.com

Follow LWVWI Actions on Legislation

A new legislative session has just begun in Wisconsin, and the LWVWI Legislative Committee has kicked into high gear using League positions to bring our voices directly to legislators. If you want to follow the League's lobbying efforts this session, sign up for legislative action emails here, or contact asoluna@lwvwi.org to get involved with the Committee.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Meet and Mingle begins at 1:30 pm

Light refreshments will be served. RSVP Suggested But Not Required

Spring Primary Online Voter Guide Is Published!

The 2025 Spring Primary Online Voter Guide was published this week to VOTE411.org for the February 18 primary election. 

 Go to www.Vote411.org and enter your address to get started.  You will see the races that appear on your primary ballot and the candidates running for these offices.  Candidates participate in our online voter guide by entering their campaign information and answering the League’s questions. All candidate responses to our questions are published verbatim from the candidates.  We do not edit candidate responses.   

 In Milwaukee and Waukesha County, all voters will see a primary race for the Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction.

 In the City of Milwaukee, there is a primary for Aldermanic District 3.

Additionally, in Milwaukee and Waukesha County, there are various local municipal and school board primary races. 

If your local candidates have not answered the League’s questions, you can contact them and tell them you want to learn about where they stand on issues in our community.

Meet our New Voter Registration Team Leader for Higher Education

Ellen Trytek is a seasoned marketing professional with a knack for crafting innovative business and marketing strategies that drive growth and revenue. Since joining the league in 2022, she’s been making an impact by assisting with DMV voter registration and coordinating Waukesha volunteers for Vote411.

She is now stepping up to lead voter registration activities for students at local colleges in Milwaukee and Waukesha counties. Ellen seeks a volunteer to join her as co-leader of our higher education activities. We welcome volunteers with any experience since Ellen is prepared to help train people new to League activities. Please reach out to e.trytek@lwvmilwaukee.org if you are interested in hearing more about the role.

Ellen’s career spans over 30 years, including leadership roles at Johnson Controls, Manpower, CliftonLarsonAllen, and Wipfli.  She’s tackled everything from marketing and public relations to business development strategy, always focusing on results.

Beyond her professional life, Ellen serves on the board of AbleLight, a nonprofit supporting individuals with developmental disabilities, and she manages programs for the New Berlin Special Olympics. At home in Elm Grove, Ellen enjoys life with her husband, Dave, and their daughter, Abby.

Ellen holds a master’s degree in marketing from Northwestern University and a bachelor’s in advertising from Marquette University. She recently added a nonprofit management certificate from Harvard to her credentials.

That’s a Wrap!

Many thanks to all of the volunteers who took time out of their busy December holiday schedules to provide their gift wrapping skills at Boswell Books.  The League of Women Voters Milwaukee County filled eleven shifts and contributed 67 volunteer hours to this project.  We earned a total of $660 from Boswell’s gift wrapping sales and added an additional $248.25 from generous patrons who filled our tip jar for a grand total of $908.25.  

Thank you to the following volunteers:  Kathy Abbott, Susan Armour Seidman, Tracy Harrington, Bonnie Jacobson, Candice Owley, Linda Reid, Dennis Schroeder, Mary Sussman, Mary Voelker, Susan Weistrop, and MaryJo Wellenstein.  We could not have raised these funds without your time and talent!

If you would like to be a part of the Bowell Books Gift Wrapping Crew in 2025, please email  me and I will add you to the list of volunteers.

Interfaith Conference Series on WI Issues

Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee will be hosting its annual 4 Tuesdays in March again. This year's theme is Forward-- Where Do We Go From Here? Luncheon speakers will address immigration and other top issues in the state each Tuesday in March. Register here for in-person or virtual attendance.

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