Date: 2/20/2025
Subject: Weekly Update for February 20, 2025
From: League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County

Where Do We Go From Here?

Saturday, March 1, 2025, 2-3:30 pm

Meet and Mingle begins at 1:30 pm

Please join the League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County for Post–Election Reflections: Empowering Voters, Protecting Civil Rights and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) with Karen Nelson, DEI Consultant, Nelstar Enterprises LLC.

Summit Place

6737 W. Washington Street, West Allis, WI

Use the Visitor Parking Lot and Entrance· 1st Floor Conference Room

Free and open to the public

Light refreshments will be served. RSVPSuggested But Not Required

WI Rail: 2024 Report Card for Wisconsin's Infrastructure

WEBINAR TODAY

Wisconsin’s rail system has approximately 3,300 miles of track, 82% of which is owned and operated by 11 private railroad companies. Thirty percent of freight by value is transported by rail and freight movement by rail is expected to increase. Expansion is expected in terms of existing services and new rail lines. Join ASCE-WI and LWVWI TODAY at a webinar on Rail (B) from 12:00 to 1:30 pm. Register here.

This is one webinar in a nine-part series looking at the state of all areas of infrastructure in Wisconsin. Learn about the whole series: the 2024 Report Card for Wisconsin's Infrastructure series page

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

Our League has just completed an amazing year where we registered 2,388 new voters and spoke to and educated nearly 11,500 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

Volunteer at High School Registrations

Consider volunteering at high school registrations. You get to meet enthusiastic students and dynamic staff members. It is very rewarding to guide the students into becoming registered voters and engaged citizens. Most of the registrations are two-three hours.

If you would like to join us, please take the online training at Voter Registration in Milwaukee and Waukesha Area High Schools2.pdf. At the end of the training, you will see a form; please fill it out and submit it. Once we receive your form, we will put you on our volunteer list. Then we will notify you about upcoming registrations via email; you can sign up to volunteer. Please note: we only accept volunteers through our list.

Thank you to Joanne Barndt and St. John’s on the Lake for hosting a showing of the documentary Dangerous Women to help the League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County celebrate the League’s 105th Birthday on February 14.

Enjoying a slice of birthday cake after the showing was a special treat.

Thursday, February 27, 2025

12:00pm-2:00pm University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Student Union Ballroom

LWVUS is Fighting for Life-Saving Abortion Care

LWVUS and nearly 100 other organizations joined an amicus brief arguing that the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) preempts Idaho’s abortion ban, which prohibits abortion in all instances unless necessary to save the life of the mother. EMTALA requires hospitals participating in Medicare to provide stabilizing care to any individual experiencing a medical emergency, regardless of their ability to pay. (From lwv.org website)

Want to champion Reproductive Rights in WI with us? Contact g.sklodowska@lwvmilwaukee.org

Boost Voter Turnout With Postcard Campaign

Wisconsin's future is in your hands! Request postcards to help inform and motivate voters this election. We need you to help personalize the postcards and write a short message to voters!

Postcards are nonpartisan. They will come pre-addressed and have a forwarding address.

LWVWI Webinars About WI Supreme Court Elections

Wisconsin Supreme Court Election: Judging Judicial Candidates

February 25 at 6:00pm

This webinar will provide voters with information about how citizens can assess candidates’ perspectives on and knowledge of the judging process of a Supreme Court justice.

Speakers include: Chad Oldfather from Marquette University Law School; Rob Yablon of the State Democracy Research Institute and Attorney Jeff Mandell of Law Forward

Webinar 1:

Wisconsin Supreme Court Election: Ethics and Money, will provide voters with all the information they need for the next Wisconsin Supreme Court Election this spring.

View Recording Here

What's on the Ballot?

In the lead up to the spring elections LWVWI is featuring explanations of the key roles and responsibilities of the various offices voters will see on their ballot.

* * * What does a local School Board do?

The School Board makes a direct impact on education in your community by creating educational goals for the school district and creating school district policy. The board also approves school curriculum, calendars, and budgets. They also play a role in hiring and evaluating the district Superintendent.

* * * Why does this matter?

The school board works with parents and community members to provide a quality education for Wisconsin students. Who is on the school board makes a difference on issues such as: school curriculum choices, educator quality, educational rights of children with disabilities, and educator quality. As elected officials, the school board is held accountable by voters in their district.

We now have the updated 2025 LWVMC Value Proposition, a one-page, two-sided promotional piece about our mission and impact. It is used to inform and influence supporters and donors and the public at large. Please feel free to make copies and share with others to introduce them to the League. Take a look at the Impact we’ve made during 2024 and be proud to be a member of the League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County! SEE IT HERE

Is Around the Corner on March 8, 2025

International Women’s Day is celebrated in many countries around the world. It is a day when women from every national, ethnic, cultural, economic and political background are recognized for their achievements.

* The League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County is holding its first ever Giving Day to celebrate International Women’s Day on Saturday, March 8, 2025. It is a social media campaign targeting non-members and the general public. *

How can you participate?

Answer: On Facebook and LinkedIn, search for LWVMC to find our posts for LWVMC Giving Day. You can help by liking, commenting, sharing, and reposting the posts that the social media team has posted on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Sharing and reposting helps us spread the word about the League’s mission to empower voters and defend democracy, and to reach more prospective donors.

THANK YOU!

Be Part of Creating an Iconic Art Installation

Members of the Milwaukee County and Ozaukee/Washington leagues visited activist artist Niki Johnson’s studio to discuss collaborative opportunities. Niki, along with other community artists, is creating a large, four-piece art installation encouraging civic engagement. The story behind this effort is fascinating, and there are plans to show this work at the LWVWI Annual Convention this June.

Niki is inviting our members to assist in creating these iconic works of art. If you can punch holes in paper, your skills are welcome. If you are experienced with an X-ACTO knife, you have advanced skills! Contact Linda Reid at lindahreid@gmail.com for more information on volunteering your time.

Candidate Forum: Milwaukee Alder District 3 - Held Feb. 4

LWVMC’s “season opener” candidate forum was held Feb. 4, when Gordon Park Friends sponsored the forum featuring all eight candidates for the seat. More than 130 residents attended the forum, which was moderated by LWVMC member Barbara Beckert. Photo below.

Register here for “Laundry Night”

Fun, casual gathering event with great networking opportunities!

Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee hosts Community Talkback

February 27 @ 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Michael Best 790 N. Water Street, BMO Tower, 2nd Floor Conference Room

Get ready for an engaging and eye-opening evening as we dive into the future of Wisconsin’s legal landscape. Join us for a fascinating program where Jeff Mandell, co-founder of Law Forward, unpacks cases currently in the pipeline that may come before the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Register here.

35 Years of the ADA: Livestream Mar. 11

The UW-Madison Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership is sponsoring a free public lecture on the American Disability Act, presented by Dr. Rebekah Taussig, Disability Advocate, Educator, and Best Selling Author of Sitting Pretty: The View from my Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body on March 11. More information and livestream link here.

Accessing Members-Only Resources on the LWVMC Website

The website contains resources for members-only. Members must be logged in to see this information.

Contact info.member@lwvmilwaukee.org should you need help logging into the website.

Join

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

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