Dr. Emily Sterk joined the Milwaukee Turners as a Research and Advocacy Associate in September 2024. She has worked in various learning environments, including national and international universities, correctional facilities, youth detention centers, and adult education centers. As part of the “Confronting Mass Incarceration” team, Emily develops and contributes to the Milwaukee Turners’ expanding expertise in mass incarceration policy and creates research-informed programs for system-impacted individuals. Emily joined the League of Women Voters in the fall of 2024.

Join us for short presentations followed by discussion of how interested League members can advocate for change in our community!

Click here to register!

JOIN THE SILENT AUCTION TEAM!

Volunteers are still needed to help with the Silent Auction we will be having during our May 31st Annual Meeting. Please consider joining the Silent Auction Team. 

Team members will: 

• Solicit donations from area businesses and organizations

• Accept and catalog donations at the office

• Prepare donations for display at the event

• Create descriptions of the donations for display with the items and for handout information

• Transport and unload auction items to and from the office on the day of the event

• Set up the auction items: decorate the tables and arrange the display of the auction items

• Assist auction buyers at the event: collect cash and checks and help with bagging up purchases

• Assist with the cleanup after the auction is over

LWV Declares United States in a “Constitutional Crisis,”

Announces New Initiative to Mobilize Voters

On April 19, Celina Stewart, CEO of the League of Women Voters, and Dianna Wynn, president of the League of Women Voters, released the following statement:  

“It has now been 87 days since the start of the Trump administration. From the flagrant disregard for congressional authority and governmental checks and balances to the latest action of openly defying the Supreme Court orders to bring Kilmar Abrego Garcia back home, one thing is abundantly clear: our country is in a constitutional crisis.   

"We the people must fight back. That is why the League of Women Voters is launching a powerful new initiative, Unite and Rise 8.5. 

"Unite and Rise 8.5 will engage and mobilize 8.5 million voters between now and November 2026 to protect and preserve our democratic institutions. 

"The foundational principles that have sustained our democracy — checks and balances, the rule of law, free and fair elections — are under direct and sustained threat. In this extraordinary moment, we cannot proceed with business as usual.  All Americans — no matter who you voted for in 2024 — need to come together, stand united, and fight back to save our democracy. We cannot afford to fail the generations to come.” 

About Unite and Rise 8.5: Starting May 1, the League will launch the Unite and Rise 8.5 initiative, which aims to mobilize 8.5 million voters using the power of voter engagement as a cornerstone of our democracy. Unite and Rise 8.5 will showcase the many ways voters can drive change, including through advocacy, mobilization, civic education, and engagement. The initiative is part of LWV’s Women Defend Democracy campaign. 

NOW IS THE TIME……

Today we introduce an important Latina suffragist, Adelina Otero-Warren in our series on the suffragists. Adelina Otero-Warren (1881-1965), American educator, suffragist, and politician, argued that suffrage campaigns in New Mexico must include Spanish-speaking women in their outreach, with bilingual materials and speeches. She spearheaded the campaign to ratify the 19th Amendment in New Mexico and later became the first Latina to run for the U.S. Congress.

In 1922 the U.S. Mint released a quarter featuring activist and politician Adelina "Nina" Otero-Warren. This was the fourth coin in the American Women Quarters™ Program.  Also in the series of quarters were author Dr. Maya Angelou and astronaut Dr. Sally Ride.     

U.S. Mint photo from:  Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum

Member/Volunteer Spotlight

Tom Neubauer

Encouraging Candidate Participation in VOTE411

Long-time member, Tom Neubauer, joined LWVMC in 2016. Before the 2025 Spring Election earlier this month, Tom called candidates running for office to encourage their participation in VOTE411.  

His message was that as a constituent, he was disappointed that they had not answered the League’s questions and that he would not vote for candidates who didn’t participate in VOTE411. One candidate thought she had submitted the answers and Tom found her answers a few days later in VOTE411.  He had a good conversation with another and left several voice messages. 

Tom believes VOTE411 tailors unbiased, relevant questions to candidates running for state and local races. He feels the candidates are challenged to clearly articulate their views while the voters benefit from a valuable substitute for live candidate forums. 

Emphasizing the value of VOTE411, Tom encourages all members to phone their candidates prior to elections and has tips for contacting candidates: Believe that your voice will be heard; Plan your call (LWVMC provides a script for calls to encourage candidate participation); Be conversational and respectful. Always take the high ground.

VOTE411 Candidate Participation

In the 2025 Spring Election, there were 107 local races (51 in Milwaukee County and 56 in Waukesha County). We invited 199 candidates to participate in VOTE411. In two primary races, 8 of 13 candidates responded (61.5%). 

For the April election, 59 of 102 candidates in contested races responded (57.84%) and 13 of 94 candidates in uncontested races responded (18.83%.) Overall, that is 72 of 196 candidates responding (36.73%.)

Candidate participation is key for VOTE411 to be a valuable tool for voters so that unbiased voter information comes right from the candidates in their own words. 

What we did to encourage candidate participation:

1)  The VOTE411 Data Team sent up to three follow-up reminder emails;

2)  Members called their candidates, as constituents, and asked them to participate in VOTE411. (See the Member/Volunteer Spotlight above on Tom Neubauer)

3)  Anita Gulotta-Connelly used the weekly update and targeted emails to ask League members to call their candidates, as constituents, and request that they participate in VOTE411. A script was provided.  

Call to Action:  Resolve to help get candidates to participate in VOTE411 next election season!

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