Celebrate the League's Birthday on Feb. 28th 

Do You Want to Help Young People Register to Vote?

Join the Higher Education Voting Program

The Milwaukee League is renewing its campus voting program. Programs are already in the works for Mount Mary University and MSOE. Next up are Alverno and UW Milwaukee.   

Volunteers are needed to be the point persons for area colleges and universities. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer or a lead at one or more of the campuses, please contact  Candice Owley: c.owley@lwvmilwaukee.org

Protecting & Preserving Our Great Lakes 

 Thursday, February 19, 2026, 6:00 to 7:30PM 

Cedarburg Public Library, W63 N589 Hanover Ave. Cedarburg, WI

Seeking Nominations for 2026/27 LWVMC Board Positions

Are you interested in applying for a LWVMC leadership position or nominating someone else with their permission? With democracy in our country under assault, the League needs dedicated members in leadership positions who are committed to defending our democracy. Are you prepared to contribute to the League’s fundamental mission?

The open Board positions for 2026/27 are the following:

1. Second VP Advocacy
2. Treasurer
3. Board Director (4)

Descriptions of the positions: 

VP Advocacy Job Description; Treasurer Job Description; Board Director Job Description; 

The application form can be found at the following link: Application Form

Dedicated LWVMC leaders are essential in these tumultuous times. For further information regarding the open Board positions, please contact Mike Kloehn, Nominating Committee Chair at m.kloehn@lwvmilwaukee.org or (904) 200-7815.

The application submission deadline is February 28^th.

The Observer Corps is still in need of volunteers:

The Observer Corps:

·      Is a structured way for citizens to become involved in their community by observing and reporting on local government meetings

·      Promotes open, transparent, and accountable government

·      Educates the public about issues impacting their communities and their lives

If you are:

·      Interested in local government and/or the issues being discussed,

·      Able to report and summarize proceedings in an objective, nonpartisan manner,

·      A good listener, discreet and courteous

JOIN US!  

Observer Responsibilities:

·      Commit to attending a Milwaukee City or County Committee meeting 1-2 times a month, in-person or virtually. (Most meetings are recorded.)

·      Take notes and report back to the Observer Corps Chair. 

Want to join? Email: ObserverCorps@lwvmilwaukee.or

Medicaid/Food Share Task Force Action Calls

Congress must take immediate action to repeal the devastating cuts and harmful impacts on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that were included in the budget reconciliation law, H.R. 1. It is imperative that Congress does not move forward with a Farm Bill, farm relief — or any legislation — until the crushing impacts of these cuts are addressed. Please contact your Members of Congress here!

Thoughts About Boycotts…

and Other Forms of Peaceful Protest

Many LWVMC members are deeply concerned about recent federal immigration enforcement actions, including deaths and abuses that undermine human dignity, due process, and trust in the rule of law. As a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization, LWVMC cannot endorse or organize the “Resist and Unsubscribe” campaign, which is explicitly framed as a protest against the current presidential administration. Our tax‑exempt status and League policies require us to focus our organizational voice on issues rather than on supporting or opposing specific leaders or parties.

Individual members, however, are free to make their own choices as private citizens. A consumer boycott is a long‑standing, peaceful form of protest that uses economic pressure to demand accountability and signal that harmful policies are unacceptable. For some LWVMC members, participating in this boycott may feel like a meaningful extension of their commitment to protecting civil liberties and democratic norms. Others may prefer different responses, such as issue advocacy, voter education, or direct support for affected communities.

LWVMC encourages members to stay informed, consider their values and circumstances, and choose the lawful, peaceful actions that best align with their conscience, while the League as an organization remains focused on nonpartisan, issue‑based work.

This word from INDIVISIBLE on the purpose of protests:

Protests are a tactic. Think of organizing like this: goal, strategy, tactics.

Our goal: Stop the fascist regime from consolidating its grip on power.

Our strategy: Organize overwhelming, nonviolent people power and foster a culture of mass defiance.

Our tactics: No Kings is one tactic that fits into our strategy, and aims to achieve our goal. Specifically, No Kings is designed to do three things: 

Model defiance on a national scale. Optimism in the face of fascism is one of the most accessible forms of defiance. The regime’s plan is to scare everyone into submission. But millions of people taking to the streets calls the regime's bluff, and is a powerful display of optimistic noncompliance.

Create social proof that opposition is widespread. Humans are social animals. We follow each other. A massive demonstration of popular opposition helps reinforce that wherever you are, you’re not alone. Courage is contagious, but it only spreads if people see it.

Ongoing Protests:

Please consider bringing your protest sign about ICE to any of these other weekly events:  Milwaukee Area Protests

 Shadow A Presentation As Training To Be A Speaker

The Speakers Bureau is doing a presentation on Thursday, February 26 at 7:00 PM in the evening at an independent living center. The content of the presentation is all about voting. It will cover the voter registration process, the voting process, elections, VOTE411, the League’s online voting guide. It will also offer suggestions for monitoring legislation and contacting elected officials. We will provide materials on the League, about voting, and VOTE411.

You are invited to come and shadow the speaker as training for making this presentation yourself as a member of the LWVMC’s Speakers Bureau. If you are interested, please contact Heather Godley at SpeakersBureau@lwvmilwaukee.org. 

We will also have League members at the event to help register voters. If you are trained to help citizens register to vote, please see the Volunteer Opportunity on the League’s website and sign up.  Then you can do both!!

LWVWI Is Party To Lawsuit Over Absentee Voting

LWVWI has joined with Attorney General Josh Kaul, the WI Elections Commission and five other voting rights groups in a lawsuit over the legal protections for absentee voting. The suit stems from an incident in the processing of ballots during the 2024 election in Madison, where officials found nearly 200 absentee ballots that had not been counted. The question being debated is whether voters have a constitutional right to have their absentee ballots counted.

Read Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article here.

Milwaukee Police Department Bans Use of Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) 

Following a five-hour long Fire & Police Commission (FPC) where dozens of community members – including the League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County – spoke out about the dangers of flawed and invasive surveillance technologies, Chief Jeffrey Norman issued a moratorium on the Milwaukee Police Department’s (MPD’s) use of Facial Recognition Technology (FRT). Chief Norman’s announcement came hours after it was revealed during the FPC meeting that the MPD had been using FRT  without any Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in place. 

This is an important win for community advocates who have shown up and spoken out on the dangers of law enforcement’s use of invasive surveillance technologies over the course of the last 10 months. The Mass Incarceration Advocacy Program would like to thank everyone at the League who has supported this effort alongside other Milwaukee organizations and advocates. Collective action works. 

Avoid a Pitfall!

Have you considered making your next gift to the League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County a qualified charitable distribution (QCD)?  Execution is important.  Avoid a pitfall – the transfer must be directly from your IRA to a qualified charity.  If you take the distribution first and then give it to the charity, the money will be subject to regular income tax.  As always, please contact your financial advisor.

WisconsinEye Back in Service

"America at 250 Forum" Feb. 18

The Pew Charitable Trusts and Disagree Better are hosting a free public forum to focus on the state of U.S. democracy and the importance of civil political discourse in a strong republic.

Feb. 18, 2026, 4-5 pm CT

NPR "Morning Edition" host Steve Inskeep will moderate a panel of three sitting governors: UT Gov. Spencer Cox(R); MD Gov. Wes Moore(D); OK Gov. Kevin Stitt(R).

Register here.

Interfaith March Lecture/Lunch Series: Raising Our Moral Voice

LWVMC will have a Unite & Rise table at the Interfaith March Lecture/Lunch Series at First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee, 1342 N Astor St. The luncheons are held on five Tuesdays in March.  The public is invited. The cost is $20 for a vegetarian lunch for any of the five days or $90 for all five sessions. More information and registration here.