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Save the Date: LWVMC New Leaders Orientation
If you’ve recently begun heading one of our committees, teams, or other groups . . . congratulations and thank you! You may now wish to get more up to speed on League organization, processes, and lingo. An in-person orientation on these matters will be held at Summit Place (Room 2136) on Thursday, July 30, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Please mark your calendar. We urge you to attend live but, if you cannot, you’ll be able to join a virtual orientation early in the Fall. |  |  | |
South Side Election Observers Still Needed
The meeting to train these special bilingual election Observers is right around the corner and more volunteers willing to be trained are still needed. The program is part of our League’s role in election protection, and is sponsored by our South Side Voter team - Comité por Voto Latino along with Voces de la Frontera (VOCES). The goal is to recruit at least 20 League trained observers who will be eyes and ears at critical south side polling stations. While the hope is to recruit bilingual Spanish speakers, the observers do not have to be completely fluent in Spanish. Most importantly they need to be able to observe and report any election interference. You do not need to be a League member to participate. The meeting and training of these special observers will take place July 21st. | Primary Election Less Than Four Weeks Away
Absentee ballots are in the mail. Once you receive your absentee ballot the Milwaukee County Election Commission recommends mailing it back to your municipal clerk by July 31st or earlier to ensure they arrive on time and are counted. If you prefer not to mail you ballot your can do the following:
- Ballot drop boxes Link to all Milwaukee County drop boxes
- Deliver to your municipal clerks office or designated site.
Important dates and deadlines for the Primary election
- July 22 - deadline to register online or by mail
- July 28th Early in person voting starts
- August 6th at 5pm - deadline to make absentee request
- August 7th at 5pm deadline to register to vote in person at your clerk’s office
- August 11th ELECTION DAY
Unsure about who to vote for in one of the primary elections such as for Governor? Vote411 is the place to get reliable, unbiased information. Try it here here and share the link with your friends and neighbors.
Voters Who Cast Their Ballot Early and Want to Change Their Vote Can No Longer Do So
On July 8th Milwaukee County Executive, David Crowley withdrew from the Governor’s race. Earlier another candidate Missy Hughes also withdrew. Absentee ballots were sent out beginning June 25th and unfortunately these two candidates were still on the ballot for the Democratic primary for Governor. In the past a voter could request a replacement ballot but as a result of a recent court ruling, the Wisconsin Election Commission ruled that regardless of whether a voter’s chosen candidate dropped out they can no longer receive a replacement absentee ballot. According to the WEC if you have not yet submitted your ballot you could request a replacement ballot but once the ballot is returned the voter can no longer change them.
This Information is from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and is a report regarding the WEC decision.
League of Women Voters US condemns the removal of the federal Election Assistance Commission.
On July 10th the President of the United States fired the last two Democratic members of the federal Election Assistance Commission (EAC) This commission has a number of duties including certifying voting machines and maintaining the national mail-voter registration forms. Earlier the Republican members resigned so now there are no members left. This means the President will have the opportunity to appoint all replacement commissioners.
In response the League of Women Voters called the removal “a direct attack on the independence of our nation’s election infrastructure ... The American people deserve elections administered by trusted professionals, not shaped by political interference. The US League went on to say the action “is a dangerous escalation in the effort to weaken the safeguards that protect free and fair elections in the November midterms.”
Here is the link to the full statement by the LWVUS.
|  | See Your Candidates for the Fall Primary Election on VOTE411.org
Have you looked at VOTE411.org yet for the Fall Primary? Go to VOTE411.org and type in your address. Click on Submit and in the next screen select your language. If you select “all parties” and then click on “save and view all races,” you will see all the races for your address. Click on any race to see the candidates and their answers to the League’s questions. We will find information about races for US Congress and Wisconsin State races. State races include Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State and State Treasurer. You may have a Wisconsin Assembly race. In local races, Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties will each have a Sheriff and a Clerk of County Court races. On VOTE411, voters can learn more about the responsibilities of these offices.
Now that you have used VOTE411, please help spread the word by talking VOTE411 to at least one other person that you know. There is power in introducing VOTE411 to just one other person! |  | |
Higher Education Committee Needs Volunteers
The new Higher Education voter services team is on the move connecting with area colleges and universities.
The team has hit the ground running and already have gotten positive response from a number of area colleges including: MSOE, Mount Mary University, MATC, Concordia and Marquette. They are still hoping to have partnerships with UW Milw. and Alverno.
All they now need is a team of League Volunteers with passion to engage young voters at these campuses. If you are interested in helping students with voter registration and education starting this September please contact me and I will get you to the right team leader. Candice Owley |  |  |  | The Garland of Choice is a joyous, family-friendly, art-installation collecting brief messages from Wisconsin residents. Festival visitors write reflections, hopes, or statements about reproductive healthcare and bodily autonomy. Thousands of these messages will be assembled into a public garland that visually represents community sentiment and will be displayed at the Wisconsin State Capitol.
This project advances the League’s vision of equitable access to contraception, infertility care, and abortion healthcare – without government intervention - while creating welcoming conversations and an archival record to share with policymakers.
We Need Your Help
The success of this project depends on League volunteers. We currently have more outreach opportunities than volunteers to staff them.
Volunteering is easy and flexible. Most shifts are only 3–4 hours, and there are a variety of dates, times, and locations available throughout the summer. Whether you can help once or several times, your participation will make a difference.
No special expertise is required—just a willingness to engage with community members and help them add their voices to the Garland of Choice. Non-members are welcome to participate.
If you care about reproductive freedom and want to help bring this important conversation into our communities, please consider volunteering. Together, we can amplify constituent voices, strengthen community engagement, and create change.
Join us in creating a powerful message for change! Contact Colleen Golomski @ colleengolomski@gmail.com to be added to our signup list. |  |
SE Wisconsin Climate News
Milwaukee County Courthouse - Construction and renovation of the courthouse complex will involve the rebranded “Offices of Sustainability and Facilities Planning.” Director of the Offices, Grant Helle, is involved in the early planning to assure both emissions reductions and cost savings, since the Courthouse is the County's largest emitter of greenhouse gases.
WI Public Service Commission ruling requires data center companies to post financial guarantees - The PSC declined to hear We Energies' June 10 petition asking the Commission to rollback its requirement to post financial guarantees in cash or lines of credit. This means the decision stands and homeowners, small businesses and manufacturing will experience cost savings.
Suit challenges WI DNR’s environmental review of Port Washington Data Center - On behalf of Sierra Club, Midwest Environmental Advocates has filed a suit alleging WI’s DNR failed to require an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Vantage Data Center in Port Washington. Air permits for the installation of 45 diesel generators at the site were included in the project that also involves new gas plants, substations, high voltage lines and more. While the public asked for an EIS in early and mid-2025 - and the DNR agreed, a less demanding Environmental Assessment has allowed the project to proceed - without a thorough EIS that the public wanted so residents could be heard. Hence the lawsuit.
Climate Planning for 2026-27:
JULY 18, 10-noon, In-person, Climate Action Group Steering Committee - Planning for 2026-2027 year. Washington Park Library.
Save The Date:
JULY 29, 5:30-8:30, Data Center Town Hall - Turner Hall, 1040 N Vel R. Phillips Ave, Milwaukee, WI., Sponsored by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. A snapshot of how candidates view state vs. local control, business growth, utility costs, environmental protections, the use of government tax incentives and more.
REGISTER HERE.
Reports
- Bill McKibben on Trump’s Climate Rollbacks: “This Is Economic Self-Sabotage” - A sober 18 minute MUST WATCH that illuminates an array of negative effects due to the climate rollbacks.
|  | LGBTQI+All Letters Matter
LGBTQI+All Letters Matter
The acronym LGBTQI+ has grown over time to better reflect the diversity of people within the community and our commitment to ensuring everyone feels seen, respected, and included. This week we’ve added I, the intersex community.
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L – Lesbian: A woman attracted to other women.
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G – Gay: A person attracted to people of the same gender.
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B – Bisexual: A person attracted to more than one gender.
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T – Transgender: A person whose gender identity differs from the sex assigned at birth.
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Q – Queer or Questioning: An inclusive umbrella term or someone exploring their identity.
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I – Intersex: A person born with natural variations in sex characteristics.
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+ – Represents other identities, including asexual, pansexual, nonbinary, genderfluid, agender, and others.
Why we Say "All the Letters Matter"
Every letter represents real people. While transgender people make up about 1% of the U.S. population and people with intersex traits are estimated at about 1–2%, every person deserves dignity, respect, and recognition.
That's why we say, "All the letters matter." Inclusivity isn't about adding letters—it's about making sure no one is left out. When we recognize every letter, we recognize every person.
| To stay informed about legislation affecting the LGBTQ+ community and track advocacy efforts, visit Fair Wisconsin’s Bills to Watch page:
fairwisconsin.com/bills-to-watch
To identify and contact your state legislators and relevant committee members, use MyVote Wisconsin: myvote.wi.gov
Speaking up matters.
LGBTQI+ ... All Letters Matter! |  |  | |
We have lots to talk about! New Fiscal Year and November Elections
There is a lot to talk about as we start the new fiscal year and head into the partisan primary election on August 11 and then the General Election on November 3.
The Speakers Bureau is dedicated to educating citizens about civic engagement. Right now, talking about registering to vote and election information is front and center.
You can identify opportunities for presentations in communities the League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County serves. With your help, we can provide every voter with the information they need to make an informed decision at the polls! Invite the Speakers Bureau to give a presentation at a club, church, and/or neighborhood organization in your community.
Who needs to hear why voting is important, who can vote, getting registered, different options for how to vote? It is time for all of us to help defend democracy.
We have presentations on
- All about Voting
- Evaluating Candidates for Governor
- VOTE411 a walkthrough
To request a speaker for an event, complete this form requesting a speaker to give a presentation.
Or reach out to Theresa Bellone or Mary Voelker at speakersbureau@lwvmilwaukee.org for more information about the Speakers Bureau or to schedule a presentation. | |
Skills Training to Optimize Your Impact
Saturday, August 15, 2026 from 9:00 AM till 12:00 Noon. | | | Have you registered for the Philip Chard Training on Saturday, August 15 from 9:00 AM till 12:00 Noon?
Remember that this training is for all League members, not just for speakers talking with groups. Whether we interact with the public at a tabling event, a voter registration drive, or an advocacy meeting, we want to be at our best and use skills that meet the need of the moment. Even if we have received interpersonal skill training in the past, knowing best practice will help us meet the public for a positive interchange with each community member!! If you have had some difficult interactions, bring these examples and get feedback about how it might have gone differently!! See the attached flyer for more details.
Dr. Phillip Chard is providing this free training to LWVMC members and their guests on Saturday, August 15, 20206 from 9:00 AM till 12:00 Noon at Summit Place (6737 West Washington Street in West Allis) in Room 2135.
Click here for more information.
Go to the League website, sign-in, and click on event calendar in the top horizontal menu bar. Find the event on the August calendar and register. Just takes a minute!! All League members are invited along with their guests who can be non-members.
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The following is a request from the Women’s March. Rape and sexual assault allegations are a persistent problem in ICE detention facilities. Advocacy groups cite poor enforcement of the Prison Rape Elimination Act and inadequate, often delayed investigations by facility operators as systemic problems. Please sign on to the request below. Thank you.
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Rape Allegations at Immigrant Detention Facilities
Women reported being raped inside an ICE detention center in California. Those reports were never investigated as crimes.
Why? Because the private prison company running the detention center was allowed to investigate rape allegations against itself, and decide whether law enforcement needed to know.
Add your name and tell Congress to require independent criminal investigations of every sexual assault allegation in immigration detention and end sweetheart agreements that let private prison companies police themselves.
ADD YOUR NAME >> | |
Please join at least three League members who will be participating in the protest below. We will be holding letters spelling out a sign in hourly shifts. Thank you.
| Resistance Against the Administration
Bridge Demonstration
Barker Rd. Bridge at I-94
Saturday, July 18, 10:00-2:00, signup for 1 or more hour-long shifts
For more information, signup here Brookfield Bridge Demonstration
*Please note that this event is on the weekend designated this year to honor Congressman John Lewis. So let’s follow the lead of that great man and make some “Good Trouble”. | History Shows Us that Protests Matter
Why do protests matter?
Visible resistance is essential so the government and its supporters see the number of citizens who don’t agree with their actions. Nonviolent visible protest activity encourages those sitting on the sidelines to join in. Here is the link to the listing of ongoing weekly protests: Protest Rallies | |
Become a LWVMC Monthly Donor!
Become an LWVMC Monthly donor – to Empower Voters and Defend Democracy – and your sustaining support will provide the resources we need to fight for our democracy today, tomorrow and every day. Your monthly gift helps the League amplify the voices of its members to reach bigger and more lasting impacts. The erosion of voting rights cannot be ignored and your recurring gift provides year-round help to the League in its efforts to fight voter suppression.
Click here and follow the prompts to set up your Monthly Donation.
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League Cafe will meet at the East Side Library, 2320 N. Cramer St. at 10:00 on July 24th. There is parking behind the library through the arch. This month is “general discussion” and there is always plenty to discuss with current issues at home and abroad. The August 28 meeting will be discussion of the specific book, Saving Us, by Katherine Hayhoe.
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The Marquette Law School Poll is pleased to bring you the results of a new statewide poll on Wednesday, July 22, at 12:15 p.m. CDT in Eckstein Hall. The program will feature Charles Franklin, professor of law and public policy and director of the Marquette Law School Poll, and Derek Mosley, director of the school’s Lubar Center for Public Policy Research and Civic Education. The program is free and open to the public. A light lunch will be available. The program will also be livestreamed on the Law School’s website via the “Watch Now” button. The Poll’s survey of Wisconsin voters considers the upcoming August 11 primaries for governor, including perceptions of the candidates, the desired qualities of candidates, and voter choice. The survey also looks at favorability of the candidates for attorney general. Additional items include perceptions of the parties, which issues voters regard as most important, how the economy is performing, building new data centers in Wisconsin, the adequacy of school funding, and property taxes. National issues include views of the Iran war, the effect of tariffs, and the outlook for inflation, as well as approval of President Donald Trump. REGISTER HERE.
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Gubernatorial Debate July 28 on WISN-12, 7-8 pm.
Democratic primary candidates running for Wisconsin governor will face off in a debate on Tuesday, July 28, 7-8 pm, hosted by WISN-TV (Channel 12). The debate will be moderated by WISN journalists Gerron Jordan and Matt Smith. WISN 12 and ABC affiliates in Wisconsin will live broadcast the debate done in collaboration with WisPolitics, without an in-person audience.
The winner of the Aug. 11 primary election will advance to the Nov. 3 general election to take on the presumptive Republican nominee, U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany. | There is a way you can work directly with a family in need. It’s called Keeping Families Together Family by Family. People fill out a form saying what they need; other people fill out the form saying what they can provide. This is a way to provide direct assistance to those in need. And if you know an at-risk immigrant family having trouble with basic needs, share the link. |  | |
Rid Racism Milwaukee
Love Your Neighbor Love Your Community
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church
3722 S 58th St, Milwaukee
Thursday, July 23rd 6:30-8:30 pm
Rid Racism Milwaukee, SE WI Indivisible, and Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church invite you to attend a Love Your Neighbor Love Your Community in-person event. By asking questions and listening to each other, attendees will explore ways to imagine, build, and maintain the beloved community.
The event will be held in Our Lady of Lourdes Fellowship Hall located at 3722 S. 58th St. in Milwaukee on Thursday, July 23rd from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.. For further information and to register for the event, click here.
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2026 African Cultural Festival
Brown Deer Park (Picnic Areas 2&3)
7835 N. Green Bay Rd., Milwaukee
Saturday, July 18th 11:00 am - 8:00 pm
| Is Your Member Profile Up-to-Date?
The Member Portal of our website has resources (including a member directory) just for members. Please login to the website, click Member Resources in the top menu, go to your Member Profile and complete/update your Additional Member Data and Interests (found under Website Functions). Contact roster@lwvmilwaukee.org with questions. Thank you! | So Many Ways to Support Local Democracy and Your League. Thank You! | Follow us on Social Media! | You have received this message from the mailing list of League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County. If you would prefer not to receive these emails in the future, go to the opt-out page and modify your privacy settings. You can also request to be removed from our database completely. | |