 |  | LWVUS Denounces President's False Claims About Elections
LWVUS CEO Celine Stewart issued a statement following President Trump’s address to the nation on July 16. Excerpts below. Read the entire statement here.
“The League of Women Voters strongly denounces President Trump’s false, outlandish, and indefensible claims related to the security of US elections. Continuing to spread allegations that have been repeatedly debunked by experts through countless court proceedings not only erodes public confidence in the democratic process but also further weakens the institutions that protect our freedom to vote...
... “Our elections and national security have been protected because of agencies such as the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the US Election Assistance Commission (EAC), both of which had their leadership dismantled by the Trump administration. You cannot claim to defend election integrity while blatantly dismantling it and firing the independent experts whose very job it is to protect it...
... “Make no mistake: this is a deliberate, dangerous, and desperate attempt to spread doubt not only about the 2020 election and the verified integrity of our election process, but about any future election whose outcome President Trump refuses to accept...We call on voters to show up to the November midterms in record numbers, so there can be no doubt, once and for all, that Americans are committed to electing a government that serves all of us, not just some of us.” |  | |
Save the Date: LWVMC New Leaders Orientation
On July 30 from 6 to 7:30 p.m., Linda Laarman, LWVMC VP-Organization, will lead an orientation session geared to new LWVMC leaders: those who head a committee, team or other group and haven’t previously attended an orientation session. We’ll meet at Summit Place in Room 2135. This event will be in-person only. (In the Fall, we’ll hold a Zoom orientation.)
We’ll discuss League organization, some key policies, procedures, and tools; and insights to help you carry out your responsibilities. The format will be more conversational than lecture, and you’ll get a handout on which you may take notes. Please attend if you can! | Register HERE for one, two or all three sessions. |  | Primary Election Less Than Three Weeks Away
Remember!! This is a partisan primary so you must choose a party section to vote and only fill in bubbles within that section. No crossing party lines. If you vote in more than one party, your vote will not be counted. For example, you can’t vote in the Democratic primary for Governor and cross over to vote in the Republican primary for Sheriff. Your vote will not be counted.
Absentee ballots are in the mail. Once you receive your absentee ballot the Milwaukee County Election Commission recommends filling it out and mailing it back to your municipal clerk by July 31st or earlier to ensure it arrives on time and is counted. Even better, find your nearest drop box:
- Ballot drop boxes Link to all Milwaukee County drop box sites.
- Deliver to your municipal clerk’s office or designated site.
- Still undecided? You can turn your absentee ballot in at a Drop Box as late at 6pm on election day.
As of July 22 registration online or by mail has now ended, but people can still register at an early voting site until 5pm August 7th and on August 11, election day.
Important dates and deadlines for the Primary election
· July 28th Early in person voting starts and generally ends on August 9th. Each city, town or village sets its own hours and locations.
· 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.org is the place to get reliable, unbiased information. Use it here yourself and share the link with your friends and neighbors.
Voters Who Cast Their Ballots Early and Want to Change Their Votes Can No Longer Do So
On July 17th, Lt. Governor Sara Rodriguez withdrew from the Democratic primary in the Governor’s race, and County Executive David Crowley reentered. Earlier, another candidate, Missy Hughes, also withdrew. Absentee ballots were sent out beginning June 25th and unfortunately the candidates who withdrew are 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 has been returned the voter can no longer change it.
This Information is from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and is a report regarding the WEC decision.
|  | Do Your Part to Protect Our Elections
Become an Election Observer!
Help the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin monitor Wisconsin's elections. We are seeking hundreds of volunteers to be trained as Election Observers and placed in polling places in specific areas around the state. We provide training, assign volunteers to a polling place(s) to observe, and provide volunteers with a reporting form to record their observations. We will do our best to assign you to a location near your home. You don't need to be a League member to volunteer for this -- although we'd love to have you join us! Register HERE. | Video Gubernatorial Candidate Forum
Candidates respond to specific questions.
All the candidates from both parties were invited.
New Initiative by the Common Threads Coalition, a grassroots group newly formed in the fall of 2025, consisting of progressive activists living in and around Waukesha County. LINK HERE |  | 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. You 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! |  |  | |
Meet the Candidates in their own words
Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District
| Thank You Planned Parenthood of Northwest Milwaukee
“I learned so much. I thought I knew about all the services offered by Planned Parenthood, but I was so wrong. And I have come to appreciate them even more as their focus on customer service - meeting their community where “they are at” - is more than admirable. It is inspiring!” Gail Sklodowska, Co-Chair Reproductive Rights
Thank you, Shalon Metcalf, Regional Director for Milwaukee Clinics, for spending your time with us on a Saturday morning and your thoughtful presentation. Jo Fox, Public Affairs Organizer, informed us of a number of great volunteer opportunities to support their work. They can be found here. Michelle Velasquez, WI Chief Strategy Officer, verified that the LWVMC Reproductive Rights Team vision and messaging advocate is 100% in line with theirs. A follow-up meeting will be planned to determine collaborative next steps. |  |  |
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:
Saturday, July 25, 1:00 p.m., Wisconsin Conservation Voices Energy Hike; meet at Zeidler Union Square Park, 301 W. Michigan St. Milwaukee. Please use this link to sign up for the hike.
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.
Monday, August 3, 6:00p.m. Mitchell Street Branch Library, 906 W Historic Mitchell St,, Wisconsin Conservation Voices is hosting their SE Wisconsin Listening Session.
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.
|  | |
Skills Training to Optimize Your Impact
LWVMC Members & Guests Only
Saturday, August 15, 2026
9:00 AM 'til 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, 2026 from 9:00am--12:00 Noon at Summit Place (6737 West Washington Street in West Allis) in Room 2135. Click here for more information.
Register here. All League members are invited along with their guests who can be non-members. |  |  | ICE has Killed Two More People
Lorenzo Salgado Araujo lived in the United States for 35 years, raising three boys who are U.S. citizens. He was on his way to work when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stopped him – supposedly because he "resembled" the person they were looking for – then shot and killed him.
Days later, an ICE agent shot and killed a 26-year-old man from Colombia in Biddeford, Maine. Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero's 3-year-old daughter and wife watched in horror as he took his last breaths. EMS took over 30 minutes to arrive, and he was in the street for approximately 5 hours. Neither Mr. Durán Guerrero nor Mr. Salgado Araujo was the target of the warrants ICE had. Both men leave behind devastated families.
How many more people will die at the hands of ICE? We're demanding an end to the fatal, lawless operations from Maine to Texas to Florida and beyond.
Take action: Tell Congress to stop ICE's deadly operations and ensure a full and independent investigation of Mr. Salgado Araujo's and Mr. Durán Guerrero's killings before one more person is hurt or killed.
TAKE ACTION HERE
|  | | Yes! Voting is Our Superpower.
Waukesha Resist's next public gathering isn’t so much a protest as a sidewalk public awareness event. Want to join other League members at this event? Email Donna Spars at d.spars@lwvmilwaukee.org for a meeting location. Register HERE.
| | | 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 | |
Can’t get out to join the protests for the LWV Unite and Rise 8.5 Campaign? Become a LWVMC Sustaining Donor!
Are you wanting to join the LWV Unite and Rise 8.5 campaign but can’t get out to join the protests? Consider becoming a sustaining donor to the League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County to show your support and be part of the campaign. Become a LWVMC Monthly donor to empower voters and defend democracy. Your sustaining support will provide the resources the League needs 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.
|  |  | Join us for a workshop on Black and Brown community members owning their story in the media facilitated by Enjoyiana Nurdin followed by a discussion about how communities stay informed.
All community members are welcome and encouraged to come. Food and refreshments provided. Bring a friend, listen, learn, connect and share. We hope to see you there!
WHAT:Community Listening Session: Owning Your Story In the Media
WHEN:Sunday, August 2nd, from 1-4 p.m. CT
WHERE:MLK Milwaukee Public Library, 2901 N Doctor M.L.K. Jr Dr, Milwaukee
WHO:Hosted by Free Press with Guest Speaker Enjoyiana Nurdin, M.A.
RSVP LINK | Civic Bites: Department of City Development
A Conversation & Snack with Commissioner Lafayette Crump
Saturday, July 25, 11:30am - 12:30pm
Washington Park Library
4243 W. North Ave
Register Here.
What does the Department of City Development do & who gets it done? You'll hear Commissioner Crump share what drew him to his role, his day-to-day, and how you can get involved in our city this year.
We'll be snacking on Commissioner Crump's favorite dish while we talk, so come hungry and ready to learn more about the inner workings of our city government.
Is there something you'd like to ask your Department of City Development? Submit your questions here! |  | The Civic Health Challenge will take place during Civic Health Month -- August 2026. Sign up here to receive updates and instructions for participating.
The goal of the Civic Health Challenge is to raise awareness of the Civic Health of Wisconsin Initiative and participating organizations, educate Wisconsinites on how they can contribute to civic health in their communities, and encourage habits and actions that contribute to local civic health.
How to sign up: FREE to participate. Register online by July 31 to receive challenges starting the first week of August. | Milwaukee Turners Sound Mind Series
Milwaukee Turners Sound Mind program is a series of free, nonpartisan workshops to educate the public on how to make changes in their community through civic engagement. Upcoming workshops:
Democracy 101: July 29, 4-6 pm at Historic Turner Hall
Civic Engagement at any level. Understand local, state and federal government, policies and people that affect us daily. Gain practical skills for making change in your community through advocacy, voting, and more.
Intro to Structural and Implicit Bias: August 2, 11 am-1 pm at Planned Parenthood NW Community Center
Learn about the complex identities we share and how to support yourself and others in a diverse world. Break down biases in the media, systems and ourselves to promote tolerance and begin to uncover the roots of injustices from our history to today.
Registration and information here. | 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. | |