July 8, 2020 Update from LWVLA
Just a Gentle Reminder...
League Membership Runs from July 1 to June 30.
If it's slipped your mind, please click on the button below. We need you in this very important year.
Help Us Promote VOTE 411

Ahead of the August 11 primary election, the LWV of WI offers the nonpartisan election resource  VOTE411.org. This “one-stop shop” for election information provides simple, easy tools to help WI voters navigate the voting process. VOTE411 provides candidate information, a voter registration tool, polling place information, and other helpful election information for all voters nationwide.

The League's refreshed vision for this comprehensive voter resource resulted in its being awarded a " Best Government & Civil Innovation Website in the 24th Annual Webby People’s Voice Awards."

This August primary will provide voters a chance to choose the Democratic candidate for the U.S. House, District 3, seat, and the Wisconsin Senate, District 32, seat. Most of the candidates for these races have provided information and position statements for VOTE411. Candidate responses have also been translated into Spanish. 

Please help spread the word by encouraging your friends and family to explore the League's one-stop shop, VOTE411 .
LWVLA Urges Adherence to Wisconsin Fair Maps Pledge
 
Thank you to the voters of La Crosse, Vernon, Trempealeau, and Monroe County who voted "Yes" to Fair Maps referendums in April 2019 and April 2020. The overwhelming Yes votes (+70%) express the will of the people in ending gerrymandering in Wisconsin. As voters plan for the August Primary and November General Election, invite legislative candidates to commit their support for Fair Maps in Wisconsin, "I pledge to support and advance fair redistricting that is transparent, non-discriminatory, and politically impartial."
 
The Wisconsin League of Women Voters has advocated for a nonpartisan redistricting process for decades. The League's voter guide on VOTE411.org is a nonpartisan source of candidate information including a candidate's position on redistricting. Voters can read and compare candidates’ verbatim responses to the League’s redistricting question on Vote411.org and be fully prepared to cast their ballot as an informed voter. 
Voters are also invited to take the Wisconsin Fair Maps Coalition pledge: “I believe that Wisconsin should have a level playing field and fair elections. That’s why I pledge to vote only for candidates who promise to support fair maps legislation, a fair redrawing in 2021, and who will vote to ban partisan gerrymandering.”
 
Join the League of Women Voters and the Fair Maps Coalition to end gerrymandering in Wisconsin. For more information:   www.lwvlacrosse.org  . Every voice should be heard and every vote should count equally!  
 
Mary Nugent, President
League of Women Voters of the La Crosse Area
The LWVWI To Provide Candidate Information in Spanish

LWVWI is currently in the process of getting WI candidate responses translated into Spanish and posting them on the LWVWI website. The Spanish content on VOTE411 is not accessible at this time for Spanish speakers. Our state League wants to be sure people are able to find the content they're looking for.

For the August 11 Election, the LWVWI's website (here) will be the place to find unbiased candidate information in Spanish.
Volunteers Needed to Provide Voter Assistance
for Upcoming Elections

Voter Helpline Volunteers
The LWV Dane County through the auspices of the Dane County Voter ID Coalition, maintains a free helpline that voters throughout the state can call for assistance with voting questions including information about the absentee voting witness requirement. The Helpline number (608-285-2141) is advertised throughout the state, and many people from outside of Dane County call for assistance. Volunteers interested in helping should contact Marian Matthews  ( matthm2@charter.net ).

Purge List Phone Bank Volunteers
LWVWI is working with our Wisconsin Voting Rights Coalition partners to coordinate a statewide nonpartisan effort to ensure every voter on the purge list is contacted. We are in need of volunteers who are knowledgeable about the voter registration process and willing to call voters. We will provide training and a call script. If you'd like to volunteer for this opportunity, please  sign up here .

Absentee Voter Engagement Volunteers
Starting in July, LWVWI will be partnering again with Wisconsin Conservation Voices to reach out to voters with information about absentee voting via text message through an app called Hustle - We’re looking for some League volunteers to help with this. This is a great opportunity to connect with voters from the safety of your home. 
This opportunity is for people who are familiar with the absentee voting process (you can read up on it  here) and are comfortable with using apps on cell phones. We will provide training on how to use the app. Once you’re trained, the volunteer schedule is very flexible. If you’d like to volunteer for this opportunity, please  sign up here
Community News & Events of Interest
Tuesday, July 14
7 - 8 PM
A Community Dialogue Series:
Racism, Faith and How White People Talk About Race: A Conversation With Keonte Turner 
While white people may want to address racism, it is often difficult and uncomfortable to know where to begin. And if one claims to have faith in God or a Higher Power, what does it mean to be a person of faith in a system fraught with racism, hatred and bias? Join us via Zoom as we talk with La Crosse resident Keonte Turner.

Click on the poster above to register. The cost is $7 per person. More information is available on Facebook here.
 
This series is co-sponsored by the FSPA Office of Mission Integration and the FSC.
Virtual Video Library
Welcome, Dr. Deborah Turner
The 20th National President of the League of Women Voters.

Dr. Turner's biography can be read here and her remarks at the 54th National Convention can be viewed here .
Upper Mississippi River Region ILO
Annual Meeting Speakers on Video

The May 30 UMRR Annual Meeting focused on Chicago's Impacts on the Mississippi. Our speakers were Debra Shore and Kelly McGinnis - their talks were illuminating, insightful and inspiring. 
Videos of both talks are available  here . (Scroll down.)
PBS Offers Interactive Experience of "The Vote"
The League of Women Voters of the L aCrosse Area
Visit our website: lwvlacrosse.org