September 8, 2020 Update from LWVLA
Welcome back to what promises to be an exciting, busy and interesting League year. While our methods of meeting may be different, our mission remains the same: Informing Voters and Defending Democracy.

I would like to thank you for all you have done so far in this important but troubling election year. You have shown up by volunteering to be on committees, by helping clerks organize elections, by talking to others on the importance of free democratic elections, and by renewing your membership which funds the League's work on the state and national levels. 

I am so proud of our League and its membership who make our mission not just words but a reality, and I look forward to meeting and working with you this coming year. 
Mary L. Nugent
LWVLA President
The LWVLA 2020-21 Program Year Begins!
Please Join Our Virtual Lunch & Learns
Next week, we will resume our monthly Lunch & Learn program using Zoom, the online meeting platform. Members of the public are invited to join the free live Zoom webinar by registering through the link below. A recording of the program will be available for viewing on our website following the live Zoom presentation.

September Lunch & Learn
Tuesday, September 15, 2020
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
A Voting Conversation with Ginny Dankmeyer
La Crosse County Clerk

Ellen Frantz, a member of the League's Executive Board, will open with a brief update on the legal status of recently contested Wisconsin electoral policies. Ginny Dankmeyer will then address the upcoming election--its voting issues, challenges and solutions.

If you have questions for Ms. Dankmeyer prior to her presentation, please send them to lwvlawi@gmail.com by this Friday, 9/11. You will have an opportunity to ask questions following the presentation.

Directions for joining the Zoom Webinar:
1) Click on the button below to register in advance for this webinar. Fill in the required information on the registration page.

2) After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing a link to join the Zoom webinar that says "Click Here to Join."

3) Save your email confirmation, and use that link to join the meeting on 9/15. You can join on a computer or a mobile device. Our audience will not appear on your screen, but you will have access to a Q&A feature to enter questions that will be shared after the program with our speaker.

We look forward to your joining us!
Looking Ahead
October Lunch & Learn

Tuesday, October 13
11:30 AM - 1 PM
Diana DiazGranados, Public Health Advocate
Co-Creator, Creating a Healthier Multicultural Community Project
Promoting Better Understanding of Racial Understanding and Justice in our Communities
 
In preparation for Ms. DiazGranados's talk, the Program Committee is suggesting two books our members might want to read beforehand. First is “Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race” by Debbie Irving. If you have read it, a second suggestion is “So You Want To Talk About Race” by Ijeoma Oluo. The committee felt that reading one or both of the books, if possible, in preparation for the meeting would help to further our self-education and stimulate further discussion.
Speaking of Democracy
Join the Conversation at LWVLA Book Club  
Wednesday, September 30, 6:30 - 8:00 pm

ALL ARE WELCOME!

So it is now time to get back into the book club mode after taking off our Covid respite. We will attend by Zoom! I think we have gotten more used to Zoom meetings even though we might not love them. The link to join this meeting on your computer or mobile device will be in the next news update, along with instructions on how to join the meeting.
Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudices That Shape What We See, Think, and Do by Jennifer Eberhardt.
From one of the world’s leading experts on unconscious racial bias come stories, science, and strategies to address one of the central controversies of our time

With a perspective that is at once scientific, investigative, and informed by personal experience, Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt offers us the language and courage we need to face one of the biggest and most troubling issues of our time.(notes from Amazon)

We will decide on the next two books and dates. I know Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson has been suggested a number of times and has gotten good reviews. Hope to virtually see you then!
Maureen Kinney
LWVLA Closes Its Centennial Year...
with Bells On
On August 26, League members, local government officials, and friends gathered at La Crosse City Hall to celebrate the passage of the 19th Amendment granting women suffrage with tributes and bells ringing as occurred on August 26, 1920 upon ratification by the 36th state .

A front yard social, sponsored by the LWVLA Voter Services committee, followed later in the afternoon.

A photo collage of the day will be available for viewing on our website.
November 3 General Election News
Plan ahead. Stay safe.
Make your voice heard on Election Day.

Since its founding 100 years ago, the League of Women Voters has been a respected and trusted voice for citizen participation in our democracy. As this year's consequential General Election approaches, we will be publishing important voting information in our news updates, on our website, and through our social media. We hope that you will share this information with your friends and that you will encourage them to share it with others.

  • The Wisconsin Election Commission published Wisconsin Voting Deadlines and Facts for the November 2020 election. Learn more here.

  • Last week the WEC mailed information to 2.6.million Wisconsin voters about absentee voting. The packet included an absentee ballot request form. About 200,000 people who received the mailing had already requested an absentee ballot. The WEC recommends that those individuals check the status of their pending request at the MyVote website rather than to submit the request form they received in the mailing. Learn more here.

  • The WEC mailing is emphasizing the importance of requesting absentee ballots as soon as possible. Voters can submit their ballot requests online at the MyVote website.

  • Wisconsin municipal clerks will begin mailing ballots out to voters on September 17.

  • Official ballots will also have intelligent mail barcodes for tracking. "...having the intelligent mail barcodes would help... to be able to go on the website and see when it was supposed to be there and why it wasn’t there," Reid Magney, a WEC representative, said.
Calls to Action
Voter Helpline Volunteers
The LWV Dane County, through its participation in 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. While most calls can be answered by Dane County volunteers, some cannot. These include people seeking rides to vote, assisting folks to obtain an ID while at local DMVs, and those needing help applying for absentee ballots and getting a witness signature. The Dane County League would like to identify local volunteers from around the state who could occasionally provide on-site assistance to voters living in the same region. Volunteers interested in helping should contact Marian Matthews matthm2@charter.net.
Purge List Text Outreach 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 (review it here) and absentee voting process (review it here) willing to text voters. This is a great opportunity to connect with voters from the safety of your home. 
This opportunity is for people who 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.
For Your Consideration...
In this new section of our newsletter we will recommend local events, virtual events, and reading suggestions that we feel reflect our League mission and priorities. Please send us your recommendations, and we will share them with our readers.
Addressing the Elephants in the Room
Wisconsin Green Fire is hosting virtual programs on Age, Race, Politics, and Conservation as part of their 2020 annual meeting taking place on September 9, 16, 23, 25 and 26. 

Webinar speakers include August Ball of Cream City Conservation, a bi-partisan panel of state leaders, and former Senator Russ Feingold.  

Participation is free but registration is required to access the webinars.  Learn more and register here.

Wisconsin GreenFire is a non-partisan organization whose mission is to support the conservation legacy of Wisconsin by promoting science-based management of Wisconsin's Natural Resources. Their Vision is to ensure that WI citizens understand and support scientific and thoughtful long-term management of natural resources, and value the many benefits of clean water, clean air and healthy ecosystems. 
La Crosse Virtual Town Hall: Policing in Our Community

Eight panelists spoke during the two-hour virtual event that discussed a range of topics: from police training, to implicit biases, the historical trauma Black citizens have faced, to defunding police departments and diversity among police forces, and more.

Though the topics ranged on how to fix policing practices and racism in policing for the community, solutions continued to round back to starting the work together, and starting to develop real change now.
“I know it sounds too simple, too good to be true, but it starts with a conversation. It starts with just talking, it starts with a relationship,” said panelist Chauncy Turner. (from The La Crosse Tribune, 8/20/20)

"And Nothing Less" Podcast

"Men their rights and nothing more;
women their rights and nothing less.”

Written by suffragists Susan B. Anthony  and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, women’s rights activists used this rallying cry to demand voting equality. But the suffrage movement included far more voices and perspectives than these two well-known names: throughout the fight for women’s right to vote, generations of diverse activists demanded full access to the ballot box. Hosts Rosario Dawson and Retta guide us through this seven-part series from the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission and PRX, bringing us the stories we didn’t learn in our history books.

The 19th*
A New News Organization
The 19th* is a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom reporting on the intersection of gender, politics and policy that was recently launched during a celebration of the passage of the 19th Amendment. They aim to empower women, especially those underserved and underrepresented by American media. The national League is a supporter.
The 19th Amendment made voting a right regardless of sex, but in fact excluded millions, including many women of color, for generations. The 19th Amendment remains unfinished business, a fact they acknowledge in their logo with an asterisk, a visible reminder of those who have been omitted from our democracy.
You can receive their free weekly newsletter by signing up at 19thnews.org.
The League of Women Voters of the L aCrosse Area
Visit our website: lwvlacrosse.org