April 15, 2020 Updates from LWVLA
Dear Membership,

We hope this note is finding you, your family, and friends well. While the shut-down has affected the way the League carries out its message, we are exploring ways to continue with our important work of educating voters and defending democracy. As a League, we are exploring ways to reach out to membership electronically and virtually. Our website is being continuously up-dated, important information and action alerts are shared on Facebook, and Constant Contact is being used to keep you informed and up-to-date.

While our face-to-face Annual Meeting on May 18 is cancelled, we are going to tape the "meeting" and post it on YouTube. Also, all the information that is shared will be sent to you via email. That will be the Annual Meeting Report 2019 and the Membership Roster. Also included will be a ballot for approval of the 2020-21 Budget, 2020-2021 Programming, and the 2020-2022 Officers and Board of Directors. This year, we need to elect a Secretary, Treasurer, and three Board Members. You will be receiving the information sometime the first week of May.  Our virtual Annual Meeting will be June 2. More information on this will be coming.

Here's how you can help:
1. Review the Annual Meeting information. If you have questions, please send them to   [email protected].
2. Return your ballot by June 2. This can be done electronically or by mail.
3. Keep in touch with fellow members
4. Read the messages sent through the newsletter and Constant Contact. They often contain information on actions that you can do.
5. If you have technological skills, please consider sharing them with us.
6. If you hear of any way we can promote our message or of webinars that would be of interest to the membership, please share.

Again, our email is  [email protected]   Please stay safe, socially distanced, and healthy. I promise...when we are safe, we will have one big party!

Mary Nugent
2020 April 7 Election Outcomes

42.59% of La Crosse County registered voters cast ballots in the April 7 election.

Fair Maps: The LWVLA supported and assisted with citizen advisory referendums calling for the Wisconsin Legislature to establish a nonpartisan redistricting process in Monroe and Trempealeau Counties. In both cases the referendums passed, by 74.5% in Monroe and by 76.6% in Trempealeau County.

Vote411: 1466 users from the Coulee Region sought information on candidates between January and April 2020. Thanks to the members of LWVLA's Vote 411 committee for their efforts to provide valuable voter information for our local elections: Deb Lutjen (Chair), Monta Clark, Nora Garland, Jade Johnson, Fred and Janet Kusch, Martha Linville, Mary Nugent, and Robin Schmidt.

Thank Your Municipal Clerks: Our Voter Services committee encourages you to write a thank you note to your municipal clerk for all they did to provide and process absentee ballots, ensure our right to vote, and keep us safe under extraordinary circumstances on April 7. Contact information for La Crosse County Municipal Clerks can be found here .

Request of League Poll Workers: Sincere appreciation goes out to those of you who were poll workers on Tuesday. Our League would like to know which of our members worked at the polls for this challenging election. If you worked on April 7, please contact us at [email protected] to provide that information. Again, thank you for your dedication to supporting our right to vote.

LWVWI Statement on the April 7 Election: Following Tuesday’s Spring election, in which hundreds of thousands of voters experienced ballot shortages, long lines, confusion, and the choice between their health and their constitutional right to vote, the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin Executive Director Debra Cronmiller issued a statement, available here .
Call to Action:
LWVWI invites your participation in the following surveys:
Share your April 2020 Voter Experience with the LWVWI
Many of you served as poll workers or in other capacities in your communities alongside your local election officials, and others made the difficult decision to stay home out of concern for your and your loved ones' health and safety. It is not fair that these were the choices we and voters were forced to make. Voting should not be like this. 

To that end, LWVWI and our Election Protection Coalition partners are collecting stories from voters about their experience voting Tuesday. If you can, please fill out here and share this form.  We will use this information to work with policy makers to make improvements to voting in Wisconsin . 
Annual Wisconsin Conservation Congress Spring Hearings
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Spring is here. Time for the Annual Wisconsin Conservation Congress Spring Hearings , which are a great opportunity for League members to have a voice. Due to the COVID-19 situation, participation will be held ONLY online, and we urge you to take a few minutes to respond to the online questionnaire.

Go online to vote starting April 13 at 7:00 p.m. through April 16, 7:00 p.m. The Wisconsin League has provided a link to ( here) and guidance for completion of the questionnaire based on LWV principles and positions.
A series of environmental webinars sponsored by Wisconsin GreenFire are available for viewing on their website. Wisconsin GreenFire is a non-partison group whose mission is to support the conservation legacy of Wisconsin by promoting science-based management of Wisconsin's natural resources.  In light of the postponement of our Earth Day Lunch and Learn, where a representative of Wisconsin GreenFire was scheduled to speak, we welcome you to participate in these webinars. The first webinar, scheduled for April 16th, is " WGF Virtual Field Trip - Voyage to the Bottom of the World: Penguins, Whales and Ice." You can register for this and other upcoming webinars at the WGF website - look for the Event tab at  here . If you have questions, please contact Robin Schmidt at  [email protected] .  
Membership Booklet Request

The LWV of the La Crosse Area will be printing the annual membership booklet. Each member's name, address, phone number(s), e-mail address(es) and initial membership year will be printed. The Membership Booklet will be shared with League members and archived at Murphy Library Digital’s Collection (UW-L). If you prefer that some or all of your membership information not be printed, or if you need to update your contact information, please email the League at [email protected] or contact Kathy Mulliner (Membership Chair), 788-9209, [email protected] . Please be specific as to what information you do not want printed.   
SAVE THE DATE!
Future La Crosse Area League 2020 Programs

6/2/20
LWVLA Virtual Annual Meeting

8/26/20
Centennial Year Closing Event

Mark Your Calendar with the 2020 Election Dates
 
8/11/20
Partisan Primary
 
11/3/20
General Election
The League of Women Voters of the L aCrosse Area
Visit our website: lwvlacrosse.org