Next Wisconsin Election: November 3, 2020
Plan ahead. Stay safe. Make your voice heard on Election Day.
Check Our Voting Information Page for Complete WI Election Information.
Candidate Debates
The League of Women Voters of the La Crosse Area, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and other partners are sponsoring virtual debates over the next several weeks.
Each will be live streamed by WKBT on its webpage and available on demand on the WKBT politics page. The debate will also be available on WXOW's webpage.
95th Assembly
Jill Billings (Inc) / Jerome Gundersen
12:45-1:45 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 12
94th Assembly
Steve Doyle (Inc) / Leroy Brown / Kevin Hoyer
12:45-1:45 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 14
96th Assembly
Loren Oldenburg (Inc) / Josefine Jaynes
9:30-10:30 a.m.
Friday, Oct. 16
32nd Senate
Dan Kapanke / Brad Pfaff
3:30-4:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 20
Third Congressional District
Ron Kind (Inc) v. Derrick Van Orden
12:45-1:45 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 28
Please Join Our Virtual Lunch & Learns
November Lunch & Learn
Tuesday, November 10
11:30 AM - 1 PM
National Popular Vote Interstate Compact
Speaker: Barbara Paterick,
LWVWI’s Legislative Committee,
National Popular Vote (NPV) liaison to LWVUS,
and national grassroots NPV organizations.
The League of Women Voters supports the goal of a direct popular vote for the election of the President and vice president of the United States. The League also supports the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC) , an agreement between states to assure the election of the President by the national popular vote. as a means of achieving this goal. The NPVIC is Barbara Paterick will explain the NPVIC and present information about the progress achieved so far toward realizing the goal of a direct popular vote for president. The NPV will become activated when states accounting for 240 electoral votes pass the law. We are only 74 electoral votes away, and Wisconsin would add 10. NPVIC ensures that every vote, in every state, counts in electing the president. Find out why this compact is needed and how we can help get it passed.
Members of the public are invited to join the free live Zoom meeting by registering through the link below. A recording of the program will be available for viewing on our website following the live Zoom presentation.
Please register in advance for this webinar:
Directions for joining the Zoom Webinar:
1) Click on the button above 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. 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.
Speaking of Democracy
Join the Conversation at LWVLA Book Club
Tuesday, October 27, 6:30 - 8:00 pm
ALL ARE WELCOME!
Use the button below to join this meeting on your computer or mobile device. Follow the same instructions as above for the Lunch & Learn.
Winner of the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction • Winner of the NAACP Image Award for Nonfiction • Winner of a Books for a Better Life Award • Finalist for the Los Angeles TimesBook Prize • Finalist for the Kirkus Reviews Prize • An American Library Association Notable Book
“Every bit as moving as To Kill a Mockingbird, and in some ways more so . . . a searing indictment of American criminal justice and a stirring testament to the salvation that fighting for the vulnerable sometimes yields.”—David Cole, The New York Review of Books
The book discussion for November 23 will be Caste: The Origins of our Discontent by Isabel Wilkerson.
Upcoming Events
2020-21 LWVLA Programs
November 10
11:30 - 1:00
Barbara Paterick
National Popular Vote
December 8
11:30 - 1:00
Speaker TBD
Status of Census and Fair Representation Post-election
January 12
11:30 - 1:00
Speaker Sara Eskrich, Democracy Foundation
Ranked Choice Voting
February 9
11:30 - 1:00
Speaker TBD
Wisconsin Women's Health Legislation
March
International Women's Day
March/April
Legislative Breakfast TBD
April 13
Speaker TBD
Earth Day Program
May 21
Annual Meeting
League Events
Take Action
Sign Up for LWVWI Action Alerts
Stay up to date on the issues we're tracking in the state legislature and sign up here to have action alerts sent directly to your inbox.
In partnership with the National Conference on Citizenship, the first-ever report on Wisconsin’s civic health has been released. With the release of this report, Civic Health in Wisconsin: Connectedness in Context, Wisconsin joins 30 other U.S. states in measuring civic health, laying the groundwork for tracking changes and improvements.
"Civic health” is a term that refers to the degree to which citizens participate in their communities, from local and state governance to interactions with friends or family. Civic health also relates to the overall well-being of neighborhoods, communities, states, and the nation.
This publication also marks the beginning of a Wisconsin civic health initiative, which will mobilize these data to strengthen and catalyze civic engagement efforts in Wisconsin communities. You can read the whole report here.
LWVLA News
LWVLA Members Provide Voting Information on WPR's Newsmakers
As members of our League's Voters Services committee, Chris Haskell and Pam Thiel were the guests of moderator Ezra Wall on NPR's Newsmakers show on July 17 and 18. Chris and Pam provided a comprehensive overview of what voters need to know about voter registration, absentee voting, Vote411 as a voter information resource, and the work of our League in the La Crosse area. You can listen to their interview here.
LWVWI News
LWVWI Files a Brief to Prevent Purge of Registered Voters
On Monday, July 13, the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin (LWVWI) filed an amicus curiae brief in the Wisconsin Supreme Court to protect voters from being erroneously removed from polling lists of registered voters.
“Attempts to utilize data that is known to be flawed are attempts to suppress votes, plain and simple,” said Debra Cronmiller, LWVWI executive director. “The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin will continue to protect voters by ensuring those who are validly registered are not inappropriately removed from the polling book.”
LWV Upper Mississippi River Region News
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.)
LWVUS News
The League of Women Voters joined more than 50 organizations on an amicus brief in Bostock v. Georgia & Harris Funeral Homes v. EEOC. The LWV president Chris Carson issued the following statement in response to this important ruling:
“Never again can a person be discriminated against at work due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. This landmark victory provides long overdue protections for LGBTQ people in education, housing, and healthcare. We cheer the efforts of LGBTQ activists who have long fought for legal protection on behalf of their community.
“While we celebrate this milestone, we know the fight continues. This decision affords much needed nondiscrimination protections within the workplace, yet we recognize that the LGBTQ community still faces numerous challenges, including the threat of hate crimes and identity-based violence—with higher rates of violence against Black trans women.
“The League of Women Voters stands with the LGBTQ community in celebrating this step toward progress, and we will continue advocating for equal protection under the law.”
League Joins Letter Urging Increased Election System Security
Recent news reports have disclosed troubling weaknesses in commercially marketed voting systems and disturbing conduct by voting system vendors, raising significant questions. Voting system vendors have operated with little oversight and no regulation for decades. Given the gravity and urgency of this issue, LWVUS joined partners urging Senate committees to hold a hearing on election system security. Read our letter here.
LWVUS Developed Guidance on Protest Participation
This past week, people from throughout the country exercised their First Amendment right in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Members planning to participate in other protests in the coming weeks may not really be sure how to “show up” at a public demonstration. For that reason, LWUS developed a resource for you on How to be Good Allies at the Protests.
LWVUS Joins Letter to UN Human Rights Commission
The LWVUS UN observers joined a coalition letter asking the United Nations Human Rights Council to conduct an inquiry into the recent violence against African Americans. New justice reform legislation is also being introduced, and LWVUS will be evaluating these bills for opportunities to lean in.