Emailing - The League of Women Voters of the La Crosse Area

Date: 10/7/2026
Subject: October 7, 2026 News Update
From: LWV of La Crosse

LWVLA News Update

October 7, 2026

Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy

It’s been a busy fall for this new Program Team! And I’m happy to report some interesting and exciting things are falling into place!   

Rather than recite a list of all the things we’ve had to research and coordinate and change since losing our Waterfront venue and regular time slot, I’m going to give you an overview of where the year is headed, and some specifics on our upcoming monthly programs.  You will need to mark your calendars this year as we could not book any one place for the full year. Instead, we are planning the monthly programs at either of two places:

1) the Radisson Hotel as a traditional lunch/learn site or

2) the new main floor auditorium of the La Crosse Public Library.

Note: We have also integrated the Membership team’s Meet and Greet quarterly gatherings into the calendar—they will continue to be held at Java Vino. We intentionally will be providing some variation in time of day to respond to a desire for “not all noon hour” meetings. We are experimenting with times and will ask for your feedback at the end of this year. So far so good!

The recent LWV speaker on the proposed ballot amendments (Sept 23 ) provided a test for using the Library option. It was a good turnout, and we heard a lot of positive feedback. It’s a beautiful, easily accessible space with updated technology including two big screens. And we can arrange it as we wish for small or large groups, providing snacks per Library guidelines. It’s easy parking and a great community gathering place that is free for nonprofits.   

On Monday October 19 we will try out the Radisson Hotel's WI Room at 11:30 with a soup and salad bar lunch--registration required@$20. The program will be provided by our Civics study group of Chris Haskell, Suzanne Wessels, Barb Roberts and myself. Don’t forget to pre-register online for this one: “Scrolling and SIFTing: Media Literacy for the Informed Voter.”

On Wednesday November 18 we hare at the Library with Nikki Elsen, La Crosse City Clerk, to do a “Fall Election Recap & Analysis”—sharing voting patterns, safe/secure election experiences, and general observations with our members. This will be followed by insights from our LWV teams who have been involved with that election in various ways.

And finally, Wednesday December 2 will be a time to “meet and greet” overlooking festive Rotary Lights and the Mississippi River in the Iowa room of the Radisson from 4:30 – 6:30. The Membership team is coordinating appetizers and our beverages can be purchased in the main floor bar.

That takes us through 2026 and on to “semester 2” in 2027…which will look something like this if speakers, space reservations, and dates can be aligned.

January—update on the Fair Maps and gerrymandering work
February—Radisson lunch with Diversity/Equity theme + Meet & Greet at Java Vino
March—International Women’s Day + potential LWV program with team updates
April—LWVWI Legislative Committee Update (budget, data centers, more) + Meet & Greet at Java Vino
May—Local LWV Annual Meeting

Bottom Line: the team is pulling together to provide informative learning options that align with the member survey results from last spring as we experiment with new times and locations. Watch for more information on each of these events on the LWV website. Your end-of-year feedback will be important for the future.

Thanks for rolling with the changes!

Team: Kathie Tyser (interim chair), Deb Buffton, Mary Frohnauer, Ann Kiel, Sally King, Deb Lutjen, Ann Tyndall

ALL THINGS VOTING

27 Days to Election Day

Are You Ready?

Vote Early

Important Dates

October 14

Last day to register to vote online or by mail
Last day recommended for requesting an absentee ballot

October 20

Start of Early Voting
Last recommended day to mail your absentee ballot

lwvlacrosse.org

Voting Resources

1) a one-stop page with links to all the voting resources needed to be ready for the November 3 Election.

MyVote
VOTE411,
local college voting resources

Click here.

and

2) a one-stop page with links to candidate and issue forums, debates, and interviews gathered in one convenient place.

October 20

3rd Congressional District Debate

Rebecca Cooke and Derrick Van Orden

October 21

Wisconsin Gubernatorial Debate

David Crowley and Tom Tiffany

Click here.

La Crosse County Votes!
Let's Spread the Word...

Following the "sincerest form of flattery" theory, our League has adopted—and made our own —an idea from the Dane County League.

The idea is an 8 1/2 x 11 sign placed in your house, car, or work window declaring that you vote. Research shows that people value doing one’s civic duty. If they know you do, maybe they will too.

CLICK HERE AND SCROLL DOWN TO CHOOSE..

Download, print and place in your window(s) today!

And we'd love a picture of where you are displaying your sign.

If you're so inclined, please send a photo to

communications@lwvlacrosse.org.

The Wisconsin Legislature has placed three constitutional amendment questions on the fall ballot:

limiting the governor's partial veto authority,
prohibiting gatherings in places of worship during an emergency,
rolling back government entities' power to grant "preferential treatment."

The LWV of Wisconsin is opposed to all three amendments, with special concern about the potential impacts of the so-called "government entity discrimination" amendment—in other words, the ANTI-EQUITY AMENDMENT.

During the 2020 National Convention, the League of Women Voters (LWV) elevated its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policy to the same organizational importance as its foundational Nonpartisan Policy. In principle and in practice, the LWV commits to challenging bias and fostering a culture of inclusion across national, state, and local chapters. Based on this commitment to DEI, the La Crosse League is providing in-person and virtual resources for voters to learn more about the Wisconsin League's opposition to the "anti-equity amendment."

VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO LEARN MORE.

And have you seen these around La Crosse?

The League is excited about the debut of a new-to-us communication tool leading up to the November election: a zine. Zines are non-commercial publications often devoted to specialized or unconventional subject matter.

The idea came out of discussions in the Communications Team about how to get our messages out to younger people in our community, finding a means beyond social media to capture their attention. Knowing that many young people are returning to physical media for their information and entertainment, we reached out to Roxanne Marina and Rachel MacFarland of OPE! Publishing, to help us create, print, and distribute a zine focusing on the three referendums on the statewide ballot.

“Referendum Madness” teaches voters about

how and why constitutional amendments are proposed and decided on,
how linguistic framing influences voters’ understanding of (or confusion about) what is being proposed,
how voters can detect the main “tricks” of language in all three of this fall’s ballot questions.

The zine pays special attention to the Anti-equity Amendment, offering a quick overview of what services and programs could be lost if this referendum passes and a clarification of the meaning and importance of equity, not just equality.

Look for these around town,

pick up a few to share with friends and neighbors,

and reach out to Virginia Crank if you want some and can’t find them.

(virginiacrank@gmail.com).

CLICK HERE TO READ REFERENDUM MADNESS ONLINE.

The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin is seeking volunteers to be trained as Election Observers and placed in polling places in specific areas around the state. You don't need to be a League member to volunteer for this.

SIGN UP TO BE AN ELECTION OBSERVER WITH THE LEAGUE.

Upcoming League Events

LUNCH RESERVATIONS CLOSE ON OCTOBER 14.

REGISTER HERE.

Election season is in full swing—and the media universe is exploding. New platforms, nonstop content creators, algorithms, tropes, chatbots, deepfakes, AI tools, and even traditional news outlets are all competing for your attention. Feeling overwhelmed already?

Join our LWV Civics Study Group for a fast, practical look at today’s information cyclone and how it shapes what we see online. We’re not experts, but we’ve spent time studying these trends and hope to help you identify trustworthy sources, understand hidden incentives, and scroll social media smarter in a noisy media environment.

Saturday, October 17

12-2 p.m.

League members: If you are bringing signs, please include VOTE EARLY in your messaging.

To take place in front of the K-Mart parking lot off of State Rd and Losey Blvd. Participants will gather on the public sidewalk in front of K-Mart.

***We understand that we have previously had little issues with parking in the K-Mart Parking lot for our events, but we are encouraging everyone to park elsewhere or risk being towed by the lot owner.

We will be collecting donations for What I Need Now to help assist our unsheltered community members survive the upcoming winter. Items in need include blankets, mittens, gloves, warm socks, warmies, and winter coats of all sizes, with a special emphasis on size large. These items can be new or used!