Read our position on important issues. - League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County

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LWVMC takes action on public policy positions established through member study and agreement. We, along with LWVWI, issue action alerts in keeping with our positions.

From its inception in 1920, the League of Women Voters has been an activist, nonpartisan grassroots organization that encourages citizens to advocate for better government and for public policies that served the common good. This is reflected in the League’s mission to empower voters and defend democracy.

The League is proud to be nonpartisan, neither supporting nor opposing candidates or political parties at any level of government, but always working on vital issues of concern to members and the public.

The process used in formulating positions and in taking action at the grassroots level makes the League unique and sets the League apart from other organizations. The fact that we are members not only of a local League, but of a state league and of the League of Women Voters of the United States as well, makes us a powerful force.

The League, and individual members, work to implement the positions by contacting state and local government officials, testifying at public hearings, using public forums and the media, holding panel discussions, writing in League publications, and communicating to public officials. More information about our issues advocacy can be found below.

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Adopt the Equal Rights Amendment

From the League of Women Voters National Website:

"LWVUS has supported and pushed for ratification of the ERA since it was first passed by Congress in 1972. Leagues across the country have worked to engage lawmakers and organize at the grassroots level to ensure equal rights for all, regardless of sex.

Learn more about the Equal Rights Amendment and why it's important.

LEARN MORE

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Report & Recommendations: Police Policy & Practices in Milwaukee

The Police Accountability and Community Safety Committee (PACS) published a report in Sept 2021 titled "A Clarion Call for Change: Report and Recommendations on the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission".

Learn More Here

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Statement on Reproductive Rights

The League of Women Voters and the American Association of University Women, each founded more than 100 years ago, are devoted to empowering women to chart their life course. Central to this fundamental freedom is the right to decide if and when to parent – decisions that profoundly impact all aspects of life: physical and mental health, family stability and well being, and economic and educational opportunity and destiny.

The SCOTUS decision is an assault on longstanding, hard-won reproductive rights. It will have far-reaching repercussions for all Americans. The 1849 state law – passed 71 years before women had the right to vote! – does not even have exceptions for rape or incest. This comes at a time when the U.S., compared to other developed countries, is a nation with high maternal and infant mortality rates, a high child poverty rate, no guaranteed access to health care or child care, no guaranteed paid maternity leave, and where two-thirds of minimum-wage workers are women. The right to a safe abortion is also a matter of racial and economic justice, as limits on access to reproductive health services disproportionately impact Black, Brown, and low-income communities.

A pregnant person is not a mere vessel. The course of every pregnancy is unpredictable and carries risks to health and life. Dangerous complications can occur suddenly, when medical decisions must be made quickly. Government has no place in a person’s reproductive decisions, other than to ensure access to affordable, quality health care, including birth control and the privacy to make reproductive choices.

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Climate and Equity Plan

The League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County enthusiastically supports the City of
Milwaukee’s Climate and Economic Equity Plan. After advocating for its approval at
committee levels and with Milwaukee’s Common Council, we applaud Mayor Johnson’s
signing the Plan in June 2023. The City’s Plan promises to address local inequities and climate change, creating a resilient Milwaukee and helping address the existential dangers already threatening humans and all life on planet Earth.

The League deeply appreciates the work of the City-County Climate and Economic Equity Plan since its inception in 2019. We also commend the City’s current leadership for pushing forward the City’s overarching and visionary Plan. The latter is a workable template for locally addressing climate change and economic equity. It promises to move the City toward an inclusive and economically and environmentally viable future. Finally, we greatly value the City’s leadership; it offers

momentum for adoption of the City-County Plan by Milwaukee County and the County’s 18 remaining municipalities.

Many League Social Policy and Natural Resources positions support the goals of the City’s Climate and Equity Plan. At the same time, the League clearly understands the significant challenges of the Plan:

- reducing community-wide net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 45% by the year 2030 and achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 or sooner.

- reducing racial and income inequality through the creation of permanent living wage
green jobs for people who live in the most impoverished Milwaukee neighborhoods.

The 10 Big Ideas of the Plan summarize its goals and offers solutions to the challenges faced.

The League understands that meeting these ambitious goals will take a practical “all of the above” strategy that includes utilizing existing programs at every level of government, collaborating with electric power interests and committing sufficient financial resources in each budget to these programs.

The thorough, well-conceived 10 Big Ideas of the Plan provide the conceptual nexus to solve many local issues and contribute to the long-term health of our City’s economy and of all the people who live here. We must move now to address climate change and local economic inequities. Time is short! We have a Plan! Let’s move forward with the Plan.

Learn More Here!

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National Popular Vote Interstate Compact

The National Popular Vote Interstate Commerce (NPVIC) is an agreement among U.S. states to assure the election of the U.S. president by the national popular vote. It will become activated when states that together account for 270 (the majority needed to win) of the 538 Electoral College votes join the Compact. To date, states accounting for 205 Electoral College votes have passed the law, so we are only 65 electoral votes away. If Wisconsin joined the NPVIC, it would add 10 more Electoral College votes (every state has one vote for each of its U.S. senators and members of Congress). In our nation's history, there have been five presidents who won the Electoral College vote, but lost the popular vote. NPVIC ensures that the president is the person who wins the popular vote, and that every vote, in every state, counts the same in electing the president.

Learn More Here.

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Statement on Redistricting in WI

Learn More Here

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LWVUS Opposes Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act

LWVUS joined coalition partners to oppose the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require citizenship documentation to cast a ballot, despite the fact that voters in every state are already required to affirm or verify their citizenship status when registering to vote. See letter to Rep. Bryan Steil (WI), Chair of the Committee on House Administration, and Ranking Member Rep. Joe Morelle Here.

Contact: Gail Sklodowska @ g.sklodowska@lwvmilwaukee.org

We understand you may have numerous restrictions on your time and availability and will work with you to ensure you feel useful in the time and manner that works for your situation. We are ALL volunteers and understand family, personal health and work priorities.

Besides becoming a core team member and either leading or serving a subcommittee (Education, Collaboration, Communication, Legislation, Fundraising), there are numerous ways to be involved on a task basis.

We do offer support in getting started on a number of these tasks/activities. You will not be alone.

Communication Resources

Event Support

Collaboration

Fundraising

Simply follow a LWV social media account and help create a strong following.
Assist team members with learning how to use google docs & social media.
Create social media content from our educational and community events.
Data provided as a starting point.
Create short videos to use on our website on social media account.
Occasional graphic arts work for online communications.
Occasional brochure design.
Writing short articles for newsletters and website content.Contacting press regarding upcoming events for potential coverage. Perhaps writing a press release.

Host a small gathering - discussion group, educational event.
Assist with one of our webinars or in-person educational events. Help identify speakers, promote the event,
identify venues, technical support, etc.
Identify, coordinate or simply assist with community events and promote our work - like the Brookfield
Farmer’s Market.

Identify young individuals or groups who have an interest in this issue and are looking for community hours.
Have a relationship with another organization? Can we collaborate with them?
Develop and maintain our Collaboration roaster online.

Grants – Identification of grant opportunities and/or grant writing. One meeting/month.
Host a peer online fundraiser (e.g. Facebook)
Host a small community fundraiser.