 |  |  | | FEDERAL CLIMATE ACTION
URGENT! Before September 15, sign this petition to the EPA and add your comments regarding the repeal of the underpinnings of the Clean Air Act and its air pollution and climate regulations Use this link.
Our recent wonderful weather does not negate the climate crisis. In fact, EPA Administrator Zeldin’s leadership accelerates the crisis. ACT NOW to protect your health and welfare and our shared environment.
Concerning News: The EPA has established an interim final rule and delayed critical compliance deadlines for reducing methane and pollution emissions by the oil and gas industry. The delay means exposure to increased harmful pollutants (960,000 tons of volatile organic compounds and 36,000 tons of other toxic air pollutants) leading to health impacts like cancer. And the delay means acceleration of climate change; over 20 years, methane is 80 times a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide - and 2050 is fast approaching.
LWVUS signed on to a JOINT STATEMENT OPPOSING EPA Director Lee Zeldin’s POLLUTERS FIRST AGENDA. About 200 organizations signed onto this statement. |
Wisconsin's Constitutional Amendments: Consequences and Better Practices
Thursday, September 18th from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 pm
The LWVWI’s Impartial Justice Committee will present a webinar on Thursday, Sept 18th from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm.on four amendments that were passed by the public during the last few years and will discuss how these constitutional amendments did not adequately explain the negative consequences that have ensued since their passage. Find more information and register for free HERE. | |
Join us at this League Immigration Advocacy Committee co-sponsored event
Immigrants in Crisis: Our Stories
Sunday, September 21, 5:00-7:00
United Methodist Church of Whitefish Bay
819 East Silver Spring Drive
This event will include a panel discussion and facilitated table conversations.
Register here: Immigrants in Crisis |  | | Our Goal: 100% of MPS High Schools
September 15–19 is Civic Engagement Week in Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). Voter registration is at the heart of civic engagement, and our goal is ambitious but achievable: to hold registration events in all 25 MPS high schools during that week and the following week (September 15–26).
Many students will be eligible to register—those who will turn 18 by the next election on February 17, 2026 can sign up. This is an extraordinary opportunity to help young people take a huge step into civic life.
If you’re already on our volunteer list, watch for emails announcing specific school registration dates and sign up where you can help. If you’re not yet on the list, we invite you to join us! Just review the slides here and then complete the form at the end. Once you’re on the list, you’ll receive email updates about volunteer opportunities.
Most registration shifts last about two hours (some are shorter, some a bit longer). Every shift offers a chance to witness the excitement of students registering—and often encouraging their friends to do the same.
Together with the faculty and student helpers, we can reach 100% of MPS high schools. Please join us in making this happen! Questions? Contact Judy Winn - j.winn@lwvmilwaukee.org.
|  | |
Unite & Rise 8.5, Milwaukee Members and All Interested Parties Meeting
Saturday, October 4, 10-Noon
Summit Place Offices
6737 W. Washington Street, West Allis
Room 2135, Ground Floor, Room with Glass Doors
Are you concerned about the state of democracy in our country?
Do you wonder what you can do that will make a difference?
If so, come to this meeting for information on…
The extent of the constitutional crisis we face;
How citizens in other countries have effectively fought back;
How we can use these tactics in our country;
Finding your place in this effort.
10-10:30 Mingling and Light Breakfast
10:30-11:30 Program
11:30-Noon Questions
Let us know you’ll be coming by:
Clicking here to Register
Are you available to help setup, welcome guests or cleanup? Please volunteer here: Unite & Rise Gathering | “Pillars of Democracy” Items Discounted For Members
|
Niki Johnson, the artist who created the Pillars of Democracy shown here, has added a 20% off coupon to all Pillars of Democracy items (limited-edition posters, greeting cards, and yard signs - more to come). This offer is available to all League of Women Voters members in recognition of your efforts to protect and expand voting rights in Wisconsin and nationwide. Here's a link to the store. Just enter LWV20 at checkout.
| Democracy's Urgent Call
a Poetry Anthology Project
by Members of the League of Women Voters | To learn more about the artwork that inspired this project, CLICK HERE
To learn more about submitting your poem click this link: CLICK HERE |  | |
Trump Administration to Burn $8.9M of USAID Contraceptives
President Trump's order to freeze foreign aid and shutting down USAID includes burning $8.9 millions of dollars of contraceptive methods lying in a Belgian warehouse, paid for by taxpayers, that do not expire until 2027-2029. Read a full article here.
The Trump administration alleges the contraceptives are "abortifacient" - induce abortions - which is not true for any of the methods housed in the warehouse. They also state the Kemp-Kasten amendment prohibits it from assisting organizations or programs that support or participate in the management of a program of "coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization."
None of these allegations are founded. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), MSI Reproductive Choices, and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) have all said they’re ready to collect and distribute the products. IPPF even has a warehouse in the Netherlands waiting for the shipment. Read a full article here.
French reproductive rights groups are pressuring the French government as the U.S. government will spend more than $160,000 to burn the contraceptives at a facility in France that destroys medical waste.
The non-profit, International Planned Parenthood Federation, estimates incinerating contraceptives will leave 1.4 million women and girls across Africa without access to life-saving care.
Sophia Yen is a well respected adolescent medicine provider. Her YouTube video highlights medical use of contraceptives and that they are not abortive.
What You Can Do
Share this post to inform others of this waste and impact on the poorest nations in Africa.
And take 5 minutes to call your senators & reps! Let them know contraceptives are not abortive - contraceptives are health care! And demand that Secretary Rubio transfers the USAID contraceptives to trusted global partners like UNFPA and MSI Reproductive Choices. Find your representative here.
The Reproductive Rights Team Thanks You for Your Activism! |  | |
LGBTQ+ Thought Of The Week
With a new school year starting and children back in the classroom, remember that acknowledging who each child is helps them feel safe, accepted, and ready to learn. It will be harder for some of our kids this year.
Queerness is part of all of us—our differences, our uniqueness, our beauty. To see the “T” in LGBTQ+ come alive, I recommend reading “Becoming Nicole” by Amy Ellis Nutt, a heartfelt story of twin siblings and a family’s journey of love and affirmation, and acceptance.
LGBTQ+ All Letters Matter |
A New Same-Sex Marriage Challenge
-
Supreme Court Petition: Former Kentucky clerk Kim Davis has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), which legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. The Court will decide this fall whether to hear the case. If accepted, arguments would likely be in spring 2026 with a ruling by June 2026. The Court could also decline to hear it, leaving Obergefell intact.
-
Clarence Thomas Reference: Justice Thomas previously wrote (in a 2020 opinion) that Obergefell was “at odds with the Constitution” and should be reconsidered, a signal to advocates now pressing this challenge.
-
Why It Is Legal in Wisconsin: Same-sex marriage is legal in Wisconsin today because the Obergefell decision struck down both state laws and constitutional amendments that banned it. Wisconsin’s 2006 constitutional ban is still technically on the books, but it is unenforceable under federal law.
-
Wisconsin Legislation: In 2025, the Marriage and Family Equality Act (AB 314 / SB 321) was introduced to modernize state law by recognizing same-sex marriage in statute and repealing outdated language. A companion constitutional amendment has also been proposed to repeal Wisconsin’s 2006 ban.
-
Public Support: Roughly 68% of Americans support same-sex marriage (Gallup, 2025). In Wisconsin, bipartisan polling shows a clear majority favoring marriage equality. The League of Women Voters explicitly supports same-sex marriage as a matter of equal rights.
-
Comparison to Roe v. Wade: Like Roe, which was overturned in 2022 despite strong public support, the popularity of Obergefell does not guarantee its permanence. If overturned, states could again restrict marriage rights, although the Respect for Marriage Act (2022) would still require recognition of marriages performed in other states.
LGBTQ+ All Letters Matter
|  | |
Money, Politics and the First Amendment
Friday, October 3, 2025, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.
UW-Madison Law School
975 Bascom Mall, Room 2260 Madison, WI 53706
In-Person and Virtual Register here.
The State Democracy Research Initiative invites you to attend “Money, Politics, and the First Amendment” with a reception to follow. This event will take place in-person in room 2260 in the UW Law School, with the option to attend virtually. The panel will focus on the impacts of increasingly expensive elections, and the tension between campaign finance regulation and free speech. There will be an in-person reception to follow. Our panelists will include Attorney Benjamin Ginsberg (Hoover Institution), Attorney Saurav Ghosh (Campaign Legal Center), Professor Raymond La Raja (UMass Amherst, Political Science), and Professor Abby Wood (USC Gould School of Law), with Professor Barry Burden (UW-Madison, Political Science) moderating. |  |  | * Help Register and Inform Voters *
National Voter Registration Day (Sept. 16) is fast approaching, and Voter Services has scheduled quite a few Voter Registration events that day/week. New events added every week. We need volunteers to help register voters, update addresses, encourage civic engagement, offer informational handouts and answer questions. If you have some experience helping people register to vote at myvote.wi.gov (and on paper, if necessary), please sign up! It will be a few hours well spent!!
CHOOSE YOUR EVENT HERE | | Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) | | | Are you taking the Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) from your IRA? That money is taxable income. You can make a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) from your IRA to offset your RMD.
Consult with your tax accountant and/or your financial advisor. When making a QCD donation to the League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County, direct your IRA custodian to make the check for the QCD payable to “LWVMC.”
Thank you for donating to LWVMC with a QCD! | |
Emily Sterk Pens MJS Guest Column on Facial Recognition Technology
The Aug. 27 edition of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel included a guest column by LWVMC member and Mass Incarceration Advocacy Program Leader, Dr. Emily Sterk. Dr. Sterk wrote on behalf of the LWVMC opposing the Milwaukee Police Department’s use of Facial Recognition Technology:
“The Milwaukee Police Department has not relied on evidence-based research in their decision to use facial recognition technology. Instead, they are disregarding research that unequivocally shows that such technology does not exist outside of humans’ own biases and racism, and therefore exacerbates existing inequalities.”
Read the full column here. |  | | WISDOM Petitions Address Mass Incarceration Issues
Wisconsin has some of the highest incarceration rates for Black and Indigenous people in the country. Meanwhile, investments in mental health care, food programs, and treatment alternatives—things that actually keep us safe—are being slashed.
LWVMC's Mass Incarceration committee is joining WISDOM, a statewide network comprising mainly of faith-based organizations, in calling on Gov. Evers to address these issues:
|  | New Medicaid/FoodShare Task Force
A way for you to Unite and Rise!
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act imposes new barriers to Medicaid and food assistance (“FoodShare” in Wisconsin) coverage. Several experts say the real problems aren’t work or other new substantive requirements but paperwork burdens.
Medicaid covers approximately one million Wisconsinites (20% of our population). FoodShare helps nearly 700,000 of us. Many could lose coverage. Of course, lots of those affected live in our area.
Most changes take effect in 2027, with detailed implementation rules rolling out in 2026. Let’s GET TO WORK, doing what we can to alleviate the worst of the problems. Collectively, we can:
-
Learn about the new requirements/key problems
-
Identify ways to influence governmental rulemaking and systems
-
Identify ways to help affected people
-
Identify community and statewide partners
-
Act!
This will be challenging but let’s be optimists. United, we can get something done. Contact Linda Laarman, l.laarman@lwvmilwaukee.org to discuss and join! |  |  |  |
Saturday, Sept. 6 - 12:30 to 2:00
321 Wisconsin Ave. (sidewalk in front of Cutler Park / Library), Waukesha
Join our partners, Waukesha Resist, at this rally in support of working people who are being hurt by the actions of the current administration. Actions such as eliminating union contracts in the federal government, and rewarding wealthy people with tax cuts while making Medicaid and SNAP benefits harder to access.
For signup and more information: https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/event/833350/ |
Alliance for the Great Lakes presents: Preparing the Great Lakes Region for Large Water Users
Tuesday, September 9
1:00 pm Eastern/noon Central
Large water-using sectors, such as data centers, agriculture, and critical minerals mining, are growing rapidly in the Great Lakes region. States aren’t prepared for these new demands on our water, leading to unsustainable growth and conflicts over water use.
How can we support economic development and protect our region’s water resources? The Alliance for the Great Lakes, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization working to protect the Great Lakes, presents a free webinar on the topic on Sept. 9. Register below.
Webinar: Preparing the Great Lakes Region for Large Water Users
| Impact of this year's US Supreme Court decisions
Taking a Faithful Stand
Tuesday, September 9, 6:30 PM on Zoom
Please register here.
Jim Santelle, former United States attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, will present on the impact of this year's US Supreme Court decisions.Taking a Faithful Stand cosponsors include: Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee, MICAH,
Wisconsin Council of Churches, Wisconsin Council of Rabbis, Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice and WISDOM. |  | |
Save the Date!
Wisconsin Climate March
September 28
Madison, Wisconsin
This may be the biggest protest march since “No Kings”.
We’ll march for solar power, clean energy jobs, science, environmental justice, conservation,and democracy. The Wisconsin Climate March is part of a national wave of clean energy action, capping off Climate Week (Sep 21–28) with a powerful call for a safe, healthy, and just future. We have the technology and solutions. Now we need the political will to make clean energy accessible to all.
Organized by a coalition of grassroots organizations, clean energy experts, solar businesses, schools, affordable housing, farmers, labor unions, and creative partners. 350 Wisconsin, Elevate and Sierra Club are founding members.
Visit WisconsinClimateMarch.org for more information (website coming soon)
Contact Us: wisconsinclimatemarch@gmail.com |  |  |
Attention LWVMC Members!
Please login to the website, go to your Member Profile and complete/update your Additional Member Data and Interests (Interests are found under Website Functions). When logged in, Member Resources will appear in the top menu of the website. There you will find members-only resources such as the Membership Directory. Contact roster@lwvmilwaukee.org with questions. Thank you!
| Support Local Democracy. Support Your League.
Your support is critical to help our nonpartisan grassroots organization reach voters play a critical role in democracy. It would not be possible to empower voters and defend democracy without your support.
Thank you! LWVMC
| You have received this message from the mailing list of League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County. If you would prefer not to receive these emails in the future, go to the opt-out page and modify your privacy settings. You can also request to be removed from our database completely. | |