Democracy in Action: Celebrating 60 years of the Voting Rights Act

We are hosting a 60th Anniversary celebration, commemorating the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and we hope you can join us! 

This is a powerful community gathering to honor landmark civil rights legislation and mobilize against decades of attacks on voting rights, with a call to restore and protect them through the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

We will be urging our attendees to call their Senators to encourage the passage of John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Read more about the League's position on this important legislation:

LWVUS Supports the Reintroduction of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act

• 9:00 - 3:00 PM: Registration 
• 9:30 - 10:00 AM:  Welcome and Legislative Visit Preperation in the Assembly Parlor 
• 10:15 - 11:30 AM: Legislative Visits (optional), Tour, Networking, or Viewing exhibits
• 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM: Free box lunch offered
• 12:00 - 1:00 PM: Opening Remarks in the Rotunda
• Land Acknowledgement and Blessing 
• Keynote Speaker: LWVUS Board President Dianna Wynn
• History of the Voting Rights Act in Wisconsin 
• Changes made by the Supreme Court that gutted the Voting Rights Act
• Q & A
• Call to action
• 1:15 - 1:45 PM: Press Conference in the Assembly Parlor or View Exhibits or Partake in Activities
• 1:45 - 3:30 PM:  Legislative Visits AND/OR Workshops 
• 1:45 - 2:30 PM: Workshop 1: Voting Rights & Continuing the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Journey (Assembly Chambers)

Join us for a powerful workshop commemorating the 60th anniversary of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Explore current issues in voting rights, the intersection of human rights and justice, and the critical role of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Participants will leave with actionable steps to help protect democracy and advance DEI in their communities.

• 2:45 - 3:30 PM: Workshop 2: Understanding the Executive Orders, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act & the SAVE Act (Assembly Chambers)

This workshop explores the ongoing fight to protect voting rights, highlighting the League of Women Voters' support for the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and its role in restoring key protections from the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Attendees will also learn about recent executive orders and the SAVE Act, and how they threaten access to the ballot.

• 3:30 - 4:30 PM: Reception with light refreshments in the Rotunda

*Complimentary lunch will be provided

For those in the Milwaukee area:

The League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County has chartered a motor coach bus to take 50 people from Milwaukee to Madison. The bus will leave from the League Office located at Summit Place - 6737 W Washington St, West Allis, WI 53214 at 8 a.m. (sharp) and depart from Madison at 5 p.m. If you would like a ride from Milwaukee to and from Madison on that day: 

RESERVE A RIDE HERE!
The event in Madison is free and requires registration, but the ride from Milwaukee to Madison has a fee of $34 per person.