The keynote speaker, Call To Action and all breakout sessions are available on LWVWI YouTube.
The LWVWI’s 2021 Virtual Issues Briefing took place on Saturday morning, October 30th, 9AM-noon! We held a Q&A with our keynote speaker Sara Eskrich, Executive Director of Democracy Found, participated in a choice of breakout sessions and found inspiration in a motivational Call to Action by Dr. Deborah Turner, LWVUS President, that closed the program.
- Legal Strategy to Combat Voter Suppression Laws,
- The Youth Vote; Looking Back and Looking Forward
- National Popular Vote Update; Making Every Vote Count
- Messaging the Truth About Election Processes
AND
- Continuing the Conversation on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the Local Level,
- Looking Ahead: Empowering Voters in 2022
- Powering the Vote with VOTE411
An anonymous donor is partially underwriting some of the cost associated with producing Issues Briefing including staff time, honoraria and technical support. If you would like to make a contribution to Issues Briefing, click here. Your donation will allow us to keep the meeting free and inclusive. Thank you!
To view the Issues Briefing Program Agenda, click here.
Information on Issues Briefing Sessions and Speakers
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Election Systems Innovation: Final-Five Voting
America is at its best when government is effective. Right now, it is not. By changing the way Wisconsin conducts our federal elections, we can realign incentives for Congress, producing results and accountability. Democracy Found is a nonpartisan coalition of leaders committed to reinvigorating our democracy through an open, top-five primary and instant runoff general election.
SARA ESKRICH is the Executive Director of Democracy Found, a Wisconsin-based nonpartisan initiative committed to revitalizing democracy. Her career includes roles in the public and private sectors. Sara is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Madison and holds a Masters of Public Affairs from the Robert M. La Follette School and Masters of Public Health from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Resources for Final-Five Voting
Final-Five Voting Fact Sheet from Democracy Found
OpEd Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, May 24, 2020
OpEd LaCrosse Tribune, March 21, 2021
BREAKOUT SESSIONS - ROUND ONE
Empowering Every Voter
9:55 AM - 10:40 AM
Legal Strategy to Combat Voter Suppression Laws
Everyone has heard of the bread-and-butter legal claims filed around the country for undue burdens on the right to vote or racially discriminatory effects in violation of the Voting Rights Act, but with rare exception, these claims have not had a lot of traction with an increasingly conservative judiciary. It is a rare day when a voter suppression law is struck down in full. Voting rights litigants, however, are experimenting with a whole raft of novel and less-novel-but-underutilized constitutional claims that have had some success in safeguarding the right to vote. Wisconsin has been a testing ground for many laws restricting access to the ballot box and generally weakening our democracy. We need to also play a novel role in pushing back and building good law to protect our institutions and our citizens.
JON SHERMAN is the Litigation Director and Senior Counsel at Fair Elections Center, where he litigates voting rights cases around the country. Specifically, he has litigated numerous cases in Wisconsin, starting with a federal lawsuit against the state's voter ID law filed a decade ago and still pending, as well as cases in Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina, Louisiana, and Tennessee. He previously worked with the ACLU Voting Rights Project in Atlanta, Georgia and clerked for federal district court and appellate court judges.
MEL BARNES is Staff Counsel at Law Forward, a nonprofit law firm focused on advancing and protecting democracy in Wisconsin. Mel has spent her legal career at the intersection of law and advocacy. She joined Law Forward from Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, where she was the Director of Legal Advocacy & Policy, leading litigation, lobbying, and grassroots initiatives to advance access to health care across the state. In that role, she oversaw development of a groundbreaking case challenging the constitutionality of three Wisconsin laws restricting access to reproductive healthcare. She graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin
The Youth Vote: Looking Back and Looking Forward
Civic participation among youth aged 18-29 was at historic levels in the last two elections. Take a deep dive into youth turnout from the 2020 election with CIRCLE, who specialize in youth civic research. We'll look at how youth from different backgrounds and in different parts of the country voted, what was motivating them, the impact of civics education, and some strategies to keep turnout high headed into 2022.
KELLY BEADLE is the impact and Outreach Manager at CIRCLE (Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement), Jonathan M Tisch College of Civic Life, Tufts University. Kelly manages CIRCLE’s voter registration research project. Her role is to lead qualitative and quantitative analysis on voter registration and participation, in addition to program evaluation for the project.
National Popular Vote Update; Making Every Vote Count
National Popular Vote is focused on passing legislation reforming the Electoral College at the state level which will make every vote for President equal and guarantee that whichever candidate receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and D.C. becomes the President. We'll be discussing how this legislation works, how close it is to reality, and how to respond to the most common misconceptions, skepticisms, and arguments from opponents.
EILEEN REAVEY co-founded the grassroots advocacy group advocating for Oregon to pass the National Popular Vote bill in 2016. She now works to apply those organizing lessons in other states as National Popular Vote’s National Grassroots Director. She works on building momentum and support for this issue nationwide and on training volunteers to be organizers and informed advocates for the cause. She has a B.S. in Environmental Science & Public Policy from York College of Pennsylvania and a M.S.L. in Environmental, Natural Resources and Energy Law from Lewis & Clark Law School. Eileen is based in Portland, Oregon and has visited 14 states on behalf of National Popular Vote.
BARBARA PATERICK is a native of Janesville and presently lives in the Green Bay area. She is a Board Member of the League of Women Voters of Greater Green Bay and participates on the LWVWI Legislative Committee, focusing on redistricting/fair maps and the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC). She chairs the state league’s NPVIC working committee and serves on the Fair Maps working committee. Barb participates in National Popular Vote's national grassroots volunteer leaders group, led by Eileen Reavey. You can email Barb at NPVWisconsin [at] lwvwi.org with your NPV questions.
Resources for National Polular Vote
NPV Interstate Compact Toolkit (LWVWI website) includes background material, presentation slide deck with script, Fun Quiz-WI based; in two formats: a 9 slide presentation & a 1 page fun handout and a one-page handout in color or in black and white for copying.
Let the People Pick the President: The Case for Abolishing the Electoral College, by Jesse Wegman
Messaging the Truth About Election Processes
This session will address lessons learned from voting during a pandemic and how the 'Big Lie' set the stage for the most aggressive attack on the freedom to vote that we've seen in modern times. Join in a discussion of how the events of the past year have impacted and shaped how we message around voting rights, as well as a look at what we can expect moving forward.
JOSEPH NEWMAN works with organizations in the democracy movement to develop communication strategies focused on protecting, strengthening and expanding voting rights. He helps ReThink’s partners respond rapidly to breaking events and trains them in best practices for getting their messages out to the media, policymakers and the public.
BREAKOUT SESSIONS - ROUND TWO
Empowering the Wisconsin Vote
10:45 AM - 11:30 AM
Continuing the Conversation on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) at the Local Level
An ongoing commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in principle and practice at all levels of the League and individually is essential to its success in engaging all individuals, communities and policy makers in creating a more perfect democracy. The LWVWI Community Alliances Committee (CAC) supports our Leagues in their commitment to apply DEI at the local level. In this session, CAC Co-Chair Eloisa Gómez will moderate a panel of League members as they share stories about how DEI work is unfolding in their Leagues.
ELOISA GÓMEZ is the Chair of the League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County’s Comité por el voto latino/Latinx Voter Outreach Committee (CVL-LVO), which promotes voter registration and education to Latino and other voters on Milwaukee’s South side through League volunteers and community partners. Eloisa is Co-Chair of the LWVWI Community Alliance Committee (CAC) and has held this role since 2018. Eloisa is also the co- author of Somos Latinas: Voices of Wisconsin Latina Activists and served as the Milwaukee County Director for the University of Wisconsin Extension, Cooperative Extension for 11 years before retiring in 2018.
Eloisa will be joined by local League members Robin Schmidt of LWV La Crosse Area, Donna Weidman of LWV Chippewa Valley and Jane Kettler of LWV Sheboygan County.
Resources for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Work at the Local League Level
Short Form Framework for Decentralizing DEI at the Local Level
Long Form Framework for Decentralizing DEI at the Local Level
Looking Ahead: Empowering Voters in 2022
In this breakout session LWVWI Voter Education Manager, Eileen Newcomer, will discuss how the League is preparing to empower voters in 2022. Join us to learn about new resources that are available from the state League, ideas for GOTV best practices, and how you can make an impact during this important election year.
EILEEN NEWCOMER is the Voter Education Manager for the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin. In her role at the state League office, Eileen coordinates LWVWI’s nationally recognized election observation program, manages LWVWI’s voter education efforts, and supports local Leagues in their voter service work. She has nearly ten years of experience in the nonprofit sector and earned her master’s degree in Sociomedical Sciences from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.
Powering the Vote with VOTE411
The national manager of VOTE411 will provide an update on the voter guide redesign process and timeline as well as answer League questions about the 2022 cycle.
MEGAN BROWN is the VOTE411 Manager for LWVUS She manages and maintains the VOTE411.org website, including updating election information in all 50 states and DC, as well as helping hundreds of State and Local Leagues provide candidate information through the online voters’ guide. Megan also spreads the word about the website to ensure that voters know where to find the election information they need come Election Day.
CALL TO ACTION!
Be inspired! Hear Dr. Deborah Turner, LWVUS President, call us all to action to empower the Wisconsin vote!
DEBORAH TURNER MD, JD, is the current president of the League of Women Voters of the United States (LWVUS). She previously served as a LWVUS board member, president of the LWV Des Moines Metropolitan League, and as a member, vice president and co-president of LWV Iowa. Dr. Turner received her BS from Iowa State University and her MD from University of Iowa.
