Malkasian Keynote Speaker

Partisan Gerrymandering & Voter Suppression in WI 

On Friday, June 11, please join us for an early evening address by our 2021 Malkasian keynote speaker, Douglas Poland, law partner in Stafford Rosenbaum LLP and Litigation Director of Law Forward, Inc. Poland's presentation, Partisan Gerrymandering & Voter Suppression in Wisconsin, he will will explain what partisan gerrymandering is, how it dilutes the voting power (and therefore suppresses votes) of voters in Wisconsin, and why it is such a severe threat to representative democracy in Wisconsin, regardless of which political party employs it to gain and hold political power. He will also address the timeline and context for redistricting in 2021, along with an update of where that process stands as of the date of the program.

Douglas M. Poland is a partner at Stafford Rosenbaum LLP in Madison, and co-chair of the firm’s Election and Political Law Team. Doug also serves as the Litigation Director of Law Forward, Inc., a nonpartisan, nonprofit law firm he launched with Stafford partner Jeff Mandell in October 2020 that is focused on preserving representative democracy in Wisconsin. Doug served as lead trial counsel for plaintiffs who successfully challenged the Wisconsin Assembly legislative districts before three-judge federal panels in 2012 and 2016, as lead trial counsel for the City of Kenosha in a redistricting challenge against Kenosha County, and as a member of the legal team that represented the respondents before the U.S. Supreme Court in the Gill v. Whitford partisan gerrymandering case.

Breakout Rooms on Wisconsin Issues

After the Malkasian keynote, attendees will move to several breakout rooms, each with a knowledgeable facilitator to guide informal group conversation on a compelling Wisconsin public policy issue. Information on the breakout room and faciliators is outlined below.

ASCE/LWVWI Infrastructure Project Status Report & Look Ahead

As a member of the ASCE WI-LWVWI Infrastructure Steering Committee, Diggelman organized 7 infrastructure category meetings (on 13 infrastructure categories) that started May 6 with the Energy update meeting and will end on August 19 with the Hazardous Waste/Solid Waste update meeting. She will discuss “What are we learning?” and “How can we move the infrastructure discussion forward?”

Carol Diggelman is Professor Emerita, Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE), where she taught for 32 years, advised students and organized environmental engineering symposiums. She joined the LWV in the early 1970s, while a stay-at-home mother. After joining MSOE, she became inactive in the LWV. After retiring from MSOE in 2010, she resumed LWV activities. Diggelman joined ASCE in 1987 and served as co-chair of the ASCE Environmental & Water Resources Institute (EWRI) Environmental Council’s Solid Waste Engineering Committee. In 2012 she received the 2012 Outstanding Achievement Award “for seven years of service that resulted in the reinvigoration of the Committee and the production of four successful webinar series, which disseminated cutting-edge technical knowledge on a wide range of solid waste topics”.

Program handouts:

• Infrastructure Series Flyer
• Infrastructure June 17 Program Flyer
• ASCE/LWVWI Infrastructure Project One-Pager

K-12 School Funding in Wisconsin

Have you ever wondered how public school districts are funded? K-12 Education makes us a large portion of state expenditures from the general fund. Unfortunately the system is opaque and complicated, including state, local, and federal money. This is a school funding 101 session to draw the curtains back on this important local and state function. 

Julie Underwood is a Dean Emerita of the UW Madison School of Education. Her passion and research area is school law, policy, and finance. She is an emerita professor from the UW School of Education and the Law School. Currently she serves as the board chair for the Wisconsin Alliance for excellent Schools, the host organization for the Wisconsin Public Education Network. 

Observing the Nov 2020 Post-Election Equipment Audits in Wisconsin

Following the Nov 2020 Election, LWVWI observed the post-election equipment audits in Wisconsin for the first time to help give voters confidence in the accuracy of the election results. During this break out session we will discuss the post-election equipment audits in Wisconsin and the League's findings through our observation program. 

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.

Session handout: Post-election Voting Equipment Audits in Wisconsin

Reimagining Public Safety and Financing Reforms

Expanding our idea of what constitutes public safety policy is a key step in reimagining what really keeps us safe. Public Safety is not just about the behavior and tactics of police; it is also about the civic engagement and capacity of communities to improve their own neighborhoods, their quality of life, and their sense of safety and well-being.

Financing Reforms: How can communities finance new strategies? How will state levy limits and opposition to local control of law enforcement funding impact that change? Will federal funding be available?

Barbara Notestein is a member of LWV Milwaukee County. She served as a Wisconsin State Assembly Representative from 1985-1998, Regional Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration, Clinton Administration Hunger Task Force of Milwaukee, Executive Director 1976-1984. Safe & Sound, Executive Director 2002-2013 and White House Champion of Change 2011.  

Maria Tully is a member of LWV Milwaukee County. Prior to retiring in 2008, Maria worked as a Sales Executive and Station Manager/VP Sales and Marketing for WITI-TV6 Milwaukee, 1974 -1997. She was the Director of Local Programming and Sports, Time Warner Cable Milwaukee, 2001-2008 and Founding Director of the Sojourner Truth House (Family Peace Center). Maria has also served on boards of Summerfest, Penfield Children’s Center, Visiting Nurses Association, and American Women in Radio & TV.

Program resource: Maria Tully and Barbara Notestein on Public Safety PowerPoint 

DEI Panel: Eliminating Age Bias in LWVUS Bylaws

The LWVWI board recently voted to move forward with a Community Alliances Committee (CAC) workgroup action recommendation, pending LWVWI membership vote during the Plenary Session June 12, to eliminate structural age bias in League in 2022 by proposing an amendment to the LWVUS Bylaws that eliminates age as a criteria for full membership and participation in League. This breakout session will share the history and rationale for the proposal, encourage discussion on the issue and prepare you to make an informed vote on this action recommendation during the Saturday Plenary Session.

Ellen Penwell is the Membership and Events Manager for the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin. Ellen provides management support to local Leagues throughout the state, serves as the state League liaison with new League interest groups, heads the Membership and Leadership Development Program, and coordinates the League’s statewide events. Ellen is a member of LWV Whitewater Area and served as its President for eight years. 

Lalia Ahmed is a freshman at Madison West High School who recently began exploring political engagement opportunities for youth in Wisconsin. Before collaborating with the League of Women Voters Dane County this year, she joined the High School Democrats of America, volunteered for democratic candidates in local elections, and spent her 2020 phone banking with the College Democrats of UW-Madison. She continues to phone bank and volunteer, and enjoys playing instruments, writing for her school newspaper, reading, listening to music, and trying out photography in her free time. 

Miriam Simmons is currently on the Board of LWV-Minnesota as Secretary; she was an advisor to LWV-Bloomington Minnesota when they spearheaded a change to the LWV bylaws as to citizenship and age requirements for voting members.  Miriam is also a Professional Registered Parliamentarian and advises the state league on parliamentary matters.

Session handouts:

• Statement on Action Recommendation
• Rationale Statement for Eliminating Age Bias in League
• Video of Dr. Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, director, Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, and Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life, speaking to the LWV Maine Convention on How to Think About Youth Engagement
• Program recording: The Case for Eliminating Structural Age Bias in League