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What is Teams at Work?

Teams at Work is where all the Committee information is located.  Under Committees you can even join a committee.

It is also where you can tell the League what kinds of things or topics you are interested in.

League events are listed and you can volunteer to help out. Once you sign up, you will receive an email reminding you of the date and time of the event.

This is where you can show your League Spirit!
Are you having a hard time logging in?

Need to renew your membership but can't remember your user name or password?

Email me at webmaster@lwvbeloit.org.

The League is busy this month:

Urgent Action Needed.

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Community Health Assessment - Community Conversations

Tuesday, March 26, 5:30-6:30 pm at the Beloit Public Library

The 2024 Community Health Assessment team is hosting Community Conversations around Rock County to capture community input through lived experience and residents' stories.  Community Conversations focus on engaging members of a community to discuss what helps and hinders community health. Similar to focus groups, Community Conversations are often guided discussions with a small group of individuals from similar backgrounds. They generate knowledge that can then be used to inform decision-making. Information learned in the community conversations will be used to inform the Community Health Improvement
 Plan. 

 

The Beloit Community Conversation will be held on March 26th, from 5:30-6:30pm at the Community Room in Beloit Public Library and will be co-sponsored by the LWV-Beloit. Refreshments will be provided for attendees.
Questions can be sent to Christine Streich via email HEARCoordinator@co.rock.wi.us or by calling 608-757-5440. 

 

If you are unable to attend a Community Conversation, please take the Community Health Survey (English) (Español) to provide your input.
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How the Ho-Chunk Resisted Removal

 

Tuesday April 30, 2024 6pm - Hedberg Public Library, Janesville

 

Presentation by Stephen Kantrowitz, Plaenert-Bascom Professor of History at UW-Madison


Nearly two hundred years ago, the United States seized the Wisconsin homeland of the Ho- Chunk people and demanded that they leave the region forever. But despite repeated military efforts, many Ho-Chunk people remained or quickly returned from exile. How did Ho-Chunk people resist and defy the government's policies, and why was that resistance successful? Join us as we learn about the long and difficult history of U.S. policy towards the Ho-Chunk and other Native Americans.

 

More about Stephen Kantrowitz and the book Citizens of a Stolen Land.

Housing Part III Speaker: Lindsey Scianna

Lindsey Scianna will speak to us via Zoom on the difficulties to find safe, affordable, and attainable housing for the disabled, homeless, and others. Please join us for this informative meeting.

Speaker:  Lindsey Scianna, LCSW
                     Beloit Community Support Program Supervisor
                     Rock County Human Services


Registration and Ballot Information

  
Candidate and voter information

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State Constitutional Amendment Proposals--VOTE NO 


Forum on Tuesday, March 5, 6:30-8 pm via Zoom


Why Do State Constitutional Amendments Matter?


Two proposed amendments to the state constitution regarding election administration will appear on the ballot for the April 2 Spring Election. This virtual forum will address the procedure for amending the state constitution, the specific language being proposed, and the potential effects if these amendments are passed.


The public is invited to this virtual forum hosted by LWV Dane Co: You must register HERE to receive the Zoom link.

It will be held virtually March 5, from 6:30-8:00 pm.

Speakers: 
David T. Canon, Professor Emeritus, UW–Madison Department of Political Science
Nicholas Ramos, Executive Director, Wisconsin Democracy Campaign
Eileen Newcomer, Voter Education Manager, LWVWI


More details.

LWV Supports Referendum

Letter to the Editor:   (sent 02/15/24)

 

The Board of the Beloit League of Women Voters is supportive of the school referendum that will be on the ballot on April 2nd. This position is in line with the Wisconsin League of Women Voters' positions on adequate financial support for public schools in our state. By stating this position we in no way want to discourage debate or discussion concerning the referendum or the current state of the School District of Beloit. Indeed we call on all parts of our community – businesses, civic organizations, governmental bodies, and faith communities - to be engaged in learning about and understanding, the challenges, the shortcomings, the successes as well as the gaps and barriers that we as a community have with our public schools. Test scores, absenteeism, and behavioral issues grab our attention, but do we listen to more than the outrage?

Lack of transportation to and from schools for students isn’t just the student’s problem, it’s a community problem. Lack of stable and secure housing isn’t just a problem for our schools, it’s a community problem. Do we listen to the reality of over 500 students classified as homeless? Do we listen to the complaints of students and parents about the lack of transportation to get to school? Do we listen to the testimonies of some of our student-athletes who endure racist taunts at other schools, and plead for people to show up in the stands and support them? Do we listen to reports on health challenges, especially mental health challenges, that our students, their families, and school faculty and administration are facing?

Thomas Friedman, the New York Times foreign affairs columnist, recently wrote a piece about “listening.” It was a “mea culpa” piece in response to the blowback he received from an earlier piece where he used questionable metaphors in describing the current Middle Eastern situation. He stated, “I found over the years that it was amazing what people would let me say to them, write about them or ask them about — if they thought that I respected them. And if they thought that I didn’t respect them, I could not tell them the sky was blue. And the way they perceived respect, first and foremost, was if you listened — not just waited for them to stop talking — but deep listening. One can never do that enough as a columnist, reporter or reader — especially today.” It was his way of saying, “I hear you.” to his critics.

The district recently announced four informational sessions on the operational referendum to be held in February and March. Can the community of Beloit show up, and show that we respect one another by listening? Can we listen to the families that don’t have safe or secure shelter, reliable transportation, and access to essential health care? Can we listen to what the district is doing to address the challenges it and we are facing? Showing respect, and listening is the needed start that could lead to community engagement and support of our schools, our children and youth, and those who work on the front lines in our schools to educate and instill our children and youth with values and character. Values and character are more often caught than taught. Can we as a community model the value of showing respect and the character of thoughtful listening as we prepare to make intelligent votes on April 2?

Steve Howland, Board member of the Beloit League of Women Voters






Dear League,

Q: What do reproductive rights and Citizens United have in common?

A: Millions of dollars in dark money flowing into advocacy campaigns attempting to change the narrative around reproductive care. And voters still have no idea where this money comes from.

Corporations and wealthy individuals shouldn't have the power to make undisclosed political contributions that influence issue campaigns or elections.

Disclosure of large political spending should be the bare minimum requirement to inform voters who is spending money to influence their votes.  

That's why we need the DISCLOSE Act.


Root Out Dark Money


 
The upcoming anniversaries of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission and Roe v. Wade remind us that voters deserve to know who is funding their candidates.

Encourage your representatives to support the DISCLOSE Act and root out dark money in politics!

Thank you for defending a fair and transparent democracy.

 

In League,

Jessica Jones Capparell
Director, Government Affairs

See what we have added to our Sustainability pages!

Sustainability Progress in Beloit

Beloit is making progress on Sustainability and is compiling Green Tier baseline data.


Brittany Keyes and Susan Adams were invited to meet with City Manager Jerry Gabrielatos and Patti Miller who is the Emergency Management Coordinator. We met on December 19, 2023 to discuss the path forward for sustainability work in Beloit. Prior to the meeting, we were sent the work that had been done so far on the Green Tier program that Beloit joined in October 2021. City staff collected baseline data for 2023 on as many metrics as they could for all categories outlined by Green Tier. The plan is that these will improve as we make progress on our sustainability goals.


We discussed progress so far, where we’d like to go, and devising a plan to get there. We didn’t go over the details of the initial data, but instead discussed what the best next steps may be: whether this should be more citizen driven, city driven, or a combination, and who may be helpful in this endeavor.


Brittany and Susan are excited the city is moving forward in a collaborative way. Stay tuned for more information as we proceed.

 

Submitted by Susan Adams
Achieving Environmental Justice in Wisconsin

PowerPoint Presentation

The Air We Breathe


Join local community scientists in person or online as we take a closer look at the impacts of air and environmental pollution and the cost to our community and health. 

The Healthy Climate WI, LWV-Beloit—Sustainability Committee, and Nature at the Confluence invite you to attend:

Speakers: Brittany Keyes, Pablo Toral



PFAS: The Everyday, Everywhere Toxin 


News about PFAS is infiltrating our lives and – appropriately for "forever chemicals" – isn't going away. Contamination from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, has been found in sites all over Wisconsin, stemming from any number of the many ways these substances are used.  

To arm yourself for the fight to clean our waters and protect the health of Wisconsinites, the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin invites you to join us in the first of two virtual webinars that delve into how PFAS get into our bodies, how to protect ourselves, and what is happening at the state and federal level to mitigate this issue.


Speakers:
  • Dr. Beth Neary, Co-President of Wisconsin Environmental Health Network
  • Meleesa Johnson, Executive Director of Wisconsin’s Green Fire

REGISTER FOR THE EVENT

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Sharing LWV’s Nonpartisanship & DEI Commitments with Members & Leaders

Local and state Leagues can put these easy practices in place to ensure our nonpartisan and DEI values are protected organization-wide.

See all the Ballot Bulletins under Elections

Ballot Bulletin: Part 9

Ballot Bulletin: Absentee Voting

Ballot Bulletin: Absentee Voting

 

Time for another #BallotBulletin where we highlight various election security topics so we know about the processes in place to ensure our elections are fair, accessible, and secure. This week is absentee voting!

Absentee voting or mail-in voting is a convenient and secure way to cast a ballot. Here in Wisconsin, any eligible voter can take advantage of absentee voting — no excuse needed!

Election officials take lots of steps to ensure your absentee vote in Wisconsin is secure. When a voter first submits their absentee ballot request, the clerk verifies that they are an eligible, registered voter and reviews their acceptable photo ID before processing their request.

Once the request is approved, the clerk initials both the voter’s ballot and their absentee ballot certificate. They then add the USPS smart tracking bar code to the mailing envelope. 

These steps help ensure the chain of custody as the ballot moves through the postal service to the voter.

Once the voter receives their ballot, they must vote in the presence of a witness. The job of the witness is to sign and address the absentee ballot certificate, verifying that the voter was the one to complete their ballot (unless they require assistance due to a disability). The voter also signs the certificate to affirm that they completed their ballot.

After the absentee ballot is returned to the clerk’s office, election officials review the absentee ballot certificate to ensure that the envelope is sealed, the absentee ballot certificate is complete, and the clerk's initials are present.

Clerks track every ballot issued to prevent double voting and balance the number of absentee ballots received against the number of voters who requested an absentee ballot.

 >> Read previous Ballot Bulletins

 

Ballot Bulletin: Part 10


Ballot Bulletin: Badger Book

Ballot Bulletin: Badger Books

Time for another Ballot Bulletin where we dive into the processes in place to ensure our elections are fair, accessible, and secure. This week we are highlighting Badger Books, which are also known as electronic poll books.

What are Badger Books?


Badger Books are an electronic version of the paper poll book. These electronic poll books work the same as the paper poll books but with some added features. Badger Books are used to check in voters, process Election Day registrations, and record absentee ballot participation. 

Electronic poll books ensure consistency, efficiency, and make end of election day activities easier and more accurate.

Are Badger Books safe?


First and foremost, Badger Books were custom made for Wisconsin elections by the Wisconsin Elections Commission. Badger Books are not connected to the internet or to any other outside source. They are connected only to each other by a private network within the polling place.

From the voter perspective, the actual process of voting does not change at all. Voters still have the choice to vote using paper ballots or electronic voting machines, and voters still place those ballots in the tabulator. 

The tabulator is not connected to the Badger Books in any way, so no voting data is stored on the Badger Books — ensuring your ballot choices stay secret! 


What are the benefits of Badger Books?

  • Badger Books can shorten lines on Election Day by speeding up important Election Day tasks, including the process for same day voter registration and the process for checking in voters at their polling place. 

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  • Badger Books dramatically speed up important post-election data collection and reporting, making tasks that once took clerks hours to complete, now take minutes.

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  • They also reduce the possibility for human error in post-election data collection and reporting.

Ballot Bulletin: Part 11


Ballot Bulletin: Absentee Ballot Certificate Envelope Redesign

Ballot Bulletin: Absentee Ballot Certificate Envelope Redesign

 

Time for another Ballot Bulletin where we high light the processes in place to ensure our elections are fair, accessible, and secure. Today, let's dive into the new Absentee Ballot Certificate Envelope Redesign.

Voting early - either in person or by mail - gives many voters the flexibility they need to vote on their own schedule. Whether you're a college student, snow bird, have travel plans, are working on election day, or just want to avoid the crowds on Election Day there are many reasons to vote early! And luckily here in Wisconsin voters don't need an excuse to vote early!

For voters looking to take advantage of their early voting options next year, things have gotten a little bit easier. The Wisconsin Elections Commission recently updated the return envelope to make the certificate more user friendly for both voters and election officials.

Over the course of several months, the Wisconsin Elections Commission conducted several rounds of usability testing and design revisions with input from voters, poll workers, local clerks, and the U.S. Postal Service.

The absentee ballot certificate envelopes are now color-coded to indicate which type of ballot is contained in the envelope.

  • Blue envelopes will be used for outgoing envelopes mailed to voters from municipal clerks.

  • Purple envelopes will be used for standard return envelopes that voters mail in.

  • Teal envelopes will be used for return envelopes from care facility-based voters.

  • Brown envelopes will be used for return envelopes from military or overseas voters.

The new absentee ballot certificate envelopes are more user friendly with the use of bolded text, and full color designs that alert voters to fill out the required information to ensure their ballot is counted.

The new envelope colors also help postal workers identify ballots to speed up the mailing process. It is important to note that no changes were made to the ballots themselves.

>> Read previous Ballot Bulletins

Ballot Bulletin: Part 12


 What the parties can agree on - early and absentee voting in Wisconsin


Ballot Bulletin: What the parties can agree on - early and absentee voting in Wisconsin

 

It’s time for another Ballot Bulletin! This week we’re highlighting the importance of early and absentee voting options in Wisconsin.


One thing that Republicans and Democrats in Wisconsin can agree on is that voters should have options to vote - including early and absentee voting. Recently both the Republican and Democratic party chairs met with Steven Potter from PBS Wisconsin to talk about the importance of these options to vote in the upcoming election year.


No excuses are needed here in Wisconsin for voters to take advantage of their option to vote at a time that works best for them through utilizing either early voting or absentee voting by mail. Both options are flexible, convenient, and secure ways to cast a ballot.


Early voting (also called in person absentee voting) begins two weeks before Election Day. While each municipality sets their own hours for early voting to meet the needs of their communities, every municipality offers some form of early voting across the state. Many municipalities offer evening and weekend hours making this a great option for voters with a busy schedule. Find your local early voting opportunities. 


Voting absentee by mail is another great option that allows Wisconsinites the opportunity to vote from the comfort of their homes or another location of their choice. Absentee ballots are sent 21 days before Spring Elections (Feb 20 and April 2 this year) and 47 days before Fall Elections (Aug 13 and Nov 5 this year) to voters with absentee ballot requests on file.

This timeline gives voters lots of time to research the candidates and return their ballots before Election Day. You can even make a calendar year request and join the list to receive your ballots by mail for every election this year. That’ll make sure you don’t miss an important election! Make an absentee ballot request online.  


Our election officials diligently follow many steps to ensure early voting and absentee voting in Wisconsin is secure, making these viable options for voters in our state. Learn more about the steps they follow here.


>> Read previous Ballot Bulletins

Pages to Check Out

LWV of Beloit DEI Statement

 

     LWV is an organization fully committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in principle and in practice. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to the organization’s current and future success in engaging all individuals, households, communities, and policy makers in creating a more perfect democracy.


     There shall be no barriers to full participation in this organization on the basis of gender, gender identity, ethnicity, race, native or indigenous origin, age, generation, sexual orientation, culture, religion, belief system, marital status, parental status, socioeconomic status, language, accent, ability status, mental health, educational level or background, geography, nationality, work style, work experience, job role function, thinking style, personality type, physical appearance, political perspective or affiliation and/or any other characteristic that can be identified as recognizing or illustrating diversity.           (June 2019, LWV of Beloit)

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