Many of you have asked about opportunities to volunteer in Wisconsin voter-related efforts for the 2022 midterm elections
Please look at the information below from Milwaukee voter registration group, Supermarket Legends. This is the well-established, well-organized group we worked closely with on the DMV voter registration effort. They are involved with various programs that we think offer opportunities to make a real impact. 1. In-person (outside) voter registration of students at University of Milwaukee – Wisconsin on September 28. 2. Phone-banking efforts to help re-register voters (probable Democrats) who have been purged from the Wisconsin election rolls. Questions? Please contact Linda Tate and or Bob Best at: bobbestbike@gmail.com
Supermarket Legends WI Voter Registration Updates
Who Were Some of the Nonvoters in 2016 in Dane and Milwaukee Counties?
After the 2016 presidential election, Kenneth Mayer, professor of political science at UW-Madison, conducted a survey of registered voters in Dane and Milwaukee Counties who did not vote. He found that 11.2 percent or between 16,000 and 23,000 residents within the margin of error were discouraged from voting because of problems with proper identification. This was the first time the voter ID law was in effect for a general election In Wisconsin. Our state has one of the strictest voter ID laws in the nation, so this is no surprise. It mostly affected students, people of color, and older residents for many reasons, including the fact that all Department of Motor Vehicles locations have limited hours and many of these residents do not own a car, making it difficult to get to the DMV during those hours.
Voters Dropped from the Polling Lists in 2018
ERIC is a national database that compares motor vehicle registrations, addresses, and death records to identify voters who have moved or died. Using this database in January of 2018, the Wisconsin Elections Commission removed 308,000 voters from the polling lists. Thousands of voters were mistakenly removed. Voters were sent postcards and had to return them in 30 days to remain on the list. We can only surmise why many were not returned. One result is that it is difficult for some voters to give proof of residency on the spot when they show up at the polls and find they are no longer registered.
Voter Purge Project 2021
From Grassroots North Shore: As soon as the League of Women Voters has created the script and set up the phone bank, Grassroots North Shore will need people to call previously registered voters who have been removed from the Wisconsin voter rolls to help them re-register if possible. Starting in mid-June of 2021, the Wisconsin Elections Commission notified approximately 180,000 people who were on the voter registration rolls but who apparently had not voted in the last four years. If these voters failed to respond to the notification by July 15th, they were to be purged from the rolls.
These calls function much like a voter registration drive. This phone bank is a nonpartison effort to ensure that everyone who is eligible to vote is registered or, if not, can re-register, either in Wisconsin or in another state.
As soon as we have the information from the League of Women Voters, we will convene at least one Zoom meeting to offer some refresher information about how to use the phone bank and a walk-through of the script.
Please CLICK HERE to sign up
The Fast Lane Running into a Roadblock
We are making great progress on various initiatives, but without your help, we’re just stuck. Why volunteer? If voters don’t vote in 2022, the Wisconsin Legislature will probably curtail our voting rights even more. If you believe in democracy, now is the time to step up! We can’t move forward without Legends participating. Here’s the scoop on how you can help in a fun, fulfilling, COVID-safe way.
National Voter Registration Day September 28 We currently have only 11 volunteers to staff at UWM, and we need up to 40. Volunteers will distribute voter information to help students get ready to vote in 2022. Contact Sue Schneidler, sfschneidler@aol.com, if you are able to help. We are planning that everyone will wear masks, including the students. If possible, we will be outside. We are also planning to be at the MATC downtown campus and need volunteers there. Email Linea Sundstrom, linea.sundstrom@gmail.com, if you would like to help. In addition, we would like to spread out through the city to pass out our flyer, “Ten Things to Know About Voting in Wisconsin.” Contact Terri Lowder, tlowder996@gmail.com, if you would like to pair up with someone and to get a location outside. Fondy Farmers Market, 2200 West Fond du Lac Avenue We need volunteers on Saturdays in September and October, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Volunteers will be behind a table and distribute literature only. Note that the market has public indoor lavatories next to its office, and vendors wear masks. Email Terri Lowder, tlowder996@gmail.com, to volunteer.
Supermarket Legends Voter Registration Training Monday, September 20 6:30 p.m. central time via Zoom Linea Sundstrom will conduct the training, which will include both the My Vote online voter registration program and the paper form. For the link, please email Terri Lowder, tlowder996@gmail.com. Indicate “Zoom Training” in the subject line.
League of Women Voters Registration Training The League of Women Voters Milwaukee County is holding the following training sessions for MyVote Online Voter Registration. Registration is required, and class size is limited. Sign up HERE
Monday, September 27 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wauwatosa Public Library 7635 W North Ave, Wauwatosa Tuesday, October 26 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Location to be announced
For an update on the latest voting bills in the Wisconsin state legislature see the slide show on The Supermarket Legends our website HERE: The Southwest Wisconsin Area Progressives is hosting a free screening, of "Can You Hear Us Now?," a powerful film that shows the personal and political impact of antidemocratic policies in Wisconsin, which has one of the most gerrymandered state legislative maps in the country. Sign up on their website, swwap.org, to view the film between August 22 and 25. Then join a post screening conversation on August 25 at 7 p.m.
Questions? Please contact Linda Tate and or Bob Best at: bobbestbike@gmail.com and sign up for the Indivisible Evanston weekly newsletter for these and more 2022 Midterms activities. Our next election is just a little more than a year away! 😳