Click a category below to view only those posts…
If you are a member, or have recently been a member, you are already set up to receive these emails (if we have your email address).
If you get a Web Post Email, and want to discontinue this service, just click "Unsubscribe" at the bottom of the email.
Elizabeth MacNamara, President of the League of Women Voters, sent a newsletter out this morning asking for your help in overturning Citizens United.
"Another election has come and gone and millions of Americans went to the polls to vote at the local, state and federal levels on the issues and candidates that mattered most to them. While they were working as citizens to make those important decisions, millions of dollars of secret money poured into the 2014 elections from dark money groups which hide the identity of their donors, seeking to buy our elected officials and distort our elections. And we won’t ever know who paid for all of the ads that bombarded voters throughout the election.
What’s more, Super PACs raised and spent more than $600 million dollars in 2014 to elect candidates who will do their bidding and defeat those who might resist. Super PACs and other outside groups can raise and spend unlimited amounts because they are supposedly “independent” from the candidates, but in reality, there are many ways to coordinate that are not blocked by the FEC’s weak regulations.
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) can do something to stop the secret money and end the coordination between Super PACs and candidates, which would put a lid on much of the outside spending from special interests. Tell the FEC to stop the coordinated spending that is poisoning our elections!
The FEC is the federal agency in charge of our nation’s campaign finance laws, but so far they’ve done practically nothing to address the U.S. Supreme Court’s disappointing decision in Citizens United, which unleashed the secret and unlimited spending. The FEC has authority under existing law, even after Citizens United, to set disclosure rules and rigorously define “coordination,” but thus far they have refused to do so. The FEC is now receiving public comment about steps they should take “to address corruption in the political process.” As a League supporter, you know how important specific regulations can be. We need you to tell the FEC to act and enforce the law.
The American voter has a right to know who is funding political campaigns. And the American public has a right to have the law against unlimited coordinated expenditures strictly enforced. We must work to maintain the integrity of our Democracy by ensuring our elected official will be responsive to voters and not to the big money and the secret money from special interests. The stakes are too high, and the League will not stand by and let our political system be corrupted".
TAKE ACTION TODAY
Next week, the Senate will vote on the Keystone XL Pipeline and while it passed the house with a 252-161 vote today, passage is not guaranteed in the Senate. According to Reuters, "supporters were still one vote shy of the 60 needed to overcome a filibuster, a blocking procedure, an aide to a Keystone supporter said on Friday. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity."
Elizabeth MacNamara, President of the League of Women Voters of the United States, wrote a letter to President Obama, urging him to deny the permit for the pipeline (read the letter here). The LWV/US also stated, "the KXL pipeline will threaten the safety of our drinking water, promote a bad energy policy and increase the greenhouse gases in our atmosphere that contribute to climate change. This pipeline is a risky venture that is not in our national interest."
Please call Tammy Baldwin (202) 224 5653 and Ron Johnson (202) 224 5323 today and tell them to vote no on the Keystone XL Pipeline. Once connected to your Senators' offices, please make the following points:
Sean Duffy is hosting a 'meet and greet' in the Ashland Room at the Hotel Chequamegon at 6:00 tonight. The event is open to public. This is your chance to ask Sean Duffy where he stands on issues that impact our community so you can cast an informed vote on Tuesday November 4th.
Help us monitor the November 4 election! More information here.
Sign up on our 2014 Election Observer Volunteer Form!
The League of Women Voters is recruiting volunteers statewide to be trained election observers in polling places on November 4. Our observers will be the League's eyes and ears to monitor what happens at the polls and watch for any signs of voters being disenfranchised. You don't need to be a League member to volunteer (but we'd love to have you join)!
Poll Watching with the League is an important and rewarding volunteer activity. Read what our past volunteers have said about their experience.
You can volunteer if you:
League of Women Voters will provide:
How to volunteer:
Sign up on our 2014 Election Observer Volunteer Form. We will get back to you about where you are needed and times for online training.
Tell your friends about this opportunity. We need many volunteers!
Thank you for helping to make democracy work in Wisconsin!
Wednesday, October 15th is the last day to register to vote in Wisconsin!
Take a moment to register now at www.VOTE411/register. You can also register in-person at your Municipal Clerk’s office until Friday, October 31 or at the polls on Election Day. Don’t miss out!
Remind the people in your life to register to vote for the first time or to update their registration if they’ve recently moved or changed their name!
See Voter Registration on this website.
Help us make sure no one is left out. In order to get all eligible citizens to the polls on Election Day, the League of Women Voters needs YOUR help! Research tells us that personally asking people to register and vote is the single-best thing we can do to help more Americans participate.
Voter registration is the key to engaging all Americans in the political process. Did you know that close to 75 percent of Americans who are registered to vote make it to the polls in major election years? Unfortunately, nearly 1 in 4 Americans is not registered to vote. Imagine what our communities and country might look like if every single eligible American was registered to vote.
Ask them to get registered and remind them that together our votes will influence the policies and issues that are addressed by the newly elected officials. These elections are about our jobs, our health, our communities and our future. They’re about us and we all need to weigh in.
Thank you for Making Democracy Work® during this important election year.
Saturday, October 4, 2014, 9AM – 2PM
Crowne Plaza Madison, 4402 East Washington Avenue, Madison
Join us to hear top-notch speakers on lively issues in Wisconsin!
Protecting Our Waters: We Are All in the Same Canoe
Chairman Mike Wiggins, Bad River Tribe
The State of Education in Wisconsin
Tony Evers, State Superintendent of Public Instruction
All Politics Are Local: Challenges for County Government in Wisconsin
Joe Parisi, Dane County Executive
Ask, Learn, Vote: Motivating Women to Participate in the 2014 Elections
Sara Finger, Executive Director, Wis. Alliance for Women’s Health
Register by September 30!
For information on how to register, click here
$40 full admission; $18 students
For more information see the DNR news release and the DNR website.
Enbridge has submitted Chapter 30 (Wis. Stats.) waterway and Chapter 281.36 (Wis. Stats.) wetland permit applications to the Department in February 2014. Enbridge will be submitting an application for a Construction Site Erosion Control permit under NR 216 (Wis. Adm. Code), and an Air Pollution Control construction permit under NR 400-499 (Wis. Adm. Code). In addition, the DNR will review the projects for potential impacts to endangered resources.
The DNR will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for these two projects. The EIS will inform decision-makers and the public about the anticipated effects of the proposed projects and alternatives. The EIS will look at direct local effects, as well as broader impacts at regional, statewide and larger scales.
Public scoping
The DNR is seeking public input on what topics should be addressed in the EIS. We've drafted an EIS outline [PDF] and would like the public to weigh in on topics that may be missing from the outline.
The public is invited to review and comment on the draft EIS outline in writing by E-mail or by mail to: Jeff Schimpff - OB/7, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707-7921.
Comments on the EIS outline draft should be received by Tuesday, September 30, 2014.
Click here to see our letter to the DNR.
The WI League of Women Voters is seeking volunteers statewide to be trained election observers at the polls in November.
The League will provide online training, a packet of materials and a polling place assignment.
Your participation will help the League identify and report problems voters may be having.
In addition, you will contribute to a bank of valuable information which the League shares with election officials and lawmakers as we advocate for better election policy.
The League of Women Voters of Ashland and Bayfield Counties is a nonpartisan political organization whose main objective is to promote political responsibility through the informed and active participation of all citizens in government at all levels, especially locally. Making Democracy Work!
Latest Instagrams
