MADISON - Thanks to all who contacted the Joint Finance committee co-chairs about Elections Commission staffing, based on our Call to Action yesterday. They heard you! The budget committee voted to keep 5 of the 6 elections positions that were slated to be cut in Governor Walker’s budget recommendation. Good work!

Congratulations to the League of Women Voters of North Carolina, a plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging that state’s voter suppression law. The law was enacted hastily in 2013 after the Supreme Court gutted parts of the Voting Rights Act. It imposed a strict photo ID requirement and made other changes. The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday declined to reinstate the law, leaving in place a lower court ruling that said the law targeted African American voters “with almost surgical precision.”

LWV US President Chris Carson said last week: “President Trump’s ‘Election Integrity Commission’ is an unnecessary distraction from the real work to protect against foreign hacking and interference in our electoral process.” Read the full statement here.  

4 Wisconsin Counties Now on Record Opposing Gerrymandering
Jefferson County has joined Wood, Lincoln and Dunn counties in calling on the legislature to pass nonpartisan redistricting reform.

When Does Political Gerrymandering Cross a Constitutional Line?
This New York Times article explains why the Wisconsin redistricting case now in the U.S. Supreme Court may be the “holy grail” that sets a standard for when partisan gerrymandering goes too far.

Education Advocate Judy Crain Receives Chancellor’s Award
Congratulations to LWV WI Legislative Committee member Judy Crain on winning UW-Green Bay’s highest community honor recognizing her outstanding education advocacy.

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Help defend voting rights and fair voting districts with a secure online contribution to the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin. Or click here to print a contribution form to mail in with your check. LWV WI is a tax exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS tax code, and contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.