Elections

Wisconsin's spring primary election is Tuesday, February 17. There is no need for a primary in the City of La Crosse, but other areas may have primaries. The spring election is April 7 with absentee in-person voting available beginning March 24. In La Crosse, County Board and La Crosse School District seats will be on the ballot.

 

You can learn more about candidates at the League of Women Voters Vote 411 site or through local media, though a big thumbs down to the La Crosse Tribune for hiding its candidate information behind a paywall! 

 

Citizen Action will host a gubernatorial candidates forum on February 28 at the First Congregastional Church (elections for governor happen in August (primary) and November).

 

Hintgen Neighborhood has invited school board candidates to its February 16 District 11, 12, and 13 Meet and Greet from 6 to 7:30 at the Moose Lodge, 1932 Ward Avenue.

 

Individuals can check their registration, find out where their polling place is, learn what's on their ballot, and more at https://myvote.wi.gov.  Wisconsin has same-day voter registration (register to vote on election day), but you must have the right paperwork to register. It's better to register early to avoid lines or potential glitches at the polls.

VOTER REGISTRATION

The League of Women Voters of the La Crosse Area Voter Services Team will host an in-person training session on Monday, February 16 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Cia Siab, 1838 Sunset Lane. 

The training will include

• Online registration at MyVote.WI.gov
•  Paper registration
• Discussion of our unique populations including the three colleges and those experiencing homelessness. 
• Q&A session as time permits

This is open to any interested league member whether or not you are on the Voter Services Team.Information presented will assist with League voter registration tabling events, DMV work, and deciding whether to become an election worker or election observer. Now is the time to build our capacity to be the trusted source of voter information for our community.
Space is limited so please register by Thursday, February 12th by emailing Jane Powell, Voter Services Team Co-chair at jloupowe@gmail.com

 

POLL WORKERS (from the City Clerk's office):

The City of La Crosse encourages all citizens to vote and to become involved in the election process.  Citizen involvement is essential to conduct open, accurate and fair elections in Wisconsin.  One of the most rewarding ways to become involved in the election process is to become an Election Official.  Election officials must reside in the county they serve, must take an Oath of Office, and are required to be trained by the municipal clerk prior to working any election. Visit the Clerk's page for more information about duties and compensation. If you live outside the city, visit the Wisconsin Elections Commission page. 

 

ELECTION OBSERVERS/POLL WATCHERS (from the Brennan Center for Justice)

"Observers may monitor the election process without causing disruption to the voting location from within an observation area, designated by the chief inspector, that is no less than three and no more than eight feet from the sign-in table."

 

Several organizations recruit election observers. 

• The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin offers an Election Observation Program that includes training. Learn more here https://my.lwv.org/wisconsin/league-action/election-observation-program
• WisDems offers online Voter Protection 101 Training (the next session is on February 24). Learn more here: https://my.lwv.org/wisconsin/league-action/election-observation-program 

ELECTION PROTECTION

The Election Protection Coalition is made up of more than 300 local, state and national organizations, working to ensure every eligible American has the opportunity to cast a meaningful ballot. Volunteers are welcomed.

 

We will post more information about candidate forums and opportunities to be involved in elections as we hear of them.

Walk for Peace

The "Peace Monks" have reached Washington , DC after a 108-day, 2300 mile walk from their home in Fort Worth, Texas.

On Wednesday, February 11, day 109, they will lead a global loving-kindness meditation, streamed on their Facebook page, from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Central time.

"With the collective loving-kindness meditation from everyone in the whole world, it will make a significant effect on our world. When thousands of hearts meditate together in the same moment, our loving-kindness ripples outward, touching hearts, healing wounds, and planting seeds of peace everywhere."

People of any or no faith or guiding path can join in a commitment to work fiercely for peace, in ourselves, in our communities, in our world.

Learn more about it here: https://dhammacetiya.com/walk-for-peace/global-meditation/

Coming soon online and in person

 

Join the League of Women Voters of Dane County and the La Crosse Area to look at htf environmental impacts of data centers on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. REGISTER FOR LINK.

"With the dramatic increase of AI applications, cloud services, and crypto-mining, data centers are proliferating across the country (and world), and Wisconsin is not immune. Data centers promise to be a boon to local economies, including employment opportunities and large increases in local tax revenues. And yet there are questions. What we do know from locations that now have data centers is that there are a number of concerns that should be addressed sooner rather than later. The questions include whether there will be long-term employment opportunities vs near-term construction jobs, demand on local water resources and the impact on local electrical capacity. Local revenues are also questionable at this point since current locations with data centers have not recouped the promised resources. In addition to these questions, there are additional concerns that have been pushed into the background like noise and light pollution, increased electrical bills, ecological degradation."

On Thursday, February 12 at 7 p.m. hear from those who are resisting the regime and reimaginonh a caring community. REGISTER HERE.

"Organizers and community members in Minnesota are transforming crisis into action and tragedy into solidarity. Join us for a conversation with labor and community leaders from Minnesota including Reps. Ilhan Omar (MN-5), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) and special guests. They’ll share practical lessons for fellow organizers on organizing in the midst of crisis, rapid response, economic solidarity actions, and how Minnesota’s experience can help other communities prepare to protect each other."

Breathe and touch the sky. Great Backyard Bird Count February 13-16.

"People from around the world spend these four days in their favorite places, connecting to the birds around their homes and in their community. Whether you see one bird or hundreds over the weekend, we want to share in your joy of watching birds and connecting to nature. Count the birds you see for as little as 15 minutes on one of the four days. Then, submit your bird list to be part of a global movement to better understand how bird populations are doing. Your participation matters."

Learn how to participate at https://birdcount.org.

All are invited to a Hintgen Neighborhood Meet & Greet with city (Districts 11, 12, 13) and county electeds and school board candidates. 

Monday, February 16 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Moose Lodge, 1932 Ward Avenue. Come when you can, leave when you must. More at https://HintgenNA.blogspot.com

Protect elections NOW

From the Brennan Center

The SAVE Act could block millions of American citizens from voting by requiring people to produce documents like a passport or birth certificate to register to vote. The Brennan Center’s research shows that 21 million Americans don’t have these documents readily available.

We should be protecting the freedom to vote, not restricting it. Congress should reject this anti-voter bill. Learn more.

From Marc Elias, Democracy Docket: "The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) launched an investigation and issued new guidance that could severely undercut efforts to expand voting among college students ahead of the 2026 elections.

US Senator Chris Murphy explains. 

• Seeking regime control of voter lists
• Raiding and confiscating ballots and voter data in Georgia
• Plan to "nationalize " elections in key states based upon manipulation of the stolen ballots

"Donald Trump is taking the steps to create a pretext to take over state elections - that's what Georgia is about. ... If we don't see clearly what is happening ... then we have no way to stop it."

From 5Calls.org: "On January 29th, 2026, House Republicans introduced yet another bill aimed at disenfranchising voters under the guise of preventing nonexistent election fraud. The Make Elections Great Again (MEGA) Act, like the previously House-passed SAVE Act, would impose a proof of citizenship requirement for voter registration and a photo ID requirement to vote. ... The bill would also supersede states’ constitutional authority to administer elections by imposing sweeping changes like forcing states to discard mail-in ballots received after polls close on election day, banning universal vote by mail systems, and prohibiting ranked choice voting in federal elections."

Challenges continue to exist in Wisconsin. 

From Wisconsin Democracy Campaign: 

"In response to a suit brought by voters who were disenfranchised in the November 2024 election, the City of Madison is arguing that because the voters cast absentee ballots, they don’t have a constitutional right to have their votes counted."

From Wisconsin Watch: "Those who faced threats and pressure say the president’s legal authority may be limited, but the guardrails that once kept him in check aren’t as strong as they used to be."

Training Tonight!

 

Tonight from 5 to 7 p.m. Bystander Intervention &
De-Escalation Training at

The Nature Place