November 28, 2023

 

Dear Friends,

 

We have raised over $1,000 and it is still early in the day! If each one of our newsletter subscribers just donated $10, we would exceed our goal on that power alone. So, please take the time to make a donation today! Every donation counts.

 

I am also going to take this opportunity to remind you about our work on voting rights and civic engagement. If this work moves you to donate, remember you can direct your donation to the Wisconsin Interfaith Voter Engagement Campaign by selecting it in the dropdown menu under donation designation. 

 

Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice partners with the Wisconsin Council of Churches to organize the Wisconsin Interfaith Voter Engagement Campaign (WIVEC). Its purpose is to engage the interfaith community in the democratic process. It is an initiative with numerous activities directed toward increasing involvement in the democratic process. 

 

Two of the most successful WIVEC programs so far have been the Poll Chaplain program and the WIVEC Canvassers program. On election day last year, 25 clergy and faith leaders served as Poll Chaplains for WIVEC. Serving at polling places in Madison, Milwaukee, Wausau, Green Bay, Kenosha, McFarland, and Waukesha, our clergy helped ensure Election Day was peaceful and pleasant for voters and poll workers alike. The project received substantial media coverage. I encourage you to take a look for yourself.

• Wisconsin Poll Chaplains Look to Be a Buffer Against Intimidation Tactics, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
• Seeking to Bring Peace, Ensure Justice, Clergy Prepare to Stand Watch at the Polls, Wisconsin Examiner
• Peace at the Polls: Rabbi Natalie Louise Shribman Will Be a Chaplain at the Polls, for a Peaceful Presence, Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle

Canvassers from WIVEC worked from last July, for the August primary, through November 6 to #GetOutTheVote for the general election. We had canvassers in Madison, Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha, talking to voters, giving out literature, helping voters get registered, making sure they had the right ID, and making sure they knew where their polling places were. With the help of WIVEC canvassers, Wisconsin had one of the highest voter turnouts across the country.

 

It is our belief that engaging in this work will build increased understanding and stronger ties among different faith communities; increase engagement in the electoral process; and result in a greater understanding by faith communities of the influential role they can play in the public square. Widespread voter engagement is needed to ensure that elected leaders will pay attention to the needs of all their constituents, especially those who are least often listened to, and who have the most at stake in the decisions made by our elected officials.
 

Donate Here
 

Faithfully,
 

Bonnie
 

Rabbi Bonnie Margulis

Executive Director

Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice

Our mailing address is: