Dear {{recipient.first_name_or_friend}} — 

Events seem to be accelerating. So I feel it's necessary to send important information to our Grassroots North Shore email list. I hope it is useful to you. And feel free to pass it along to others who could use it.

First, everyone needs to "shelter in place" until the Governor and the Wisconsin Department of Health say otherwise. The full "Safer at Home" declaration is available online if you want to read it.

Absentee ballots: you should request yours and ask everyone you know to request theirs by visiting https://myvote.wi.gov. If you use a smartphone, uploading a picture of your photo ID is pretty easy. If you don't have a smartphone or if you run into trouble, just click the box on the request form to declare yourself "indefinitely confined." Then you will not be required to furnish a photo ID with your request.

If you need to register to vote or to update your name or address on your voter registration file, you can still do so online at https://myvote.wi.gov until March 30. After you update your record, you can then use the same site to request an absentee ballot.

Please vote the whole ballot. Grassroots North Shore has endorsed Judge Jill Karofsky for Wisconsin Supreme Court. You can see our endorsement online. We also recommend that you vote "YES" on the Milwaukee County referendum urging the legislature to approve a nonpartisan process for drawing the next round of electoral maps. Although we are not endorsing anyone for Milwaukee County Executive, we do have statements from Senator Chris Larson and Representative David Crowley on our site so you can find out something about how they would govern before you cast your ballot.

Once you receive your ballot and fill it out, you will need a witness's signature on the envelope you will use to return the ballot by mail. If you live alone, this step can be challenging. Here's a suggestion: Work out a system with a neighbor to get a signature without exposing yourself or anyone else to much risk if you can. To keep the recommended 6 feet of distance between the two of you, you might arrange to meet outside, place the filled and sealed envelope on the ground or a table between you, and back up until you're 6 feet away from the envelope. Then your neighbor can approach the envelope, sign it, and back away from it so you can retrive it and put it in the mail.

You might also want to call the Voter Protection Hotline the Democratic Party of Wisconsin has now set up. The number is 608-DEM-3232 (608-336-3232). The hours are 8:30am to 5pm. Please pass this information along to everyone who might need it.

Green Bay has filed a lawsuit to delay the election and move it to an all mail process. Several mayors have also been working on this issue. Grassroots North Shore has joined with a number of groups in the area to push for the election to be postponed also. But while we await the outcome of these efforts, everyone should try to vote by absentee ballot and everyone should urge everyone they know anywhere in the state to do the same.

Finally, here is a list of agencies that people might need to help solve a range of problems during the period when we are all staying home.

Be in touch with friends, family, neighbors. And be safe.