Let's begin with important election news. The February 15 non-partisan primary is just a week from today. You may already have requested an absentee ballot at MyVote.wi.gov. If you have not yet filled it out and turned it in, do so today. You can use a drop box located in your community or you can take it in person to your municipal clerk. Early in-person voting is going on now but it ends this Friday, Feb. 11. Find links to information about the candidates on our Elections page.

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin is holding a Get-Out-the-Vote Weekend of Action on Saturday, February 12, and Sunday, February 13. They're using virtual phone banks so you can "go" in your jammies if you want. The virtual staging locations they are setting up will provide a brief training at the beginning of each shift. So SIGN UP and get a running start on what is going to be a GOTV-filled year.

But the broader issues around voting just keep coming at us. Last week, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel noted that the "Republican lawmakers rolled out a constitutional amendment banning the use of grant money to administer elections" while "Democratic lawmakers called for a state elections commissioner to lose his job after pretending to be an elector for former President Donald Trump." A constitutional amendment will take years to accomplish and will need to be put before the voters — perhaps as early as next year. Needless to say, Grassroots North Shore will mobilize around this issue. And those fake electors should at the least be investigated for pretending to be public officials and for forging state documents!

The League of Progressive Seniors is holding an online workshop to grapple with efforts to suppress the votes of senior citizens and the disabled. State Assembly Leader Robin Vos apparently wants to prosecute members of the Wisconsin Election Commission for allowing residents of nursing homes to vote in 2020 even though Voting Deputies could not attend, as the law stipulates. And now they're trying to use the courts to prohibit the use of drop boxes for voting and to forbid friends or family of people with limited mobility from assisting them by delivering their absentee ballots for them. The program will take place on Friday, February 18, from noon to 1pm. To sign up, you need to email the League.

In the nation as a whole, we've had some victories in the fight against gerrymandering in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. In all three states, maps rigged by Republicans have been rejected by those states' Supreme Courts. The ruling in North Carolina was especially pointed about the effort to lock in GOP control: the legislature violates the state constitution "when it deprives a voter of his or her right to substantially equal voting power on the basis of partisan affiliation," the order stated. We're still waiting for Wisconsin's Supreme Court to rule on our electoral maps but it could happen any day now.

However, we may have suffered a grievous setback with the latest "shadow docket" ruling on a case about the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The court didn't actually rule on the case: it just stayed a ruling that a lower court in Alabama found discriminated against Blacks by failing to provide for a second congressional district with enough Black voters to enable — but not to guarantee — that they could elect a favored candidate. The Supreme Court's stay effectively restored the Alabama legislature's map, "suggesting that the court was poised to become more skeptical of challenges to voting maps based on claims of race discrimination," according to an article in the New York Times. Chief Justice John Roberts voted with Justices Breyer, Kagan, and Sotomayor. But of course his vote left him in the minority as all five of the "conservative" justices voted to let the maps stand until the case winds its way through the court. So, justice delayed. It's likely the new maps with its one majority-minority district will be in effect for the November 8 election.

Finally, you should catch up on some jaw-dropping news from Senator Ron Johnson. Of course he "refused Saturday to say whether the Republican Party was right to censure two members of Congress and whether it had properly characterized the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection as 'legitimate political discourse'" (JSOnline, Feb. 5, 2022). That he's a coward goes without saying. But he really topped his own record of saying stupid stuff when he said "he won't try to persuade a Wisconsin manufacturer to place more than 1,000 new jobs in his hometown." Here's quote: "It's not like we don't have enough jobs here in Wisconsin. The biggest problem we have in Wisconsin right now is employers not being able to find enough workers" (JSOnline, Feb. 7, 2022). I've paid attention to politicians and their campaigns since the 1960s. I've never heard one say that we don't need any more good jobs around here! Sheesh.

EVENTS

Tuesday, February 8

New Democratic Assembly Leaders, 12:00 – 1:00pm
Virtual
Join WisPolitics.com for a free virtual luncheon with the new Assembly Democratic leaders, Minority Leader Greta Neubauer of Racine and Assistant Minority Leader Kalan Haywood of Milwaukee. Registration.

Drinking Liberally MKE, 6:30 – 7:30pm
Zoom
Drinking Liberally MKE will be virtual during the winter months.More information.

350 Milwaukee Meeting, 7:00 – 8:30pm
Zoom
The Milwaukee chapter of 350.org is part of an international movement of ordinary people working to end the age of fossil fuels and build a world of community-led renewable energy for all. Virtual meetings take place on the second Tuesday of the month. More information.

Wednesday, February 9

MKE Mayoral Forum, 7:00 – 9:00pm
Turner Hall Ballroom, 1040 N. Vel R. Phillips Ave., Milwaukee and online
The Pabst Theater Group and other local organizations will present a forum for all of the mayoral candidates in Milwaukee. Attendees must have proof of being fully vaccinated for Covid. The event is free but space will be limited. The forum will also be broadcast on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Facebook page. More information and registration for in-person. Online access.

Thursday, February 10

WISDOM: Transformational Justice Campaign, 6:30pm - 8pm
Zoom
Taking On Mass Incarceration in Wisconsin. Register here.

Saturday, February 12

Phone Bank for Spring Election, 9:00am – 9:00pm
Phone
Sign up for a 3-hour shift of phone banking to talk with people about the spring election. Calling can be done from home and a brief training will be given at the beginning of the shift. Registration.

Stand for Peace, 12:00 – 1:00pm
Kinnickinnic Avenue & Lincoln Avenue, Milwaukee
Stand for Peace has resumed in-person events with masks and social distancing. Check for more information. Organized by Peace Action Wisconsin.

Sunday, February 13

Phone Bank for Spring Election, 9:00am – 6:00pm
Phone
Sign up for a 3-hour shift of phone banking to talk with people about the spring election. Calling can be done from home and a brief training will be given at the beginning of the shift. Registration.

Monday, February 14

Grass Roots South Shore Meeting, 6pm — 7:30pm
Cudahy Library, 3500 Library Drive, Cudahy or Zoom
Grass Roots South Shore is planning to have a meeting both virtual and in person. More information.

Tuesday, February 15

Spring Primary Election, 7:00am to 8:00pm
Your polling place or absentee ballot
Polls are open 7:00am to 8:00pm.

Wednesday, February 15

Ozaukee Democrats Monthly Meeting, 7pm — 8:30pm
1930 Wisconsin Ave , Grafton, or on Zoom
We will meet in person at our Grafton office space. If you wish to attend virtually, use the Zoom link.

Thursday, February 17

WISDOM: Transformational Justice Campaign, 6:30pm - 8pm
Zoom
Taking On Mass Incarceration in Wisconsin. Register here.

Friday, February 18

LPS Workshop on Senior Voter Suppression, 12:00pm — 1:00pm
Zoom
Senior Citizens and Persons with Disabilities are in the Voter Suppression Crosshairs. State Assembly Leader Robin Vos and other right wing extremists are working to suppress votes and distort the election process to take total control of Wisconsin. They have proposed numerous bills to reduce access to voting and are using the “Gableman Investigation” to threaten Election Commissions statewide. Vos has personally stated that the bi-partisan members of the state Wisconsin Election Commission be charged with felonies for allowing nursing home residents to vote in 2020 without Voting Deputies present. This workshop will hear from state Assembly Rep Chris Sinicki (D- Milwaukee), Calena Roberts - SEIU Organizer, and Atty. Mark Thomsen – Member of the Wisconsin Election Commission. Email the League of Progressive Seniors to RSVP. A Zoom link will be sent to you a day before the program.

Saturday, February 19

Stand for Peace, 12:00 – 1:00pm
Hawley Road & Bluemound Road, Milwaukee
Stand for Peace has resumed in-person events with masks and social distancing. Check for more information. Organized by Peace Action Wisconsin