the all-elections news edition

It's ELECTION DAY! If you have not already voted by absentee ballot or by in-person early voting, you have until 8pm this evening to cast yours. As recent events both in United States and in Ukraine have demonstrated, exercising your right to vote is not just something good to do. It's your way of saying that you care deeply about representative governance. Voting is foundational to our country, and to our way of life. We now know that it is more than possible to lose any meaningful representation. If you need to find out where your polling place is, consult MyVote.WI.gov. If you need information about candidates for school boards, municipal offices, Milwaukee County judges, Milwaukee County Supervisor District 1 candidates, or Appeals Court District 2 candidates, check our Elections 2022 pages.

In other local political action, the Wisconsin Fair Maps Coalition is joining with the Wisconsin Voter Empowerment Project to thank our election workers and let them know how grateful the FMC is that they count every vote and protect our freedom to vote. Join the FMC on April 12 to Thank Election Heroes! Register here to participate.

Fair Courts Series
Join the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin at noon on Wednesday, April 13, for a conversation about how money and weak recusal rules are undermining our courts. This second webinar of the League's Fair Courts series will feature Prof. Edward Fallone, Lisa Graves and Jay Heck. The panel conversation will be moderated by Joy Cardin, a retired Wisconsin Public Radio talk show host. For those who cannot attend, the recorded event will be posted on the League's website and YouTube page. Watch the first webinar. Register for this second one here.

There's still no word from the Wisconsin Supreme Court about the legislative maps the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) remanded for further analysis of the impact of the Voting Rights Act on the establishment of an additional majority-minority Assembly District. To bring yourself up to speed on what's at issue, you can read the SCOTUS decision, the responses to that SCOTUS decision (warning: it's a long list), and/or watch a recording of the Fair Maps Coalition briefing.

Also, in case you missed this development, Gillian Battino, who had been running for the Dem nomination for US Senate, has switched to running for Wisconsin Treasurer. Here's her website. The Journal Sentinel published an article about her and her switch to the Treasurer race in February just as the news about the war in Ukraine pushed nearly everything else off the front pages.

Grassroots North Shore will be bringing election information to you as soon as candidates have qualified for the August 9 primary. Mark your calendar now and MAKE A PLAN TO VOTE in the August election. Many contenders for the Democratic nomination for US Senate will be on that ballot! Grassroots North Shore will be holding a forum with those senate candidates in June. In addition, there are contested races for Lt. Governor, and Treasurer. There may also be contested races for Assembly and Wisconsin Senate (assuming we ever get new electoral maps for those offices!)

In important national news, three Republican Senators have announced that they will vote to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's nomination to the US Supreme Court. Senators Collins, Murkowski, and Romney have all publicly declared their support. So she will have at least 53 aye votes. (See the account in the Washington Post.) The vote is likely to take place on Friday. We can assume she will be sworn in and take her historic seat on the court this summer when Justice Breyer formally resigns.

Rick Hasan's Election Law blog reports that the non-partisan elections taking place in Green Bay today will have uniformed police on duty when ballot counting begins. Quoting Politico, the story recounts "tension building for over a year." Both a Democratic super PAC and a Republican super PAC have become involved, running ads questioning the legitimacy of the city's elections (on the GOP side) and urging voters to participate (from the Dem side.) And this is only one of the stories circulating about our elections in national media. A few days ago, the Washington Post ran a story about Robin Vos being held in contempt of court for his failure to turn over documents from the Gableman fiasco. If he and the legislature fail to comply within 14 days after the ruling, they will be fined $1000 per day until they do. Plus they will have to pay the legal costs of the organization that brought the suit. But of course, taxpayers will ultimately foot the bill.

Finally, in welcome news that will probably never reach national media distribution, a bipartisan group of county clerks in Colorado are calling on Big Lie proponents to back up their claims with real evidence. Apparently even clerks in GOP strongholds have joined with their Democratic colleagues to demand the proof! Daily Kos has the story. Perhaps election commissions in our state can do the same!

I'll finish up with a time-sensitive ACTION ITEM: Even if you don't live in Ozaukee County, please sign this petition to ensure that Cedar Gorge Clay Bluffs is designated a nature preserve in perpetuity and to keep it as an amendment Lion's Den Gorge. The alternative is selling it to an undisclosed special interest that wants to purchase the Cedar Gorge Clay Bluffs and break it up into a little over 35 plots to sell for real estate development. This loss will effect the thousands of folks who visit Lion's Den Gorge in the future and reduce habitat for migrating birds and wildlife. The Ozaukee County Board is voting Wednesday to put $1 million behind the effort. We all value the beautiful lakeshore and the nature preserves that so enhance our lives. Signing the petition will show the Board how much we value and want to protect our environment. Take a few minutes and do it NOW.

EVENTS

Tuesday, April 5

Spring Election, 7:00am – 8:00pm
Spring election for local offices such as mayors, city and county boards, school boards, and county judges. These are important and should never be skipped!

Wednesday, April 6

Confronting Gun Violence Film, 6:00pm
Zoom
The Price of Freedom (directed by Judd Ehrlich) is an unflinching look at the gun violence epidemic in America and the role the National Rifle Association, with its outsized political and cultural influence, has played. Jeri Bonavia, Executive Director of Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort (WAVE) will lead an online discussion after the film. Registration (required).

Living Liberally Waukesha, 6:30 – 8:30pm
Club 400, 322 Williams St., Waukesha
Living Liberally Waukesha meets on the first Wednesday of the month, in the upstairs bar at Club 400. All attendees should be vaccinated and wear masks when not eating or drinking.

Thursday, April 7

Militarizing Police in US and Britain, 12:00 – 1:30pm
Virtual
Militarizing the Police in the US and Britain: Empire and the Global Color Line, with author Julian Go, Professor of Sociology, Univ. of Chicago. More information and registration.

Saturday, April 9

Stand for Peace, 12:00 – 1:00pm
51st Street & Silver Spring Drive, Milwaukee
Stand for Peace has resumed in-person events with masks and social distancing. Check for more information. Theme for this week: Stop using our tax money for war and nuclear weapons. Organized by Peace Action Wisconsin.

Monday, April 11

Grass Roots South Shore Meeting, 6:00 – 7:00pm
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, April 12

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.

Saturday, April 16

Stand for Peace, 12:00 – 1:00pm
Martin Luther King Drive & North Avenue, Milwaukee
Stand for Peace has resumed in-person events with masks and social distancing. Check for more information. Theme for this week: Stop using our tax money for war and nuclear weapons. Organized by Peace Action Wisconsin.

Monday, April 18

Milwaukee Dems Meeting, 6:00 – 8:00pm
Zoom
Milwaukee County Democrats meet monthly to discuss party business, hear speakers on current topics, pass resolutions, and network with other progressives. All interested Democrats are invited. Information about how to access the meeting will be sent after RSVP. [There's no posting for this meeting yet. Look for it in next week's email newsletter.]